Butterfly and Moth from our travels

The butterfly is called a Buckeye. I think they are boldly beautiful. They can be migrants in the fall, this one seen on asters at a nature preserve in Missouri 24 October 2013. The second creature is a day-flying moth that acts much like a hummingbird, its wings constantly whirring. It is such a treat to see and a challenge to photograph. This was at a botanic garden in Oklahoma.

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Designer Credits:
lift of 'Autumn Promenade' by 'casbury' 
by Anna Aspnes:
-background: ArtPlay Solids Viaggio
-photo mask: Original FotoBlendz No. 12
-frame: FineEdge Frames No. 1
-stitching: UrbanStitchez No. 3
-line: ArtPlay Palette EnRoute
-brads, transfer: ArtPlay Palette Socialize
-word art, glow: Roots Sampler
-bright color: ArtPlay Palette Bask
-brush: ArtPlay Viaggio BrushSet
fonts: Mystical, Sybil Green

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Designer Credits:
AnnaLift of ‘let us ENJOY’ by ‘Lilly-10’ 
by Anna Aspnes:
-background: ArtPlay Palette Christmas Nostalgia
-photo mask: WaterColor FotoBlendz No. 1
-frame: ArtPlay Palette Tapestry
-transfer: ArtPlay Palette Vintage Rose
-brush: ArtPlay Palette Socialize
-bead: ArtPlay Palette Barren Sunrise
font: Boopee

Essence of Autumn Sun

A happy photo of sunny flowers hosting a small skipper (butterfly) appealed for last week's AnnaLift. We were at the Philbrook Art Museum gardens last year where I took a lot of photos. The weather has changed in the last few hours, trying to give a dusting of snow, so this sunny page is the perfect antidote. Hope all who celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday had a wonderful time doing so. I have so much for which to be thankful. Sunny days are sure among them.

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Designer Credits:
all Anna Aspnes
-background: ArtPlay Solids Viaggio
-brushes: ArtPlay Viaggio BrushSet
-brushes, transfers: ArtPlay Palette Viaggio
-edge overlay: APP Ablaze
-stars: APP Bask
fonts: Girls are Weird, Hurry Up

Loving Butterflies

Last month's copycat challenge was a beautiful inspiration and template. I did it with photos of a Mourning Cloak butterfly that was very cooperative. Everyone did beautiful things with this one.

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Designer Credits:
-template: May Copycat Challenge by Elisa (EHDesigns) based on "sail away" by ViVre http://ozone.oscraps.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=258300
-papers: ArtPlay Palette Wild Paperie by Anna Aspnes
-button: Life As I Know It by Vera Lim Designs
fonts: LoosieScript, Blue Highway

A Decoration of Butterflies

This week's lift challenge featured a tree of bokeh lights. I had to see tutorials to even know what they were talking about. The challenge though was to "decorate" a tree more or less in our layout. Somehow that led to use photos Dick and I took last fall of butterflies. We both like the look achieved. The text comes from some quotes or poems I found through Google.

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Designer Credits:
ArtPlay Palette Sophistica by Anna Aspnes
font: James Fajardo

Butterfly and Angel: two views of a Christmas kit

We were challenged to use a Christmas-themed kit for a subject unrelated to the holiday. I chose a beautiful kit and a butterfly photo from last September. The butterfly is called a wood nymph. It always surprises me when I see it farther west like this as there it has large pale areas on the wing that the ones where I live don't have. I used the same kit for one of the regular monthly challenges too. This was the web inspiration one based on a holiday photo. I like the (unintentional) pairing of winged beings!

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Designer Credits:
kit is Santangles by Maya de Groot
the poinsettias have a photo mask from ArtPlay Palette No. 10 by Anna Aspnes
butterfly fonts: Kredit, Liberation Sans Narrow; angel fonts: Cardinal, Huxtable

Remembering Butterflies

This week's lift design appears to Dick like balloons floating up. I looked for a set of photos to use and found I not gotten to some I took of an American Snout Butterfly in his brother's yard in Tulsa. I like them with this brown background and really like looking at butterfly pictures and remembering warmer weather. I like this particular one with its long "nose." They are more brightly colored above but can fold the wings and resemble a dead leaf.

I have finally finished my second larger drawing but I'm waiting for daylight to photograph it tomorrow.

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Designer Credits:
all Anna Aspnes
-ArtPlay Palette Ablaze
-swirl brush: ArtPlay Palette Autumn Haze
-black and white designs: MultiMedia Leaves No. 2
fonts: Boopee, Artistamp Medium

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

Photo from a sunny winter day

I've missed getting posts in here for a few days now. Saturday I was busy with genealogy meeting and class and we have some other things happening and then, last night, I started on another eight weeks of the collage journaling class that I find so stimulating. Love actually getting sticky fingers with hands on work. Have two really nice classmates too.

Friday we had a second consecutive sunny day and we ran over to my sister's to check on her house. You may previously have seen photos of the birch tree in her front yard, but this time I got Dick to stand still by it so I could get a photo with it as background for a photography challenge. I really like the result! And right this minute we have more sunshine though it likely won't last long. My sister is coming back from California shortly and we'll be off to the airport to meet her.

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Designer Credits: The Gift by Fei-fei's Stuff
fonts: Neuropol, Mufferaw

Another challenge is a copycat or template challenge. Once again I've got to contend with tiny photos, but I just had to use butterfly pictures to cheer me up in this seeminly endless winter. I chose two shots of Zebra Swallowtails, elegant butterflies that don't quite make it to where we live, so these were in southern Ohio on two days in late June of 2009. I always feel excited to see them, but finding that little group coming to a bit of roadside water was totally enchanting. Click on the image to see it a bit larger.

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Designer Credits: Happy to be Me by Lydia Designs
fonts: Davida Bd BT, Bank Gothic Md BT, Ellianarelle's Path

Butterflies as Punctuation?

There are two angle wing butterflies named for white markings on their underwings that look like a comma and a question mark. Here are photographs of one of each of them. First is a new page about a Comma.

 

We found this one at a rest stop along the highway, possibly newly out of its cocoon.

Designer Credits:
Retro Designs: Shabby Chic Rooms, Part 1
fonts: Chicago House, Kristen ITC, Corbel

Next is a Question Mark from our yard last summer.

We are always happy to see a Question Mark in our yard and one stopped long enough for some photos. It was very worn but still looked good to me. I quoted the diagnostic mark from the field guide.
Designers Credits:
Home Grown Garden (April 2010 Club Deco kit)
-darker blue paper: Jen Hanson
-lighter blue grid paper, light green paper for mats: Jennifer Rassi
-green squares paper: Deb Ammerman
-green circle paper: RoseMadeDesigns
-brad: Theta
plus
-glitter: New Lifes Dream - Moon is a Star
font: Papyrus