Happy Memorial Day

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday but took some time to appreciate and thank all the veterans and current servicemen and women for their sacrifices to ensure our freedom. I grew up in a small town in New England and the Memorial Day parade was one of the highlights of the year. Everyone turned out to either march in the parade or watch from the sidewalks. The parade went to the cemetary for a short ceremony. My most vivid memories are of all the little flags on the graves and the gun salute that was always presented.

I am participating in a patriotic 4" x 4" fatbook swap. I finished my pages a few days ago and thought it appropriate to post it today. The picture I used is of my father and I in about 1950. I must have gotten tired of walking and he picked me up and carried me the rest of the way. I was the firstborn and at the time of this picture my younger brother hadn't arrived. Look at how fancied up I was - I think I was my mom's little doll. I always had curls and bows - and did you notice my little coat and purse? (Click on the photo to enlarge.) She sewed all my clothes too.

For this page I swiped some cream paint on the lower left corner of the paper and stamped over it. The mini-beads were adhered on a strip of tape. The red star is a child's hair clip and the "ribbon" is a strip torn from an old pinstripe man's shirt. The flag I am holding in the picture didn't show up very well and was too small to color in, so I found a tiny flag on a calendar and made copies to add. This is one of my most favorite pictures of my dad and I and I'm glad it worked well for this project.