King For A Day

At last I've been crafting again! And here are some details from the light-hearted page I made this afternoon, showing my dear Hubby after he had finished the Brighton Marathon last month. I used a sketch from The Scrappiest for my inspiration.

You can see the 3D elements of the flags and the crown, and the brown circle tag beneath the main photo. This pulls out to reveal a second photo, shown below.

The title 'King For A Day' is a bit of fun because Hubby's surname is King, and it seemed appropriate for the layout.

Firstly, I cut out the background shape from plain blue card and then used a Versamark pad to create a watermark effect with the Hero Arts clocks stamp. I also stamped onto white card the crown, the Papermania alphabet title and the clocks once again. Then I distressed everything with Tim Holtz distress inks. The journaling card is from My Mind's Eye and the orange card that I used for the flags is from my box of scraps.

At the end of the event, the King decreed that he will enter both the London Marathon and the Brighton one next year. They will be just one week apart in 2011.

Personally, I think the King is mad!

Common Ground

If you live in a household with only one male, you'll know where I'm coming from when I say, Hubby's feeling lonely. He's never had a son to play football with, although the girls would kick a ball around with him when they were younger. He's never had to watch football practice in the pouring rain or had a kindred male to watch sports on TV with. Not that he has ever complained. He loves his daughters to bits!

But since the girls have left home he has no-one to meet from school, ferry around in the car, wind-up constantly or tease about their outfits. The girls never were much into football or rugby, neither were they particularly keen to sit and watch gymnastics or the Winter Olympics, but they obliged to keep Hubby happy.

Now he has only me to tell how well or badly his favourite team, The Arsenal, are doing. I'm the one who hears who's injured and out of the match, how near to relegation Brighton are this season, and his commentaries on the Six Nations Rugby, most of it going in one ear and out the other!

I do feel sorry for him and try to appear interested and knowledgeable, but I draw the line at standing for the teams' National Anthems when I'm crafting in the Lounge!

So, when I came across an old photo this week I knew just what I wanted to say on the layout.

The photo is of Hubby and our eldest daughter, taken in 1993 when he was dressed to take part in the London Marathon. Jenni is looking a bit scared and unsure of him as he's wearing a brightly-coloured clown suit and white make-up.

I used My Mind's Eye and K&Co papers, MarthaStewart punches and Prima flowers to make the layout. The journaling tells why Hubby's wearing the costume and how Jenni (in 1993) doesn't know yet that she too will take up running and join a running club.

They do have common ground after all.

Marathon Man

Here's a layout I did a few years ago with Hubby dressed as a clown for the London Marathon. He has run it 6 times in total and lots of half-marathons too. I used to be a Marathon Widow, left behind as he travelled around the country entering running events.

All that ended when the children arrived and he became a house-husband. Did you know that is a recognised job? When form-filling we were often able to enter his occupation as house-husband. But I digress...

His heyday was twenty years ago, bless him, and now he's entered himself to run in the first Brighton Marathon, taking place this April.

Here's a more recent layout of him. I don't think he can claim that the hair loss makes marathon running any easier! But who am I to say? I cannot run 100 yards without the need for resuscitation!

A lot has happened since he gave up jogging, not least that his waistline, like mine, has expanded exponentially! He's had surgery for cancer and been diagnosed with osteoporosis. He also has Meniere's Disease. I question whether he should even be contemplating running 26 miles, but he is determined to do it. I am secretly proud of 'the old pot and pan' for giving it a go and hope he makes it to the finishing line.

He's a bit old for a 'Midlife Crisis' but if he's ever going to have one, I think this is it!