I would like to introduce you to someone who has been a member of our family for at least 10 years . . . DOS GATO . . .

Dos Gato passed away Friday night. We do not know where he came from originally, he followed in his grandfather (Louie) and father’s (the original Gato) footsteps by showing up one day in our yard and adopting our family when he was a young cat. He was the spitting image of his grandfather & father. Dos Gato was a very affectionate cat who loved people and loved to be pampered. He and my husband had a very special bond, as hubby was the first one who befriended him. Dos Gato was always there to greet my husband when he came home from work. I will miss his coming in the house & proudly dropping his latest catch at my feet so that he could receive his due praise-only problem was most of the time the critters were alive. I swear he had a smile on his face as he watch me trying to catch those critters and get them outside. He was such a charater!!! He will always have a special place in our hearts. WE LOVE YOU!!!

I know, I know . . . it’s suppose to be Christmas in July and I did finish this project in July, but sometimes I am a little laid-back on taking photos and posting them (ya got to love early retirement). Anyhooooooo, a few months back I was attending a crop at my local scrapbook store (I suppose a 40 minute drive one-way could be considered local – LOL) when I saw two friends (Cheryl & Babs) making these very cute books. They told me about this wonderful web site where a very talented & funny lady shared her creations. Well, when I got home that evening after the crop (ok it was really 1:00 a.m.) I got online and went to the Paper Phenomenon site. I could not believe all the amazing creations I was seeing and wonders of wonders I could make them also (YAY). I immediately purchased the tutorial named “Occasions Folio.” When Kathy created this tutorial she used the Bo Bunny paper line called “Father Christmas” and for me it was love at first site because I collect Santas. I created this album because my granddaughter helps me every year decorate my house at Christmas (this usually takes all day & does not include decking out the tree)and we would have a guide of where to put certain decorations. So here are a few pictures of what I made to hold my Santa photos in:

I pretty much followed Kathy’s tutorial until this point. Because I did not want to cover up the words “Jingle Bells” I cut the flap so that it was shorter and would go all the way across. I sewed a ball to the flap to make it easier to lift the flap up.

One of the other changes I made to Kathy’s design was I added a gusset to each side of the long pockets to accommodate more photos. As you can see I do have a lot of Santas and this album is perfect for holding photos of the majority of them. This Occasions Folio enabled me to place 42=4×6″ photos, 1=4×10.5″ photo, 1=3×4.75″ photo and 12=1.5×2″ photos; with room for even more Santa pictures! I cannot thank Kathy enough for sharing her creations. Her blog is not only informative, her live broadcasts (usually at 12:00 p.m. PDST on Wednesdays) are an absolute hoot. I hope that you will take a moment to visit the Paper Phenomenon blog. The next project I am working on is the “All Occasion Mini” album with the 4th of July theme. Hoping to get this one done before Christmas (LOL)! That’s all for now . . . thanks for stopping by . . . till later . . . Hugs & Kisses LindaB