Independence Day Revelry!

Welcome to the Studio!

It's time to celebrate our freedom and our country once again. Don't you wish every day could be the 4th of July? Ice cream, hotdogs, fireworks, and family fun. Remember to capture all your memories so they can be preserved for years to come. And don't forget to say "Thank You" to a veteran or active serviceperson. They continue to make it a holiday worth celebrating.

One of our family's memories is running a firecracker stand in the mid-seventies. I still have one of the t-shirts that my dad screenprinted to commemorate the bicentennial with Mac's Fireworks, followed by a silly saying. I also remember being just tall enough to reach the "poppers," the little firecrackers that you throw, and when they hit the ground, they pop. I must have popped a few thousand of those when I was growing up. My Grandma Julie would spend hours on the back porch of her house lighting smoke bombs and "snakes" for my joy and delight. And let's not forget my yellow plastic swimming pool on that same back porch that I'd spend most of my summer splashing in. Sometimes the only way she'd get me to take a bath was throw soap in the pool:) Those were the "good ole days."

I've got several years of July 4th memories to get into my scrapbooks, so I'm planning on organizing those and starting on some layouts during the long weekend. I thought I'd share some of my patriotic layouts with you, although some are not 4th of July. Let's begin with the year 1976. It was bicentennial fever here in America and the local portrait studio was no exception.

That's me at three with my Mom. Ain't she pretty?

The next layout I want to share is our visit to the oval office, sort of...


My husband is a history teacher. Even though he's no longer in the classroom, he IS still a history teacher. He reminds me of that regularly;) That being said, he takes us to some fun, albeit, historical places for vacations and getaways. If you like American History, be sure visit the American Village in Montevallo, Alabama. They have a huge to-do every July 4th with fireworks and historical "celebs" making appearances. My husband couldn't resist getting his photo taken behind the desk of this replica Oval Office. The paper I used was K&Co. The vintage little girl with the flag at the bottom was from Crafty Secrets, but check out the Vintage Workshop Blog for some similar freebies to download.

I swore I'd never share any of my "Sticker Sneezes" from my early days of scrapbooking, but here's one anyway. Vellum was a new thing back then and there wasn't any of the fancy vellum adhesive either, so you can see every bit of glue through my title and embellishments. The photos were taken on a visit to the USS Alabama in Mobile. My scrapping has come a long way since then, I HOPE!

Parked in front of Fat Boy's BBQ Ranch here in Prattville, we had an awesome spot to view the fireworks last year. I got some great shots during the evenings festivities. My photo tip...if you have a camera with a fireworks mode, use it. It certainly helped me get some uber shots.

This was our first year in Prattville. Our friends Jimmy & Kim came to visit. Keith fired up the grill and cooked his famous ribs. We then went to the stadium here in Prattville to see the patriotic program and the fireworks. The paper I used in this layout is actually a digital kit that I downloaded. I wanted some cool vintage flag paper and couldn't find anything in "traditional" scrapping supplies. If you print digital paper, it becomes "traditional" scrapbook paper...who'd have thought;) I wish I'd had more photos of the fireworks, but the camera batteries died about 20 minutes into the show.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed your visit. Card Class and Crop Info is below.

Card Class:

July 2nd, 2011

9:30 a.m. to Noon

We only have TWO spots available for the July card class. Please be sure to email me (sassyscrapperal@gmail.com) or leave a comment to this post if you wish to attend. We will be making Christmas cards, a fall/Thanksgiving card, and the most recent blog hop card (base & shade technique) with the pleated ribbon. We're going to have so much fun! The cost is $5 for materials. Everything is provided for you and you'll leave with five completed cards. Plus, there's door prizes!

Crop Info:

9:30 a.m. -6:00 p.m.

The crop is free, just please bring a snack to share. We have a ooey-gooey cake, queso dip and chips, and a pineapple upside down cake coming. Trust me, you don't want to miss the fun, food & fellowship with this awesome group of ladies. Bottled water will be provided. You're welcome to bring a beverage of your choice.

Location, Location, Location:

Messiah Church Fellowship Area

2072 Highway 14 East, Pratts Mill Shopping Center

Prattville, Alabama

We are located on the second floor - and yes, there is an elevator. The elevator is located between the stairwells by the gym and the loan company. When you exit onto the second floor, our door is directly in front of you. You can't miss it with all the lime green and hot pink tableclothes;)

If you arrive early and would like some coffee, be sure to stop over at The Special Grind. They have fantastic lattes and their daily brewed coffees are awesome too!

Until next time, Scrap Sassy!