In the Halloween Spirit

The web inspiration challenge this month is an interesting and rather different photo. It took me a long time to get any ideas but when I did, things suddenly came together. My result is a little creepy in keeping with the the inspiration and Halloween. I really like this page, but it is very different for me.

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Designer Credits:
-background (woodland scene paper), box, leaves, birds, squirrel: Take me to the Old World by Lotta Designs
-trees shapes: Family Tree by Joanne Brisebois
-paper used as overlay: ArtPlay Palette No. 10 by Anna Aspnes
mushrooms and witch are my photos from last October
fonts: Chiller, Ale & Wenches BB
text is lyrics from "Teddy Bears' Picnic"

RED: the joy of red flowers

On our visit to Oklahoma well-watered gardens were doing fairly well and I was especially drawn to all the beautiful flowers in red. Some of them were also drawing hummingbirds and most flowers of any color were drawing bees, moths and butterflies. I do love to photograph all those things and decided to combine some red flowers for the copycat challenge this month.

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Designer Credits:
-template by Clara (clarabear) based on "Miss You" by Phylis (whatnext) 
-background paper: Family is forever by Maya de Groot
-Hummingbird shapes: Like Home by Fei-fei's Stuff
-stitching: Sunrise Sunset by Fei-fei's Stuff
-dark paper: Free to Fly by Vera Lim Design
-white paper: Shimmer by Kitty Designs
-glitter: The Silver Flakes by Kitty Designs
-brad, button: ArtPlay Palette Barren Sunrise by Anna Aspnes
-torn paper shape (blended): ArtPlay Palette Autumn Haze by Anna Aspnes
fonts: Enchanted Prairie Dog, Dali, Mufferaw, EwieD, Ligurno, HansHand

Drawing #11 - Rooms of the Minotaur

It is not the entire labyrinth, only some of its rooms. I clearly see the Minotaur though Dick doesn't particularly. The rooms contain all manner of creatures and objects to delight or horrify. Hopefully the humor of it will prevail. The beginning shapes were a bit different this time but the process was unchanged.

I promised to show the way I start these drawings and took photos of the very first steps. With pencil I draw a rectangle then divide it into shapes. I create variations on them to work with later. Then I select lines to draw in pen and begin to draw in the shapes. I use many of the pencil lines to augment the drawing. Don't forget to click on the image below to see the steps a little larger.

Old Photo and Special Memories

Last month I visited relatives I had not seen in forever. I got to copy (with my digital camera) a lot of things of my late aunt's. She was a special person and also the keeper of family history. One of the great things I saw was a photo of her and two distant relatives whom I vaguely remember seeing. It is such a special picture and I used it in this week's scraplift. It is making me smile each time I look at it!

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Designer Credits:
lift of Calling The Play by Marnie (Marnie333)
-background paper, brush, button: ArtPlay Palette Barren Sunrise by Anna Aspnes
-clock, brad, stitching: ArtPlay Palette No. 10 by Anna Aspnes
fonts: Amapola, Huxtable 

Oklahoma Prairie

I love spending a day in the prairies in northern Oklahoma in Osage County and the Osage Nation. This fall we didn't see as many birds as some times and the vegetation was showing signs of the overly hot and dry summer just past. There was some rain though and there was some bloom of wildflowers. Time spent there is always special and we had a lovely day. I used photos and thoughts from that day for two scrapbooking challenges. One was to use at least seven of ten items, the word "Thankful" required. I finished with eight of them and a layout on the American bison or buffalo. The October camera challenge asks for a collage and page with a collection of photos that could be one day, week, year, or other reason for a series. I have lots of other photos from Oklahoma, but for now I've only used those from our one day in the Osage.

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Designer Credits:
        8 of 10 elements:
1. word Thankful (required), 2. something red (heart), 3. at least 3 flowers, 4. a frame, 5. three squares of paper, 6. a sepia colored picture, 7 - , 8. a photo mask, 9 - , 10. the letter "S"


-background, horizontal striped paper: Blessing by Lydia Designs
-frame: I remember you by Biograffiti
-greenish paper: 52 Inspirations (Week 33) by Sue Cummings
-vertical striped paper, green flower, flower doodle: Free to Fly by Vera Lim
-photo mask: ArtPlay Palette Autumn Haze by Anna Aspnes
-brown flower: Composition by One Little Bird
-red heart: Home Sweet Home by Maya de Groot
fonts: Circus, French Script MT, EnviroD, Emboss, Bangkok

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Designer Credits:
-background paper: I Remember You by Biograffiti
-bow, stitching, grid: Composition by One Little Bird
buffalo photo by my DH
fonts: harrison, Hurry Up, HansHand, Amapola, Souvenir Lt BT

Drawing #10 - Celebration

I'm home again! No more dial-up to the Internet as I've have the past week plus. Sorry to have been rather absent during that time, but it was a vacation. Of course you'll be seeing pictures from Oklahoma.Glad you liked the purple seed pods that were in the gardens of the Philbrook Art Museum in Tulsa. The flowers and plant do look much like sweet peas, but what pods! While I didn't do much scrapping, I did finish the drawing in the works when we left. I've begun another and have taken photos of the early steps which I will post along with the finished one (whatever it may turn out to be.) The current mental landscape reminded me of a ceremonial robe, but I thought it might be inhabited in which case it should be a celebrant. I was told it was definitely inhabited and I decided it was a celebration.

Plants Familiar and Exotic

For a weekly scraplift challenge I had to use a photo of a plant called hyacinth bean that is very attractive, but is special for its bright purple seedpods. Next I featured our standby crabapple that didn't do well this year, most of its fruit missing. That was for the monthly color challenge in the category of fall colors.

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Designer Credits:
lift of "The Autumn Came" by Geraldine (Dady)
ArtPlay Palette No. 10 by Anna Aspnes
ArtPlay Palette Autumn Haze by Anna Aspnes
fonts: Snell Bold BT, Minya Nouvelle

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Designer Credits:
-background, stitching border: Whispering Trees by TinaMarie
-frame, other papers, glitter: Blessing by Lydia Designs
-leaf stamp: Fallen Sun by TaylorMade Designs
fonts: Angel Tears, Huxtable