Fair Girl

I didn't intend to create this layout, it was completely accidental. Some photos of my fair daughter {she who will remain nameless} fell onto my computer screen and like magic, the Photoshop Faeries came out and played with the images, and added some mystical filters and effects. When I opened my eyes, this appeared on my screen. I thought she might like it. It's so good to have her home with us over Christmas. {She who will remain nameless} is like a little bohemian sprite, sweet and magical, full of life, laughter and music. She's my baby.

The Proposal

The Layout:

They're Engaged!

Our daughter Amy & her sweetie Jon got engaged late yesterday afternoon. Our family had gone to the Los Angeles LDS Temple for the evening, to look at the lights and see the new Visitor's Center, and they joined us there to make the big announcement. I just had to post these photos, so you can join with us in our happiness! They are planning an early spring wedding. I'll post more photos & a layout in the next few days! We're so excited for them! It was so fun having Jon here for Christmas, (he lives in Utah, near Amy) this was the perfect ending for our Christmas weekend!

Somewhere Under the Rainbow

Merry Christmas to all! I've been meaning to post this layout for a couple of days, but the holidays and my work deadlines have taken up all of my 'extra' time. (as if I have any extra time!)
We've been having massive rainstorms here in Southern California for the past week or so. Lots of flooding, some mudslides, and hazardous driving conditions. Wednesday afternoon, not long after a huge deluge that echoed through our office complex, I came outside to run an errand. I couldn't believe my eyes, when I saw a gorgeous double rainbow. I was so glad I had my camera at hand, I ran across the street to take better photos. Then I drove up into the hills above Culver City to get some prettier background photos. I realized after I looked at my photos, that some of them showed the rainbow ending at the section of town where Sony Pictures is... Sony used to be the MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer) Studios, where so many classic and famous movies were made. Among them was "The Wizard of Oz". How perfect that Dorothy's famous song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was filmed right where that amazing rainbow hung. It seemed somehow fitting to scrap some of my photos of the rainbow, along with a few historical photos. (The background is not only Dorothy and Toto, but also an aerial view of the MGM Studios around the time the Wizard of Oz was filmed in 1939.

I'll post about our Christmas a little later. I'm off to enjoy some more time with my family!

Christmas Letters

I mentioned in my last post that I've been doing Christmas letters for many years. So, after writing about all of these old letters, I decided to find them, and scan a few of them to share. The more I thought about them, the more my mind began whirring with lots of ideas on how I could share them with our children. Since they were very small when I started all of this, and they're all grown up now, I knew that they would be interested in what those old newsletters said about them, and their activities. I did discover that a few of them are missing. There were a few years that I just didn't do one. We moved a lot when the kids were little, and I'm sure there were times between work and being a Mommy, I just didn't have time. I think there might be one or two that I didn't save. I'm hoping they'll show up somewhere! But, starting from the first hand-drawn card I saved (1983) and this year, I have 22 out of a possible 28 letters. I know for sure that I didn't sent out 3 years, and the other 3 are a bit murky.

So I have big plans for these Christmas letter/ cards. I'm not going to tell you what it is, because my kids occasionally read my blog, and I want it to be a surprise! Maybe next year! (Because that's how long it will take me to do my 'big plan').

I did scan a few of them, (one side- most of them have elaborate letters, photos, artwork etc. on the back or insides) and I threw them together on a page. THIS IS NOT A LAYOUT! (I just wanted to get that straight! I have my standards for layouts, and this doesn't qualify. But it's interesting.) Feel free to click on the non-layout above for a closer look.

Joy to the World!

This is our Christmas card for 2010. I've been using Costco printing services for a year now, I did our cards there last year . I love that you can upload your design online, and then go & pick up your photos, cards, layouts or whatever in a few hours, or overnight (cards), and they look amazing. I've even used their printing services to print our church posters. I'm the designated poster designer, and I've done 3 16x20" designs, each only costs $6.99.
For the card, I took a bunch of photos of my cute Christmas-y silver bells, and added a couple of ribbons, which I also shot. A little extracting and some subtle brush work, and voila- a nice, dimensional looking card. These are some of my favorite photos of our family from the year... I'm sure you'll recognize some of them, because I've used all of them (except the one of Bruce & I) for layouts.

I've been designing our family Christmas cards & letters since 1982 or 83. I've saved a copy of each one... they range from hand drawn illustrations (printed at the old PIP in Hollywood) to Illustrator drawings, to simple Photoshop efforts, and now to the more elaborate and hopefully professional cards today. One year I designed a CD case- entirely printed & folded to make a nice package, with a recording of Christmas music by Annie & me. Actually, that's the only one I don't have.... I sent every one out, and didn't bother printing an extra one for us. Hopefully it isn't too late to do that!

This time of year I don't have much time to scrap... every bit of my creativity & time goes into my Christmas projects- either shopping, wrapping, or making. Or decorating. So, my layouts are kind of on hold. I hope to find time in the next two weeks to post more on my blog. I find blogging one small oasis enabling me to keep my sanity and perspective! Merry Christmas, and Cheers!

Sunset at Malibu

I have a love/ hate relationship with my Friday commute. I love that we get off work at 3 pm on Fridays, hate that I rarely leave before 4, love that in the winter I get to see the beach sunset on Pacific Coast Highway instead of dark skies, and hate it that traffic is much worse on Fridays than any other evening. But today I loved it because the sunset was spectacular. I stopped at one spot to take some amazing shots of the surfers in the gorgeous sunset ocean, then had to turn my car around up a hill to get back to the northbound lanes. When I turned to begin my descent to PCH, the photo above is the glorious sight my eyes beheld. I was pleased that my camera lens beheld it too!

Color in Moorpark

Here in Southern California, Autumn eventually comes. It's not really native to the area, but through the years, more deciduous trees are planted and mature, and this year the riot of color is amazing to me. I never remember anything like this growing up, it's more like the years we spent living in New England!
The first photo shows what it looked like out my door the day after Thanksgiving, and the second one was taken this morning.. just 10 days later.


These other photos were taken over the weekend, I think they're beautiful, don't you? But it seems funny to be decorating for Christmas with the luscious autumn colors... it's like some cosmic color mistake was made. Should I be putting pumpkins on my front porch and buying candy, and is it ok to take that Fall wreath down? I'm torn! but I'll vote for the Christmas decorations!

Jesse & Jace

We welcomed the newest member of the Clark family into the world this past week: my nephew Jesse and his sweet wife Julia are the proud parents of little Jace William Clark, born in Los Angeles on December 1. There were some complications on Julia's side, so they spent an additional few days at the hospital. All is well now, and Mama and Baby Jace are home enjoying their time together. Papa Jesse is understandably thrilled with his new little son. I took some rather bad, out of focus photos at Cedars-Sinai Hospital on Friday, but with a few cleverly applied artistic filters, I think we have a few passable photos of the Father-son bonding.