Grateful

July has brought the culmination of a two and a half year struggle for my husband and myself. Read the journaling to know the entire story. The layout has been created for the Color Stories Inspiration Design Team.

Here is how I solved the case:

Scheme- All five colors used
Evidence- Stripes, watercolor pattern, circles, wet medium, embossing powder, something grainy
Testimony- I chose to tell this true tale of crime and the long arm of the law on striped paper.

Layering, 3-D heat embossing and fussy cutting are a must for me. 

Background texture and dimension can always be seen in my work as I think it gives the viewer more techniques to ponder. 

Products 

Blue Fern Studios

Paper:
Wanderlust, Wanderlust Petites
Autumn Anthology, Robin

Chipboard:
Lane Lamp Post
Grateful
Concentric Circles

Embossing Powder:
In the Navy
Bonny Blue
Poinsettia

Flowers:
Remnants Blooms
Heartland Blossoms
Seaside Roses
Homespun Blooms

Stamp:
Tattered Newsprint

Seedlings:
Glass 
Flaming

Prima Marketing 

3-D Matte Gel
Art Stones

Ranger

Emboss It Dabber

And now, for the story...

"To the best of my recollection, our neighbors lived in their home since the late eighties. The husband passed away in the mid nineties, leaving his widow alone in their home. Their two grown daughters rarely came to visit her throughout the years. Approximately two and a half years ago, we noticed that the older daughter had made an appearance. Her mother was dying. 

Shortly after this, my husband and I began noticing people driving to the back of the house, then leaving within five to ten minutes. This quickly increased in number of instances and we became very concerned that there was drug dealing happening there. This occured at all hours of the night and day! The people coming in had cars that were banged up and often had paper plates. The people themselves were shabbily dressed, unlike the hard working good neighbor's who live around us, who get up early and drive to work each day, raise their children, send them to college, and keep their homes neat and tidy. 

Soon, neighbor's were asking us about the people next door. They too, were concerned and many of them had children. That was enough for me! My husband and I met with the police one night between Christmas and New Year's, this past year. A case was opened and within the first week of 2018, two undercover officers came to interview us.

Shortly afterwards there was a raid, in which an arrest was made, and we learned that methamphetamines were being used in the home. 

All along, there had been loud, unruly behavior; mostly yelling, horn honking and a lot of digging around in the trunks of cars. Nothing could have prepared us for the younger sister parading around in various states of undress! Sometimes she was semi nude and at least once, she was totally nude! 

By the week before Easter, Hack and I had documented more than 152 visits from non-residents, carefully recording license plates, time in time out, description of drivers, etcetera and shared our observations with the police. We were so determined to see this activity end for the sake of our neighbor's and their children. 

Three Sunday's ago, we went to church and took my mother to lunch. As we have always done, we took a nap and then were watching TV when we heard a loud knock on the door. I told my husband that it was a tall man in dark clothes, and that it might be a good idea if he answered the door. We were surprised to learn that it was a policeman at our door! 

The policeman had come to tell us that one of the men that was frequently seen next door was pulled over and caught with multiple bags of meth on his person! He was booked into the county jail and I felt as though my "Dandad" was looking down on me and saying, "Job well done." 

I showed the policeman an album of pictures from my grandfather's days in law enforcement. He had risen from Deputy City Marshal in my hometown, then to Sheriff of our county, and was appointed Marshal of the Northern District of Texas before retiring in 1954. He had served  more than forty years in law enforcement! 

If only the people had known who their neighbor's were! I have often chuckled over this and know that my grandfather would be smiling! 

Now, the neighbors have decided they don't like this city and have sold their house to several women who flip houses. I hope and pray that it looks beautiful when it is finished and that a nice family with children move in! 

I am eternally grateful to law enforcement for their determination to be right in the middle of the neighbor's 'business'!"