Decisions, decisions

So many pictures, so little time.....

I'm sitting here wondering what in the heck I'm going to do with so many pictures. At a new friend's place - cropper extraordinaire Adrienne. Luckily, she's got a layout book on-hand.

I loved looking through all the different possibilities. As well as the finished works inspired by them.

This series was shot by my husband. He captured our daugther helping herself to dessert (without permission) He was so proud of it. I was glad she wasn't doing something more serious, like mixing chemicals.

The layout book showed me I could use all the photos by telling a story. Novel idea, right? Then I used the layout instructions as a guideline. I coordinated my page around the colors in Shayna's shirt. And used my new nifty page ripper thingy for the yellow bars on top and bottom. The layout was just a template, bald if you will. So after the initial strategy, I was on my own.

So I dove in with some tools and material and created embellishment on an ice cream cone. I happily snacked away on scones while I came up with this ditty. I'm most proud of it:

Then I used scraps within reach to embellish the rest of the page (see memories, below) Okay, I was too lazy to get up and walk across the room to my kit. Eating ice cream isn't necessarily a "treasured memory", but it sure looks good!

Good enough to eat.

Scrapping circles around Nichole

On Nichole's last post:

I always feel more creative when working with the HBIC. She has the tunes, the memorized words to go with it, the heart-shaped scones. And I don't go anywhere without the promise of coffee and some sort of flavored cream served upside it.

I schlepped my eclectic assortment 'o goodies with me in the drizzle. No plans in mind. Just a bunch of photos shoved in a page-holder awaiting a new destiny. I dove right in while Nichole calculated her every move with a piece she had in mind. I can't be that focused. Not at that hour. And not with that much caffiene.

Below is part of page-one for my Fall 2006 album. There's a lot to look at so I'm posting this in segments .

I took my time selecting pictures for this album. I want to keep it out on display. This reminds me of a childhood friend who carried around a photo album in her car. I always loved that. She'd frequently whip it out to show off her latest endeavors. She was so disciplined, keeping all those photos in chronological order.

Well, I'm not quite as disciplined. Not even as organized. Which is why I'm just now going back to FALL of last year. Husband turned me onto photography as a hobby and I wanted to showcase some of the pictures I took with my new digi cam. I look forward to Fall each year. Last fall held some special memories for me, so I want to ensure I preserve them.

The series above was taken in a nearby field where sunflowers grow for a short period of time each year. I always wanted to photograph them. But never got my act together in time. Finally one day, without warning, I make my husband pull the car over and I force everyone into family portrait mode.

I used raised dots to give dimension and flow to the grouping. Chipboard, stickers, and metal embellishments weave throughout.

Below is another page for the fall album.

Who doesn't love Halloween? A friend of mine in Georgia sent me tons of her cast-off scrap ware. When I came across the diamond pattern, I knew I'd be using it for Halloween.

Now, although Shayna's passion is Pirates of the Caribbean, she took a sharp right turn at the last minute and decided on a witch costume. Never mind that she'd had the Pirate's costume since her birthday in July. By October, it was all about the witch.

On purpose, I put the main picture off-center. It's more interesting to look at than a dead-centered picture. Or at least that's how I was feeling at the time. The small squares are actually origami picture frames that I made with opposing paper squares.

My aunt gave the origami book to Shay as a gift. I've seen the use of origami roses in scrap booking. But I wanted to do something a little different. And also, I thought the colors would help fill the negative space and give a lift to the eye/design. I have many, many more Halloween prints to come and can't wait to work on them.