A New Sig Tag

Time for some more layouts!

I've been doing quite a bit of scrapbooking, but not as much as I could be doing. I'm running way behind!

 Gotta Pixel has a Font Fever challenge every month where they provide a font and you decide how to use it. For this layout, the font is called Royal Initialen. Very ornate and pretentious! For some reason it made me think of Great-Grandma Cubitt... Although she was born into a very poor working class family, you'd never have known it once she crossed the pond. There was something quite imperious and regal about her, and you can see it plainly in these photos. The small one was taken in 1917 before Great-Grandpa WJ went off to Europe as a member of the 202nd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. The larger of the two was taken in March, 1962 at their golden wedding anniversary celebration.

Twisted Pixels is a template-based challenge. I substituted ribbon for one of the paper strips from the original and for once used only a single kit. That almost never happens. I took the photo on my way home from work early in the morning of July 2, 2011. There were two hot air balloons drifting on the breeze toward the river hanging just over the University of Alberta campus. I only had my cellphone, and had to wait for the light to change so that I could get out of the car... and missed the lead balloon. Oh well. The title of the layout is the French word for hot air balloon, the way I've always thought of them since our days in Montreal ('83-'86) when the girls were so enamoured of them.
 

 Month 3 of the Gotta Pixel Grab Bag colour themes is yellow. Not a colour I tend to use much - don't like it!! I used a template and some more golden-than-yellow papers to scrap the photo of Stanley the green iguana visiting in my flowerbed.

 Sunday Brunch Crunch is another template-based challenge hosted once a month by Colie Sheppard at Gotta Pixel. She melds two different layouts she's chosen from the gallery and creates a template from them, which she gives to participants to build on. The theme for July was to choose a summer activity that one MUST partake of at least once every summer. Well, that's a no-brainer! I made the word art in the upper left corner myself. Who knew?!!

The last of my new Gotta Pixel challenge layouts is Use the Prompt: My favourite summer activity is... It just so happened that Adam had attended his first session of Trailraiders, a program for disabled individuals that gets them out into the parks and onto the trails. It's run out of the Steadward Centre at the U of A and costs $25 for three weeks. Whoa!! Cheap. The volunteers are called Sherpas and they basically haul people around in a one-wheeled rickshaw. Adam had a blast!

The one sunny morning we had  last week, I put Adam's sunglasses on him before he left for the day. They're too big for his face and he looked an awful lot like a housefly! Bug Boy just stuck. I used the photos for the DHD Blueprint challenge.

 Colour swatch challenges are so much fun. Lately I've had photos in my stash that match the colours in the swatches so it makes it easy. Gennifer Bursett even made a free paper kit using the colours from the swatch, making it that much easier!

I've recently discovered a new site that I like a lot. I followed Cilenia Curtis over to Digitals when she moved her store there and now I'm sticking my nose into their challenges too. It's Only Words provides the word art and the scrapper provides the inspiration. Our family so seldom gets together all at once all in the same place. The large photo is from our trip to Sun Peaks for Mom's and Dad's golden anniversary; the one below it was the first Christmas we were all together in 23 years and the smallest one is an 'arty' photo taken by Darci at Sun Peaks. Too funny - and not especially flattering!

 
And last but not least, my July signature tag for Gotta Pixel.

Stay tuned for jewelry photos...

Wow! More than 2 weeks have past!

DHD designer Agnes Biro and her friend Janka collaborated on  a beautiful new kit called Renewed Spirit. They decided they would give away two complete kits to randomly selected scrappers who posted a favourite family photo. A second chance would be offered to those who also used the free add-on sampler of the kit to create a layout. This was my entry - and I WON!! Watch for more layouts using this fabulous kit.

June's DHD Inspiration challenge wanted layouts that evoked a nostalgic carnival feel. The photos on the poster used for inspiration were slightly faded, with a warm pink cast to them. This is what came from that inspiration.

DHD's June Journaling challenge asked us to use either the title to or the lyrics of a favourite song. I did both. The photos aren't actually from the Atlantic Ocean, but of Lake Michigan. The schooner is the Windy, which provides tours of the Chicago waterfront.

DHD's June Technique challenge was looking for weaving something in and out of the elements on the layout. I've done lots of this technique, but not using DHD products. So I created this layout for that purpose. Zoom in on the photo to see how I've woven the ribbon in and out of the punched border and then wrapped the string around it all. (ETA: June Technique Challenge winner!)

Gotta Pixel has a Crock Pot challenge, sort of a speedscrap in reverse. I'd never done one until this. The designer gives us a list of supplies we're to use and we take it from there. I've wanted to scrap this photo of Bruce for a long time and it just seemed to work!

Gotta Pixel's Journaling with a Twist's Silvia Romeo gives all participants an element to include in the layout. Her element is the piece of rickrack that runs behind the photos. I used a template for this one. Credits for these last two layouts can be found at http://www.gottapixel.net/gallery/u27063-janfrn.html

I've also made a ton of jewelry in the last couple of weeks, but haven't gotten the pics done. Stay tuned!

This week's efforts

DHD's June Color Swatch made me think of this photo, so I used it.

Gotta Pixel's june Blast from the Past is a father/grandfather theme. I chose this pic of my dad holding me in front of Grandma and Grandpa Curry's house on George Street in Brockville in 1961.

This Twisted Pixel challenge from Gotta Pixel gave us a template to use for our layout. The small photo on the left is from the same farm as the photo for this:  https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMLcTwiP6gRJ37e3TE_LCZRAlPdUscuI9vzgFecCuAtq47wILyj8H_E2FAT2BTOoRUvydG5TqMXhDZiZH0b2-oBzIaiiOw2aOcRUHgYNPhld3TiT-dXncBaBZz68YBRconLr7hp6AjVk/s1600/History.jpg ... Unintentionally I used the same paper and overall color scheme.

Jen Parbon from Word Art World issues a special word art for each month's challenge. This month there was also some papers and a journaling mat that I used as a frame. (ETA: Gotta Pixel June Word Art Challenge winner!)
 

I didn't know about the Sunday Brunch Crunch challenge until this week. The theme was the one modern convenience we couldn't imagine living without. Et voila!

Last but not least is the layout I did for a new site I checked out called Digitals. The challenge is called Around the World and it's a journaling challenge... The theme for this 2 month period is a world-changing event that had an impact on us personally. This one sure did. There is so much I wanted and needed to say that it'll be impossible to read it here. It's an abridged version of a Random Remincence: http://randomlyreminiscing.blogspot.com/2009/05/october-crisis-as-seen-through-eyes-of.html

A New Month, a New Batch of Challenges...

This is my layout for our second Digimorph. The first time, there were about 20 of us and we worked from one layout that was morphed and passed on to the next in line. It took months! So this time we split up into two groups with the same layout as our starter; I was first to get the layout for the Green Team. This is my result. I couldn't post it anywhere until after the reveal, so it went into the DHD Gallery the week of May 29 to June 4... and was selected Layout of the Week!

For the June Blueprint, Jennifer Valencia was the designer. My layout is very similar to hers, with a few minor changes. I used the same photo as for Lindsay's birthday card.

The June Scraplift was perfect for this photo of Amanda and Micah walking along the shore of Lake Michigan after our visit to the Shedd Aquarium.

Gotta Pixel's challenges are a bit different. This layout is my Grab Bag effort for June, and the theme is BLUE. There were 12 random facts about the colour blue listed, with a secret required element attached to each one. I selected 6 of the random facts, with the result being that I had to use at least 1 tag, at least 1 cluster, an odd number of flowers (no fewer than 3), a heart, an animal or bug, a splat/scatter/spill and the colour blue. Done!

GP's June Use the Prompts Challenge  was to use the phrase, "The view from my home I see..." and it was a no-brainer that I should use some of the scads of sunset photos I have. 

And last but not least, there's the GP What's in a Name challenge. This month the necessary piece to include was to use Times New Roman as the font for our name. Here's my new signature tag!

There are more challenges on my list... NINE of them to be exact! and I want to get some jewelry made this month too so there will be much creating going on here.

Another couple of busy weeks... catching up

 These photos were taken at Sharon's retirement luncheon. There were a lot of people there who said a lot of nice things about her. These expressions flitted across her face as she spoke off-the-cuff in response.

 These are the labels I gave to them!

DHD's May technique challenge asked us to create a digital brush or stamp from a favourite digital element. I used a watch case containing parts of several old timepieces. It's just there behind the title... The journalling describes the photo.

Gotta Pixel had a Show Me the Mini challenge for May and Mother's Day. The idea of this challenge is to use every item in a designer's selected minikit. The only think I added was some word art from Jen Parbon. The photo was taken last Saturday at Sharon's.

 How could I NOT make Lindsay a birthday card? I hope she likes it. (She was 5 in this photo.) The frame is from Digital Designer Cilenia Curtis's Kara's Garden 2 kit. I printed the image on a transparency and overlaid it on white cardstock.

 This card was for my good old friend Patti... except that I lost her address and couldn't send it to her. Maybe next year...

And last but not least, Mother's Day. This is a hybrid card. The butterflies are from a kit by Lindsay Jane at Gotta Pixel; I printed them, outlined them with dimensional glitter then filled them in with Liquid Glass. When it was all dry, I put them in the freezer and crackled the Liquid Glass. The pink paper background is from Agnes Biro's kit Flowers of Naturalness.

Next up... Father's Day!

RED!!

I finally checked out the May challenges at Gotta Pixel- Addicted to the Pixel. I really like their Grab Bag challenges where there's a list of special events or selected items related to the topic for the current month with a specific element tied to each of them. The scrapper chooses at least 5 of the dates and is given a list of the specific elements they're to use in their layout. This month's theme was "red", with 10 bits of trivia about the color red. I chose:
2. In China, red is associated with good luck and fortune. (something lucky - my interpretation: dragonfly)
3. In Jamaica, a slang term for someone drunk is “red.” (a splat, scatter or spill: I used 2 splats)
5. Red is the first color you loose sight of at twilight. (the color black)
9. Sports team: Cincinnati Reds (a title using 2 alphas, a font and an alpha or 2 fonts: I used 2 alphas)
10. Literature: “Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane (button[s])

 I guess this could be part of a 2 page layout with my Car 54 Where Are You? layout, couldn't it?

Looks like I missed a couple!!!!!!!

I missed these two somehow. I did a two-page spread using photo masks and they turned out GREAT!!

Backlogged!!

I went to Chicago for a week and have a ton of new photos, several of which I've scrapped. I've still got at least one DHD challenge for May yet to complete and I haven't done any challenges for Gotta Pixel yet. But I've been busy!

 I did some post-processing on a photo for this, which is my interpretation of an advertisement for an ice hotel in Sweden. (Peppermint Creative Ad Challenge, May)

 The DHD {inter}National Scrapbook Day speed scrap was on May7, and this is my result.

 I put this layout together for the DHD Blueprint Challenge. The photo was taken by a staff member of McCormick Place at NTI.

 May's DHD Color Swatch Challenge called for the use of hot pink, orange, yellow and charcoal grey. These photos from the Jellies exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium were perfect!

May's DHD Journaling Challenge was to create a layout that paid tribute to our moms in some way. So I did.

And May's DHD Scraplift Challenge had me lifting my own work! The layout below is the one Gennifer chose for the challenge... my first such honour! wOOt!!

I did this layout just to keep busy one Saturday night when there wasn't anything on TV. The old farmhouse in the photo used to be just down the hill from the grain elevators. It was demolished in the fall of 2008, not long after I took the photo.

Karla Issued a Challenge... Use One of Her Templates

So I did! I haven't even put it in my DHD gallery yet. The photo was taken on November 1, 2010 on that morning when I drove out the township roads looking for old farm buildings. How much more rural and prairie can you get than a stubble field filled with geese?

Pieces of Me

This layout came together fairly quickly, considering I used 29 different kits. I have a selection of heritage photos I could choose from; I decided I would go with the oldest ones that had direct ancestors in them.

In the top row we have my great-grandparents William Jabez and Mabel (Shaw) Cubitt, circa 1917 in Chauvin, Alberta, with their children Mamie (standing on the table), Phyllis who was my grandmother, and baby William.

The second photo is of my great-great-grandmother Catherine (McDonagh) Curry, circa 1921 in Esmonde, Ontario, holding her great-granddaughter Arlie Klabunde and flanked by her daughter Kate Mangan and her granddaughter Mary Theresa Klabunde.

The imposing-looking couple are my great-great-great-grandparents Archibald and Susan (Christie) Gilmer, circa 1870, possibly in Mountain Township, Ontario. If taken later, it would have been in Howard Lake, Minnesota.

And the last photo is of my great-great-great-grandfather, Charles Shaw, circa 1880 in Old Lenton, Nottinghamshire.

This one was for fun

I'm sure it wasn't very warm outside the day these little girls posed in their Easter finery. It's snowing to beat the band here right now and Chauvin is getting it worse than we are!

I had fun with this layout, recolouring their dresses to match the papers I'd chosen.The buttons just happened to match! (I did recolour the yellow one to make the pink one because there wasn't a pink one in the kit.)

I just realised!

I didn't post the two layouts I did for the Design House Digital Digimorph in February. I couldn't post them until after the grand reveal, which was a bit later than expected due tot he number of people participating. But there's nothing hodling me back now!

I offered to pay for snowboarding lessons for the girls when we were at Sun Peaks for Mom and Dad's 50th anniversary getaway, since it ended up costing me less than I'd expected to get all of us there. They had a great time; Darci picked it up right away and Amanda struggled a bit, but got the hang of it by the end of the day. For the challenge I did Amanda's layout first based on a layout by Kat Hansen. Then I made a second layout with Darci's photos so that I'd have a two-page spread when I was done. I like it.