The Spirit of Summer

The song keeps running through my mind as I look at this page. I created it with a summer photo shot into the sun. I took a Digi Dare challenge to use silhouettes to make something of it and wound up with the idea of the song, (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay. I did this last month but it and the pelican page of this month look like they could be close friends. Be sure to check out the YouTube video for an original Otis Redding recording. Listen while you look and dream of summer.

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Digi Dare #295 called for extractions of people turned into silhouettes plus brushes/textured overlays with text and a fun alpha for the title. I've used the title and final lyrics from the song by Otis Redding. It wasn't a good photo, but this technique allowed something nice to happen with it!
Credits:
by Anna Aspnes:
-paper, transfer, brush, button: ArtPlay Palette Salty Living
-map: Travel Americas No. 2
-breathe word art: Outdoors WordTransfers No. 1
fonts: baby dont worry bout it!, JFRingmaster

Rare Gulls for another Digi Dare

This week the Digi Dares are celebrating a 5 year anniversary. Digi Dare #260 must feature 5 somethings with 5 papers, 5 colors, 5 fasteners and 5 fonts or alphas. I thought of the five rarest species of gulls to appear in the state of Ohio. Ivory, Heermann's, Ross's, and Black-tailed Gulls have each been documented once in the state. That once might be one day or a whole season. I know that is only four, but an uncommon gull here, the Sabine's once spent the winter. It was a bird of the year (or immature) and by January and February it had changed plumage in a process not seen in North America before as they winter far to the south. That is pretty rare too. The top photo is one I took of the Ivory Gull found by my BIL. The next too are Dick's photos. Ross's Gull is also affectionately known as "the pink one" as they have a pinkish cast. All we have to record it are my ID sketches. Last is a photo by a more fortunate birder who was MUCH closer to the current rare gull. My five "colors" are black, white, gray, brown, and pink in honor of "the pink one." This was lots of fun to work on.

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Designer Credits:
-brown, pink, white papers: Sweetness and Light by Retro Designs
-gray paper: Oscraps Collab Homespun
-black paper: All Hallow's Night: Designs by Leora Sanford
-prong, brown/white button, brad, pearl: ArtPlay Palette Barren Sunrise by Anna Aspnes
-black button, tape: ArtPlay Palette Sophistica by Anna Aspnes
-pink paint: little bits & pieces sampler by Sue Cummings
-frame, stitching: Early Bird by Deb Ammerman
-5 alpha: Serendipity by Jennifer Labre
fonts: Mufferaw, Pea Beth, Dry Goods Antique JL, Planet Benson 2, More Enchanted Prairie Dog, Impress BT

Memories of Spring

This week's AnnaLift featuring bright colors and flowers and I was moved to do my page with photos of violets in the grass of our lawn last April. It is full of the feel of spring and warmer weather. This week's Digi Dare #259 is a gem calling for a sky photo. I have some of those scattered over the months. The one that appealed most was from my birthday last May. It too has a decided feel of warmer days. They make quite a pair to lift spirits when it is snowing or blowing or just plain gray outside.

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Designer Credits:
colored edge filter (in purple) applied to top photo
designs by Anna Aspnes:
-papers: MonoBlendz Lima Paperie
-top photo mask: ArtPlay Palette No. 10
-lower photo mask: ArtPlay Palette Barren Sunrise
-leaf/word art brush: EtchedLeaves No. 1
-brad: ArtPlay Palette Santa Nicholas Add-On 1
-floral brush, word art brush, swirly brush, red mini brad, strip (blended): ArtPlay Palette Ablaze
-circle lines: ArtPlay Palette Sophistica
fonts: Ellianarelle's Path, Boopee, Dry Goods Antique SmC JL, iNked God

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Designer Credits:
-background: Family Tree by Joanne Brisebois
-patterned paper (blended): Whispering Trees - Creations by TinaMarie
-buff paper: Composition by One Little Bird
-gray frame: Old Stuff: Frames by Jodie McNally
-paints, celebrate word art, small paper, swirl, white frame: Little Bits & Pieces No. 2 by Sue Cummings
-transfer used as photo mask: ArtPlay Palette Autumn Haze by Anna Aspnes
font: Flemish Script BT

"Our Song" and a photo of The Other One

For a recent Digi Dare I did another page on "our" song with a photo I took of Dick in Tulsa recently. I really like the photo a lot and tried to bring the feel of sunshine into it to go with the song (Sunshine of Your Love by Cream). If you look at his sunglasses carefully you might catch a glimpse of his brother, a friend and me.

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Designer Credits:
-background paper, leaf stamp, photo mask: Fallen Sun by TaylorMade Designs
-stitching, splat: I Remember You by Biograffiti
-heart: Primavera by Maya de Groot
fonts: Pea Anderson, Boopee, Blue Highway


The requirements of Digi Dare #247 were:

-use at least one photo – have it serve as the background for your layout
-include the lyrics for the song that is providing your inspiration (in full or part) – this is considered your   journaling…you can have just one line or twenty. If you want to add additional journaling that is your choice.
-have your title give us a glimpse as to why this song was chosen
-use a photo mask
-use stitching
-use at least one brush
-the use of selective coloring on your photo would be a fun option!

Remembering the decade past for a new Digi Dare

This week's Digi Dare, #215 calls for top-10 type lists for the decade 2000-2010 (though that is really 11 years, so I kept mine to 2000-2009). The details include having a big title and using doodles. At first I was at a loss to remember what we did in the earlier of those years. I decided to only go with the positive as sad things were well represented and I didn't feel like listing them. I did pick one thing for each year for my list. Some are much more significant than others, but each is a pleasure to note. The design did not require photos and I didn't use any. It turned out to be a fun task the way I did it. As for calling that decade the "aughts," Dick and I both remember older generations referring to years like 1904 as "aught four." It certainly sounded a LONG time ago and very quaint. Somehow we never thought about facing the dates 100 years later nor thought about what we would call them. Well, for this layout at least, I'm calling them the "aughts." When you see my memories, I'm sure you'll be thinking of your own. (And don't forget to click on the image to see it larger and maybe be able to read the list.)

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Designer Credits:
-papers: Toi Mon Coeur by Hakia D.
-hummingbird: Like Home by Fei-fei's Stuff
-tree, flourish under dates: Family Ties by Fei-fei's Stuff
-blue designs: Graffiti by Fei-fei's Stuff
-spirals: Stamp My Heart by Kitty Designs
fonts: Baveuse, Classic, CountdownD, Arial Narrow