Happy Birthday Mom!

 As usual, I'm running a little behind with my family gifts:).  My mom's birthday was February 23rd and I'm finally finished with her birthday present.  I created a configuration to celebrate the life of this amazing woman.  I apologize for the picture heavy blogpost, but there's a lot to this labor-of-love project.

I started this project with a 7 Gypsies Mini Library Drawer.  This was the perfect backdrop for my mom's birthday present.  She started our church library when I was in high school and is still working as our church librarian.  My mom is never without a book nearby.  She instilled in me the love of reading and has always been the biggest champion of education.  It's no wonder that all four of her children ended up involved in education:  PTO presidents, tutors, teachers and administrators. So you will see words, book pages, and letters as an integral part of this project.   With that in mind, I'm entering this in Country View Challenges Paper Chase Challenge and  The Artistic Stamper's March Challenge ~ Letters, Words and Numbers

 I covered the exterior of the drawer with a fairly thick layer of gesso.  I love the texture you can get from the brush strokes.   I then painted it with a coat of Antique Linen Distress Paint.  I adhered some strips of  Tim Holtz tissue wrap (memory definitions) with Ranger Matte Multi Medium.  I added some grunge with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  I finished the top with a bookplate die cut from gesso-covered cardstock.  I used some alcohol ink to give the bookplate a teal color.  Then I sanded the edges, added some Walnut Stain Distress ink, and then covered the whole think with multi medium.

The front facing was painted with Antique Linen and covered with Tim's Tissue Tape (love this stuff!)  Some of the drawer's was covered with grunged pattern paper and a "library" die cut.  Mom loved that!  I also did some stenciling with Antique Linen Paint using Tim's Schoolhouse stencil!

 At the very top is my one wish for my mom ... "know in your heart your are loved". 

The top shelf of the drawer is devoted to my older brothers (aren't they cute!).  I found these great "library-card" style journal pockets and fell in love with them.  I cut one to fit the top shelf and added my brothers' pic.  You can see their initials added to the shelf along with a button, light bulb and nut.  I used some more Tim Holtz paper on this shelf and his hexagon stencil(with a thin layer of modeling paste) to cover this top shelf.

The next shelf is my favorite.  I found a great locket from Industrial Chic and added my mom and dad's wedding photo (from over 60 years ago).  Along with the locket is an owl pendant suspended in a Tim Holtz bird cage, some pearls that my mom strung for my senior prom dress, and metal heart.  The shelf is covered from the February 23rd devotion from "Streams in the Desert" devotion book (one of my Mom's favorite books). 

 Yes, the next shelf belongs to me and my youngest brother.  Our initials are displayed as well.    You will see the shelf is covered with some library information and definitions tape.

 The bottom shelf is devoted to the library and books.  She used an old typewriter to type up the library cards and accession numbers for the books.  I love this die cut from Tim Holtz and Sizzix!  The background is actually and old library card pocket from a church library discarded book.  I lightly stamped it with a Tim Holtz classic stamp.

I added some Tim Holtz Idea-ology metal feet.  I used Caramel alcohol ink and Broken China Distress Paint to add some color to the feet.

I seriously have to thank Sizzix for major help with the exterior sides and back of this project.  I glued together three copies of each die cut that was adhered to the sides and back.  After all of the die cuts were glued into place on the drawer, I covered everything with a thick coat of gesso.  Since I was up to my eyeballs in paste at times, I am entering this in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Paste Challenge . I then used Antique Linen and Broken China Distress Paints, various colors of distress ink and multi medium to add color.  I also did some stamping, covered surfaces with paper, tape and remnant rubs, and used some altered metal embellishments to decorate the exterior.

This side was devoted to my Mom's love of music.  Before she married my dad, my mom sang in a gospel trio and she continues to sing in the church choir today. 

The back is devoted to my mom's love of birds.  She has several bird feeders that she watches from her kitchen window.   The heart on this side says "good life".  That is what my mom (and Dad) made for our family. 

 The final exterior side is devoted to my mom's sewing.  She made most of my clothes when I was a child.  Although she doesn't consider herself an artist, I think I get a great deal of my creativity from her.

 
 One of Tim's On the Edge Dies is the focal point of this side.  I decorated the scissors to look like the metal pair that my mom used for years in her sewing room.  I covered these with some of Tim's paper that has dress patterns on it. 

My mom used her creativity everyday to make our home a great place to be a kid.  We really were blessed.

I'm going to leave you with one last photo of the front of this project and a very heartfelt "Happy Birthday Mom!  I love you!!"  -- Mary Elizabeth