random reflections

Casual Friday Challenge & Papertrey Ink Make-It-Monday

I haven't played along with a Casual Friday challenge in a long time, and it's been even longer since I participated in a Papertrey Ink Make-It-Monday even though I do look at them each week. This week, however, the two fit together perfectly. Casual Friday's challenge is to create a card based on your blog header. Since Random Reflections is the blog, and I almost always have a photographic reflection as my header, the Papertrey Ink technique of creating reflected sentiments couldn't have been more timely. I was quite pleased with my first attempt at this, and know I'll give it a try again.

I started with stamping the sentiment (Think Big Favorites #16) in Smoky Shadow ink and then doing the reflected sentiment.Then I used the Herringbone Impression plate (PTI) to emboss just the top half of the card front. I found the perfect patterned papers in the 6X6 Calico Classics paper pad (Studio Calico) and used the Happy Hexagons cover plate (PTI) to cut and arrange the hexagons. A small strip of one of the patterned papers and three woodgrain stars (Studio Calico) that I colored with Copics finished the main card. I mounted it on a Smoky Shadow mat, and then on a card made from Soft Stone (PTI).

Layout: Summer Scavenger Hunt

Ever since I saw Jackie's mini-book for her summer scavenger hunt photos, I've been thinking about what to do with mine. During Rinda's final check-in, I visited Irene's blog and was inspired by her photo collages of her photos. I found a Paislee Press template that seemed to meet my needs. Since there were slots for 24 photos, I included a couple of the multiple shots I took for some items on the list. I'm quite happy with how this came out and glad I found a way to document one of my favorite projects.

The journaling:

And though it's hardly ideal, the only way I could figure out so that you get a sense of both pages together:

Cardstock:  Bazzill; border:  Hambly transparency; alpha: American Craft Thickers; camera:  Hambly rub-on; journaling dot and Flair button:  Ormolu; and journaling card:  Technique Tuesday.

ColourQ Challenge 156: Fall Birthdays

I have six birthday cards to make for October and nearly as many in November. As soon as I saw the most recent ColourQ challenge I knew I wanted to get started with making the cards. These are such beautiful fall colors. It's been really difficult to find time to craft recently, and the last several cards I've made have taken much, much longer than usual. This first one was no exception. And despite color correction in PSE, I can't quite get the colors of my card to show accurately. The raspberry is a bit darker than the challenge color, but the lighter orange leaf is much more true to the challenge than it appears.

I started by cutting the leaves with my Silhouette (all American Craft cardstock). Then I embossed a Rustic White card (PTI) with the Woodgrain Impression plate (PTI) and adhered them all on an orange textured card (American Craft). The border was also cut with the Silhouette and the sentiment and twine are both Papertrey Ink.

I had some leaves left on my desk and decided to make a second card. This one doesn't meet the challenge requirements because I added the black frame cut from one of the Fabulous Frame dies by Papertrey Ink.

The leaves seemed a bit flat in this one so after I had arranged everything, I added some Tim Holtz Distress Stains. I'm not sure I like them, but it's a done deal. The banner was cut with the Double Ended Banner die from Papertrey Ink, and the sentiment came from "Birthday Basics." I used the Herringbone Impression plate on the Rustic White card and added a few AMuse Creative Candy pearls.

Thanks

I needed a couple thank you notes. The first one was inspired by two posts. The first by Sian about Flair buttons. I use Flair buttons regularly on layouts, but never think of using them on cards. Not any more. The other post was Melissa's about Washi tape. I own a small assortment, and don't often remember to use it either.

I'm pretty sure the Flair button is by Ormolu, but I'm not sure where the Washi came from. Most of my stash came in Studio Calico kits, but I also bought a few rolls in May from a great little store in Portland, OR called Collage. The card is one from Impress that I've had for years.

The next card uses a stamp I bought this summer at an Archiver's Store in Georgia. It's an exculsive stamp made for Archiver's by Hero Arts. I know I'll be able to use it again and again for quick and easy thank you notes.

The fabric tape is 7Gypsies, and again, it's been in my stash forever. The card is one of my favorites from Memory Box. The colors are beautiful, and the insides are white. Perfect for writing a note to a friend.

Take Twelve: September

I still have Take Twelve for August to scrap, but I got this layout done this weekend. I still haven't found a way to photograph a two page spread effectively. If anyone has a good process, I'd love to hear about it. Take Twelve seemed overwhelming this month because, truthfully, there wasn't much happening that day. I had just decorated the house for fall, however, so I decided to take 12 shots of some of the decorations.

I decided the layout really didn't need any journaling. I put the photos together in PSE without a template this time, just arranging them on a grid. It turned out pretty well. The background paper is more BoBunny Dots, and the cardstock for mats and letters is Terra Cotta Tile by Papertrey Ink. I cut the letters with my new Memory Box dies: Typewriter. As soon as I saw them on Jennifer McGuire's blog, I knew they were a "must-have." They'll be perfect on cards as well. The leaves are Amy Tangerine by American Craft and the buttons from a collection by Papertrey Ink.

Lemons

I finally found some time this weekend to scrap. Ever since Adam posted these photos I've wanted to do a layout. The tiny letter stickers provide the journaling, "The pictures tell the story." I think the last photo sums it up, "What were you thinking, Dad?"

I used BoBunny dots for the background, always one of my favorites! The corrugated letters are Jillibean stained with the Tim Holtz Wild Honey. The tiny letter stickers are by Jenni Bowlin. All these supplies have been in my stash for quite some time. I cut the lemons with my Silhouette, and backed the slices with vellum.

Birthdays

Yesterday was Skylar's first birthday. She's walking, has four teeth, and is still just a delightful, happy little girl. The two photos of her aren't the best as the light left a lot to be desired, and I'm so reluctant to use a flash. (I ought to get over that!) She was more interested in the bow than the package or what was in it. Pretty typical for a one year old.

Here's the card I made for her:

Cardstock: Simply Chartreuse and Select White (PTI); patterned paper: A Muse; glitter paper: American Craft; dies: By the Number, Double Ended Banner, & Tag Sale #3 (PTI); Stamp: Big Birthday Wishes (PTI); ribbon from stash.

And a peek at the inside:

Stamp:  Heart2Heart 2 (PTI); patterned paper:  A Muse and American Craft (glitter); small scallop die (PTI)

At the other end of the spectrum, a dear friend of ours turned 81 last week. Here's the card I made for him.

Card:  Paper Source; Stamps: 2012 Birthday Tags, Fabulous Frames, & Background: Herringbone (all PTI); button: Pure Poppy (PTI)

2012 Summer Scavenger Hunt

It's the official end of summer today, and thus the end of the summer scavenger hunt hosted by Rinda. You can see her post here. This year I managed to find all 21 items and posted about them here, here, here, here, and here.

My first find for the border item was the international border between Canada and the United States. As Tracy and I traveled this summer we tried to capture all the border signs for the states we traveled through. We never saw a border or welcome sign in Kansas (coming or going), and although I'm quite sure we took photos of the welcome signs in Ohio and New York, neither show up in my Lightroom folder for the trip. But here are 16 more border signs:

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I loved hunting for the items on Rinda's list and am already looking forward to next summer's edition.

August Photo-of-the-Day

I'm somewhat amazed that I've continued to take a photo every day for the last eight months. I can't say it's always been easy, and there are evenings when I really need to scramble, but it's so satisfying to see them all arranged on a layout. These calendar templates have prompted me to do a recap (somewhat like "My Month in Numbers") of what I've done and accomplished each month. This month was all about travel, and the tag hiding under the layout has a summary of all the places we visited during our three week trip. I just barely managed to get it all on the two sides of the tag.

I was quite pleased to see this map paper in this month's Studio Calico kit--perfect timing. The ribbon on the tag was also from the kit. The two dimensional stickers are Amy Tangerine by American Craft and the Flair Button is by Ormolu. The woodgrain Thickers are also American Craft.

Feel free to skim (or skip) all the journaling, but I thought I'd add it in case anyone wondered about the trip. Photos are coming. Every day I make some progress on culling and editing them. I bracketed most of my shots in Rocky Mountain National Park, and now have to learn how to use the PhotoMatix software I purchased earlier this summer. Here's the August recap:

We were on the road for three weeks in August. Like our previous two big trips, this one met or exceeded all our expectations. After a lovely weekend, with Carol & Gordon in Charlotte, we drove to Atlanta to babysit with Caleb while Sarah & Adam worked at a conference. While they were visiting with friends on Monday night, Tracy & I splurged on a fabulous meal at our #1 restaurant, Canoe. 

We spent four relaxing days at Shelter Cove on Hilton Head Island. Sarah and I did some serious shopping at the outlets, we took Caleb to the pool and to the beach, and we enjoyed some great food. We spent our last day together at Zoo Atlanta. 

When we left them at the airport, we headed toward Denver. We enjoyed our stay in lovely Birmingham, AL.  We visited Vulcan Park, the Peanut Depot, and spent a morning at The Civil Rights Institute. The next morning we visited the National Historic Site at Central High School in Little Rock, AK. After reading Elizabeth and Hazel:  Two Women of Little Rock on the way to Atlanta, I was particularly moved by seeing video interviews with The LIttle Rock Nine. The only other book I managed to finish this month was Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand. 

We arrived at the stunning Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville about 2:00. After three hours in the galleries and a short walk on The Art Trail, we had dinner at Eleven, the museum restaurant. The salmon with blackberry salsa was the best salmon dish I’ve ever had. Then it was a day and a half of driving across the plains to Denver.

We had a great time in Denver with all the Collins. When Matt finished the practical exam for the national landscape certification Saturday morning we left for Boulder. Boulder is one great university town. We walked the Pearl St. Mall, sipped beer at the Avery Brewery, and took a short drive around Boulder Chautaqua. We spent two days in the Rocky Mountain National Park, hiking one day and driving across the park the second day. In Estes Park, we had a great dinner at Twin Owls Steakhouse.

On our drive home, we spent a morning at the Amana Communities in Iowa, and started planning our next adventure.. All told, we put 5,417 miles on the van and enjoyed it all.

Before we left, I managed to squeeze in a night volunteering for RAIHN and three lunches with friends. We hosted a dinner with Tina, Bill, Gary, and Chris as well as our book group. I participated in the Liberate Your Art swap, receiving six postcards from around the globe when I arrived home. Quite a lovely August!

 

 

Liberate Your Art: Part 2

Today is a blog hop for the participants of the Liberate Your Art postcard swap hosted and executed by Kat Sloma. I posted about my participation here, but today I'd like to share the postcards I received in the swap. I only know of one person who received one of my postcards, I'm hoping I'll find some of the other recipients today.

From left to right: lovely colored pencil works from Angela in Pittsburg, PA (I love how she photographed two pieces of her art with a collection of her colored pencils surrounded them), an incredible drawing from Eliz Burton (I tried repeatedly to log into her blog but was never able to, so I'm not sure where Liz lives), and this beautiful painting with such lovely colors by Lisa Wright.

From top to bottom: More beautiful colors; I believe this is a photo of one of Elaine Miller's fiber art pieces. She has three blogs and you can link from one to the next. Elaine hails from Portland, OR. Next, a delightful drawing of tubes of paint by Tracey Fletcher King in Australia. I want to be able to draw like this! And last, but not least, one of Kat's gorgeous photographs from Corvallis, OR. 

Clicking through on any of these links will take you to some amazing art and photography. You can check out other participants in the blog hop here.