The snow is starting to melt here
Macro by the tree
We had a bonfire for New Year’s Eve
The smoke turned green in the air
And we had fireworks. My tripod is a desktop model so I had to hold the camera for these
Space the final frontier
My first photo of Project 365 2010
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Some more Journal Your Christmas pages
I have the 24th done except for editing the photos, so I am as caught up as I have been all month.
I’m giving my scanner a rest today to share some of my Journal Your Christmas pages. I only have 6 done so far and sort of at random but I am hoping to get caught up through the 10th at least this weekend
If you are doing a Christmas project, how are you doing?
This is the list I came up with after all my searching this weekend. I tried to limit the overlap but there still is some there. I’m not doing pages on all of them but I think it is a good start point of ideas. I may end up using it more as a list of things for my 365 Project rather than do them all as scrapbook pages, then put together a photo book that is a mix of both.
Opening Pages
Title
Vital Statistics
Your Name
Your Birth Sign
Family Members
Mom
Dad
Siblings (could be several pages)
Grandparents (could be several pages)
Extended family (could be several pages)
Family Tree
Ancestors (could be several pages)
Childhood Memories
Birth
Infancy
Childhood (could be several pages)
Birthdays (could be several pages)
Vacations/Holidays (could be several pages)
Teen Years (could be several pages)
Education (could be several pages)
Childhood Friends (could be several pages)
Childhood Home
Hometown
First Car
First Job
Fashions
Hairstyles
Favorite Music
Pets (could be several pages)
Major News Events (could be several pages)
Crushes You Had (could be several pages)
Current Life
Your Significant Other
Your current or recent Jobs
Home Now
Hometown Now
Places You Have Lived (could be several pages)
Your Family Now (could be several pages)
Thoughts on Motherhood
Faith & Spirituality
Hopes & Dreams
Fears & Worries
Health
Your Body & How You Feel About it
Hair & Clothing
Pets Now
Pieces of Me
Current Car or other Cars (could be several pages)
Daily Routine
What You Do to Relax
Travel
Describe Yourself Today - Right Now
Current Friends (could be several pages)
Hobbies (could be several pages)
Interests (could be several pages)
Obsessions (could be several pages)
Things You Collect (could be several pages)
Habits Good & Bad (could be several pages)
A Letter to Your Past Self
Groups & Organizations
Politics
What is in the News (could be several pages)
Sports You Play
Gadgets You Love
Thoughts on Housework
What Has Changed about You in 10 Years
What is in My Purse
What is on My Dresser
What is on My Bookshelf
Your Week in a Glance
Letter to the Future You
Lists of Things (choose a number of items to list)
# of Random Thoughts (your age is good for this)
# of Your Top Achievements or Triumphs
# of Confessions
# of Things You Love about You
# of Things You would Change about You
# of Favorite Things
books
movies
tv shows
foods
games
places
# of Things You Always have with You
# of Things You are Grateful For
# of Things You Still Want to Do
# of Things You Have Done
# of Ask & Answer Questions (get someone to make you a list of questions)There is just too much choice out there and I need to decide now, if not very very soon just what sort of holiday album I am going to do this year.
I’ve done shimelle’s Journal Your Christmas for the past 2 years and even though I didn’t complete last year’s album I did get plenty of pages done. But the not completing it bugged me. I think I need to scale back my expectations this year. And possibly my design style. I’m thinking very clean, almost graphic only style with either white or black backgrounds. I’d like to do just graphic only but I know I’ll end up wanting to use a bunch of embellishments on some layouts and that would be jarring in appearance I think sitting amid a bunch of smooth, unshadowed graphic designs.
But I really want more of a photo book look than a scrapbook look I think.
Then there is the thought that occurred to me that ‘the holidays’ actually started last Friday with the Halloween party at school. Possibly they could start on Thanksgiving, which would give me a bit more time to get my plans sorted. Though since I take a photo a day anyway doing a ‘2009 Holiday Season’ photo book can pretty much start whenever I feel like it. I never take just one photo so I can even make sure there is no photo overlap between it and my 365 project.
I could even get Havoc & Mayhem to take the photos for it. Now there is an idea! Start the day we leave to visit my parents in a couple weeks and run through the end of their xmas break & use their photos! Havoc loves to use my D40, Mayhem prefers seeing things on the screen on the old Olympus, so there would be no fighting over the camera. This could work!
But still, if I want to do scrapbook pages (which I just know I will end up making in December) I need to get my act together pretty much this weekend or so and pick my templates, design style & a start date
I’m thinking of getting these templates
and adapting them as I go, but they want more photos than I usually manage.
I like these as well
and I have some by Janet Phillips, that are no longer available that I’m sorting through. Then I have to work out what kits to use. My favorite designers haven’t put any out yet.
You know, I never do a holiday newsletter. They are too complicated & time consuming.
Because having a blog isn’t narcissistic enough.
I am a digital scrapbooker. I’ve been doing it for 4 years now and have over those years been active on a number of boards and done a great many challenges. Mostly I scrap my kids but sometimes the challenges are to scrap something about you. Recently we had a discussion on one of the forms about Scrapbook Fantasies Book of Me blog. She gives you prompts all year & you end up with I think around 35-40 prompts and 60 pages.
I’ve been thinking about doing some sort of album of me for a month or so now. Maybe a collection of scrapbook pages about me or maybe an All About Me Project 365 next year.
Me me me me me me ME!!!!
Sorry, just had to get that out. Now back to…um..me.
I am self-centered enough to want an entire book about me but I am realistic enough to know that if I went with a photo project probably by mid February I will have run out off interesting ideas and be taking pictures of my toothbrush and sock drawer. Which I could assemble in a photo book with little post ironic snarky zeitgeist comments, or not because I am not entirely certain what I just said actually means. I can certainly see the humor in myself & am not above self mockery but I don’t think I can manage 365 photos of it.
I spent a few days going through old challenge notes and visiting forums and blogs and have assembled about 75 prompts for a Book About Me. Not that I will use all of them but it’s nice to have a list to work from.
Then I went though all my layouts (643 to be exact) and found about 60 that were about me. There is a lot of overlap on topics. For instance I have 4 layouts about my home and 5 about my childhood and 3 about crochet and an embarrassing number about my electronics. About half of the layouts are bad from a design standpoint. The scale of the elements is off, the shadows are either huge or non-existent, bad recolorization, bad photo adjustment, hideous color choices etc. But I saved the layered .psd (or .psp) files so I can fix them or at least have a base to rework them. I’ll weed through them & remove the duplications (I have 3 that feature my mp3 player) and then sort out what prompts I still want to do and that will be my project for next year.
I’m also going to do another 365 Photo project in 2010 but I need a topic. I did the boys play in 2008 and that came together nicely. This year has been topic free, more random & I find it harder to do. It’s not looking as cohesive. I think I work better with guidelines. I’m looking for ideas now. Any theme suggestions?
I’m leaning toward monthly photos of the same things, with some other general topic mixed in. I’m thinking of every month having an individual photo of everyone, a photo of some outdoor feature to be determined (like the maple), a photo of some indoor feature (like the sink full of dishes or a pile of laundry) and a photo of my book stack. That is 7 out of approx 30 photos a month. What other things can you think of that change yet stay the same over a period of time? I’d like about 10 things that regularly appear and the other 20 or so will be on a general topic.
I went to college at WVU. We have a history of being able to play 3 excellent quarters of football and one not so good one.
And of winning nearly the whole season and being trounced in bowl games.
So far we’re 2-0 this year.
1. Do you wash your own car or do you go to a car wash?
Car wash
2. Are you wearing socks right now?
no
3. Where were you 3 hours ago?
paking lunch for the boys
4. Do you have laundry waiting to be done?
haven’t checked yet but probably
5. Can you pick objects up with your toes?
yes I can
I bought myself 10 personal trainer sessions for my birthday. At the end of them I had lost 6lbs and an inch at my waist. I had gained inches elsewhere which are muscle. I have toned & firmed up a good deal. I plan on continuing to visit the gym 3 days a week and do the 30 Day Shred at home at least 1-2 days as well.
My big need is to lose weight and exercise is not going to do that at this point. I need to eat less. So my focus for this month is on my diet, cutting back portions and swapping fatty snacks for fruits & veggies.
I listen to my Zen when I crochet or digi scrap. What I listen to depends on what I am doing.
Digi scrapping requires music, generally 80’s pop with random punk thrown in. Occasionally I go for a Celtic theme, listening to Clannad, U2, Celtic Women and Flogging Molly
Crochet needs an audiobook to keep me mentally occupied. I prefer historic mysteries by Anne Perry, Kerry Greenwood, Ellis Peters and Roberta Gellis
Aunt Becky, my BFF, who I would totally love to hang with in person, was unable to come visit in person but she sent her cards instead. Which if you love Aunt Becky like I do, is almost good enough. After all - Aunty Becky herself actually *touched* these cards!
Look Aunty Becky’s card has arrived!
These guys are thrilled to get their picture taken with her
They immediately rush off to entertain her. Many muffins were eaten
And much wine was drunk
They thought about going swimming but Aunt Becky’s card thought the water was a little too Jurassic green
The kittens gave Aunt Becky’s card a much more mixed reception
Some were interested. “Will it give me lovins?”
Some were aloof. “I’m not even going to look at it.”
Some were downright hostile. “Cards! bah! I eats cards!”
Smoke though, was very welcoming. “Come lay down with me Aunt Becky’s card
We can read a book together
Everyone else was so happy to see Aunt Becky’s card that they held a parade
And that was Aunt Becky’s cards lively visit.
Favorite living animals would be kittens. We have 5. 2 indoor, 2 indoor/outdoor and one outdoor. I like them because they are low maintenance & independent. They come when they feel like it, leave when they feel like it & don’t expect much but occasional petting & food. An a warm place to lay.
No longer living would be dinosaurs. I am up to my knees in plastic dinos. I like them because they general stay where they are put & don’t bother me much.
Thank you for your intergalactic epic and thank you for introducing me to this guy
The object of my affection since 1977. 32 years later I still get that giggly little girl feeling when I see him.
It’s a bit more of a grown up feeling when I see Indiana Jones.
Thank you for him too
My boys love the Star Wars & Indiana Jones sagas. They love the Lego Star Wars game. Mayhem is so obsessed with it, we had to enforce a game play time limit because he was getting up at 5am to play it.
He is currently watching Return of the Jedi as I type this.
George, you have brought a lot of happiness & imagination to my life. Thank you and Happy Birthday!
I did the blogthings Star Wars name & title & this is my result
| Your Star Wars Name Is Stacr Hiwhe |
 |
| You Are Blooming Flowers |
 You feel truly blessed in life and can sometimes be overwhelmed with emotions. You have an artist's eye. You are always looking for beauty in the mundane. You have a good sense of aesthetics, especially when it comes to shapes and color. |
