Explore Class -- Color Layout

While we were visiting our friend, Wilson, in March of 2011, several of his buddies brought their show cars down to Myrtle Beach for exhibition at a local car show. You would have to see the cars in person to realize how good the paint jobs are on the cars. There must be at least 15 layers of paint slabbed onto these cars, and they are just beautiful.

As soon as they drove their cars into Wilson's development, neighbors started looking out their windows and doors to see these beauties. The cars were soon surrounded by people announcing how they used to have cars like these. Some of them were disappointed the cars did not have their original engines but it probably would have been difficult for them to drive from Maryland to South Carolina with original equipment.

The interior is just as sweet as the exterior in these cars. They are a pleasure to look at and a pleasure to drive--so the owners said. Although I am not a car buff, I can appreciate the beauty of these cars and am happy I was there to see them.

This layout was done entirely digitally. Our assignment for this part of the class was to pile all our leftover scrap papers onto a table and pick out colors that were pleasing to the eye and the photo. Because I don't have paper supplies, I used my Picassa program to pick out various papers and embellishments.

Explor Class -- Color

Our task in today's lesson is all about color and how we decide which colors to use. First, I answered a number of questions about color choices.

Then I chose a photograph my sister sent me a while ago. I don't know the artist or even who took the original photo. My sister found it on the internet so I can't give credit to the artist.




I particularly like cows but this photo is very strange to me. It's been just sitting there waiting to give me a clue on how to do a layout using it. The photo only has a few colors in it but they are intense, moody and slightly threatening to me. The photo gives me a feeling of unease. To reduce the feelings I get from this photograph, I might use colors like softer colors like turquoise, and a grungy orange or yellow. Tell me what you think?

I enjoy using colors and trying different ones that I probably would never use if I didn't have a color wheel next to me!

Explore class -- Video 2

After watching Shimelle's second video, I tried to put into practice some of her suggestions. I really like the idea of clustering and think it adds a great deal to the layouts.

I did a layout I've been meaning to do for quite a while. Here is the back story--we met up at a restaurant with my brother and his wife for his birthday last year. The restaurant was in the Lancaster area smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania Dutch country where the food is good and plentiful. Before we went into the restaurant, I gave my brother a gift bag containing his birthday gift (a hand knitted scarf for the cold winters we have here.) When we walked in the waitresses wanted to know if it was his birthday. When he replied that it was indeed his birthday, they said he would get a free lunch. Well, that just made his day. They made a really big fuss over him (what man would not love that?) However, they did not sing Happy Birthday to him for which I was sorry, I would have loved to see him blush.

At last, here is the digital layout I did...

Explore Class -- Crafting with Photos

I am totally enjoying this class so far. There is so much variety in the prompts Shimelle gives us to do. For example, today we are altering photos with words, lines, doodles, or anything else we want to do to enhance the photo.

I did an example using a TTV (Taken Through the Viewfinder) filter that I downloaded from Flickr and is credited to Miles Davis (Smiley).

The second photo is a rose from my garden. I drew a frame inside the border and added the word Lovely (in Scriptina font) to enhance it a bit.

Wish I had more time to play today but I have several appointments.

Explore Class -- Memory Sparks

Today's prompt suggests you make a list of things you could write about if you wanted to. I thought about it all morning and these are subjects that popped into my head.

Some things I could write about if I wanted to...

1. Conversations I used to have with my dad. He died when I was 24 but I still remember those talks.

2. The time I stole some peaches from the back yard of the meanest kid in the neighborhood. I didn't know it was his house. He caught me doing the stealing and whipped by butt all the way to my house with a branch from the same tree.

3. Giving birth to our daughter. In those days we didn't do it natural—we had drugs to take away the pain! I probably missed seeing the miracle of birth but those drugs were sure powerful.

4. All the different jobs I had during my 45 years of working. How independent I was about those jobs. If someone said something to me I didn't like, I'd just walk out. I figured, if you scare me by yelling, I'll show you how it feels to have me walk out and leave you in a lurch. Of course, that was only in my early years of working. I grew up and stopped doing that! Although, in later years there were times...

5. What true friendship is all about. There is quite a difference between acquaintances and friends. Took me years to find out that little gem.

Explore Class -- Observation

Prompt 6 is all about observing the things around that you never seem to really see. All the inanimate objects that we use every day and are taken for granted. So I have been taking photos of these things. I imagine I'll look back on them in future years and wonder why I took these particular photos. However, they are part of my life now and should be recorded as such.

I've had that bed quilt for years. It should probably be replaced but it is so comfortable to sleep under. To prolong its life, I keep on patching the seams back together whenever they rip and show signs of wear.

The computer station is old but the computer itself is fairly new--as is the printer. These can stay around for a few more years (I hope!) It's amazing how much time I spend at the computer--reading emails, checking out favorite blogs, writing short stories, doing research, etc. I bet I spend more time at my computer now that I am retired than I did when I was still working.

The chair. I hadn't realized how shabby it is getting until I took the photo. I suppose that is going to be replaced soon. I watch TV in this chair, read, knit, and do crossword puzzles. The chair is a swivel and is low to the ground so my feet actually touch the floor. That's a problem short people have...our feet often swing in the air instead of being in contact with the floor.

I did take lots more photos of things around but these three are a good representation. Next time, I'll try to have people in the photos!

Explore Class -- Getting Creative

This class is going to be difficult for me because all of my paper supplies are packed away in preparation for our long awaited move. No, we're not there yet. The house is not sold but packing can't be left to the last minute.

So, this layout was done in PhotoShop Elements in a real hurry because we are going out to dinner soon and I wanted to do it before we left so I can relax later.

Enough excuses...I very much like photographing the flowers in our garden and especially the roses. Getting close up to them, and smelling the wonderful scent, makes the photographs more memorable to me.

Here is how I got creative for Prompt 5--

Explore Class -- Perfection

I met my best friend in 1976 when we moved to Chalfont. She lived two doors down and it was an immediate friendship. We have been there for each other every day through joys and sorrows. It was and still is a perfect friendship only now there is a slight imperfection. My friend suffered two brain aneurisms a year apart. Each required brain surgery. She now speaks a bit slower and walks quite funny. It really doesn't matter to either of us. We still laugh and cry with each other and are always there in times of need.

We see and talk with each other on a daily basis. Right now, I am helping her do her family's genealogy and she's doing just fine with it. I'm good with the computer researching and she's got beautiful handwriting to fill in the family tree charts.

Perfection, apparently, is in the eye of the beholder.

Explore Class -- Map

Well, here I am again--two postings in one day. It's sort of catch-up time since I had to wait for my postcard to return from mailing it yesterday.

Now I am posting about the map project. This was interesting for me because I am devoting this Explore class to my hometown. We've lived in this town since 1976 and will soon be leaving it for another state. In one way I am sad but then again I am happy to be starting a new chapter in our lives. That chapter is retirement! We're moving to a place that has a more temperate climate. Pennsylvania winters can be so harsh and my old bones really need warmth.

So here is my map project. I used a journaling template by Ali Edwards and replaced the words on it to read just Traveling.

Explore Class -- Postcard

For this session I created my own postcard showing a favorite sculpture. The sculpture of a small boy reading sits outside our local library. Every time I pass it, I think of when I was a small child who loved sitting in the library for hours reading books and choosing which ones to check out to take home with me.

Here is the front of my postcard...

...and here is the back side.

The postcard got a little mangled at the Post Office but I think I did a pretty good job in gluing it back together.

New Class with Shimelle -- Explore -- Day 1

I resisted taking this class for about a minute! I love taking Shimelle's classes even though I have several that aren't yet finished. I will finished them--just not right now.

Anyway, in this class I am exploring the summer in Chalfont. I live in such a sweet little town that it deserves further exploration. For the first class, I designed the cover I'm using for playbook. Since my Bind-it-All is already packed away in preparation for our move, I've used binder rings to hold the playbook together.

It's a bit plain but that's because all my scrapping papers and stuff are also packed! I will probably be adding to the cover when I pick up some more goodies.

Our first assignment was to take a self-photo. Like many of you, I am the photo taker in the family so there aren't too many photos of me. This self-portrait was taken in the bathroom mirror and I planned it so the camera would hide most of my face. I may be a fool but I am not stupid. Bad hair day, etc.

I still have to write the Note to Self abut the self-photo, but I have to save something for later tonight! Here's what I wrote:

It is my sincere intention to complete this class so that I have all my memories of Chalfont for when we move.