Five photos on an 8x8 layout

does that rock or what? However, not hard to do.

The 4 photos were printed on a 4x6 precut photo paper and the big photo is 4x3. I did chat about photo sizes here.

In order to work in stuff I kept things simple. I love the multi-colored triangle paper from my Studio Calico kit.

I adhered the 4x6 photo and then anchored it with washi tape. Had I used a mat I felt it would cover up the cool paper that is helping (in my head) to tell the story.

The bigger photo was the start of the story. Two adorable brothers planning and collaborating their building project.

Of course they are hammering out the details - which I got from Simple Stories. Added and Amy Tangerine tag and Karen Foster alphas, a couple of Studio Calico arrows and wa-la. OOOO OOO a couple of manly things on the tag - molding wire and Bead Landings sprocket.

And just to do something different - the photo was taken with instagram.

And the winner winner chicken dinner is.........

from the not random generated but having the Mister pick a name out of a basket - winner is...........

drum roll....................

APRIL

fling me your particulars and the sincere, lovely and modest prize will be yours!!

Thanks ALL for your continued support.

AND...............for your viewing pleasure

an instamatic photo of the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove.

Lighthouses make me swoon

how 'bout you?

This post is my 1,000 post & a prize!!!

1,000 posts.

Who knew I could be so windy.

I started this blog on August 22, 2007

so it took me awhile. 

In honor of my 1K posts - leave a comment and

as soon as I figure out randomly generated winner -

I shall pick one AND the lucky winner 

will get a small, lovely and sincere scrappy prize. 

So you have to return to see if you were the one

that was randomly generated :)

And thank you in advance for your continued perusual.

So this year I continued in my Ali Edwards vein of saving

my Christmas cards on a page. 

For some reason I couldn't stand these pages up

to photograph because I didn't have enough hands

 so there ya go.

And they are oddly similar to the other years I know your just curious

to relive and see because they are 2 pages

with a pocket and beautiful cards as well.

I used Kaiser Craft papers.

This is last years page and the pocket just to be

wild and crazy is on the left side.

Its a bit more collagy.

 I absolutely don't remember the papers, however

there is misting involved. oooooo

 oooooo got some graphic going on here and wow....

the pocket is back on the right side.

You can't make this stuff up people.

 Mixed it up a bit on 2010 with different shapes

and sizes. AND moved the pocket back

to the left side.

In my mind I must just automatically change them up.

Seriously.

I can't remember what I had for dinner the day before

and I'll be convinced I can remember which side 

to switch the pocket to after a year.

I know you're impressed.

Mostly in these years I used cardstock with just a bit 

of Christmas papers if I had any leftover.

Anyway I love Ali E. and her stuff and its a terrific way

to save your cards and toss the remains guilt free.

I save the letters and photo cards in the 

pocket and whack up the others and sadly those the 

signatures go so if that matters you may just want to pocket them.

If someone writes to me they're saved as well as I

usually try to put a personal note in mine as well because

sometimes that is the only contact we've had.

oooo and a challenge too - do up your own Christmas cards and start

a new scrappy tradition!

Series of photos that tell a story

Cousins are a different lot. 

They're friends, they're related, they fight and then friends again
 and they get to go back to their separate corners

at the end of the day.

Thanksgiving 2013 was different.

 Missing the family matriarch - the family is shrinking.

So I decided to get a photo of the young cousins that were there.

The next next generation.

It was like herding cats in getting them all situated.

I figured the stairs was a good start - it kept them contained

for the most part which was key.

Then is was keeping their focus maintained.

Snort. as if.

So, once I had their attention, which took awhile,

  I said let's get ONE good one and then......

you can be goofy.

I love the series - they focused, they goofed, and they high-fived.

Totally made me laugh.

So there's some Authentique going on, with a bit of Mr. Huey and Heidi Swapp misting, as well as some stamping from Deadbeat designs. Basic Grey,  and Studio Calico of course.

On a side note - this made me feel really dumb.
It's life altering according to my pal Jill.
I just wanted to hear him say get Moose and Squirrel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGiPh_UPzEw&feature=youtu.be

Printing and Using customized sized photos

I love to scrap in different sizes and most especially 8x8 that are for the grandkids - with the thought not to take up too much space and storage in their parents abode.

(Laughing here) because I tend to blow out the books.

Anyway, there are times when I will use a 4x6 photo on an 8x8 page because you can get 4 - 2x3's on one 4x6 pre-cut photo paper and use as a collage, it does save photo paper because no cropping is involved unless the pictures are not in the order you want to tell the story and you still are not whacking into and using up an 8x11 piece of photo paper (some printers are picky about odd size papers-so you end up cutting it down to 4x6 and wasting quite a bit.

The photos above are 3x4 - I felt that 3x5 would've been too big and 2x3 for only 2 photos would be too small. (There are times when those sizes are the one you have to work with so just go for it). But, when you can be in control, you can chose. It particulary helps if you take and use instagram or hipstomatic photos because you can print those in 3x3 and 4x4 sizes and not lose any photo detail.

I work with Aperture as my photo program but most all of them have some kind of custom button and in windows (of which is the ONLY thing I miss from windows) there are an array of print templates that can be used for cost effective printing and collages. I love and miss collages. I do have one of the Adobe photoshops, however, its a program that baffles me and makes me crazy. And if that's what you have, there is a great tutorial and templates (that you would have thought I'd have memorized by now) on Scrapbook Etc website that are free - all you have to do is sign up on their website.

First layout of 2014

was a long time in coming. It laid around taunting me for a long long time.

Why?

I don't know.

Connor and his stuffie are totally adorable and I think I just wanted to savor it a bit more.

I had the papers, design laying about for awhile on my desk. It was a driveby page and I love those - however, they usually don't take this long.

So I decided get this baby rolling just by stamping a bit of background and then adhering the main things down. After that I poked around to get the bits and pieces from various baskets where those bits and pieces live and they just seem to come together.

The majority of everything is Studio Calico pattern papers, project life do-dads (and I just got January's kit today) can't wait to dive in. However, there are some things I need to do before I can get rolling - so I'm just fondling and oogling in the meantime. Sissix die, Dear Lizzy frame, bottlecap I found at a flea market, and a couple mfg's I can't remember. Sadly.

Scenes around Long Key State Park

This one is from our campsite - I finally found the courage to hop down 

to the sandy beach. Its a bit of a drop

with a cement block for climbing back up.

And I baby my knees too much. 

 However it was worth the view. 

I love the different colors of the water.

We hopped on our bikes and headed to the boardwalk.

In full disclosure it took awhile for the sun to

make an appearance and it was really windy. And a bit chilly.

 Above is a tidal basin that grows a lot of things. And while the water looks "dirty" its really clean and clear - you are looking at the bottom. (See next photo).

There's all kinds of vegetation and also spiders. We declined the hour walk through the golden orb spider webs - among other things. I didn't see any birds at all - which were touted as hanging about there.

I seem to have that affect.

On our ride back to camp - this tree caught my eye because there were birds at it on the way to the boardwalk - Of course they weren't there now.

A very pretty line. My DH determined it was a line and not a rope. It's called a line if it comes from a boat. And there's your nautical trivia of the day :)

 More than one angle on the tree and I love the sky. It was totally weird like that all day. Sun- no sun- pretty white clouds - grey clouds.

A gaggle of IBIS or flock maybe - I don't know if the gang word changes for seafaring birds.

And some little bird that may or may not be a sandpiper and is going into "grammy's book of can you find the critter in the picture."