Ruth's challenge of The End/Final for yesterday, our last day, had me kind of flumoxed. I took a shot of my book with the bookmark near the end, but meh, took a shot of a stack of files about to be picked up by a client, again meh, so like Ruth, I wound up in the garden. I took a wet, wilted peony (sp?) slumped down on the ground, but I liked this shot a little better:
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Something Blue
Sunday, June 28, 2009
fresh and ...
Sitting here watching Hellboy 2, b-o-r-i-n-g, figured I'd get my 2 photos of the day posted while I waste my life away. Ruth's challenge yesterday was "fresh" and today's purchases fit the bill nicely:
My challenge for today was simply to take a B&W photo. I usually convert my color photos to B&W but today I took them in B&W to begin with, just to see if it would make a difference. I don't find it does. This is just a sad little bundle of twigs by the sidewalk, waiting for garbage day.
My challenge for today was simply to take a B&W photo. I usually convert my color photos to B&W but today I took them in B&W to begin with, just to see if it would make a difference. I don't find it does. This is just a sad little bundle of twigs by the sidewalk, waiting for garbage day.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Learned a new photography term
Thanks Patti, had no idea what "ghetto lighting" was before your challenge. I wonder though, seems like kind of a racist term for it, no? ;)
So I was out yesterday and was only able to take a few quick shots before bed. I kind of like these two, but not sure if they're good or not. The flowers were taken in my bathroom with just the sconce for lighting, and the bottle uses my reading light.
So I was out yesterday and was only able to take a few quick shots before bed. I kind of like these two, but not sure if they're good or not. The flowers were taken in my bathroom with just the sconce for lighting, and the bottle uses my reading light.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The heat is on
I had an idea for my photo for my challenge today, which was "heat". I wanted sweat on a glass. I tried it with water first and liked the effect. Later I did it with my drink-of-the-day, Cranberry Sangria with Sourpuss Raspberry (slurp!). Problem with the evening drink was that I couldn't leave it sitting there long enough to get really sweaty - I had to drink it!
Anyhoo, I liked 3 of my shots and couldn't chose so I revisted Ruth's challenge from yesterday and combined the 3. :)
Anyhoo, I liked 3 of my shots and couldn't chose so I revisted Ruth's challenge from yesterday and combined the 3. :)
Dipstick?
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Ugh, this is not going very well
I can't say I'm enjoying these photo challenges that much, but mainly because I'm my own worst enemy and I want to better myself and be happy with what I get. Yesterday's and today's photos? Bland, dull, meh.
for yesterday's challenge of backlit and/or silhouette, I'm posting 2 because I couldn't pick which one was slightly less dull than the other:
And today's challenge of red & white, found this while at the public pool with Alex' class this morning. It was either this or the Cdn flag. Yay.
for yesterday's challenge of backlit and/or silhouette, I'm posting 2 because I couldn't pick which one was slightly less dull than the other:
And today's challenge of red & white, found this while at the public pool with Alex' class this morning. It was either this or the Cdn flag. Yay.
Couple of Questions answered
To Ash - I did not plan my reflection in the mirror, and in fact I hadn't even noticed it until you pointed it out, so thanks for that! I had to search for the mirror, I thought for a second there that you were losing it! ;)
To Jessica - The framing of my photos (which I totally copied from Ruth, and I'm not ashamed to admit it!) is something I made in Photoshop. I just created new files and resized them and added layer on top of layer until I liked the result. I made the layers all slightly larger than 4x6 at 300 pixels/inch, so that I could then easily just drop a picture on top of saved final frame. Does that make sense? I can email you the frame if you'd like, it's no big design secret or anything.
To Jessica - The framing of my photos (which I totally copied from Ruth, and I'm not ashamed to admit it!) is something I made in Photoshop. I just created new files and resized them and added layer on top of layer until I liked the result. I made the layers all slightly larger than 4x6 at 300 pixels/inch, so that I could then easily just drop a picture on top of saved final frame. Does that make sense? I can email you the frame if you'd like, it's no big design secret or anything.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Well, it's not like there's an abundance of that around here...
Sunday, June 21, 2009
I get there eventually
Poor Carine, she came over on Friday night to scrap, wanting to get me out of my recent scrapbooking funk. I'm sure she thought it was going to be a big flog since I must have stared at this layout for a good 2 hours. But then it started to come together and I managed to finish it before we went to bed. Yay! She wanted to get 3 layouts done but had to settle for two. Too much chattin' going on to make it to 3! Thanks for coming babe, always a good time! :)
Here's mine:
Here's mine:
Saturday, June 20, 2009
One subject, Two challenges
Friday, June 19, 2009
New Layout, Old Photos
I finished this layout last night. I was about to put the date on it, as '08, when I started to have a weird feeling these photos were actually from the summer before. Sure enough, I checked the photo file and they are indeed from 2007. Yikes!
Used various rub-ons from my stash for this, which made me happy to be using stuff up.
The journaling is quite small and cramped so in case you're interested, it says:
I love days with just the two of you, when you only have each other to play with. You look out for Breanna, like you did on this scary ride, and you share special moments. You guys found this little frog and enjoyed him so much that you tried to bring him home. Too bad he croaked!
If the story sounds familiar it's because I made a page with photos of this for Breanna's album. :)
Used various rub-ons from my stash for this, which made me happy to be using stuff up.
The journaling is quite small and cramped so in case you're interested, it says:
I love days with just the two of you, when you only have each other to play with. You look out for Breanna, like you did on this scary ride, and you share special moments. You guys found this little frog and enjoyed him so much that you tried to bring him home. Too bad he croaked!
If the story sounds familiar it's because I made a page with photos of this for Breanna's album. :)
Thursday, June 18, 2009
That'll do
Making do
Patti's challenge for today: a row of colorful things. I went out walking with a specific house in mind, but when I got there I found the flowers I intended as my subject had started dying and were not very impressive. So I kept my eyes peeled the whole way home but didn't see anything interesting at all. This is the one thing that fit the challenge, though I don't find this "colorful" in the least. Alas, another failure for me! :)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Prepare to drool!
My challenge for the girls for today was FOOD, basically I wanted photos to make us all salivate. Conveniently enough, we were meeting for sushi so guess what we may all end up with? :)
It was a lovely lunch, as usual, preceeded by a stop at SC for a few odds and ends. Must say there isn't too much that inspires me there lately, I think I've truly reached the saturation point with scrapbook products. I've got to start making a dent in this ridiculous stash of mine so I think I should just stay away from the store for a while.
On the way home we stopped at Rockaberry's so I could pick up the keylime pie Mimi has been asking for lately. Brought it home and had a piece and then Patti stayed for a nice walk. Yay. A gorgeous day, wish they were all like this one.
So with 2 yummy treats today, I wound up with a tie for my photo of the day:
It was a lovely lunch, as usual, preceeded by a stop at SC for a few odds and ends. Must say there isn't too much that inspires me there lately, I think I've truly reached the saturation point with scrapbook products. I've got to start making a dent in this ridiculous stash of mine so I think I should just stay away from the store for a while.
On the way home we stopped at Rockaberry's so I could pick up the keylime pie Mimi has been asking for lately. Brought it home and had a piece and then Patti stayed for a nice walk. Yay. A gorgeous day, wish they were all like this one.
So with 2 yummy treats today, I wound up with a tie for my photo of the day:
Monday, June 15, 2009
Moi, soaking up some sun before the deluge
Ruth challenged us to a self portrait today. My hair wasn't done, I didn't feel like putting on makeup, but after failing to get a shot for Patti's challenge yesterday, I couldn't skip another day! So I took a couple of quick ones this aft and this one is passable. I know it's not properly lit, but the blown out brightness camouflages my bad skin so I like it that way. :)
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Crazy Lady With Camera
I'm sure that's what the drivers and cyclists along Riverside thought this afternoon. I felt very self conscious taking pictures of strangers, I hope no one minded. My challenge to the girls for today was to take a motion shot with either the subject blurred and the background in focus, or vice versa. I'd been wanting to try the panning technique for a while now so I thought I'd give myself a kick in the pants and get it done.
For my first attempt, I'm happy with result. I managed to get pretty decent focus of the moving thing. Thanks lady, whoever you are, for making this shot special and thus my favorite:
It was a tough choice though because I also like how this one turned out. I'd call it "The Passing Lane":
For my first attempt, I'm happy with result. I managed to get pretty decent focus of the moving thing. Thanks lady, whoever you are, for making this shot special and thus my favorite:
It was a tough choice though because I also like how this one turned out. I'd call it "The Passing Lane":
Friday, June 12, 2009
Small is beautiful
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Signs, signs, everywhere signs...
More satisfying results
Thanks to those who took the time to encourage me after my last layout blog post. I would consider taking a break but I'm afraid I'd never start up again! :) Anyway, summer/fall is my prime scrapping time so I'll stick it out and see how it goes. I made this one on Tuesday night and I'm very happy with the result. As usual, I designed and glued everything and left no room for journaling, so I had to write on the back. I wonder if 50 years from now someone will discover all this journaling on the backs of my pages and actually take the time to read it all...
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Unexpected Girliness
My challenge for today's photo was something girly, frilly & feminine. I thought of this jewelery holder that my mother ordered for herself from a catalogue a little while ago. When it arrived, I assumed she had ordered it for me but no, it was for herself. I was so surprised because she has nothing else remotely like this in her room. I love that she broke out of her box and ordered something pretty for herself so spontaneously. Here it is:
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Morning Routine
Lost mojo or ...
I was telling Patti yesterday that I'm afraid I'm losing my love of scrapbooking. That's pretty scary and sad for me. I really don't want to stop. I think it's a combination of the loss of the SC community (yes, I know it still technically exists, but it's pretty much dead for me at this point) and to a lesser extent, the issues I'm having with my sister which are making me feel less connected to the kids.
So I forced myself to finish a layout last night and it didn't help my case much. I used a Becky Fleck sketch from her (fairly) recent book, the one with the punch out index cards. I promised myself when I bought it that I would at least use a handful of the sketches. Well, as often happens with me, I wound up struggling with the layout and don't love the end result. I find when I'm not doing my own thing that I'm just trying really hard to make it work the way it's "supposed" to. Sigh.
Anyhoo, here it is. And here's hoping my next layout will be more satisfying and will help with my funk...
So I forced myself to finish a layout last night and it didn't help my case much. I used a Becky Fleck sketch from her (fairly) recent book, the one with the punch out index cards. I promised myself when I bought it that I would at least use a handful of the sketches. Well, as often happens with me, I wound up struggling with the layout and don't love the end result. I find when I'm not doing my own thing that I'm just trying really hard to make it work the way it's "supposed" to. Sigh.
Anyhoo, here it is. And here's hoping my next layout will be more satisfying and will help with my funk...
Monday, June 8, 2009
Creepy Crawlies
Patti's challenge for today was a bug. I found one in the pool and took tons of shots of it but all were kind of blurry and dull. Just as I was coming in after saying goodbye to Patti (thanks for the walk babe!), I spotted this gross guy on Mimi's car. I like the far away shot better because of the "object in the mirror", but I figured I'd show you the zoom so you'll believe there was actually a bug in the picture. Wouldn't want to be disqualified again... ;)
Sunday, June 7, 2009
How many more days of this?
Here's my shot of the day, for my challenge to take a reflection shot. As opposed to reflexion. What can I say, I still have some french school ghosts left in me...
By the time I went out today the weather had turned crappy AGAIN and there wasn't a whole lot of reflection anywhere to be found. I thought this was pretty at least. I have a whole body of water in my backyard and it wasn't reflecting a darn thing. It's at all of 65 degrees by the way, so it'll be a while before I'm inviting people over to swim.
By the time I went out today the weather had turned crappy AGAIN and there wasn't a whole lot of reflection anywhere to be found. I thought this was pretty at least. I have a whole body of water in my backyard and it wasn't reflecting a darn thing. It's at all of 65 degrees by the way, so it'll be a while before I'm inviting people over to swim.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Inspiration let me down today
Lucky
Spent the day yesterday with my friends Lynn and Tino and their two cutie pie kids. I was spoiled with a lovely sushi lunch and an evil Scores dinner. Got lots of tips and advice for my upcoming trip to Portugal (well, can I really call it upcoming when it's still 4 months away?). A wonderful day all around, and such a beautiful one.
My pal Lynn has mobility issues. She has made tremendous progress to be where she is now, it's incredible. But it's sobering to see how much of an effort even a short walk can be for her. And with daily reminders of brother dearest's struggles, I'm feeling very lucky right now to be in such good health. Instead of moaning about getting myself out for a walk on such a beautiful day, I'll be thanking my lucky stars that I get to indulge it what many others can't.
My pal Lynn has mobility issues. She has made tremendous progress to be where she is now, it's incredible. But it's sobering to see how much of an effort even a short walk can be for her. And with daily reminders of brother dearest's struggles, I'm feeling very lucky right now to be in such good health. Instead of moaning about getting myself out for a walk on such a beautiful day, I'll be thanking my lucky stars that I get to indulge it what many others can't.
Texture Test
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Extreme Closeup!
A numerical challenge
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Bird in Flight Photo Challenge
Curtesy of Patti - ugh!
This was not easy, I just don't have the lens (or talent) for anything decent.
After my first round of attempts I thought this was going to be my best bet. ;)
What? It's kind of a bird! :)
But later in the day I tried again and got this less than stellar shot of a Robin exiting our bird bath:
This was him in full bath mode:
Next time I'll get closer because he didn't seem very afraid of me at all.
You can find Patti's bird here and Ruth's here.
This was not easy, I just don't have the lens (or talent) for anything decent.
After my first round of attempts I thought this was going to be my best bet. ;)
What? It's kind of a bird! :)
But later in the day I tried again and got this less than stellar shot of a Robin exiting our bird bath:
This was him in full bath mode:
Next time I'll get closer because he didn't seem very afraid of me at all.
You can find Patti's bird here and Ruth's here.
A Breanna Layout
I hate when you only buy 1 piece of paper from a collection but then want to make a 2 page layout with it. I had to try to make it work. Not sure about the result but hey, it's done. The pictures were taken last June after a terrible wind storm. Seems like we're having a lot of those lately. Yet there are still those who deny climate change...
Click on it to see it bigger. :)
Click on it to see it bigger. :)
Monday, June 1, 2009
First Photo for a Friendly Challenge
Patti, Ruth and I are beginning a month long photo-a-day challenge today. The first one was my challenge: a landscape photo with a dominant foreground item.
My plan for a late afternoon walk with camera in hand didn't quite turned out as expected. The weather turned on us, again, but I forced myself to go anyway and embrace the grey landscapes that I found down by the river.
So here it is, my first photo for our challenge. I've cribbed a bit from Ruth on the presentation side, I like the framed look.
Click to find Ruth's http://clickclicketyclick.blogspot.com/
and Patti's http://photobug-rocklady.blogspot.com/
My plan for a late afternoon walk with camera in hand didn't quite turned out as expected. The weather turned on us, again, but I forced myself to go anyway and embrace the grey landscapes that I found down by the river.
So here it is, my first photo for our challenge. I've cribbed a bit from Ruth on the presentation side, I like the framed look.
Click to find Ruth's http://clickclicketyclick.blogspot.com/
and Patti's http://photobug-rocklady.blogspot.com/
Couple of Alex Layouts
I’ve been fairly productive this past week, managed to get 3 layouts done. I hope they’ll show bigger if you click on them. First time and all... ;) Here are the 2 I made for Alex' album:
This first one had something bizarre happen to the photos during the scan. Very odd. The photos don't have weird streaky, splotchy stuff going on IRL...
When Alex got his latest pair of glasses (after losing the first pair and breaking the second), he was being his usual uncooperative self about letting me take a picture. So I used Jack as my excuse, because he doesn't often say no to pictures with Jack.
He was so excited to get this pair of glasses. He purposely chose a funkier pair this time, inspired by his latest American Idol fave - Danny Gokey. Cute!!! By the end of the season he had become an Adam fan though, but I'm glad he looked up to someone with glasses for at least a little while. It's so different than when I was a kid and glasses automatically made you a nerd. Now they're actually a desired accessory. Go figure!
This first one had something bizarre happen to the photos during the scan. Very odd. The photos don't have weird streaky, splotchy stuff going on IRL...
When Alex got his latest pair of glasses (after losing the first pair and breaking the second), he was being his usual uncooperative self about letting me take a picture. So I used Jack as my excuse, because he doesn't often say no to pictures with Jack.
He was so excited to get this pair of glasses. He purposely chose a funkier pair this time, inspired by his latest American Idol fave - Danny Gokey. Cute!!! By the end of the season he had become an Adam fan though, but I'm glad he looked up to someone with glasses for at least a little while. It's so different than when I was a kid and glasses automatically made you a nerd. Now they're actually a desired accessory. Go figure!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Relunctantly Yours
Well I guess it was inevitable. I resisted as long as I could.
But with a month long photography challenge about to begin, I had to bite the bullet.
So Patti and Ruth, you win!
Does this mean a cell phone is in my near future?
But with a month long photography challenge about to begin, I had to bite the bullet.
So Patti and Ruth, you win!
Does this mean a cell phone is in my near future?
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