Good Night Lighthouse (and a LM Challenge)

We've come to the end of the 2021 Hudson River Valley tour. At Mount Gulian, we ascended to the first floor of the house. In the Georgian style, there is a pass-through entryway with 4 rooms branching off. This level is more reminiscent of life in the 1800s, including the lavish dinner setting and the scrapbook in the parlor. When you consider how long this house has survived and the myriad "periods" it has come through. It really is a testament to the volunteers' dedication to bringing the past to life.

I created this layout from a page of border ideas I pinned. I chose the top border and punched the poinsettia leaves in 2 different red papers to create the look on the page. They are layered against the holly border punch. I used a dark gray paper for the top edge, so the dark green is harder to see, but I think it works out pretty well. I layered that above the scraps of red and green papers from the Recollections paper pad. The journal box and Noel card are also from that kit. A few poinsettia flowers around the page finished off the layout quickly. This layout fits in with the Lasting Memories challenge for this week. They provided a tic-tac-toe board, and I'm using the bottom row. Stickers include the little flowers at the bottom of the photos on the green strip; 3 patterned papers (red, green, and the gray at the top); and 1 or more punches--the poinsettia across the top!

While the last page doesn't pertain to any particular parks, since you saw the bridge in the opening pages, I thought you would enjoy seeing the sunset photo I took before heading home Sunday evening. The bottom photo is the Tarrytown Lighthouse — or as close as we could get. With all that construction equipment, we couldn't find a path to get us directly to the lighthouse! But it's there in the middle, glowing brightly. Next time, we begin a look at the Springfield Armory, so come back soon!

This page was made using the sketch from the CM Virtual Crop for February 2026. Scroll to sketch #2. I thought that this layout was the right choice because of the lighthouse. I used the angled paper elements to mimic the lighthouse beacon. The layout is mostly cardstock — blue for the base and center layers, gray for the middle layer, and decorative paper from the Nautical pack. I had gutted the bottom cardstock, so I brought the remnant back and trimmed it for the middle. I used the remaining gold shimmer paper to mat the photos. A few lighthouse elements and enameled dots from my stash completed the layout.