More Unnamed Ancestors

A web inspired challenge for March is based on a striking photo of a rough wooden door with an old knob and plate. Its aged appearance led me to old photos and I chose one from Dick's maternal line from an old album. Sadly, we do not know if the couple were ancestors, relatives, or just friends. Still, this is a way to keep alive the possibility of learning the answer.

If you notice five photo images, four details of the whole, the challenge had the extra requirement of five photos of some sort. I think it turned out to be a nice touch.
____________________________
Designer Credits:
-kit: Fresh Start by Ashalee Wall
-background paper: Not So Basic Browns by Maya de Groot
-wavy paper mask: Modern Paper Masks by Creations by Tinamarie
fonts: Isla Bella, Huxtable

Photographs for our "other" senses

I did a layout for a camera challenge calling for a photo that invokes one of our senses beyond sight. Some lovely things were done and I've finally added one of a scented candle. I photographed this holder before, but this time I concentrated on the little candle part of it. Fortunately this can be enjoyed withOUT actually being exposed to the scent.

__________________________
Designer Credits:
-background: i remember you by Biograffiti
-patterned paper: Revive by TaylorMade Designs
-circle stamp: Everyday by Ashalee Wall
-doodle: Trail It by Merkeley Designs
-flower (recolored): Oscraps Collab TrOpical by kwilson
fonts: AmerType Md BT, Bard, Amapola, Boopee
___________________________________________________
I said I'd post a few of my layouts from the Oscraps 5th birthday "party" so here are four of them. You'll see that they all had five somewhere in their themes. You can click on the images to see them larger.

Spring Is Really Here

Yesterday wasn't a very special seeming day. It was cloudy, chilly and while we were out a light rain started a bit. Even so, an hour spent looking - and listening!! - to birds was so exciting. There were lots of sparrows including some migrants. Most species were singing. We were totally enchanted hearing Fox Sparrows singing. We saw at least six of them. An Eastern Phoebe, the earliest flycatcher to arrive, flitted to a perch in front of us. An adult Red-headed Woodpecker flew down to something on the ground showing off its bright white and black wings. Flickers were calling. No matter what weather we get now, both the calendar and the birds say it is spring!

________________________
Designer Credits: i remember you by Biograffiti
with doodle from Trail It by Merkeley Designs
fonts: Sybil Green, BlackLightD
________________________

And I really haven't abandoned my blog. I spent ten days involved in the Oscraps 5th birthday with lots of challenges, chats and fun. I did more than a dozen layouts, but most did not use current photos. I'll post some of the nicer ones soon.

Back in the Snow!

It really isn't rare to get big snows this time of year, but we sure weren't wanting more of the white stuff! It did create interesting photo ops though. Here is my 4th scraplift of the month with today's pictures.

_________________________
Designer Credits:
- lift of LO Artists by Bush Girl (Selena)
-background paper, birds: Shimmer by Kitty Designs
-purple paper: First Street by Miss Crow's Magickal Emporium
-brown paper, stitching: The Gift by Fei-fei's Stuff
fonts: Hurry Up, Bavuese, Erie

February Pages and beyond (Project 12)

I'm keeping up (just barely) with doing a two-page spread for each month. Just finished the pages for February and am very happy to move beyond the ice and snow!

Don't forget to click on the single page images to see more detail and maybe read the text.

 

Journaling reads:

Ice and snow, ice and snow, February began with more of ice and snow. The snow piled up and ice formed. A thin coating of snow on an icy driveway showed deer tracks plainly. Ice dams formed in the gutters then killer icicles fell. Mid-month a warm up cleared it mostly away but the 20th snow began turning to freezing rain coating everything. Sunlight on the ice created a sparkling fairyland. A foot of snow fell the 25th.

February was more than ice and snow. I started another session of collage journaling on the 7th and don't forget Valentine's Day! Dick's oat bran muffins kept coming and genealogy meetings were always on tap. Thankfully I felt well finally after the January cold or whatever. We warmed up enough to see some spring flowers and enjoy being outside. When the cold returned we even found four Mute Swans and Bald Eagles on the lake.

 ________________________

Designer Credits:

-papers, circular mat, button, bow, circular frame: Love Poppies by Celine Designs

-snowflakes: Winter Escape by Creations by Tinamarie

-date tag: itty bitty dates no. 7 by Biograffiti

fonts: Amienne, Lithograph

____________________________

I've also done the third installment of the Oscrap's members spotlight scraplift and this time I'm featuring an aspect of Spring! Yesterday a clump of crocus next door had a ton of flowers all in bloom at once. It looked great and I hope this captures that feeling of exuberance.

 __________________

Designer Credits:

life of LO photo no 53 by neat freak (Lorraine)
-paper, flowers, border: Sunrise.Sunset by Fei-fei's Stuff
-frame: Family Ties by Fei-fei's Stuff
font: harrison

Another Winter Scene (and scraplift)

Five members are featured in an Oscrap's spotlight this month and I think I will try to lift all of them as their galleries are lovely. For my second one I've used a February photo from Lake Erie. It was above freezing that day following a real warm up. Later that day the snow began and turned to a lot of freezing rain. That led to the sparkling ice pictures I've already posted. The journaling reads:
Lake Erie froze this winter, nearly completely with two and a half months of near constant snow cover. Mid-February we got some thawing but for the brief time that lasted the shore ice remained and boat basins like this were frozen shut - 20 February 2011

____________________________
Designer Credits:
-lift of Journey to Remember by sue.falstaff 
-papers, buttons: The Gift by Fei-fei's Stuff
-glass circle, ribbon: Fresh Start by Ashalee Wall
-flourish metal: Winter Escape by Creations by Tinamarie
-blue frame (part of): Ohana by Biograffiti
-doodle: Sunrise Sunset by Fei-fei's Stuff
fonts: Lemon Chicken, 1942 report, Erie

Birds in Black & White

I had to use bird photos in a copycat challenge this month. I picked ones feathered in black and white with some gray and even a little color against a more colorful background. The birds are: clockwise from upper left: Eastern Kingbird (photo by DH), Hairy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Mockingbird; all common birds of eastern U.S.

_________________________
Designer Credits:
-template for Copycat Challenge from LO by Charlize
-kit: Stuck on You by Maya de Groot
fonts: baby dont worry bout it, Kings of Pacifica, Hans Hand, Ellianarelle's Path, Erie

February's Fairyland of Ice

We had a heavy fall of freezing rain one night and then more snow afterward. There was one cloudy day and then the 22nd was brilliant sun. It turned the miles of ice coated trees and plants to a world of beauty. For the most part we saw little damage but it is a hard time for birds and animals to get through the ice to food. As promised, here are a few of the photos. Note that the ice was prettiest illuminated with the sun behind so it was an interesting trick to photograph it backlit.

______________________
Designer Credits:
based on LO -bold and beautiful- by LaurieW
-papers, word art: Winter Escape - Creations by Tinamarie
-frame: Bohemian August by Miss Crow's Magickal Emporium
font: Snell Bd BT