May Showers Bring June Flowers

Did I get that right?

 

I love to capture the colors in my garden at different times of the year. In June it was purple. Nice-a!

The Rose Parade

First and only...
Why have I waited so long?
This parade was a blast.
I met Amada, Natalite and folks for a grand morning with coffee and doughnuts, not Voodoo, but good. The gay pride people were next door and fun they are. Return, I must, if not next year then next after. Hooray!

Golf Goodness

A special day, sharing friendship and fun with other like minded golfers. The 9-hole group planned a and executed a splendid day that began with morning nibbles and coffee, then on to a 9 hole scramble and ending with lunch.

A show of golf fashion, lots of chatter and of course prizes were awarded. What a wonderful group of women and a lovely way to spend the day. Hey girlies, you all look so good!

Elena

I have an evil twin. Her name is Elena. Her story needs telling, and so I did.

I am a fairly ordinary person. I like coffee and tea, both with cream. I like soup and salad, I like meat and fish. I like cookies and cake. I like white wine. I like tennis and golf. I like technology. I like my I-Phone. I like sunshine. Rain, not so much. So you see, nothing out of the ordinary here. Things roll along pretty smoothly for me but every once in awhile this gal shows up who just frankly, gets in my way. Her name is Elena. I might be playing tennis, hitting some good shots and then she comes along and has to put the game in overdrive and send balls flying out of the court or into the net. My tennis coach says she can’t come to any lessons because she doesn’t pay. Same with golf. I will be driving the ball straight down the middle, avoiding sand traps and the like and then this chick shows up and BAM! before I know it I’m in a lake. She runs up my score amazingly quickly. SUCKS!
and...
 She’s the one who always reaches for the fourth cup of coffee or the third glass of wine or the second cookie. She’s also the one who cheats on my diet. Damn her! Thank God she doesn’t cheat on my taxes. She’s the one who curses. Well, OK, maybe I do a little too but she’s the one who blurts out things without thinking. Not me! I love a good retort. She says sarcasm is her second language. She forgets peoples names. I would never do that. I’m always on time. She pushes the limit. We do both love to laugh...at each other mostly. I’m never quite sure what to do with her but then again, life wouldn’t be the same without her. Afterall, she is my evil twin!

LOL!

Drew - Nike - Crossfit

A few years ago, my son, Drew, asked me to help him with the header he was putting together for Crossfit training blog. He works for Nike and they have a number of amazing gyms on campus. Off we went for the photo shoot. What he didn't tell me was that the campus is also awesome. It was a beautiful spring Sunday and we had the place to ourselves. I captured loads of wonderful; images and compiled this photo collage to remember the day. 

 

And this...

These images tell his story. They capture him lifting, running, pulling up, Core Performance, his work group, some of his shoe models, Nike athletes, including Brandon Roy, International flags and the large G for Girl Effect. Look that one up.

Hey, Drew, what do you think of this one?

Our House

Is a very, very, very fine house. Or so the song goes. Most of our storytelling is about our children or travel or events but once in awhile its good to capture the stuff of our lives. Rick and I tend to live in a house for a long time. Maybe we are too lazy to move :) but then again maybe we just like the certain comfort of a place. We both really love this house. It's probably too big for us now but whatever. This page attempts to capture our sense of a special place and it's look this year, this time.

A Day in the Life

This template was for capturing things I did each hour for one day. I am not in the hustle and bustle days anymore and so find myself doing the same thing for a long time. So adapt, girlie. And, I did. These are things I do and look forward to or have some words of wisdom about now that I am getting !AHEM! older. I fiddled with the template and however its done, the story is mine.

What are your stories? Are you capturing them? Writing them down? Photo-journaling them?
Get going!

Ten Things About...

This was another class assignment. The template was originally designed to tell the story "Ten Things about Me". But, ten things can capture many lists. My ten favoirte movies, books, items of clothing, ten years of hairdos. Well, you get the idea. This was my rendering. The headline: The Most Wasted of Days is One without Laughter. Ten internet funnies. It captured my mood that day.

OnLine Classes: ya gotta love them

They fit the bill for me.

• I am a night owl and like to work into the wee hours. OnLine classes are 24/7.
• I like to read lessons and can skip all of the home made videos that are so prevalent these days.
• I am a quick study and can work at my pace.
• I don't have to waste time in the travel.

That said, I am taking two right now. The first one is twelve weeks long with  a lesson per week. The lesson shows up on Thursday and you can finish it at you own pace. It is put on by Big Picture and is Cathy Zelske's Clean and Simple class. This gal knows what she is talking about. She works with design principles and precise placement of things. She has a vast knowledge of graphic arts, book making and typography. I am learning a lot, including new tricks in Photoshop, which I love.

Here is my piece from Lesson 1.  I loved making this. And, since I prefer to scrap digitally, this was a piece of cake. I, personally, can't stand the mess of paper scrapping. Whatever! Love the neat storage of digital supplies. These templates can be used over and over again. I love that too! Check it out yourself.

National Scrpabooking Day

was yesterday. What fun!
There were lots of goodies being handed out on the internet and challenges galore. I've taken a number of classes at Big Picture and did a few of their challenges. Challenge #1 was to download a list of I-statements, complete the list and the scrap a story from one of the statements. I chose "I like" to learn new things.

Here is my layout and story.

Supply credits go to: Lynn Grieveson Essentials 4 and Antiquities paper packs; Julia Macotinsky stitching; Kate Pertiet for the border; Anna Aspnes Palette Bicycle kit; Jen Maddocks This Way Masks; Cinzia Loosemore paint blotch; Mary Ann Wise Waterpaper; Chisle and Kalinga fonts

Lightroom Update

I am continuing to load supplies in Lightroom.
I am adapting as I move forward.
I know this about my scrapping self:

• Scrapping is about recording the stories and photos. All the rest is support stuff.
• I always use a background paper.
• I almost always use a template.
• I rarely use an alpha kit. I prefer using fonts.
• I love all kinds of clipping masks and brushes, which I often use as a clipping mask.
• I don't use too many elements.
• My favorite elements are frames, stitching and staples.
• If I use a number of elements, alphas or the like, they will probably come from the same kit as the paper. I don't like to spend too much time on the search.

That said, as I upload the kits to Lightroom, I tag

• the preview page in a preview only section;
• the preview page in a holiday section, example Christmas, Halloween, if appropriate;
• the preview page in a themed section, example school, sports, travel, if appropriate;
• the entire kit, under the designers name and kit name;
• then I pick and choose the rest of the tagging;
• I only tag things I like a lot, usually the things I use a lot.
• I also tag templates.

Not tagging every single item speeds the process. Having the entire kit loaded under designer and kit name gives me access to the entire kit. Not everything will show up on a more details search.

So when I begin a LO, I look at the photos I want to scrap and choose a template. Clip the photos in and journal the story. Next I look for a paper for the background. This might be a color or a holiday or a theme. In every case, what I choose can lead back to the kit it is contained in. There I can see the rest of the stuff. So no need to tag every single item.

Here is an example. The template is from Anna Aspnes and includes a spot for a large photo and several smaller. You can move things around as you need but this template is so artistic that loading the photos and selecting a paper background is all that is needed.

Check back for more on Lightroom next week.

Snickers, not snicker...

Another layout using one of Cathy Zielske's templates.
I added the photos, the story and the background paper which is from Jomi's kit Embrace.
I am loving the Lightroom storage of my scrapping supplies. I'm finding things I didn't remember having and so quickly.

It really is about telling the story.

Begin at the Beginning

which for me is generally a template. I like both gridded or free flowing. For me, scrapbooking is about photos and storytelling.  Here is a clean and simple template that I began with.

Here are the steps I took:

• found a fun paper for the background that fits the theme of the page and serves as a  border;
• clipped pictures to the black boxes on the left side;
• eliminated the box borders around the green boxes;
• clipped paper to the green boxes that I selected to repeat the red in the background paper;
• replaced the frame on the black box on the right with a fun frame;
• inserted a color in the box also selected from the background paper;
• along with a number and some text;
• recolred all of the box borders red to add to repetition.

 Here is the page, done rather simply and quickly.

Easy-peasy!

Scrap Supplies Lost and Found

I had my scrap supplies stored two ways. First I had a file structure for each scrap designer whose supplies I own. I considered this my backup file. Next Iorganized the parts of these I like into categories of supplies. So Alphas-Brushes-Frames-Word Art, etc and then categories within. In March, the organized supply files simply disappeared. I tried scouring the EHD and searched all other folders, just in case they simply got dragged somewhere else. It was a huge supply so I am pretty certain they were not deleted because I would have received the question "too big for the recycle bin" but I didn't. CYBER SPACE, your name is mud.

At first I was devastated but in searching around for options, I discovered Kayla Lamoreaux's Lightroom for Memory Keepers. Learning Lightoom was on my list of things to do this year. So I began by listening to her videos and following her instructions. That is huge good news. I am hooked.

But the best part of this is discovering scrap supplies I forgot I had. I am taking it slow and perusing the designers that I really like and importing their stuff first. It has given me an opportunity to do some cleaning house and the tagging reduces all of the duplicating that I use to do when a supply fit 2 categories.

Here is a sample of the LR screen with one of Julia Makotinsky's kits called Art Fusion 2.

I can click on Julia's name and all of the supplies I have by her will come up or I can click on a particular kit or green paper or alphas. The choices and ways of viewing supplies are endless. So far, I am loving this. It is a a bit of work but I am moving slowly.

Tune in again and I will show you some fun things.

Bigs and Littles...

all serve a purpose, just like Basketball.

I love using templates that allow me to choose one photo that can be made large. The rest become supporting images. As we all know, many photos just aren't that great but they do the work of telling the story. So love me two page templates that incorporate both. Here is an example.
Big and little...

Sweet!

Now and Then Stories

I love contrasting two events. Call them Now and Then. Here is an example.

This is what the weather looked like on a wonderful day in February. Unexpected and beautiful enough to capture. One week later, imagine waking up to this type of day.

It's fun to record the changes in weather, or events or people over time.
What's in your history?

Telling Stories Even When You Aren't There: Running in Asheville

Nick lived in Asheville, NC for a year. It's hard not being a part of your children's lives on a regular basis. A local photographer happened to snap this image of my boy running a 10K which Nick sent to me. I took the liberty of scrapping it. It's nice to continue telling their stories in our life journal.

Credits: AnnaAspnes: ArtPlay Pallette Birthday paper, 

Vitality Clipping Masks and Scratched Overlays

2011 Fast Scrap Decisions

Did I mention that I am about 25 years behind. To remedy this, I have a plan. :)

I have bits and pieces of a lot of years mostly because i entered a challenge or took an online class or followed someone's tutorial. Now, I want to finish these starts and the years they are a part of and have it printed.

I would like each book to include 2 years. My current plan is to start with 2011/ 2012 and have them printed together. I chose these because my memory of them is fairly current. I've lost some of the details of years back so why start there.

 I have very organized photo files. (By year, month, event)

For each book, I plan to select a template pack and stick with it throughout the book. I think this lends itself to some continuity within the book. For efficiency, I copy the templates to the photo file. It makes opening things in PS so much faster.

For the 2011/2012 book, drumroll please...I've chosen Anna Aspnes Month in Review templates.
These templates are the best because they come in a two page spread. that means the right and left side go together. Brilliant! By Anna, for me. After reviewing my photos for the story I am telling, I find one of the templates that will fill the bill. The beauty of using templates is the fast starting place. You can flip them or eliminate a photo or stretch one to make it bigger. They are very versatile. Pick a background paper, add elements and then tell your story.

To make things easy, I usually stick with the same couple of fonts and font sizes for the book.
Hey, I am just trying to make things happen and for me, it's all about the photos and stories.

Here are a couple of examples:

 

Thanks for looking! Comments are welcome! You're the best!

Fast Scrap

I generally make two types of books: travel and family books that are generally in chronological order. In both cases and for speed, I most often use templates.

For a single event book, my approach is:

1. set up a file with a variety of templates and a number of background papers;
2. include drop shadows on all the photo spots on the template;
3. look at the photos to determine if more portrait or landscape spots were needed; 
4. place the photos on the template and clip them to the mask;
5. size and straighten them on the page;
6. select from background papers included in the file, many were the same and simply recolored in PS 
7. select and use just a few fonts and font sizes;

The slowest part of this process is the journaling. It helps to keep a journal while on your trip. One of my SILs writes about the day at the end of each day. I like that idea.

I like to make a two page spread for each place or activity. One page is a large single photo  from the event. The other side is a collage of images that tell the story.

In the end, doing any type of photo book is an opportunity to clean out photo files. Storage in a PC while not messy, is not free. It is also clutter. How many photos of an event do you really need. Don't be a hoarder. haha

Here are a few examples from my New Zealand trip and book.

 

Enjoy!

Scrapbooking Approach

I have a lot of scrapbooking catch up to do after many years of starts and stops.

I remember the first time I saw a really fun scrapbook at a craft fair "Walk in the Park". I was immediately hooked. The woman  was a Creative Memories vendor. I walked that path for awhile but it was so slow and messy. I didn't have a dedicated place to work so I spent more time getting supplies out and putting them away again with very little progress. My SIL introduced me to digital scrapbooking and I have never looked back. These digi ladies have taught me how to use Photoshop creatively which has segued into my fiber art as well. I love that you can spend a few minutes on a layout and it stays in your computer until you get back to it. The mess is stored in my brain and PC.

The next step in my scrapbooking timeline was the advent of book publishers. My choice is Blurb. There are many more. Persnickety Prints prints single pages if you would like to load them into your own scrapbooks or embellish them further.

I've looked at and admired the work of many scrapbookers who have raised scrapbooking to an art form. In the end I've decided for me, getting the story told is what I want and that means a lot of pictures and the stories that go with them. Skip the elements. Give me a good piece of paper and I'm a happy camper.

I have bits and pieces of our family stories but estimate I am 25 years (yes, you heard me) behind. I have a plan which I will share in my next post. I am currently scrapping memories from 2011 and offer a few pages for your viewing.

Citrus PICS and Picks

Love these trees on my property. They are good for picture taking and then eating....

Spending time on...

Wind turbines. My chosen theme for a fiber art show in February. Five new pieces, hopefully conveying my love for the form and function of these machines.