Punky Scraps Get Picky Challenge

The Punky Scraps Challenge this week is AMAZING! A beautiful sketch by fellow punk scrapper Marie  Misson means you have a great chance to create something truly unique- see?

This sketch can be taken into all sorts of directions. I took a quick peek at fellow Punky Scrapper Elin's page and it's GORGEOUS!!! She used lots of misting and paint. I wish I were more brave on that front.  I wanted to take advantage of the negative space and wanted to use two simple photos with stitching all around the border but then I realized there was just one photo I wanted to use right away- this one:

 My Mom laughs and cracks jokes left and right but rarely smiles for the camera. She actually grimaces as if the camera really was going to steal her soul. She was ready to throttle me during our trip because I kept reshooting group shots hoping her "Lets get this over with" look would go away. It never did except for this photo.

Happiness is... Anticipation.
MATERIALS: Sassafras Lass Sunshine Broadcast paper and circle stickers, Crate Paper and Studio Calico border stickers,  American Crafts alphas, Maya Road calendar transparancies, Elle's Studio circle journaling tag and 2011 banner, & Gypsies ticket

Here's the set up. We were on our way to Letty's wedding ceremony. There is a boat involved and the waves are cresting so naturally Mom's FREAKING OUT. Mom hates boats. Mom hates new places. Mom hates having all the people she loves traveling through water in the same small boat in a foreign country. Yet somehow I captured the smile. Insert grateful prayer here.

The journaling is an allusion to the days she has left before she retires. The number is totally wrong since I have the memory of a punch drunk fruit bat but I wanted to capture something she said to me recently which really affected me. She came over during her lunch break to visit Lola and declared: "I sat down today and made numbers. I am happy to say I only have-insert actual number here- left of work!"
"WOOO HOOO!" I said. All the while worrying- will she reach her retirement dream of buying a house in Puerto Rico? Will she finally be happy and at peace there? Will she be lonely or have problems driving in the twisty country roads? How will I know she's safe? I was looking forward and getting anxious instead of being happy for her right now.

The future- as Shakespeare said- is the undiscovered country. Well, perhaps he meant death. But as death awaits us all it is the future we worry over and the future we should leave be.

Been meaning to join favorite scrapper Margrethe (Papirdiva) on this challenge.
Since I'm late to the party I will start today on the prompt for day 12 and keep going
 until September 11th- a day where I could use the prompt to focus on "something fun".

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle