Have you ever had one of those moments you just wanted to freeze and hold on to forever? One of my favorite quotes is "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." This is one of those moments. My kids have had the great opportunity to know all four of their Great Grandmas- a very unusual occurrence, I think, and these priceless pictures showcase part of a fun weekend spent with my maternal grandmother at her cabin in Island Park, Idaho last summer. When I heard the theme for our posts this week at The Beary Scrap, I knew that these were the perfect pictures for a Bloomin Fun' page!

The background of my layout is Bazzill Lily Pond. Then I used one piece of Daisy Bucket's Playful Katy and cut it in half around the swirls, placing half on each side of my layout. I agree with Susan, who used this same paper earlier this week-- this is an incredible textured paper! It's double sided, which I love because you get two patterns for the prize of one!, and you'll be really impressed with the lovely weight and texture. I inked the edges of the Daisy Bucket paper with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Broken China. Then I machine stitched around these pieces of paper before placing any of my pictures.

I matted all my pics on plain white cardstock and inked the edges again with the Broken China ink. I used some more paper from the Daisy Bucket Playful line, Gabby, and punched some large scallops to put behind my pictures. After placing my pictures on the layout, I machine stitched down from the top onto my pictures and over the chains of the swings to make it look like the kids were swinging right from the page. I went over each line three times to give it enough dimension to really stand out. I love machine stitching on my layouts-- it's so fast and easy and really gives it something extra. I hardly ever use my sewing machine for actual material-- though I could probably patch something if I absolutely had to :)

To finish up, I had to add some BLOOMS, of course, and I'd have to say, I am addicted to flowers so I just raided my stash and used up some felt blooms from Heidi Swapp, some large paper blossoms from Making Memories, and tiny flowers from Prima. Buttons for the centers complete the flowers. I added the title using letter stickers but replaced the "o"s in Bloomin with little flowers.

I also added to my layout the poem, "The Swing" by Robert Louis Stevenson (follow the link to find a copy) which my grandma memorized when she was in elementary school and was repeating to my kids as she pushed them.

This was a really fun layout for me to make and I hope you enjoy it! It took me on a little trip down memory lane which, as I am sure you all know, is one of the reasons we scrapbook-- to remember those moments that take our breath away. Just last Saturday, my kids lost one of their great grandmas as my husband's paternal grandmother passed away from leukemia and so my trip down memory lane while I was scrappin' was a little bittersweet. My challenge to you all is to get out, make some Bloomin' fun memories with those you love, capture those moments with your photos and then scrap 'em so you can hold onto them forever!

Be sure to check back later this week for more inspiration from the Beary Scrap!