UDI Inspiration Challenge - A Rockwell Moment

I know what you all are thinking - "Who is this scrapbooker and what has she done with Robin?!" HA! I've been here all along, but I just got lost in all my card making! Not that that's a bad thing mind you, but my first love was always scrapbooking and I'm having oh, so much fun playing with my photos lately!

Here is the Inspiration piece from the UDI Blog Challenge this week:

I love, love Norman Rockwell - he's so iconically American! I'll elaborate at the end of this post and reminisce a bit too. But if you don't want to read all that here are the details of my creative project first.

Here's a photo of the whole 12 x 12 layout:

As you can see, I really tried to use the magazine cover layout and colors for my scrapbook page. I used Very Vanilla Textured cardstock for my page base and added cardstock panels of Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Chocolate Chip and More Mustard for the circles.

My letters were all cut out with my Big Shot in Basic Black and I added some Orange Glitter from the Fine Supernova Glitters that retired last year. It was easy using my 2 Way glue Pen to do this. The buttons are from the Brights and the Regals collections and tied with Linen Thread. I used the Tasteful Trim Big Shot Die to cut my zig-zag lines to mimic the magazine cover. The Circle element was cut with the Clear Circle Die and I cut the photo with the Scalloped Circles Die. (Ok, it's late as I'm writing this post and honestly, I can't remember the EXACT names of all the stuff I used on this layout AND my catalogs are downstairs in the studio - so bear with me, it's been a long day. Really, does anyone's day ever start out great when you have your yearly mammogram first thing?! Yeah, I knew you'd agree with me!)
There are about 17 Stampin' Dimensionals on this baby too. Love me some dimensionals! It made me feel better to pop everything up today. Yep, yep it did.

Here's another photo of the lettering. Don't you just love the glitter?! I will have to for a while - believe me, it's everywhere in my studio! I think I even have some on my neck - don't ask.....

This cute little pumpkin was cut with the Pumpkin Sizzlits and I added the face with Black Staz-On with the stamp from Autumn Harvest. I tied a bit of 1/8" Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon around the stem, smudged a bit of Pumpkin Pie ink on it for depth and mounted it on a glittered circle of More Mustard with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Now, if you can ignore the absolutely disgusted look on my daughter's face as she sticks her hand into this pumpkin, you'll see this pretty little lace bow made with that Black Lace Trim in the Holiday Mini Catalog. Yes, the name of it escapes me at the moment, but it's in there! and this lace is so easy to tie and work with - love it! I simply tied another Brights button around it with a piece of Linen Thread for a cute accent!

So, before I share my Rockwell memories with you be sure to visit the UDI Blog and see what the other design team members created with the inspiration piece. I'll bet they are wonderful projects!

Norman Rockwell has always been one of my favorite artists. When I was growing up, my parents owned a picture framing business called Mr. Frame. They were in business for over 25 years in my hometown and you guessed it, I pretty much always worked in the shop. I grew to love Rockwell art because my parents always seemed to frame so many of his prints. Folks would bring them in all the time for custom framing and we also sold prints that we had framed and matted. They sold like crazy! Some of my favorite pieces of his were the Triple Self-portrait, the Four Freedoms series (Freedom from Fear, Freedom from Want, Freedom to Worship and Freedom of Speech), The Runaway and Girl at Mirror. I don't know, there was just something welcoming about his art that drew me in - encouraged me to look beyond the art and see the message and the meaning behind it. I think his art is probably interpreted a lot of different ways, but I just always felt comforted by it. Like he understood small town America in a way that others didn't. I grew up in small town America and loved it - even though my hometown has changed a bit, ok, a LOT over the years, there are still glimpses of the home I knew here. It's still possible to find kindness, manners, chivalrous gentlemen and really good sweet iced tea here and I love that there are still people who live here who remember me as a child. They are the ones who knew my family, knew my history and are such an important part of who I am at my core. This is the growing up I want my daughter to have, the memories I long to share with her as she creates new ones of her own.
We can all still be small town America. Even if your small town is in a big city. Being polite and kind to a stranger, sharing a smile or holding a door. Enjoying a soft-serve ice cream with friends on a Summer Day. Sledding down the best hill in town when the snow is so deep it covers your knees. Stopping to help change a tire or give a jump just because it's the right thing to do. Buying coffee for the policeman or fireman in line behind you and thanking them for doing their level best to protect you.
To me, this is what Norman Rockwell embodied in his art - the best attributes of a culture who looked after their neighbors even when they were strangers and a lifestyle of taking pride in your heritage and living up to all that America and Americans were born to be.

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts here - I love to do that sometimes. I don't know if you all particularly like it, but it feeds the writer in me and since it's my blog - well, you'll just have to put up with me! :)
Have a wonderful day and go find a glass of amazing sweet tea - I think I'll do the same and share it with a friend!

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin