Patriotic {CSI Case File No. 130}

Here's our current challenge at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration, which opened for investigation on the 4th of July, so I had to make a patriotic Case File:

I made another page for my mom's book. For those who don't know, my stepdad died in December, so I'm making a book for my mom. I'm journaling from his point of view and tucking the stories into an envelope pasted on the back of the page. I haven't yet done the journaling for this page, but it's going to be about how Ed really loved our country.

Clues I used...Evidence: stars, stripes, metal, circles, bird, paint, splatters, swirls. Testimony: Journal on strips, patriotic holiday.

I used one of Em Stafrace's awesome Page Drafts sketches to make my page:

Here are some closeups. I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the flourishy star and leaves. I was planning to have the star be white, but after I used that sparkly brad in the flower, I thought it would be fun to use glitter on the star.

I have reorganized my patterned paper by color. For over a decade, I've stored it by manufacturer and collection. I can't tell you how much I love this new organization. I organized all my scraps by color, too, and this layout was made entirely from scraps (except for the white cardstock).

The wood stars and birds are Studio Calico wood veneers, painted red. I used a stamp for my splatters. Most of my papers are really old, I've used some Scenic Route and SEI. The red stripe, polka dot, and bingo card are newer, by Simple Stories. I've had that felt flower forever, too, by Creative Cafe.