Family Photos, Now and Then

I've recently done pages for two photos I consider "family". The first is of Dick on Christmas Eve when all was ready for Santa to come. I love the peaceful photo. It was for a challenge requiring the use of seven of ten items, a heart required. I just used the minimum seven and really like the result which I titled "Love Is the Key." Next was this week's AnnaLift featuring a totally fantastic layout using a photo of the artist's grandmother as a girl in 1930. I used another photo of my mother as a child in a four generation picture. I don't think I've done this one before, but even so, this would be better, I think. There are layers and blending to achieve the look. The photos are probably a little over one hundred years apart.

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Designer Credits:
-background, frame: Fresh Start by Ashalee Wall
-paint, button: Terra Toni by Maya de Groot
-love word art, stitching: Corinthia by Kitty Designs
-bird, spray design: Let Love Be Your Energy by ZuzannaH Designs
-key: Take me to the Old World by Lotta Designs
font: BlacklightD

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Designer Credits:
all Anna Aspnes
ArtPlay Palette Autumn Haze
-edging (used as frame): ArtPlay Palette Ablaze
-gold leaf: Gold Leaves No. 1
fonts: Lithograph, Loosie Days

Deer with no fear & Signs of Spring!

Yesterday we had proof that spring is coming. We had a pair of Mourning Doves in the pine tree behind our yard. They were the first we'd seen this year and that is a tree in which they nest. So, we're still waiting for our first grackle, but Cardinals are now singing in the morning and the doves are pairing up. Great Blue Herons are also reported returning to a local rookery. Still, we're looking for winter birds. A lot of White-winged Crossbills have been reported and one winter some stayed in Lake View. We are checking the hemlocks, their cones a favored food source. Yesterday we made a quick check before closing time as it was sunny and gorgeous. We didn't see many birds, but did encounter a group of four bold suburban deer. Newly planted trees in Lake View now have wire protection to prevent deer feeding on them. One of my photos seemed a good choice for a creative techniques challenge on blending with gradients. The tutorial was for PSE, so I had to wing it in PSP.

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Designer Credits:
-background, pale paper, star: Oscraps Collab Homespun
-patterned paper (blended), word art (blended), painted cluster: Photographed in Black & White by Sue Cummings
fonts: Davida Bd BT, Pea Beth

Remembering Glacier Bay and our Alaska Trip

Another week and another AnnaLift had me thinking of Glacier Bay and our birding tour to Alaska. We cannot believe this was 30 years ago! It was amazing. The park brochure (in the layout) has marked on the map how much one of the glaciers had retreated since the 1890s. I don't want to find out how far they have retreated since we saw them. I also love looking at what I was wearing. The parka is one I made from a Frostline kit. I added a contrasting yoke in purple with chartreuse machine stitching. The hat I crocheted in my own design. I thought I was fat and out-of-shape then, but wish I could be like that now.

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Designer Credits:
all Anna Aspnes
-background: ArtsyBlendz Snow Paperie No. 2
-transfer strip (blended): ArtPlay Palette Ablaze
-brush, overlay lines: ArtPlay Palette Sophistica
font: Frankfurt Gothic

Fabulous Orange Mushrooms

Last week we drove through Lake View and were surprised to see a big old oak tree ringed with bright orange mushrooms. I had to take lots of photos of them. That led to a series of scrapbook pages. The multi-photo one shows the general scene and uses a Quick Page and Template. The identity of the mushrooms and a little about them is in a color challenge page. A color or palette was not specified, but we had to "lift" a color from our photo. Last, a designer new to Oscraps has a free kit and a challenge to use it. I think it is perfect for me and my favorite photo of the lot.

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Designer Credits:
-template: Simply Quick No. 39 by Sue Cummings
-background paper (blended with photo) from Sketchbook Artistry No. 1 by Sue Cummings
fonts: harrison, Lithograph

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Designer Credits:
-background & orange papers, stamp from Rachel by Lydia Designs
-glitter, brown paper from Blessing by Lydia Designs
-masks for papers from ArtPlay Palette No. 10 by Anna Aspnes
-orange dots from ArtPlay Palette Saffron Villa Freebie by Anna Aspnes
-doodle from Grafitti by Fei-fei's Stuff
-plant drawing from Profiles No. 2 by Fei-fei's Stuff
fonts: Angel Tears, James Fajardo, Kartika

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Designer Credits:
ArtPlay Palette Saffron Villa Freebie by Anna Aspnes
fonts: Dungeon, Erie Black, Erie

Purple Fantasy: more flower "painting"

My daylily page was quite brightly colored, the dark iris (Night Ruler) was darkly intense though fanciful. Each was done with photos of flowers of one plant. Since I have so many iris photos from my sister's garden I decided to see what I could create with pictures of different flowers together. The result is very similar to the other iris one, but lighter and to me, more fanciful, even lacy. This is again done with erasure and blending. Goals include texture, depth, and especially, feelings of fantasy. My biggest fear is that I might fall off into something akin to cabbage rose wallpaper. Any comments more that welcome!

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Designer Credits:
-blue and patterned background papers from Creative Motives, July 2011 Artisan Guild Kit 
-green background paper from Twitterpated by Dee Bee Designs
-overlay paper from Black & White by Sue Cummings
-string, butterfly from I'm Like a Bird, Part 1 by Mel Designs and Thaliris
-yellow flower from I'm Still Loving You by chouk77
-blue brush from Dream a Little Dream by Digital Scrapper
-glitter from October Festivities, Part 6 by Melcrea

Night Ruler Dreaming: more flower "painting"

I wanted to continue from the daylily page of "painting" with flower photos. Instead of starting with a photo mask I used this month's creative techniques challenge method of erasure and blending and a little more. I used six different photos. I'm now thinking about the comments I made about originality when I did the page of the red giant hibiscus. Perhaps this is my way to finding a unique way with flowers. It'll be interesting to learn what you see in it!

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Designer Credits:
-blue paper from Royal Blending Papers by Tinamarie
-black(ish) paper, B&W paper used as overlay on top, butterfly, flower from Black & White by Sue Cummings 
-light green pattern paper from Oscraps Collab TrOpical
-swirl from Sa-weet Sa-whirls by Jodie McNally
-silver glitters from The Silver Flakes by Kitty Designs

More Blending

After I "painted" with daylilies I thought of doing more similar layouts. I had two sets of photos in mind. Then the August Oscraps Creative Techniques challenge was posted with a fabulous tutorial on a method of blending. So the challenge is for More Blending! I used one of the subjects, a Purple Gallinule that was a rarity last year in Ohio. You might have seen a layout about it last May. This is a very different approach. I took two of Dick's photos and went to town. The Purple Gallinule shows its wonderful colors in one photo and features its enormous foot, that allows it to walk on the marsh vegetation, in the other. Everything is blended together according to the challenge.

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Designer Credits:
-bluish paper, patterned paper, blue wave, yellow spots, glitter paint all from the Oscraps Collab "TrOpical"
-purple paper from Bohemian August by Miss Crow's Magickal Emporium
-flower from Stuck on You by Maya de Groot
fonts: Aquanaut, BlacklightD