Four Centuries in one Site

Happy New Year, everyone! Welcome back to my blog and to my Fall 2021 trip. The Union County Four Centuries in a Weekend theme meant that sites located across the county spanned the early 1600s through the 20th century. The William Robinson Plantation took that quite literally, putting a World War II reenactment troop on the front lawn. The house itself dates back to the 1600s, so yes, four centuries in one location! I had visited this location previously, but returned as I was missing a stamp. Having more time here, let me take a closer look at this reenactment. There was a communications tent in active use, and some sort of platoon meeting and activity.

This layout is based on a Fast & Fun Project with Noreen from November 2023. I used the same collection she did, though I didn't have any more of the dark blue word paper, so I substituted navy cardstock. I used a border along the bottom that repeated the word "ARMY". I had more photos than she did, so most of the text was covered. Well, that happens sometimes. There is an 8 1/2 x 11 pocket between the 2 pages of the layout, so this is a one-page layout.

Inside the house, the focus is more on the building's history. The original owner was a physician, and so there is a large display of apothecary jars and equipment. In the backyard, there is an old horse-drawn milk wagon. I had not seen this previously, and it was an interesting display.

The right side of the layout was made with a CM Sketch from April 2022. They had posted three sketches for Earth Day to encourage us to use up our scraps (rather than throwing them out). Those sketches were only ever on Facebook, not on the blog, as they usually post, so the Pinterest link is the only way to view them currently. I used Paper Loft Euphoria papers for this layout (both the back of the 8 1/2x11 pocket and the interior house photos). The border across the middle of the page is a recent punch from CM, and although it is a canning jar, it matched the bottles on the shelves in the photos. I had punched that in black for a different layout, but never used it. This also allowed me to use a scrap in the spirit of the original challenge.

Passport to Adventure

Welcome back to my Fall 2021 extended vacation. On Saturday, October 16th, I started making the rounds of the Four Centuries in a Weekend locales. I visited quite a few, but I'll include only the sites that are also part of the Crossroads of the American Revolution trail in the blog. This year, I obtained a passport specifically for the event. This gave me a place to put the "bonus" stamps (as categorized in the NPTC database). Somehow, Union County managed to issue stamps that look just like the Eastern National official stamps. It created quite a conundrum about whether to include them in the database. That has now been settled, as we have added numerous state parks and other non-NPS groups to the database. If you haven't looked at that yet and enjoy collecting stamps when you travel, you should take a look! 

This layout is based on a pin I saved from Creative Life Scrapbooking. I didn't purchase the directions; I figured out the design on my own. I started by using the new CM inks and stencil to create the background paper. On reflection, I should have placed more leaves on the left side closer to the edge. The large acorn on the decorative pumpkin box is there because I messed up one of the border leaves with a pen that was too wet. From the first time I started scrapbooking, I've learned to cover mistakes with embellishments! The pumpkins were made with the CM Custom Cutting System squares and rectangles. I inked the edges for some extra oomph and added small bits of brown for the stems. I used a few scraps of cardstock and decorative paper. The largest pumpkin is cut from the mat that holds the passport. I knew the passport would cover the hole. It's not visible now, but I tucked the passport into a brochure pocket. It was too thick to hold on with just photo corners.

Highs of the Low House

After leaving the East Jersey Olde Towne Village, I headed to the campus of Rutgers University. The entrance to the Cornelius Low House is just beyond their football stadium (and the parking lot was undergoing renovation, making driving and finding the path rather interesting). The home has been preserved as one of the earliest examples of Georgian architecture and one of the few remaining from Raritan Landing (you can't see a river nearby now, but this was a port city in the 1700s).

My favorite part of the visit was the outside. The metal "shadow" figures on the lawn and the birdhouse gazebo were used to tell the story of the families who lived here through the years. Inside, the rooms are sparse, and, as the center of the local Historical Society, the upstairs houses a series of rotating displays on New Jersey life in general rather than focusing solely on the Revolutionary War. The Low Family was divided by the Revolutionary War, with some members ostracized and exiled to England afterward.

This layout is loosely based on one of Meggan and Tessa's Power Hour projects. You can see the pin I saved here (follow the links to the video and download). I had a small piece of Vintage Chic paper left that I used to mat the 2 vertical photos on the left page. I found a similarly patterned paper in my stash to use for the right-side page. There is an 8 1/2x11" pocket between the pages, so I wasn't too worried about making the pages match exactly. The black cardstock background allowed the lighter cardstock punches to shine. That is the Elegant Diamond border punch from Creative Memories, and as of the day I'm writing this, it is still available. The mini journal box was also from the Vintage Chic collection. 

After this layout, I "retired" that collection. That means I put all of the smaller remnants into the stash bags rather than keeping them all together. Journal cards went into the journal card box; any remaining paper pieces were placed in scrap envelopes by color; and any remaining stickers and elements went into the theme folder. Any stickers with words on them are cut into individual pieces and stored in my "Words of Wisdom" binder (in alphabetical order). 

Lasting Impressions

My last stop at the East Jersey Olde Towne was the print shop. I was delighted to find that the printer was a woman! In her period garb and protective apron, I watched her review the print block, discuss setting type, ink the press, and create a handful of flyers and labels for the honey jars in the gift shop. My father owned a print shop when we were younger, and while his press was electric, it worked much the same, so I found myself smiling all the way through the demonstration. And it was a show for just me! Not too many visitors on a Friday afternoon. I bought a jar of their honey, too.

This layout is based on the CM Virtual Crop sketch for November 2025 (scroll to sketch #3). I flipped the layout horizontally so the feature photo would be the printing press and card. Like the schoolhouse page, I chose Graphic 45 papers to complete the design. Notice the label on the honey and the little card decoration--they feature a bee! I had a yellow sheet in my stash that also featured bees, so I knew it was going on this layout. One sheet was enough to create the vertical strip and the horizontal mat. I had previously cut a decoration out of the paper on the reverse side. However, strategic cutting and placement of the photos and cards covered that hole. I bet you'd never know it was there if I hadn't told you. The sketch calls for another color for the borders and the right-side mat page. The butterfly print was close to bees, and I had wanted that darker contrast. Then, to ensure nothing was lost, I mounted both sides on plain white cardstock. A few stickers and other embellishments finished the page. (And I just noticed the red "O" sticker. That fell onto the layout and has since been removed. Not a decorative element!)

Good Old Golden Rule Days

Another building I visited in the East Jersey Olde Town Village is a one-room schoolhouse. This one is of stone construction. I typically associate these with the frontier and assume log cabins, but this one was made of sturdier stuff. The desks were all paired, and each had its own slate tucked into a well at the front.

This layout is based on one of the CM sketches in the 101 Sketch book, page 52. I turned the sketch 90 degrees because my photos were all landscape. 

I used a base from the Copper and Kraft paper pack (an advisor-only pack). The pattern reminded me of the Graphic 45 papers that make up the rest of the layout. I've finally come to the last of my historic school papers and embellishments. I really liked that little rectangular photo of the kids going to school next to my journal box. That captures the essence of the time period perfectly! The title elements are from the Copper and Kraft kit as well. A little brighter than I would have hoped for, but it was the right sentiment for the title. 

The bottom row border is supposed to be a series of books. I first struggled to find that punch because, well, it wasn't a punch! That's one of the cutting dies I had purchased. Once I realized that, I created 2 segments to place side by side to form a border. I need a less busy pattern for the paper. Neither the books nor the little counting phrase was 12" long, so I filled in the left edge with another embellishment image. Not strictly school, but young girls, and that worked for me. 

Half a Door is Better Than None

Welcome back to my tour of East Jersey Olde Towne Village. We finally come to the areas that were staffed. I enjoyed talking to this housewife about her daily life. The house has a small garden to the side, though most of the plants were well past the harvesting stage. I liked that they had included a half-door, and she was standing in the doorway awaiting my visit! The tour covered only the first floor and focused primarily on the kitchen, which was fine with me. 

This layout is based on one of the CM Virtual Crop Sketches from November 2025. Scroll to layout #2 (I turned it to the right). November 2025 was also a Secret Box opening month, and I always buy those kits. This one included the border maker cartridge you see on the right side of the 4" strips. I wasn't sure that the 3 strips would align correctly when stacked, so I carefully placed them on the paper holder as I wanted them on the page. Post-it notes help to hold paper in place if you need more stability. The brown border sticker is a leftover from an older kit in my stash, but I thought it worked well with this layout. There were also leftover buttons and hearts, which reflected the homey feel of the photos.

Horsing Around at the Blacksmith Shop

Welcome back to my tour of East Jersey Olde Towne in October 2021. The next location I visited was also unstaffed — the blacksmith's shop. I've seen forges working at other parks, so I didn't need the details, though it is usually a nice program. Additional rusty farm equipment was just outside the barn, so you get a whole idea of all the items they had to work on. Lots of horseshoes are lined up as well.

I based this layout on one of the CM virtual crop sketches from November 2025. Look at sketch #1 (I doubled it for this layout). I wanted to focus on the red barn and the brick chimney. The background paper is cranberry cardstock, and I had 2 matching pieces of brick paper for the mat area. I punched the barbed wire fence with a CM Border Making Cartridge. I trimmed off one link so that it fit just over the mat area. I found a mat with a distressed gray pattern and trimmed it into 4 equal segments. By tucking those under the brick paper, it looks like a single long piece extending across the page. Saves paper that way! I found a border sticker that I cut into short lengths to use as a title, and then mimicked that effect by putting my journaling on white write strips on the right page. A few stickers from the CM On the Farm pack rounded out the layout. 

Up a Steep and Very Narrow Stairway

This blog post is a continuation of the Indian Queen Tavern tour. The upstairs is more reminiscent of family life than of an inn, but it still houses some wonderful pieces. I especially liked the piano (which might be a harpsichord, I forget the details). The stairway itself is a special historic artifact. The period style called for a very sturdy yet winding, narrow staircase. This saves room in the floor plan, but can be treacherous on the climb. Watch your step if you visit!

I based this layout on a pin I had saved. Noreen Smith made the original pages you can see in this pin, but she only posted a photo of the design, no directions. I tried to emulate her style from the one clue in the original post—it's all from one sheet of paper. I chose the last piece of paper in my Literary Romance collection and used the woodgrained side. I started by cutting an 8" square from the center of the paper. That piece is placed as a diamond on the right side of the layout. The remaining piece of paper is turned so the corners hang over the left page edges. I tried to center the paper as best I could, then turned it over and cut off the sides, leaving me with the 4 corner elements for the right-side page. I couldn't tell whether Noreen meant the center mat sections were also from the same sheet of paper, but I don't think they are. For that reason, I found 2 8" square remnants in my stash and used them to mount the photos in the center of the pages. The title element and the corner stickers on the left page are from Creative Memories. The remaining embellishments are from the Paper Loft collection.

In the Inn

Welcome back to my extended fall break from 2021. The first building I walked through in the East Jersey Olde Towne Village was this tavern. It started as a private residence, but with the addition of rooms and remodeling, it eventually became a tavern and inn. The first floor focuses on the tavern portion with the bar room and dining room set up for travelers. As with many other locations, Washington is reputed to have dined here on his journey between New York and Virginia. The manikin below is supposed to represent him. I love that they included a mock-up of the food served, too!

This layout is based on a Club Scrap layout that I saved. The link to the layout sample is here. I found a link to the PDF directions that include the cutting guides (email me if you would like a copy). I chose papers from Paper Loft. Isn't the teapot design simply the best fit for the background? The directions call for several decorative papers. I used 1 sheet for the stripes, 1 for the border bases, and 1 for the small squares. The green tonal paper didn't precisely match the teapot background, so it creates the visual separation needed for the layout to work. There are a dozen 1" squares on the layout. You could use all one pattern, or use this as an excuse to use up a variety of scraps. Just make sure the tones match. The small journal box and the other embellishment cluster were remnants I found in my stash pile.

It Takes a Village

My fall 2021 vacation extended through the weekend, though my husband returned to our home. Union County holds its Four Centuries in a Weekend event on the 2nd weekend of October. I planned to attend those events, but since they don't start until Saturday, I used Friday to schedule visits along my travel route. New Brunswick, NJ, is in Middlesex County (not far from Rutgers University), so I made plans to pick up a few more stamps there. The East Jersey Olde Towne is a collection of buildings that would have been found in Colonial America, but like the Appalachian village in the Great Smoky Mountains, gathered from various sites and moved to a central location. They have a regular supply of living history actors, and I got to meet several of them.

This layout is based on one of the CM Virtual Crop layouts from October 2025. Scroll to layout #1. The secret to the long strip that flows off the bottom of the page is to use 2 mats that are 4 1/2" x 6 1/2". You need to pick 2 that match and tape them together in the middle (you'll cover that with the photos). That gives you 13 inches of length, so you can position it with the ends just hanging off the sides, then trim the excess. I also used some paper from the collection (I'm using Legacy of Love again) because there were decorations in the middle that I wanted to cover, and it wasn't quite covered by the photos, as they were trimmed to 5 1/2" long each. The base is a sheet of  Hot Fudge Brown cardstock. I gutted the middle so I could use it for the mats on the smaller photos. There is a companion page on the right with the village map, and there will be lots more journaling as I go, so I was OK with the small journal box under the photo.

The Shirts on Our Backs

This post is going out on New Year's Eve. I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season and will be ready for more of my National Park Adventures in 2025!

Our club made the difficult decision to cancel the in-person convention for 2020. There were too many concerns about Covid and large groups (and I'm not entirely sure we'd be able to get into our hotel rooms). The first thing the club did was to encourage our members to take photos of themselves in prior convention shirts. A photo at a park was ideal, but if not possible, just a picture in the shirt would suffice. I wore the New Bedford Whaling shirt and posed in front of the house during the week.

This layout is based on this sketch.

I'm playing along with Lasting Memories, and their challenge for this week is to base a layout on a sketch. That sketch is from 2021, so I've been holding on to it for a while! I didn't use the "polaroid-style" mat for the photos as I turned one of them into a journal box, which would have looked a bit odd. This paper is from "You Got This," which has a great set of tie-dyed papers. The tones connected with that orange-ish shirt, and the embellishments included more modern teen vibes, like the cell phone. But I like the way they all connected perfectly!.

On the Friday before the convention, I chose the Flagstaff shirt from the year prior (it's what I would have worn at the convention, of course!) I wanted to do more than photograph myself in my yard, so I walked a block over to the Grey Stone monument. We live near where William Penn signed the treaty with the Native Americans for what is now Pennsylvania! The closest I got to a National Park was the Trenton Barracks--part of the Crossroads of the American Revolution trail. The gates were closed, so I could just peek above the fence and see the tops of the barracks. That's why I got my photo with the sign. Although I was outdoors, other people were around, so I had my mask on in that photo.

For this layout, I followed a sketch I had used once before (not shown in the blog; I used it for one of my Lighthouse Challenge pages). For December 2024, I've enrolled in Tammy McEwen's end-of-the-year challenge. She brings back sketches from the CM blog throughout the year so that we finish pages matching the year (this year, we will finish 24 pages if we do them all!) (Inspired by a Creative Memories sketch and #TammyMcEwen #Tammys2024Challenge) The paper pack is Happy Camper. It didn't include journal cards, so I used a couple from a pack I won at a non-CM crop many years ago. I think they were from Close to My Heart, but I can't be sure. I chose a border punch rather than punching individual circles for the border. If I wanted more pop (though this particular page is fine), I could have also added more circles under the decorative arcs. Because the background paper is so busy, I chose to mount my photos on white mats, making them easier to see.

Give us Liberty!

The last stop of the day was at Liberty Hall. I had arranged an NPTC Meetup. While we didn't run into each other much during the day, we gathered here for the day's final tour. I set up my stamper near the official stampers and tried to pull everyone together. However, I missed the last tour as club members kept arriving and wanted to stamp! Well, there will be another one next time, I'm sure! Several of us headed to dinner after this to chat more, and then it was time to return to the current year.

This layout is based on one of the CM sketches in the 101 sketchbook (page 60). I am using a collection called Gem Tone, a secret box from a few years ago. I love it for pages with historic homes. It just seems to "fit". The bottom is 1 1/2" strips (again, a great way to use up scraps!) The border sticker across the top covers any slight imperfections in the length. The kit came with a set of laser-cut frames. The one you see above is 1/2 of the frame in the kit. I only needed to highlight one photo, and I could keep the other half for a different page. I tucked the cut edge under the brochure so you cannot see any imperfect edges.

Post #500! Stop Inn

Wow, this blog is on post #500! Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me over the years. I hope you've enjoyed the tales as much as I enjoyed making and sharing the pages with you.

My next stop was this historic tavern. The location was active a bit AFTER the Revolutionary War. It was part of a stagecoach route connecting Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. They recreated the tavern and kitchen from the early 1800s. Another building on site is related to the Colonial era, but while it is preserved, it serves as their gift shop.

This layout is based on Cheryl Even's Sketch #76. I used an ivory piece of cardstock and a long strip of Old CM paper (I'm not sure what pack that came from, but it's probably 2009 or so). I cut another piece of cardstock with one of CM's large custom-cutting system shapes. It's no longer for sale on their site, but keep an eye out, as sometimes they do "retro" sales and bring back classic pieces for brief periods. Replacing one of the photos with a journal box allowed me to add the brochure for the site to the decorative element in green. I then added a 12" border sticker (cut in half so I could use it top and bottom) and a couple of old candlestick stickers, which I think are actually from a formal dining kit 😊. Given it's a tavern, I thought the "Cheers" title fit pretty well. 

No Bread For You!

My next stop was to the Frazee House. This house is undergoing extensive renovations, so there are only photos of the exterior. I did enjoy the story, though I wonder how true it is. Supposedly Betty Frazee was an excellent baker and the British Army, and supposedly Cornwallis himself, came through and wanted to buy the bread from her to feed the troops. As someone inclined to follow the American Rebels, she declined. Whereby the British ransacked her farm and took the bread anyway. True or not, it is that type of story that helped stir up sentiment to follow the Colonials. And of course, history is written by the victors...

If you've noticed, the past few layouts (including this one) include some little trading cards. They were available at the sites and with a shortage of photos, they really helped tell the story! They are all mounted with photo corners so that they can be removed and you can still read the story on the back. 

This layout is based on a sketch from the CM December 2023 Virtual Crop. Scroll to Sketch #1. I had pulled my patriotic materials to work on these pages and this paper was from a secret box. The paper is called "Starlight" and due to the stars, it ended up in the Patriotic box. It was the perfect background for this layout as I wanted something patriotic but also "homey". The quilted background paper fits both categories. I used some of the larger star embellishments as my journal boxes. If you look closely at the gold strips you might be able to see that they are cut with the new Colonial blade for our 12" trimmer. It's a small detail, but it does work!

Outstanding in His Field

I did not know about the next stop--Ashbrook Reservation. It's a local park and the site of a Revolutionary War Battle called the Battle of the Short Hills (definitely missing from my high school history book). If you want to read a bit about the battle, try this website. The stamp and information booth was in front of a local vocational-technical high school. It was quite odd to see tents and colonial-era people milling about there. I had a great talk with the gentleman on duty about people in the area and names from the era with which I was familiar. In his discussion about the battle, we looked over his cannon. And then he picked it up to show me that it was not only not "period" but was painted styrofoam! His associate had been taking photos with my camera and captured the moment that I realized the folly, and THAT was what I wanted to capture on the layout.

This layout is loosely based on this pin from CM's December 2022 Virtual Crop (also on page 58 of the 101 Sketches book). the background paper is one of the patriotic packs from my stash. Since that was in blue and white, it made sense that my mats were red. I chose 2 punches to add decorations--the CM star punch which makes a frame star and gives you the inner cut star, and the rocket punch. Clustering those in opposite corners gives you the flow across the page. The flag embellishment is from a pack I picked up from Paper Wizard. I bought that pack of minis for my Boston photos. I guess I'll have to pick up another pack!

How could you not like the Drake?

My next adventure was in October 2019 for the Union County Four Centuries in a Weekend Event. Union County, NJ is the home of many historic sites with connections to Washington and the Revolutionary War, the Industrial Revolution, and World War 2. Some sites are connected to the Crossroads of the American Revolution historic trail and have National Park stamps. The event organizers also created Union County stamps so we can generally get 2 at each location. Though it is a 2-day event, I had to work on Saturday so I visited just on Sunday and got to only a few locations. The event is held yearly, so I can return for more visits.

My first stop is a home called the Drake House Museum. This house's claim to fame is that during the Battle of Short Hills, George Washington used the front parlor as his headquarters. The photos on this layout reflect the heritage and rooms that are decorated in the colonial style (including a kitchen and medicine cupboard). I also got to pose as Alexander Hamilton's long-lost cousin. See a resemblance? 😁

This layout is based on Noreen Smith's January 2019 1-2-3 layout. I reversed the layout (imagine it flipped horizontally) so that the tall column of photos is on the right side of the layout. I used some of the last of my CM Americana paper packs. It really is perfect for that Colonial Era theme. The papers are layered on light blue cardstock. Flipping the sketch meant that I had a large blue area on the far right. I used a similar scrap of tan paper to cut 1 3/4" squares. Do you see the small square on the top of the left page? That is part of the indicator sheet included with all the CM paper. It provides a look at each of the papers so you can see at a glance if it will work with your photos. I cut that square as it matched the layout best and mounted it. The small bunny on the right is from an 8 1/2 x 11 paper pad I bought a long time ago. This is just the image of what a paper piecing project would look like, but with a little fussy cutting, it too became an embellishment. I had an extra 12" sticker border with those rustic stars that finished off the layout.

No Pigs are Involved in this Post

It's Hogmanay! That's a Scottish tradition where you celebrate the incoming New Year. The Brearly House in New Jersey hosts one every year. And again, since I now live closer it was easy for me to visit. They have a bonfire (carefully controlled by the fire department) where they encourage you to write down everything you were unhappy with in the previous year and throw it in the fire to BURN! It's quite cathartic. I arranged an NPTC meetup for this event and had a great turnout! It was a very cold night and had recently snowed but we kept warm and enjoyed the event.

This layout is from one of my Paper Loft classes and uses their Euphoria paper kit. I liked the brown tones that also incorporated fun with the banners and diamond prints. I didn't pay any attention to the photo mats--I just placed my photos where I wanted them and it worked out perfectly! I do love their word cut-apart sheets. They are the perfect accents to the page.

The official picture was indoors (and I think everyone appreciated that!) You can also see the organized, polite line of people stamping. I think we were a bit loud and may have drowned out the fiddle player in the next room though. Well, it can be months between seeing each other and there's always a lot to catch up on!

This is the last page of the album so I only needed one page. I used another of the same layouts from Paper loft and again ignored those photo mats. Quick pages!

Centennial Part 16--The Old Barracks

On Wednesday I toured by myself for a bit. I stopped at the New Jersey capitol building, and while they did have a lobby dedicated to the National Park centennial, I chose to not include it in the blog. It is in the album, so if you are particularly interested, stop by to look! After the capitol building I walked around the corner to the Old Barracks. This is part of the Crossroads of the American Revolution trail. This is where the Hessian soldiers were stationed when George Washington made his famous river crossing and attack on Christmas day. I was the only person on my tour, and it took more than an hour to go through all the various rooms.

This is a pair of Fast to Fabulous pages. Once again you can see that I strayed outside of the pre-printed photo boxes. I chose these 2 because of the writing on the background. It reminded me of a letter home. I attempted to piece together photos to show the shape of the compound, but ran out of space on the page, so on the right there are 2 photos combined at the top and the remaining side is below. The title is cut from the Cricut in nice big letters. You can make the letters any size you like, which can be a real bonus to page filling.

Centennial part 4--Friday night picnic

After touring the Brearley House, we all drove over to Washington Crossing State park. Yep, the Jersey side where Washington and his troops landed for that fateful surprise attack. This state park contains another Crossroads of the American Revolution stamp and we saw the film at the visitor center, picked up the stamp and then gathered for the picnic.

The left page uses a sticker that I'd been holding onto for a LONG time. I mean, when ELSE am I going to use a Washington Crossing the Delaware sticker?!? I mounted that on a piece of blue cardstock that I tore with a rough edge ruler (this double wave tearing tool is very similar to what I used but has more rough edges). To add to the water theme I used a leftover piece from a strip where I cut out a bunch of triangles to make banners. I also had a journal box with water rushing over rocks.

For the right side, I used 1/2 of a layout kit that I made during one of my monthly trips to Enchanted Memories. Most people don't think of splitting up pages, but in this album I actually did that a couple of times. You'll see the left side of the layout in a few weeks. I just didn't want to use the left (hot dog) page with the intro being all about the Washington Crossing.

After we ate, one of the members arranged some group games and everyone had a lot of fun.

This is a layout I created at a Paper Loft class during one of the Lancaster Creating Keepsakes conventions. The classes are great because they focus on highlighting the photos, not the paper. The Fun and Games title was created through some older CM letters. The mixed colors not only worked well with the paper, but brought out the energy of the contests. This is another good example of not worrying about the photo mats already placed on the page. You can see that NOTHING fits within the original (cream) boxes. My favorite use was cropping the long photos so that they fit within 2 of the mats on the right page. Those mats become great journaling boxes. You could even layer stickers in that space. I think the paper on these pages is busy enough that stickers weren't needed though.

Centennial Part 3--The Brearley House

On Friday, we arranged a tour of the Brearley House in Lawrenceville, NJ. It is not normally open on Fridays, but they were happy to arrange 3 separate tours to accommodate all of the members who wanted to go. There are some stamps there that are hard to obtain, so this was a very popular opportunity. Although we had people sign up for the 3 different start times, few actually showed at their appointed hour. But between those showing up early for one and late for another, the tours were still the right size!

This layout was created during a virtual crop from Creative Memories. To get people ready, there was a "preview" sketch challenge on Friday night that you can see here. For once, I followed the sketch almost exactly! I chose an older piece of CM with red tones to match the brick work. Then I accented with yellow to match the other predominant color in the paper. I ended up going back after the challenge and replacing the original sticker letters (much manipulated due to shortages of the required letters) with Cricut cut ones. If anything looks slightly ripped, it's from where the original sticker letters were. But that just matches the antique feeling of the page! 😀

I took the tour with the first group so that I was prepared to help the subsequent groups along. There are a number of time-period correct antiques in the home, though not necessarily from the original family holdings. It's amazing how some parts of the house are still in great shape hundreds of years later, including the floors.

The left page uses an idea I saw to create flames. The story is about a  burning log on the wood floor. The flames are actually red and yellow paper cut with the Creative Memories Border Maker system using the grass cartridge (now discontinued). I also found a piece of paper with a design that sort of reminded me of flames, so I fussy cut 2 of them out to fill the corners. The right page was copied off an idea sheet I have in my stash (I want to say it was a page formula, but I'm not positive). I did get the idea somewhere. I just supplemented with what I had in my stash.

As the rest of the tour groups formed I could jump in and out to take photos inside and outside. Have to love the orderly line of club members waiting on their stamps!

I think I created this on my own, not a sketch or idea sheet, but I honestly can't remember (and I only created it about 18 months ago). I went fairly simple using the pale blue to match everyone's t-shirts and then contrasting with yellow (another favorite color combo). The embellishments are few but helps to create an X on the page for flow. The bear head is a VERY old paper piecing kit that I had. I just like the way he's peeking over the paper.