Sunday 4 November 2012

I Was A Mummy ...

Layout detail - title buntingAs children we don't always think about our parents as real people - they provide & protect, comfort & cajole. Their lives surely revolve around us: we are the centre of their world :o)

Eventually as we get older, realisation dawns that our parents were alive. Just like us, they studied, travelled and partied; they were not always so staid, so stay-at-home; they might even have a tale or two to tell.

Those two paragraphs are written on one side of a tag on this page in my Book Of Me - an 11.5"x8" album that contains pages about me and my past.  On the other side of the tag is one such tale, about my fancy dress exploits in Sweden, prompted by the photos which recently surfaced on Facebook!

Layout - I was a mummy RHS - Jimjams

Drinking in Swedish pubs was shockingly expensive so it was perfectly normal to have a few liquor-store-bought drinks at home with friends before hitting the town. The prices encouraged us to host and attend parties most weekends and these were often themed to spice them up. Here we are, a mix of Brits and Swedes in the lads' house in Bjurhovda in 1982. I can remember thinking that Karin's carrot outfit (an orange sheet and a plastic fern) was simply inspired, whereas my bandages kept slipping and gradually revealed more and more as the night progressed!
Fun times :o)

Layout - I was a mummy LHS - Jimjams

The photos and story were committed to paper (made with the remains of my October Counterfeit Kit) thanks to inspiration from the UKScrappers Cybercrop - just about finished now - though there are some "use your left-overs" classes to come today.  And this post is part of  Siân's Storytelling Sundays - there will be lots more Sunday stories here (all comers welcome)!

Double LO - I was a mummy before I was a mummy - Jimjams

28 comments:

Amy said...

I don't think it is until we have our own children that we truly realise that our parents are people and not just there to make our lives good or meet our needs.
Love your layout!

Kirsty.A said...

Great title to go with these photos

Mary B said...

it is a super LO and a lovely story your costume is a hoot or should that be a wail

Missus Wookie said...

Love the bright colours and pennant here. Groaned at the title tho' :lol: Isn't amazing when we first realize that all these grown ups have their own lives?

scrappyjacky said...

Great photos....and so true about parents.

alexa said...

Cool photos and, as you say, an interesting realisation about our parents. Great story!

Irene said...

You were a great 'mummy' and I love the clean double pages you have done to show off the photographs.
Your journalling sums up so well what we sometimes forget: there was life before 'me'.

furrypig said...

love the title
love the LO
love the story
yep I am still in awe of your fabbiness! Thanks for all your work at the CyberCrop it is the first one I have joined in and it has been great I will really miss it next week!!!

Sian said...

The title definitely pulled me in - I couldn't wait to read more! When we were in Sweden in the summer the tour guide taught us a Swedish drinking song, so I'm getting a picture of some raucous fancy dress singing now..

Thanks for this one Jemma

Unknown said...

Great layout and yes, it is interesting to see children's responses to your pre-parent life as well. From genuine interest to genuine disbelief :)

Miriam said...

Great story and a fabulous LO. I love the picture of the mummy hanging on to a can of beer!

Lesley G said...

Such a great LO. The story behind it reminds me of the time we did this with Imogen at Butlins although when her bandages fell, she didn't have as much to reveal - she was only 4 or 5 at the time!!!

Susanne said...

Oh this made me smile. It is a great story to get down in a layout - an eyecatching, clever layout at that!

humel said...

Super post - from a thought-provoking start to a wonderful layout via a fun story :)

JulieJ said...

What a lovely double page

Alison said...

Great post and layout Jemma!
Alison xx

ComfyMom~Stacey said...

What a great layout & story!

Cheri said...

Love the way you used up your leftovers on this layout! Great story - hope you didn't lose too many bandages before the night was over!

Mel said...

This looks like quite a stuffy outfit - best for winter I guess. Costumes are often fun but can get irritating as the night wears on!

Lisa-Jane said...

Wonderful layout and I love that border punch. I wonder when my children will realise I was alive before they were!

Maria Ontiveros said...

What a great title - captures so much! Thanks for sharing.
Rinda

Paula - Buenos Aires said...

Lol at title, very funny.

Unknown said...

I love the title. It is very funny :D
My mom very rarely talks about life before me, it is only now that I am managing to get a few childhood stories from her!

Margie said...

This is fantastic-colorful and fun!

Julie H said...

Love the colours, this layout is so fun!

Melissa said...

What a great mummy costume!!

Laurart said...

Really stunning pages...found you on the blog hop. LOL and I really don't know what I am doing! Can you write on any post on a blog hop? x

MiliPea Designs said...

I don't know how I missed this post but I love this layout - and the story behind it!