A Portrait Series

Three different challenges this month have drawn me to scrap what amounts to a series of portraits. One was for a self-portrait, so you know who is in that one. The web inspiration challenge is based on a fantastic Life Magazine photo of Clark Gable seated in a car reading Gone With the Wind. I think that influenced a photo I took of Dick which then had to be used in my response. Third, I took a photo of my sister last month on her birthday and used it in the last week's AnnaLift. It was surprising to see them all together as it is not my usual style. So here we are.

_____________________________
Designer Credits:
-papers, stamp, circular element: Oscraps Collab Winter Wonderland
-frame, flower, fern, tag: Santangles by Maya de Groot
fonts: Sybil Green, Freeport

____________________________
Designer Credits:
Recollection by Joanne Brisebois
fonts: Angel Tears, Hurry Up, 1942 report, CrayonE

Journaling reads:
We have furniture and jewelry, tools and kitchen items from the houses of grandparents, parents, even aunts and uncles. Many of them are things we really use. Sometimes it feels like living in a museum. Sometimes it is hard not to feel like another of the antiques! The lion's head rocking chair came from my maternal grandmother. My father had it and refinished it beautifully. Now it is mine.

______________________________
Designer Credits:
lift of "Last Days of Summer" by marnie333
designs by Anna Aspnes:
-paper: ArtPlay Palette Encapsulate
-photo mask and transfer used as photo mask: ArtPlay Palette Barren Sunrise
-transfers, frame (altered): ArtPlay Palette Ablaze
-stitching, clock: ArtPlay Palette No. 10
font: Hurry Up

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.

________________________
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.

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

Lady of Mystery

Flight of Fancy is the featured kit at Retro Designs blog right now. I've used it in a number of layouts, but in most it is combined with other kits. I thought I'd try a new one with FoF and found a fancy frame I had never used that intrigued me. I teamed it with a photo from one of the old photo albums brought from Slovakia by Dick's grandfather. I don't know the lady's identity, but I think she is quite handsome. I worked on the photo a little, especially giving it a topography filter that gave it more depth and interesting lighting. I think the result really does have a hint of mystery and definitely a touch of elegance.

________________________
Designer Credits: Flight of Fancy by Retro Designs
font: Snell BT