Howdy! This month one of the challenges we gave the creative team was to create a then and now LO. I missed out on a perfect photo opportunity this last week. My little nephew Zion (age 2 1/2) got home from church and everyone went to change… except Zion. My brother rounded the corner into the kitchen just in time to catch Zion poking his finger in the last roll and deflating it. He saw his Dad and grinned from ear to ear and said, “I did it! I did it!” He was so proud of himself. I can never resist the “I’m-So-Cute-A-Boy-Smile.” His Mom makes rolls of some sort 3 of 4 times a week… so I’m sure he has wanted to “do it” before. He didn’t even get in trouble, they just all laughed. They did have dinner a little late…. after the rolls had a chance to rise again. LOL! Aunts who are 3 hours away don’t usually get “those” pictures. I wanted to share the idea because it was fun! A pan of “before” and “after” rolls with a cute little blonde-haired boy. What ideas do you think of with a then & now theme?
The ladies amazed me again. First up is Kassie showing us a delightful LO of her two girl’s wearing the same dress about 3 years apart. Polka dots make everyone smile & that headband is sooo darn cute. It’s a very simple design with great white spacing,  and the journaling is sweet. It’s a lovely timeless design. Makes me wonder if she’ll keep the dress and do the layout again with her first granddaughter. I just want to pick them up off the page and hugs those little darlings! Love the stitching!

Kassie

Next up is Kayla. I love this idea. One of my niece-in-law’s wanted to decorate her home with pictures of her grandparents and my grandparent’s homes and some of the homes my family lived in before I was born. My sister, Arlene, took pictures of the houses (some while she was in high school) and a fellow elementary teacher painted the houses. (Arlene bought a photocopy of the paintings so that her siblings could each have those pictures. Chelle might have them too.) My Grandma Pitcher had a pink house, My Grandma Griffin’s was white. The home I grew up in was white with green trim. Now that all of the houses have changed ownership and colors, it’s nice to walk around my apartment and see those images from my childhood and youth. Look at what Kayla designed.

Kayla

I saw a story on the TODAY show just this morning about a group of 5 guys who took a picture of themselves in high school. Somewhere along the passage of years, they kept re-enacting that picture and updating it. They have redone that same picture several times through the years. I believe they do it ever 5 years. Shannon has one of her favorite pictures of her girls from 7 years ago and then a more recent picture. What a wonderful way to update and compare her girl’s. I’m sure this design will be a favorite of her girl’s for many years to come.

Shannon

Heather used the ivy growth as a marker for the passage of time at a baseball stadium since it opened in 2004. I think we all use pictures or something physical to help us mark the highlights of our lives. How many of us have a wall where we have pencil lines showing a child’s name and date marking the passage of time and growth?

Heather

Let me give you a wrap-up of the products the ladies used.

Hope we gave you lots of ideas for Then & Now.
Hugs!