Kellso Collage

Eden Elizabeth

Here is my design team submission scrapbook page.  It features a lovely picture of my lovely Eden.  

…Just wanna have fun…

Our family is very blessed to have a church full of people eagerly willing and waiting to love and care for us week in and week out. A perfect example is our kids’ Sunday School teachers. I know each and every one of them loves and cares for our kids very much, that they desire the kids to be comfortable and safe, and have fun. But, most importantly, they hope and pray, along with us (oh, yes!) that our kids would someday come to a saving love and knowledge of Christ. I continually strive to give back to all these special people in the same manner.
A couple of months ago Melissa James sent out pictures to the parents of the ‘18-24 months’ class that had been in her care that week. (Yes, we have to segment our kids 6 months at a time. We are fruitful, and we multiply.) The picture she took of Eden was such a hoot, I had it printed out extra large, and had a blast making a collage with the picture. Thanks again to all of the Sunday School teachers at Grace Bible Churchfor loving our kids so much!

Occasionally, I do scrapbook!

I had some of my favorite pictures printed out recently with the specific intention of scrapbooking them. We are notoriously bad about printing out photos, but since Matt keeps them backed up and organized online, I ususally don’t worry about it too much…until I have no photos to play with!

Here is one of my favorite pictures of the boys from when Noah was just 1 month old. I printed it out twice to show the ‘balance’ of the picture. Isn’t it funny how their hands are both by their faces?
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The text for this page (which is, admittedly, rather hard to read) is lyrics from the song ‘Bad to the Bone’…”Now, on the day I was born, the nurses all gathered ’round, and gazed in wide-eyed wonder at the joy they had found’ They’re such sweet sounding lyrics they fit well with the images of our little 14-month old with tattoos and shredded punk clothing. We’re such good parents! Oh, well, at least we spent our Halloween with our pastors family, and they were the only ones who saw it! (ha, ha.)
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Happy Birthday, Isaiah!

I finished this Scrapbook page last month, and in honor of Isaiah’s 4th birthday, I thought it would be the perfect time to share!

This is one of my all-time favorite pictures. It was taken nearly 2 years ago one week after Christmas. The entire Biederbeck family got together for a big group picture. Many pictures of the grandkids were taken, of course. Some of those grandkids were more cooperative than others! We got past Noah’s tears, and at one point Jonathan was holding Nathan with his arms around Noah and Isaiah, Isaiah decided to go in for a hug with 5 month old Nathan and…magic! From the “help me!” look in Nathan’s eyes, to Isaiah and Jonathan’s joy, and Noah’s confused bemusement, I love everything about this picture! Alright, enough gushing.

The first 4 grandkids on that side of the family were these 4 boys. There was a time we were certain there would be ONLY boys in the family…but a small batch of 2 girls has followed this crew in the last 2 years. I love it that way! When I look forward to the next 15 years, I can not imagine what life will hold for these 4 cousins, but I can hope…I hope they are as close of friends as Sarah and I are with some of our cousins! I hope they have a chance to grow and bond in many different areas; family get togethers, church, slumber parties, vacations…I hope they come to a saving knowledge of Christ in those next 15 years and that they can spur each other on in that faith. And the next 10 years? Oh, I’m not even ready to think about that!

So, Happy 4th Birthday Isaiah, I continue to pray for you, Jonathan, Noah, and Nathan, (as well as your little sisters) as I have since before you were born. I am so proud to be your aunt!

The Baby Boomers in my Life…

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So, on we go! I have grouped these 3 women as ‘The Baby Boomers’

My Mother, Kathy Biederbeck: (Center, blue shirt) Well, I think it goes without saying that a girl’s mother is a huge influence on her life, and mine is no exception. Looking back on my childhood, there are so many things that stand out that were not only important lessons, but also are, I feel, unique to my mother. One unique quality was honesty. While working at Bethany Learning Center, a mother of teenagers wondered out loud what she should do if her kids ever asked her difficult questions about her experience with drinking or drugs. I told her my point of view- that I had once asked my mom if she had done drugs when she was younger. Though I could tell she was not thrilled to say it, she did answer quickly and honestly. It didn’t MAKE me want to use drugs, and I never dreamed of throwing it back in her face when she wouldn’t allow me to do something, because those desires weren’t there to begin with! Whatever the question, related to the Bible, or family, I feel she always answered truthfully, even if it was difficult.
Another unique quality she has as a mother was her willingness to let us try new things, from sports and activities to baking or lemonade stands, if it wasn’t dangerous or illegal, the answer was usually “Sure, why not?” Things like messes or even cost never seemed to be too much of a concern. So often I hear people (women) say things like “Oh, I could never do that”… How, exactly, do you know you could never do said thing if you’ve never even attempted it? Or, if you want to learn to do something, why haven’t you asked someone how, or taken a class, or looked it up on the internet? What is the worst that can happen? I think that sense of adventure stems from my Mom’s openness to new experiences for us when we were kids.
I had a hard time finding a picture of my mom for this page… There aren’t many to begin with, and most of the pictures I found don’t look like her anymore! I have to brag about my mom for just a moment-she has lost a ton of weight after bariatric surgery…Once again, she dove in and DID IT after years of struggle. I really admire that, and might I say she is looking FOX – SAY!

Connie Tharp: (Left, white sweater) Oh, my sweet Aunt Connie. Connie has always been so open and generous, something I have noticed and admired even from a young age. She has worked through the struggles of being a single mother, getting a nursing degree while working and managing a home, caring for her parents, and has found a new love in life. The best way I can describe her caring spirit is through her notes. I remember it started when I was in 6th grade or so, and has continued every once in a while into adulthood- Every so often, a note from Aunt Connie of encouragement and love will just… show up! It is a pleasant surprise every time it happens.

Josette Kruge: (bottom right corner) Josette is the only person in this collage who is not technically ‘family’, not in the traditional definition of the word, anyway. She is also the only person on this page who is no longer with us. In January of 2006, Josette passed away after a long battle with cancer. Her absence has affected so many, but it is her life that continues to move and teach people. What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Simply put, at her funeral I said (something to the jist of…) “We didn’t love Josette because she was kind, or generous, though she was those things….We loved Josette because she was like Jesus, and Jesus is kind and generous.” I miss her all the time.

My Collage how-to

This was my first real attempt at a straight collage 12×12 scrapbook page. I have been reading about collage more and more, and I find them rather intriguing. While, at first glance, it may look like an ‘anything goes’ kind of project, once you try one you realize they’re anything but. There are all sorts of unwritten rules about balance, movement, flow, and color. So, did I hit the mark? Well, that depends. Are we talking ‘Design Team’ mark (no, apparently not) or ‘looks good to me’ mark? You can judge for yourself, but I actually really like the way it turned out. And that may be the only written rule about collage-Like it, or go home.

Layer by layer….

1. This started as purely experimental, as I mentioned. The first thing I put on the page (hardly visible now) is…toothpaste! There is a big, white, chalky stripe down the right side and along the bottom of the page. The toothpaste is highlighted with gold Perfect Pearl luster dust.

2. Another huge inspiration for this page is the dress. The picture was in a magazine, the dress was worn by Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City. I found it pretty, anyway, and saved the picture.

3. Embellishments include a page from an antique Girl Scout manual, a coffee sign and a coffee pot, then arms and legs from a very delicate figure. At this point, the collage started to take on a life of its own-it was becoming a study on Femininity, a blend of traditional and personal interpretations on that theme. I decided to complete the page as an homage to the women who have influenced me over the years.

4. Each of the pictures were cropped in a long, narrow shape, partly to mirror the flow of the arms and rulers, partly to crop out a lot of Men in my Life! (ha, ha.) The edges of each picture were sanded and scratched to age them. I also coated each picture with Matte accents to take away the shine, giving a more antique feel.

5. The title, ‘The Women in my Life- Loving, Supporting, Inspiring’ were both printed and stamped with a label maker. I inked the plastic from the label maker to tone down the yellow, then inked the words again with Pearl ink to highlight them.

The Women in my Life…Loving, Supporting, Inspiring.

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This page was the one I submitted to Mystic Paper to audition for Design Team. Despite popular opinion, I am very proud of this page. I set about to make a page in a traditional collage style, something I had never done before. It sort of evolved over time into a study of femininity, and what that means in my life. I decided to focus the attention of the page on the women who have had the biggest influence on me and my life through the years. There are so many women I could have put on this page, but I narrowed it down to a handful of women I have known my whole life, or their whole life… Each of these women has celebrated with me during joyful times in my life, and wept with me during the difficult times. And so, it is with great pride that I introduce each of you to The Women in my Life!

Grandma Nancy Metzler: (denim vest, far right) Grandma Nancy is my Dad’s Mother. She was born and raised in Minnesota, and moved to Arizona with my Grandpa when her children were in their teens. Growing up, she lived only a few miles away from us, so I have many memories of her and her family from my childhood. As a child, she taught me to knit (I still remember how), to sew (that one didn’t stick), and instilled in all us kids a love of gourmet, elegant cooking at an early age. She is a firm believer in saving up for quality items that will last. Her laugh is infectious and memorable. The last few years of her life are proof that, despite what the calendar may say, you don’t ever have to grow old. She has learned how to use a computer, travels frequently, and goes on all sorts of adventures with her husband, Phillip.

Grandma Joni Judge: (top right) Oh, Grandma Joni, or Gigi as she has come to be known the last 8 years (it’s short for Great-Grandma!) There are so many memories from my life related to Grandma Joni, as she and my Papa also lived nearby during my whole childhood. (Am I lucky or what?!) The memories that stand out to me may seem a bit silly, but they are precious to me. I remember one Christmas (1985, to be sure!) where all 8 of us grandchildren each found an illusive, coveted Cabbage Patch Doll under Grandma’s tree. She worked for Osco Drug at the time, so that gave her a bit of an ‘in’ as to when new shipments of the hard-to-find dolls came in, but I have no doubt that she hunted and stalked those dolls, NO ONE would be disappointed. I also remember one afternoon when I was lucky enough to have some time alone with Grandma. She had a barrel palm tree in the back corner of her yard, and…could it be?… there was a tiny, snowy owl perched in the branches of the palm tree. Somehow or another, in a way only us Judge women can, we began to write a song about ‘The Owl in the Tree’. The lyrics have long since been lost to time, but a couple of years ago, I e-mailed her and asked her if she remembered our afternoon with the Owl. Her response? “Oh, dear Jenna, I think about that day all the time!”

One Generation down, more to come!

My Mystic paper project

[[popup:img_1853.jpg:::1:center]][[popup:img_1855.jpg:::1:center]][[popup:img_1857.jpg:::1:center]]Last month, I read something absolutely intriguing…

One of my favorite local scrapbook stores, Mystic paper, has a blog that I check regularly. Recently, they decided to add some new members to their Design Team, and put out the call on their blog for people to ‘audition’ for a spot on the team. Many scrapbook magazines and product lines have design teams. Basically, it’s a group of people who create projects out of the latest and greatest scrapbook products so they can be placed on display as examples and inspiration. When I heard about the contest to be on their design team, my purpose was clear. I had to be on the team, at least I had to try.

Each person who entered the contest had to contribute a 12×12 scrapbook page, and one project. As much as I want to be on the team (The 3 winners will be announced next week), I tried to focus on just putting out the best work I could, and making it special to me. As my hubby put it, if I had a project I was proud of and was special to me, that would be an accomplishment in and of itself. I truly feel that I contributed the best work I had ever done to this contest. (come what may…)

Pictured above is my project titled “My heart…my home.” It is a 3 dimensional, 2 sided cardboard house. My home is truly the center of my life. As a stay at home mother of 3, some days it feels like I have NO life outside my home! I try (some weeks more successfully than others) to keep a home that is tidy and beautiful. But, the way I feel about my home encompasses so much more than the look and feel of the house. I feel (as does Matt) that sharing our home, our family, and meals with friends is not only a huge source of joy in our lives, it is a calling from God.

To keep a home that is welcoming and pleasant to others starts inside our four walls. If our hearts are not right before God, why would anyone want to hang out with our bodies? Phew, that is a lot of pressure! There are more times we fail than succeed, but we try increasingly to commit all areas of our lives to Christ and His desires above ours.

So, can one little cardboard house communicate all of these desires for our home and family? Probably not. But, when i think of my home, the first things I think about are the 5 people peeking out of the little windows, and all the hopes and desires I carry in my heart for them.