Lasting Memories Challenge #81 Layers and Layers of and BOOKENDZ

This week the challenge at Lasting Memories is Layers and Layers of...What do you love to layer up on your layouts? Paper, flowers, embellishments??? Show us your layered ideas!

And the $10 gift certificate prize this week is sponsored by

Now anyone who has followed me, knows I love layers!! As a matter of fact I was just lecturing myself about the need to do CAS more often because my scrapbooks are so full of embellishments they don't shut! LOL

I also decided to combine this challenge with another challenge.  As some of you know I belong to Bookendz, a book club that features a book a month and then we do a craft project to represent how the book impacted us as crafters. I have to admit this month's book was a difficult read. Beyond the Beautiful Rivers by Katherine Boo is a nonfiction book about one of the slums of India and the lives of the children and their parents. It is not for the light- hearted reader. As an educator, poverty is something I have dealt with my entire life. When I taught in Goshen, Indiana Ruby Payne came and talked to us about poverty. She had written A Framework for Understanding Poverty about how to break the poverty cycle. Since she had attended college in Goshen, it really struck home. And she is a VERY LOVELY LADY.  And after reading Beyond the Beautiful Rivers I was struck by how poverty has similar cycles and coping skills- no matter where you are in the world.


Coming up with a project for this book was hard to say the least. Then I decided maybe the best way of approaching it was to look at how people survived in this particular slum- which was recycling trash. So my layout is made entirely of recycled materials and scraps of paper. Even the background paper was in my recycle bin because it had some odd ink spots on it that I covered up with pictures and embellishments. And there are layers on the mats and layers of embellishments that I made from scraps-including some fishing line that was tangled and cut off a fishing pole! (Check out the cat whiskers!)


I also felt that Scott's baby pictures were probably a good reflection of how to  change the poverty cycle, one child at a time. He was born to homeless parents. His disabilities were so bad we were the third set of adoptive parents. Even then we were told by his doctors that he should not be adopted and we should, "Take off our rose colored glasses and put him in an institution."


But we believed in Scott and saw his potential. While I couldn't take on all of the world's problems I could make a lifetime commitment to help one child. And we all fell in LOVE!!!! Scott has gone way beyond expectations. He has placed 7th at National's in gymnastics even though we were told he would never walk. We were told he would never have an IQ beyond 30,(100 is average) and he is in his second year of College pulling a B average working towards a Welding Degree-which is a high demand area and he has great prospects of supporting himself comfortably:) Yes, we still face daily challenges, but Scott has accomplished more in his 21 years than most people accomplish in a lifetime.

I also choose to use the theme of "The Cow Jumped Over the Moon," because for one thing Hey Diddle Diddle was Scott's favorite nursery rhyme, but also because of the symbolism of a cow (scared in India) jumping over the moon seems impossible. Yet Scott has overcome the potential of a poverty stricken life and is working on becoming a financially independent adult. Not bad for someone the doctors wanted to put in an institution!!!!

So here is my layout filled with love for one of the most important men in my life. 

Page 1

Page 2

The Cow Jumped Over the Moon

Check out the recycled fish line whiskers, lol

So there is no supply list this time, because I really did keep to the recycled trash concept I decided to highlight from the book.

And Scott if you a reading this know that you are a wonderful gift from God. Thank you for allowing me to be your mother:) And if his birth parents are reading this, thank you for giving him life and giving me the ultimate gift. Our son is loved beyond measure.

Have a day filled with miracles:)