Swamp Water

See, I have been scrapbooking

Since the beginning of this year my word has been "Output".   

I didn't say anything about blog posts. LOL.  I'm kidding.

No, I think about blogging everyday but I don't get why I have such a hard time getting here to put it in pixels.  It's not that I am not on the Internet any chance I get.  I have to catch up on what's happening with everyone else.  (and I get cranky when they don't blog regularly. "wink")  I am working on that too.  Any way.....

I have been scrapbooking.  Here's an Easter layout I made with Shabby Miss Jenn's Flower Stand Kit and a template I found through Ikea Goddess by Simply Yin.  Her templates are an amateur photographers dream when you just got to scrap all the pictures. It's a two page layout.

Page 1

Page 2

Then there's this layout created with Weeds and Wildflowers Kits for a scrap-lifting challenge they are putting on this week.  Everything was from W & W except for the paper curl which I found through charming Ikea Goddess again made by Gunhild Storeide

I have come to realize that I scrapbook more often is there is a challenge.  I guess cause it puts a due date on a page.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Just one of the tricks I've got to pull on myself to get myself to do what I love to do.  Yes, I need to see a shrink.  I get around to it one day. (wink)

Texturize and Blending

If you go over here, you'll find out new meanings for Textures and Blending.

See how it applies if you take a picture like this:

and an image like this:

(courtesy of Playing with Brushes at Flickr)

and find your "Blending" in Photoshop and you get this:

and it changes with the mode you choose.

You can also find a lot of textures to experiment with and tutorials in the discussions at "Textures 4 Layers"

As Kathy explained in her post, Digital Collage, I am short on "visions". (I find it hard believe cause her stuff  is gorgeous.) 

But if I could remind myself to just "play", (hope it all turns out and it's something I can use) and that it's all in the name of CREATING.

Can you believe it...

Kathy, at Love Letters has awarded Swamp Water a blogging award:

The idea of the Excellent Blog Award, is to award it to 10 more people whose blog you find Excellent Award Worthy.  If you follow it back it back to her site and then follow it back to blog she received it from, it will bring you more links of inspiration than you can shake a stick at.

I am so happy to be in a community of such talented artists and bloggers. To spread the joy along I award it to the following:

* A Little Life - she is always learning, doing and sharing.
* QT's Creative Chronicals - where would I be without her words of encouragment
* Scrapability - if any thing happens on the internet, she knows
* forCRYeye - creative ideas abound.
* brought to you by the Letter A - drop dead gorgeous photography
* "Every Life Has a Story"- a photographic mixed media maven
*  Bexarts - mixed media  artist thats not afraid
* Altered Imagery - Inspirational Images
* Her Vision, Family, Art  - I love her style.
* These Days - photographer with endless imagination

Air Shots

This past Sunday, a friend of ours that lives about an hour and fifteen minutes by car, flew up to our "South Georgia International Airport" to take advantage of the pretty day and get some flying in.

See, we even have runway lights.

After he visited with us some, we took him back to his plane (we couldn't seem to flag a taxi down).  Before he left for home, a 12 min ride by plane, he took DH and Katie up and made some circles & "fly-bys" so I could get some pictures.

Taking Off:

Here they come around:

There they go:

Let's try it again:

And there they go:

I have more up over at my Flickr page.

Katie got some really great shots from the air.  See if you can find me.

Here's proof that the world is round.

After this experience of Aviation photography, I got some tips for the next time from Andie Smith from "Brought to you by the Letter A" blog.  If you really wanna see some awesome planes, check out her blog.
She has some posted from a Symposium she attended last weekend with Scott Kelby. Wow.

Look at What You Did .............

Michelle, you have caused such a ruckus round here.  Oooo weeee......Look at what a mess I got here.

You know I can't stay away very long with such a wonderful "Crusade" this month.  I had to make myself a Journaling Kit.  I have been watching all month long, during which I've had to plunder and pillage my craft space for things to put in my Kit.

Since everything is out, my goal this weekend is to reorganize and simplify (this means purge) this mess.  Good thing I have the Journaling Kit, so I will be able to grab it, go on the porch and escape the crafty mess.

I dug out an old makeup case from my closet   (I'm gonna spare you from that mess that resulted)  and started first trying to collect the doubles of tools and supplies I could find.   Then added some journaling stamps stored in a cd case to be compact.  Sharpie Markers and water color pencils made there way behind the stamp pads and glue.

I included some of the 7 Gypsies ATC cards to my kit so I can add more pages/cards to the ATC Holder I'm working on.  A picture/journal card of my kit will be the next addition.

And as for my "365 Day Project" I can report that although I have missed a couple of days,  I have been diligent in having the photos printed out and put in an album.

Disclaimer:  Let it be known right now that I will not be responsible if the above goal of cleaning the craft space does not happen this weekend.  For most of my time and attention may be held all weekend by this:

Oh, Michelle, you are such an enabler.    (Psst.....Thanks)

Taters are in the Ground.....

Around Valentines day you always plant your Taters, but first you must plow the garden:

Really you use tractor, but we had to let the kids have some fun before we put them to work dropping the tater eyes in the ground (always remember: eyes up).  With all  the rain we've had , the garden  was a perfect place to go bogg'in.

It was also a little therapeutic, for their Grandfather, my Father In Law passed away the week before.  He had fought cancer for 16 months.  We are all feeling the empty space missing him, but we all know that he feels much better now.  I think he is glad knowing that the taters are in the ground. 

There hasn't been much that we have done around the farm and house since then, that we haven't stopped to think about Papa and what his thoughts would be on the subject.

It was fifteen years ago this month that we lost my father and fourteen years ago this month we lost my granny, the kids' great granny on my mothers side. They would both be proud that the taters are in the ground for another year and fix them a second helping of "Taters and Dumplins". 

I still miss them and I still think about what they would do about different things. I think, over time, the missing part never goes away, just some of the sadness.

Do you carry your camera with you everywhere?

I thought I was the only one.

Knowing there are a lot of us who feel naked if we don't have our cell phone when we leave the house,I always wondered if there were others who felt the same about their camera.  I have a confession, I do.

I have the camera phone, and my son has small Nikon Cool Pix that I could borrow, but I have to have my Nikon D80 with me.  I just figured the best way for me to learn my camera was for it to be with me always. So , outta habit, I always grab my camera.

I do feel a little geeky but the geekyness is canceled out by the thought missing a photo and saying "If I only had my good camera with me........."

To my relief, I have found that I am in good company.  Over at Digital Photography School they have taken a Poll on this very subject.

"Do you have a camera that you take everywhere?"

Some have separate point and shoot cameras they take everywhere and some take their DSLRs.  I am even more interested in how they carry them without having to lug around 3 or 4 bags. 

Ok, so we've put that insecurity to rest, now on to

"How to take pictures in Public with the "People-will-look-at-you-funny" Critic screaming inside your head"

You do have those little voices inside your head don't you? 

Oh, please don't tell me I'm the only one.......

Photos + Story = Output

It has taken me almost a whole month to figure out what my goals are for this new year 2008.  To find the word for the future year, I searched the past years.  I found what was missing. 

For all of the art projects, picture taking, blogging, internet surfing, online classes, books, magazines, digital scrapbooking kits, clubs, trips to Michaels and Hobby Lobby that have filled my past years I have very little to show for it.

All of my photos are on my hard drive.  I have them, that's great.  But it doesn't help when you want to show company pictures and you have to asked them to wait till the computer warms up and the software decides to crash.

All of the ideas for stories and family histories are on my computer.  That's not going to help if something happens to me and no one knows the password to get in the files.

I can hear them now after I'm gone, at my viewing in the funeral parlor:   

"I thought she was a scrapbooker,  where are the scrapbooks?" 
      "She didn't finish it. Here are the empty albums"

"Someone told me she loved photography, where are the pictures?"
     "She didn't get around to printing them out."

"She always said,"I need to write that down", where's her notebooks?"
     "She did save them in one place.  She had so many notebooks started they could be anywhere."

I thought I was doing this to leave a legacy ( such a romantic word )  for my children, their children, their children's children and so on.  That was my intention. 

I realize now, if I keep that intention, they will have nothing.  Nothing to share, nothing to learn from, nothing to hold on to.

My focus word for 19, oh wait, My focus word for 2008 is:

                               OUTPUT

My first project for this new year is the 365 day challenge.  There are so many versions of this and I love following all of the entries but I have to modify my own so that my ADD self can reach the goal: "OUTPUT".  My version has the following rules:

Bare Minimum steps:

1. Must take a picture a day.  Anything, just take a picture.
2. Upload pictures to Flickr Account
3. Print pictures out at least weekly. (or order them online)
4. Put in 3 up album
5. Write a description.

Optional "Go with inspiration that brung you" Artistic rules:

1. Use the latest stamps or embelishments in 3 up album.
2. Decorate with what pleases you.
3. Use patterened paper.
4. But decorate them in this album.

My Plan Of Attack:

*Learn my camera, all of it's functions and How to take pictures. 
        I am hoping taking a picture a day will help in this department.  I am also registered to take a Composition Class at Pink Ink Studios with Andie that starts Feb. 1st.

*Learn Photoshop through reading and follow through with Lessons in Scott Kelby's 7 Point System.
        Holly at All Things Pink has written blog entries as she went through this book which has help me keep on the look out for things disscussed in the book.  She is also posting Photoshop Tutorials.

*Organize photos in a system that let's you enjoy your photo's while they are waiting to be scrapbooked.
       I had enrolled in Big Picture's Library of Memories class in 2006 and they are letting the alumni follow along with the class this year.  They did it last year too but I didn't get very far. I think it is so cool that they are giving me another chance.  Boy, do they know me or what.

There is more but I hold back now.  It's just I have been thinking on this post for a whole month.LOL

Note to self:  Don't write in your head, write it out on the blog.

The Million Dollar Group Photo

How many times does it take to get a group photo with the timer on the camera?

Let's See:

Try # 1

Nope, Try # 2

Nope, Try # 3

Close, but no cigar. 

Try # 4

Ahhh, nope.

Try # 5

Too Low.  But we are getting better about being closer.

Try # 6 -
TADA

The Million Dollar Group Photo, originally uploaded by SwampAngel.

I love the expressions on each face.  They each have a story to tell.

I love this picture.  And yes, a tripod is on my wish list for next Christmas.

Skipped Thanksgiving?

I seemed to have just skipped Thanksgiving and the Fall Season all together.  I knew it would get tough around the holidays but I have never just skipped and lost it.

I know we celebrated it or I would have had an angry household.  It must have got lost somewhere between finding a moving to a new job and picking up the turkey in the meat department.

So I am slowly, and I mean slowly getting grips and decorating a little, now that Christmas is less than two weeks away. 

Credits for the new blog banner go to The Shabby Shoppe and the Shabby Princess.  What would I do with out these digital helpers.