Three Weeks of August

I've gotten behind on my weekly pages. The final three weeks of August are reviewed on these pages. The change to September really makes fall seem to be arriving soon. Now 35 weeks of 2013 are behind us. The text is more legible if you click on the images to get a larger version.

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Designer Credits:
-kit: Elderberry by Forever Joy Designs
-brushes, gold paint: ArtPlay Palette Tangier by Anna Aspnes
fonts: Hurry Up, Huxtable

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Designer Credits:
-background papers: Basics: BW Paper Pack by Forever Joy Designs
-gray paper, elements: Oscraps Collab Journey
fonts: Hurry Up, Huxtable, Impress BT

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Designer Credits:
-papers, stitching, feather: Changes by Tracy Martin Designs
-brush as photo mask, transfer (recolored): Tangier by Anna Aspnes
fonts: Hurry Up, Huxtable

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

Last Days of Summer

September 12th and 13th were the last really warm days here. We made sure to get out for a little birding to soak it up. We encountered quite a few fall migrants in the process including a Hooded Warbler one day and Philadelphia Vireo the next. We saw numbers of Chipping Sparrows and Swainson's Thurshes. Lots of Gray Catbirds were enjoying the berries on pokeweed in Lake View. We didn't see much in a brief tour of the lakefront, but did see a Green Heron, Northern Shovelers and Blue-winged Teal. Lovely memories of warm days and passing birds.

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Designer Credits:
-background: 52 Inspirations {2012} Week 9 by Sue Cummings
-photo mask: 52 Inspirations {2012} Week 22 by Vicki Stegall
-stamp labels: 52 Inspirations {2012} Week 33 by Sue Cummings
-word art: 52 Inspirations {2012} Week 31 by Sue Cummings
-word art: 52 Inspirations {2012} Week 19 by Sue Cummings
-brushes: ArtPlay Viaggio BrushSet by Anna Aspnes
-brown button: Oscraps Collab nOvel
-gray button: Oscraps Collab Homespun
-bow: Sweater Weather by One Little Bird
font: EnviroD

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Designer Credits:
-template: September CopyCat Challenge No. 1 template by Elisa (EHStudios) based on "Sweet Moment" by Kym
-background: 52 Inspirations {2012} Week 31 by Sue Cummings
-frame: 52 Inspirations {2012} Week 23 by Sue Cummings
-gray flower, stitching: Reminisce by Leora Sanford
-yellow flower, patterned papers, paint: Oscraps Collab DandeliOn Days
fonts: Amapola, Lemon Chicken, Corbel

Summer Sail Redone

This week there is another makeover challenge with a summer theme. For some reason I really wanted to work on a page from four years ago of a sailboat on a July evening. At the time this is what I said about it: "After working hard all day we took off for the lake this evening and saw lots of interesting birds and this sailboat heading into the reflected sun on the water." The new version slightly reminds me of Turner watercolors and their "tinted steam." Here are the before and after versions.
Before:

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Designer Credits:
-background: Pam Lefors - Rustic Orange Paper Pack
-bracket shapes: Dana Conditt - A Little Independence Bracket Album
-flower doodles, staples: Fran - Euphorbia mini kit
-cord: Kalina - Adventurine mini kit
fonts: HansHand, Bahamas, Mystical, Alte Caps
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After:

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Designer Credits:
all Anna Aspnes
-background, fish button, overlay stretch: ArtPlay Palette Vitality
-photo mask: ArtPlay Vitality FotoBlendz
-overlay, brush: Oscraps Collab DandeliOn
-map: Travel USA No. 1 BrushSet
-overlay lines: SkinnyLined Overlays No. 2
fonts: HansHand, Lemon Chicken, GoudyOlSt BT

Last Heat of Summer

During the week, on the 13th, we went out to enjoy what promised to be the last hot day of summer. It was really nice out and notable around the Lake View ponds were lots of dragonflies. I managed to get decent photos of one, a Blue Dasher. I love the challenge of photographing dragonflies! The page done with it is a scraplift for a new designer at Oscraps.

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Designer Credits:
scraplift of ‘Morning Tea’ by Judy (Jarhm)
ArtPlay Palette No. 10 by Anna Aspnes
fonts: Brochure, Banff, Amienne

Fresh Berries are Jewels of Summer

I love all the fresh local berries available in the summer. The stores even have lots of sales on them and they keep better and taste better than imported ones out of season. And don't they look grand! I sometimes photograph food I've fixed or the process and one day I had to get a picture of these berries. The other fruit I adore is prime right now and that is the local peaches!

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Designer Credits:
kit Composition by One Little Bird
fonts: Enchanted Prairie Dog, Circus, Hans Hand

Another LO Chosen!

I can hardly believe it, but my latest layout was chosen today as one of the daily Gallery Standouts (GSO)! You can see all of today's (the first one I adore, also at Oscraps) HERE. I've missed posting a few pages I've done recently plus I've got a zen doodle for Deb. I'll get to those later.

This page is in response to the Web Inspiration challenge featuring a group of related photos. I responded to the tree-like images, stairs and light color. I have a wonderful old family photo that simply evokes rural summer life. I like what I was able to do with it. It shows my grandmother (to the left), her father-in-law, at the far right her mother and younger daughter (my Aunt Pat) and a very large woman. We really don't know who that is.

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Designer Credits:
-all papers from Stamp My Heart by Kitty Designs
-flower border, orange beads, button from Happy To Be Me by Lydia Designs
-tree from Family Tree by Joanne Brisebois
-coin from Bohemian August by Miss Crow's Magickal Emporium
-swirl from Sa-weet Sa-whirls by Jodie McNally
-stitching from All Stitched by Kitty Designs
-leaf from Let Love Be Your Energy by ZuzanaH Designs
fonts: Pea Aimee, Kayleigh

Celebrating the Details

We ended July with yet another day at 90 F or above. One of my remedies is a tall glass of iced tea. Today I was taken with looking at the pattern of condensation on my glass; I had to grab my camera to capture a bit of the look. I hope looking at this page will also create a little cooling!

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Designer Credits:
-background from Family Tree by Joanne Brisebois
-other papers from Family is Forever by Maya de Groot
-frame from Free to Fly by Vera Lim Design
-stamp from Inscribed by Fei-fei's Stuff
fonts: Envision, Impress BT

Simple Enjoyment of a Flower

Among my sister's flowers is this arresting, nearly white, lily(?) enclosed in a wire housing to protect it from browsing deer. I'm sure she's said what it is, but I don't remember, just enjoy seeing it.

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Designer Credits:
For the Birds by One Little Bird, plus
-photo mask, overlay wash, bird (recolored) from Twitterpated by Dee Bee Designs
-word art from Sweet & Simple by Sue Cummings
font: Bradley Hand ITC

Art Journaling, perhaps

Art journaling is a hot topic among a few digiscrappers right now. I took a photo yesterday of a rusting railing being overgrown by runaway vegetation. It is the sort of thing I've always loved, but I wasn't too sure about scrapping it -- or how to do so. Then I looked at some art journal pages that had just been posted and decided that was a direction, of sorts (they claim there are NO rules in this) that I could go. So I did it and really got into it with blending and filters and ended up with something rather different for me, but I think I like it.

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I've liberally blended and filtered the page using hot wax coating, glowing edges and a tintype effect.
Credits:
all from Take Me To the Old World by Lotta Designs
font: harrison

Celebrate Summer with Flowers

Remember the winter and eagerly awaiting those first spring flowers? The crocus and daffodils arrive like gifts and a promise fulfilled. Forsythia, tulips, then lilacs and dogwood flourish making my heart light. When I spent more time in the woods I saw the same thing with wildflowers. For my sister there is the glory of the iris blooming from very early miniature dwarf iris into summer with Japanese iris. But suddenly there is an abundance of all kinds of flowers. Summer is here!

For a creative techniques challenge I've taken two approaches, one with a chrome filter and the other with a typography filter. Both are also blended. My peony page is actually a photo from June 1st, but the hibiscus had those two blooms on new growth on July 6th. It was an interesting challenge.

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Designer Credits:
Free to Fly by Vera Lim Design
font: James Fajardo

We trimmed back our hibiscus when the weather warmed up. It has put out two vigorous shoots, but only at the top. Each bloomed today, its first multi-blossom day.

I changed the large photo to sepia tone then applied a chrome filter (PSP doesn't have quite the same functions as PSE, but I did see chrome in the tutorial). It has a burn blend mode to the pale paper. The small photo doesn't have a sketch filter, but has a hard light blend and erasure.

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Designer Credits:
-background paper from Home Sweet Home by Maya de Groot
-orange paper, stamp from Rachel by LydiaK Designs
-brown paper from Not So Basic Browns by Maya de Groot
-pale paper from Family Tree by Joanne Brisebois
-doodle from Trail It by Merkeley Designs
font: FreekTure

Happy 4th of July (with robins!)

We've been having wonderful weather for the holiday weekend. Somehow it didn't even get quite that hot here on Saturday though not far away it hit a record-breaking 99 F. We've had a pretty quiet time. Watched some Wimbledon tennis, sad that Maria and Rafa both lost, watched and listened to baseball games. Tonight I guess it will be fireworks on TV.

Meanwhile I've been working on more of the July scrapbooking challenges. I've done two with photos of the American Robin nest that was built on a window ledge next door. It was on the 2nd-floor opposite one of the windows of our guest room. Two days I set up with the window and screen open to take some shots. They didn't seem to mind, but the day the little ones were out on the ledge I was afraid to disturb them. The first one has two pictures I've been dying to team up. They are in an Ostash challenge to use at least six of a list of ten elements. The other is for a web inspiration challenge based on an elegant wall display.

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For the Ostash Challenge I used these elements:
1. At Least 2 Different Photos (required)
2. A Natural Element: leaves from Fallen Sun by TaylorMade Designs
4. A Metal Element: button from First Street by Miss Crow's Magickal Emporium
5. Frames: white frame from Fallen Sun by TaylorMade Designs,
           cardboard frame (and wings) from I remember you by Biograffiti
           stitched frame from Oscraps Collab TrOpical
6. A Grunge/Graffiti item: paint spatter from Oscraps Collab TrOpical
8. Bullet Point Journaling
9. Typewriter Font: title in 1942 report
10.just one paper: background from Home Sweet Home by Maya de Groot
for eight of the ten elements (6 required)
fonts: 1942 report, EnviroD

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Designer Credits:
-papers from Shimmer by Kitty Designs
-lined overlay from Kraft Overlays by Miss Crow's Magickal Emporium
-border from The Gift by Fei-fei's Stuff
fonts: Impress BT, James Fajardo

Welcome to July

I always remember July 1st as my mother's birthday. She would have been 101 today! The weather is beautiful, our house is getting painted (though they knocked off early today and won't be back until Tuesday), and there are scrapbook challenges for a new month. For some reason the color challenge to do a page predominantly yellow made me instantly think of a 40-year-old photo that I have always liked. In the parking lot at the beach on the Virginia shore I wanted to photograph a good-looking Laughing Gull. I threw out a potato chip to lure it closer. Suddenly the sky filled with a whole flock of them. Here is the picture of the first one in a very summery layout.

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Designer Credits:
-background paper from Solid and Understated Lite by TaylorMade Designs
-bright yellow and patterned papers, rick rack from Oscraps Collab TrOpical
-flower, swirl from Stamp My Heart by Kitty Designs
-floral brad from Sketchbook Artistry no. 1 by Sue Cummings
-staples from Sunrise Sunset by Fei-fei's Stuff
fonts: Sybil Green, Staccato222 BT, harrison, Boopee, Blue Highway

Wishing Us All a Glorious Summer

Summer has officially arrived and I think this view of daylilies captures the feeling of sun and warmth. I do hope we will all have wonderful summers so this is also my wish illustrated. I will certainly miss Helen while she's off to the shore, but look forward to her return fully relaxed with lots of new photos. Cheers to summer!

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Designer Credits:
-papers, word art, flower spray from Revive by TaylorMade Designs
-color block, paint circle from Sketchbook Artistry No. 1 by Sue Cummings
font: Bradley Hand ITC

Scorcher Yesterday, Better Today

Yesterday we hit 93 F. which doesn't sound that hot to those in the SW, but for our NON-air-conditioned house, it was warm. Overnight we had a storm that brought a much better day today. Somehow it also produced a wind that blew the hibiscus, pot and all, off its stand. It landed intact but the pot was broken. We're so glad Dick had delayed repotting it into the gorgeous blue pot his brother sent for Christmas. Well that is done now and the trimmed plant is looking great.

Earlier I mentioned a challenge to photograph feet. Yesterday I memorialized Dick's feet as he walked the front yard picking up small branches after an April storm. I like its feeling of movement.

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Designer Credits:
Fei-fei's Stuff
-background, green patterned paper: The Gift
-gray papers: Family Ties
-staples, line, flower: Sunrise, Sunset
and paint splash from Sketchbook Artistry No. 1 by Sue Cummings
fonts: Dali, Ahnberg

Clematis Seasons

Winter views of our clematis as we will soon be seeing it and a spring view of its early growth.

It doesn't take long to go from tender shoots to full glorious bloom! This is an old plant that was here over 30 years ago when we bought the house, so we have no idea how long it's been here. It blooms a long time and then spends early autumn still green, gradually turning colors then drying to brown. It keeps most of those shriveled leaves through the winter until we trim it in time for those new shoots once more. As always, don't forget to click on the images to see them full size, then hit the back button to return.

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Designer Credits: (only for the 1st, winter LO, I'm afraid)

-buff paper: Waite for the Moment Designs - Candid Camera (Jan 2010 Club Deco kit)
-patterned paper: Theta - Candid Camera
-dark blue paper (blended): RoseMadeDesigns - Candid Camera
-gray paper: Wildcat Designs - Copper Mist
-line element (recolored), flower: Ange Designs - A Sweet Year

fonts: MC Sweetie Hearts, Calibri