Don't be afraid to alter things!

The past couple of days I have been working on personal memory projects, one for me and one for my husband, commemorating his recent promotion to Master Sergeant. In both projects, I had to permanently change the store-bought album or frame to create what I wanted. My message to you: Don't be afraid to repaint, cut up, add to, subtract from, etc., to create what you imagine with when it comes to memory projects. Be brave. Be bold. Find your inner Marine and be courageous!

I've had my eye on the camoflage 12 x 12 album at the Exchange on base, but was waiting for a reason to buy one. Rodney's promotion was the perfect reason. I pilfered one of Rodney's extra name tapes... one that had been used. It's been washed dozens of times, so it has faded. While Marines are not supposed to wear cammies that are too faded, the more experienced Marines tend to wear them 1) because cammies are not cheap (about $100 for the shirt and pants) and 2) the more faded the cammies, the more "grizzled" you appear to be. And appearing "grizzled" comes with age and rank, and is an unofficial milestone in a Marine Corps career. So, while the name tape annoys the Type-A me because it doesn't match the album, I got over it because the point of the album is to preserve memories and traditions, and this is a tradition.

Another tradition is the changing of the "chevrons" on the uniform lapels during the promotion ceremony. This album came with lapels, but no chevrons. I made sure to buy the appropriate chevron pins for the cover of the album, truly representing the purpose behind the album. I also decided to keep this album simple and straightforward in theme and design. In true Marine Corps fashion, Rodney doesn't appreciate "fru-fru." There is only on piece of ribbon in the whole album, and it's on my page. It's gold and frayed and as "not-girly" as I could manage. But the ribbonholic in me was satisfied. As for the rest, I used cardstock, Karen Foster Designs military paper, and Creative Imaginations definition transparencies, along with some simple embellishments, like dog tags and stickers. Here are some of the layouts in the album:

In the layout above, "Pride," I used an envelope and tag to tell Rodney how proud I am of him. I cut a small slit in the page protector, right where the envelope opens, so that he can easily pull the tag out and read it. Along with the cover, this is another part of the store-bought album that I altered.

As I mentioned before, I also worked on something for me. I loved this (roughly) 12 x 12 frame, but it didn't fit the photos of my trip to Colorado last fall with two friends I wanted to use... no problem! I tore it apart and turned it in to what I did want...

The moral of the story? Don't be afraid to alter things you like to better suit your needs.