Pages in my 6x6 album

 Love how these pages turned out and 6x6 is a fun size.

Cedar memories are a capture of items I

had been keeping in my cedar chest (which has seen better days).

So I found a high school club jersery, did embroidry 

in those days, my candy striper outfit and cap

HS notebook and newspaper,

my confirmation dress and favorite first born outfit.

This is a 2 page spread and it feels

weird the title is on the second page but I'm not changing it

because I really like there.

I printed my photos 1.9x1.9 and that

works perfectly in getting 6 pictures on 4x6.

I really love doing this because while these photos are

precious, I have a small album to work with

and those photos would take up the entire book,

practically (I'd need more page protectors) if 

I did them singularly.

So...while they are important I like that there combined

because this is basically how they were 

found. 

The papers are DCWV playful pets 6x6 and

while I have no pets - the B side papers rock.

I just love this ant paper

that seriously, who loves ants really LOL!

Anyway its totally cute and

since I didn't have a picnic photo to go with

which would be totally too predictable.

So.....

 So what goes well with black and white?

RED.

I love red. 

It's my favorite color but you wouldn't know it

by looking in my closet.

Love this photo of Annie and Owen in the woods

and Owen giving Annie a brotherly smooch.

Since I couldn't find the word smooch the size of kiss

well........there ya go.

Studio Calico, Tim Holtz, Spellbinder die and punch.

Black on White & Black

I hope everyone had a wonderful

Easter celebration!

We did and I have put together a PL page,

and hopefully I'll get it photographed tomorrow for your

viewing pleasure.

Love how these photos came together and it became

a drive-by page as Easter edged closer

I had some chores that need doing so the page

stayed on my desk and as I passed by

it sort of came alive.

 I loved the photos on black but I became bored with layering

if you know what I mean but the photos popped.

But I felt the black needed something, so I know Soaphouse Mama

and many others layer big mats on a 12x12

and this turned out perfect- and I used washi tape to 

bump it off the background page.

Favorite youngest son loves his job and his truck

and I couldn't be more proud.

After I put this together, I realized that I added

stars and some milky stars

that he does most of the driving at night.

Wish I could say that was deliberate on my part but alas,

the photos just looked good on black. LOL.

And yellow with black is always a good call.

So this is Studio Calico, with Paper studio, Quickutz and

Spellbinder die cuts.  

Heritage-ish photo from wayback box

This find is a fun gem.

It happens to be my gram with two of her

sister-in-laws and, in that they were BFF's, and

moreover, sisters in a Golden Girls

type way that was totally fun to look back on

now that I'm older.

Anyway, I decided to do a Missy Whidden and pull

out some watercolors and whack up some papers using a white background.

I also got to use my new Spellbinder die for the clouds.

 The embellishments are My Mind's Eye and are perfect for this photo.

And I'm not real sure on the date - so going by

what I remember of their style and hair.

 I keyed the colors off of Aunt Toot's jacket (short sound on the OH's).

Just sayin'....

Love their sassy attitudes saying they're

all that which is what makes this photo fun because

they didn't show their sassiness too often.

Love how this turned out and it was so much fun

to get my head out of that mentality that heritage photos 

need to be well "heavy" and heritagy looking.

Vellum title

As well as some embellies.

I simple to use vellum as shapes and they

do add so much so I

spruced those circles up with some stamping.

And that cool tree in which

I have a love/hate relationship with. That tree from Spellbinders

 is sooo intricate and no matter how many times I run

it through the die machine, including using wax paper

it is really tough to get it out of the paper in one piece.

especially with cardstock.

But alas its a cool tree.

 More tags.

I love tags.
They are perfect as they are or to use for
journaling, place for embellies or to just be.

 The title was die cut from QK Emily font.

Its a beautiful font and I should use it more.
Remember back in the day lower case and caps came separate?

Well I never purchased the capital letters for it - so maybe

I'll hunt them down on ebay.

The title curtesy of my pal - April.

 Some ranger mists going on.

This came out really cool and the Studio Calico paper

perfect for this photo.

I love this photo and as I say in my journaling

I'd love to be a bug in the grass eavesdropping on this conversation

Annie and Owen seem to be having.

A crisp, white look sortof

with pops of red and other colors

made me swoon.

Although,

I was really torn on this paper because I really

liked the B-side which is really

cool ledger looking.

However, when I tossed this photo on this polka dotted paper with 

the fun, colorful numbers as a mat there was no debate. 

 And I didn't want to overwhelm everything either.

So I kept the embellies light.

And believe it or not, I love mists, I adore mists,

but I was really going back and forth whether to include 

mists on the page.

 I have also been trying to use that red striped bag

forever. It does have a gold heart emblazoned on it and

I think that was my problem because I have 

issues covering up cool things like that.

 I also doodled the outline.

I know.

I'll give you a minute to recover from your shock.

So Lou's sweet smile is front and center and

that was the goal.

I also love the PL card that I cut down.

I KNOW - I'm just breaking all kinds of issues

that have been plaguing me.

Studio Calico, Spellbinder leaves (I think) from my die cut box.

Those hearts match the card better IRL.

And the mist really added that something extra.

But I do love the crispness of the entire page.

OKay - so if you follow me, you know I have been extremely annoyed

with apple no supporting aperture anymore, so I stumbled

upon Aftershot Pro3 and after viewing a couple

of videos - took the leap.

Anyone use that photoshop? If so, let me know.

Aperture does so many things behind the scenes that don't

need thinking about and keeps a lot of hoop jumping to a minimum

that is causing a great stumbling block for me to

be able to move on.

However, there is going to come a time when Aperture is

going to cease to exist and I need to be ahead of that disaster

so I can access my photos in the future.

I think Aftershot is the closest to modeling Aperture.

Fingers crossed I didn't waste my money.

Going for a bit of whimsey

My first idea was to make my own cutfile type "stencil"

for lack of a better word by using those spellbinder diecuts

gluing them together and then back them

using the Sassafrass Lass paper.

I wasn't crazy about the outcome when I backed a couple.

It just looked too heavy for the page.

However they are cute to use somewhere else.

However, I did like the bird and those wheel thingies or slices and hearts

so I began fussy cutting, punching, and tossing them about on the page

using the die cuts separately and not backed.

 There are clusters and then some tight clusters going on.

 Sadly that is the end of the Sassafrass Lass paper. I really love it-because its fun.

I'm not sure why I added pink and orange either except I liked it.

I think it plays off the whimsey I was going for

and then I tossed some Heidi shine and Mr Huey mists about.

And that is a sequence of photos of Amelia playing.

I didn't catch that at first when I first saw the photo....that I've had for awhile.

The rest is Studio Calico of course, and that adorable bow punch.

Watercolor run amok

I'm still battling these rotten sinuses.

Called for more drugs.

I'll keep you posted.

Which could have a teensy weensy impact on the mojo.

So in looking for inspiration I had a look at

one of Wilna's videos - don't think about it - just do it.

So I did. 

She also mentioned that there is an "art" in knowing

when to stop.

Obviously, as you shall see, that's a skill I need to work on.

As.......

I love watercolors.

They're fun, forgiving and frugal.

And because they're so many colors its an easy match.

 If you're into matching.

 These are the rest of the rubons you saw from my tag post.

And again, with the watercolors acted like a resist.

I got a tad messy with this.

 The white seemed.....welllll

too white.

Therefore - bring on the color.

 You can also fling watercolors about like mist too.

And then things got out of control.

But 'tis done. 

And hopefully jumpstarted the ole creativity.

Studio Calico, Paper Issues Swag Bag, Dear Lizzy rubons, 

Lawn Fawn leaves die, and Spellbinder tree die.

And doesn't this photo go way back. 

It went by so fast.
And big hair - the only bonus was that we all looked alike.
LOL.

Watercolors, stamps and embossing powder

I didn't think of taking a photo of the paper until

you guessed it after I mussed it up some.

Its a 12x12 of a photograph of trees.

A forest of trees.

I wanted to make a "home" for a photo and embellishments

so I laid down some gesso and watercolors.

I added the dotted stamp with black ink and then brought

out the distressed embossing powder.

 I tend to forget about embossing powder - it does add a cool layer.

I also got to use my new tree die cut from Spellbinders.

Again its gotta lot of intricacy going on so I used wax paper in 

order to get the die out without losing limbs or leaves.

I also heard a suggestion that dryer sheets work too - I'll try it next time

and give you an updated. Unless you already tried it.

Then let me know.

 Scattered the trees about and then layered up with

goodies from the Paper Issues Swag Bag - from different months.

Love the tree with the banners.

  I did put the page and colors together with no photo in mind.

And then I had to make a custom size because silly me

I glued down those striped banners.

Therefore, the photo size is 3x1.75.

Which is a good thing because it was a small photo and

anything bigger would be really blurry and pixilated because

its a digital photo of the original.

I think it works rather well with a heritage photo.

That is a photo of my great great grandmother Mathilda Anderson

and my grandpop (her grandson) Bill Schneider.

I did the journaling between the embossed dots at the top and

I only know the players in the photo,

not a where (just guessing) nor a why.

Guessing the date is about 1920 - because grandpop looks about 20.

But I could be wrong.

Studio Calico, Paper Issues Swag Bag, Spellbinder die, Tim Holtz distress embossing powder.

Bees & Trees diecuts

And didn't I just whack out a bunch - 

the tree is a spellbinder die and because its so intricate

wax paper is required to get the trees out in one easy piece.

The bee and honeycomb is a sissix die 

and there's some assembly required, although I do like the negative.

You'll be seeing these on my pages someday.

Cork and Arrow Spellbinder dies

You get FUN.

So I went overboard on the arrows.

It couldn't be helped.

Love their pose.

Love their fierce faces - well one has a sneer.

I don't know if Quintin is capable of sneering, he always wears a smile.

Whilst cruising HL looking Graphic 45 of which I know I have - just can't find.

And don't that say I have too much stuff.

Anyway I found spellbinder arrows  and some cork.

Swoon.

I also picked up an Echo Park paper pack.

Swoon again.

MORE To come because I also cruised through M's.