I am blessed with two older brothers who married women who are also my best friends! Not every family can say that ... but we can! This year, I decided I would make each of them a mini book ... filled with Christmas inspiration. I filled the books with sentiments about being a grandmother ... the job we all love most! I'm showing the mini books in two separate posts ... You'll find the one for my "Cowgirl Sister-in-law" within this post ... and you'll find the one for my "Blue Bird Sister-in-law" by clicking right here.
My horse-loving brother married a woman who probably loves horses more than he does! Carol's book also contains some cute quotes about being a cowgirl and even cuter vintage pictures of cowgirls!
I used the Cricut Elegant Edges die to cut the pages and some of the interior pieces. I used a set of pre-designed clip art pieces ... but designed the inserted pages using Publisher and lots of purchased clip art. I like dimension and depth in my mini books ... and always build layers on the front cover. Here I used vintage lace, burlap flower layers and round stones ... and ribbon,
I always tie ribbons on the wire binder ... just to make sure it stays in place at the top and bottom.
You'll notice that the page inserts have 'torn' edges! My husband would have asked if I had lost my paper cutter ... but I love the shabby torn look!
Look closely at the right edge of this front cover ... the pattern is "crown" and the centers of the edges are cut out so the color of the next page can be seen ... more dimension!
The Christmas patterned paper has some designs that I wanted to keep ... so I carefully placed the paper for cutting ... so I could keep Santa!
The graphics I used in this book are "watercolor Christmas elements" and I cut some of them out to use as single pieces. This little cowboy reminded me of "Cowgirl Grandma's" youngest grandson!
"You know you are a cowgirl when ... all of the carrots in your fridge are reserved for your horses!" My brother has been a builder of horse drawn wagons and carts ... a skill he learned from our daddy. I used lots of carriages in the design of the pages ... and used a barn side background!
The old truck used in this page design resembles one my brother restored when he was a teenager!
Of course ... it would be used to haul Christmas trees and anything else that would fit in the bed!
And now ... they don't own any vehicle unless it can pull the horse trailer - camper!
I want to be sure you can read this page ...
“A cowgirl is an attitude, really; a pioneer spirit, a special American brand of courage. The cowgirl faces life head on, lives by her own lights and makes no excuses. Cowgirls take stands. They speak up. They defend the things they hold dear. A cowgirl might be a rancher, or a barrel racer, or a bull rider, or an actress. But she’s just as likely to be a checker at the local Winn Dixie, a full-time mother, a banker, an attorney, or an astronaut!”
- Dale Evans
I love this page because of the pink background! It is a vintage print ... I added the paper rose to make sure the cowgirl's rosey cheeks show up!
"When Grandma needs a hug ... she calls Grandpa"
My dad and my husband were really good Santas. They always showed concern for other folks.
My brothers are the same way.
Cowboy Brother heard about a little girl who was really sick ... and who had a miniature horse. She had asked Santa for a wagon for her horse to pull. Brother built one for her ... and made a set of leather harness for the little horse ... and delivered it on Christmas Eve. That is the true Santa!
The most important page in the book is the last one ...
"Sisters by marriage ... Friends by choice!"
I'll be sharing this post with some of the parties listed in my sidebar. But before you move on ... make sure you take a look at my other mini book filled with Christmas inspiration right here ...
