StefStyle

Winter Garden

2012-01-25T22:51:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry if you live in a cold, snowy place. I'm sorry if you had a blizzard this week, or sub-zero temperatures, or you simply see gray and brown and yellow each day...

I used some of the photos I shot today in LA to make this layout. I love California!

No Fast Food Here

2012-01-24T22:46:00.000-08:00

This week on my favorite scrapping website, Two Peas in a Bucket, I participated in a scrapping challenge: to create a humorous layout. I don't know how humorous my layout is, but it seemed funny at the time!

A week ago Sunday, my sister Lynne and I traveled about 4 hours north of Los Angeles, to the Central Valley, to attend the birthday party of a favorite cousin. The GPS on my iPhone told us that the trip would take nearly 5 hours, but in reality, it was less than 4. So, we got to the little town of Dos Palos about an hour early. Not wanting to show up at an inconvenient time, we decided to find a fast food restaurant. The idea was to have a snack, relax, and maybe check my email on my computer which I had with me, and which I would easily be able to do via the internet that McDonald's conveniently offers its customers. Ha. Ha ha. When we drove into town (actually 'town' is slightly optimistic. I think I would call Dos Palos a leetle village), we were amazed that there were towns like this in California. I truly don't want to criticize a struggling little Central California town... after all, if it weren't for those darned Delta smelt fish, the Central Valley would be awash in money, produce, and culture. But, since the Valley is as dry as a bone, and still recovering from drought and environmental overenthusiasm, the little town looked a little worse for the wear. We drove to what we think was the center of town, and lo and behold, right on the corner sat a large old-fashioned hardware store, complete with old-fashioned old timers. They sat right in front of the door, gossiping and probably chewing tobacco and spitting (I didn't actually see any spitting or chewing, it's just a guess). We called to them from our car, asking where was the closest McDonalds. The reply was quick and to the point: "No fast food here!". Really? No McDonalds, Taco Bell or Burger King? No Subway or Jack in the Box? What kind of town was this? They recommended either the Taco Grotto or Butch's Drive-In. We picked Butch's. It was actually quite good, although McDonald's at least has a restroom, which is more than I can say for Butch's place.

So, I made a layout about our little adventure, and using some photos I took of the more 'colorful' parts of town, put together something like this:

If you like, you can click on the image for a much larger view!

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

2012-01-21T21:45:00.000-08:00

Bruce and I spent our last day in Palm Springs Thursday up on the top of Mount San Jacinto... we traveled the famed Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which climbs nearly 6,000 feet in 10 minutes. It was awesome in every sense of the word! Incredible views, beautiful mountain scenery (such a change from the desert oasis of Palm Springs), soaring pine trees, deep blue skies, snowy mountains and valleys, and very thin air! I was exhausted after hiking less than a mile, and climbing a steep path back up to the lodge after our little hike.

You can click on the image for a closer view of my tiny photos! Also, you can visit this link to get more information about the tram.

Palm Springs.... Again!

2012-01-17T23:02:00.000-08:00

We're back in Palm Springs for a few days, working on the book, enjoying some peace and quiet. I took a few photos today, I thought you might enjoy them! That's all I have to report!

Love the roadrunner! I love my new zoom lens too, I can see every feather!

Rural Utah

2012-01-16T18:41:00.000-08:00

I've been anxious to start scrapping some of the photos I took in Utah before I tackle some other projects. I love the feel of these photos I took in Nephi and Spanish Fork, Utah last Tuesday when I took Amy down to her doctor's appointment. She was very patient as she sat in pain the car while I traipsed around taking pictures of pinto ponies and weathered barns.

It feels good to be scrapping again. I admit, I've been in a bit of a creative funk for the past couple of months. Lots on my mind, lots of busy-ness, and not a lot of creative energy. I have several ideas for some new layouts, keep your eye on this spot in the next few weeks.

On the Way Home

2012-01-12T17:26:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged since Saturday... I've been so busy! But I took lots of pictures, and had lots of adventures to share & create about.

Monday and Wednesday I spent my afternoons at Brigham Young University with the Industrial Design students, doing a presentation about toy design, and introducing their winter quarter toy design project. I'll be returning in 8 weeks or so, to do the final critique. It's been so much fun! There are 7 seniors in the class, so they are experienced and knowlegeable designers.

Tuesday I drove Amy down to Nephi, Utah, about an hour and a half south of Salt Lake for her followup doctor's appointment after her knee surgery. It was a beautiful day, and we had a wonderful time visiting and just being together. We met her mother-in-law at the doctor's office, and after the stitches were removed, we all went out to lunch. Shanon is a doll, Amy is very blessed to have such wonderful in-laws!

I took this photo just outside Nephi. I love the pinto ponies, and any time I see a herd of horses I just have to stop.

I'll be back in the next few days with some layouts and maybe some more photos and details about my trip. But for now, I'm just looking forward to being home tonight with my sweetie!

Snowy Day

2012-01-07T12:20:00.000-08:00

Did I say something about little snow?

I lied.

Hello from Utah!

2012-01-06T22:28:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Utah yesterday, to spend a week with my kids, grandson, and to do a two-day presentation at Brigham Young University. I'm really excited about the presentation- I'll be sponsoring a 7-week toy design project with the Industrial Design department. It is for the ID senior class, and I'm sure they will enjoy designing and creating something as fun as toys! So, Monday and Wednesday I'll be lecturing and conducting a brainstorm. Then they will pick their projects, and during the next 7 weeks I'll be reviewing and guiding from afar, then in late February, I'll come back to Utah for the final critique. I did a similar project in 2006, so it's been awhile.

My daughter Amy (the recent bride) had knee surgery last week, and so I wanted to spend some time with her, helping out & just being there for her as she recovers. She is pretty much bedridden, and although Jon is a terrifically attentive husband and nursemaid, he has to work & go to school. So, Mom to the rescue! I'm staying at son Alec and Alicia's home in Draper, and they have lots of room for me, and spending time with grandson Jackson is great!

I'm sure I'll find some time to take some photos & collect some memories for scrapping. I'll just post this photo I took from Alec's front porch this morning. Lovely Utah mountains! (Alas, but with very little snow!)

January Sunset

2012-01-02T23:22:00.000-08:00

One of the awesome features of my *new* Nikon camera, is a whole slew of new auto features, called 'Scene'. These settings optimize common tricky light settings, such as candlelight, night landscape, food, dusk, and a few more. I was really excited to see 'Sunset' as one of these settings. Since I love taking sunset photos, and knowing how time is of the essence when taking a sunset or dusk shot, taking the time to figure out the manual settings would be too much for my pea brain to figure out in a hurry. My old Nikon (using the auto settings, which I rarely ventured away from) took lousy sunset photos, because the light meter wanted to let too much light in. I found my sunset photos were often washed out and dull.

Tonight, there was an incredible sunset over Moorpark. I first saw the magnificent sky when I was shopping with Annie, but taking a gorgeous sunset photo in a parking lot with the Target store blocking much of the view, left much to be desired. Driving home, while most of the saturated color had left the sky, I was still impressed enough with the light to stop my car on a bridge, and shoot what was left of the sunset, with the light reflecting in the arroyo below. I did punch the saturation just a wee bit, but not much. I loved how the inky blackness of the wash and surrounding area made the water look like a blue mirror.

Sometimes it's nice to just create a simple layout, letting the photo take center stage, and all the glory. I mean, what else can you say? Just what it was, January Sunset. I've included below the incredible sky over Target, showing how even the mundane can be glorified with God's light show!

Grandpa's Tools

2011-12-29T21:19:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping that after a long creative slump, I'm finally getting back into the swing of scrapping and creating interesting layouts. A new camera certainly helps! I finally finished a layout today... It's been two weeks since I created an actual layout! That's pretty pathetic! But I've been thinking about this one for awhile. I have a couple of very old, kinda cool tools that belonged to my Grandfather Clark... an old ice pick (or perhaps it's a leather punch, not sure which!) and a very old folding yard stick. My grandpa wasn't exactly Mr. Fixit...I don't really remember him doing any building or repairing things. I'm sure he did, I just wasn't privvy to these episodes of manly activities. During my childhood he had an office in downtown Los Angeles, running his own grain brokerage. My Dad and Grandpa worked together until Grandpa's retirement, then Dad took over the business. But Grandpa had other, less sedate businesses in his early years, long before I came into the picture. Grandpa had been a rancher, a dry farmer, and at one time, a nurseryman. He was responsible for providing and planting many of the trees in Brigham City Utah, and I'm sure, lots of other places as well. In the 1930s, Grandpa was a Utah State Senator. I'm sure all of these different types of jobs made Grandpa a jack-of-all-trades, and handy with a shovel, plow, or ice pick.

But what I really remember best about Grandpa, was his storytelling. When Grandpa was a child, growing up in the late 1800s, early 1900s in Cache Valley, Utah, it was common for young people to perform in school and church programs: telling stories, reciting poems, singing songs. There was no TV or radio, so families, churches and schools had to be the community entertainment source. Grandpa learned 'pieces'.... poems or stories that he memorized and then recited for his friends, family and neighbors. He was very good at it! One of the things that set Grandpa apart, was his sense of humor and fun. He could make any grandchild shriek in terror or laughter when he recited "The Bear Story", or "The Cremation of Sam McGee". He also created his own stories and told them well. He had a fascinating way of captivating his listeners, telling stories of his youth and stories about his ancestors.

He greatly admired Will Rogers, and often quoted him, or recounted an anecdote from his life. I inherited several of Grandpa's Will Rogers books, one of which is in my layout. It just seemed to epitomize Grandpa's best tool: his wit and humor.

Christmas Projects

2011-12-28T17:56:00.000-08:00

Every year I try to create at least one creative project as a Christmas gift or ornament. I generally make a new ornament every year (sometimes I don't get it done until it's time to pack away the decorations for the season), and often I make a gift or two. This year I made two gifts. I would have posted them as I completed them, but then the recipients might have seen them on my blog and had the surprise ruined! So I'll post them now!

Here's the original design as it appeared on my computer screen

The first project I did was for our oldest son Ian and his wife Jessica and son Aidan. They live in Texas, and were not able to join us for Christmas this year. Ian and Jess have wonderful taste in art and design... they love retro looks, modern things, and fun, quirky illustrations and graphic design. They also lean toward modern color combinations, rather than traditional colors. One day, a month or so before Christmas, I got the idea that I might make a clock for them. I thought I'd start at Michael's craft store, knowing they had clock parts, and I might find something suitable to use as a base for the clock. I wanted to create an unusual, unique and personal clock that would look like no other clock in the world. Modern, fun, but functional. I was lucky enough to find a child's clock kit on the clearance aisle. Although it came with 'the works' (round unfinished wood plaque, clock mechanism, crayons, customizable face designs, numerals, even carbon paper to transfer their awful designs!) I really only needed the plaque and the clock works and hands. It beat buying everything separately, and worked just fine. Bruce helped me by painting the plaque white. Then I designed the clock. I chose colors I thought they would like, and created a fun, mid-century graphic look using photos of each of them, plus some graphic shapes. I needed to use my Photoshop skills to turn regular photos into high contrast images, that I could blend together to get a unique look. When my design was done, I uploaded it to Costco, and had it printed on nice photo paper. After that, it was simple to assemble. I was so pleased with the results! Although I didn't post it to my blog, I did put it up on Two Peas, and from there, the website 'Gallery Standouts' picked the image as one of their daily 'Finger Pointing' picks on December 18th. That's quite an honor, and I was so pleased to have a hybrid project like that chosen! It's usually just digital scrapbook layouts! (This is my 4th GSO!- you can see them all here)

Bruce has been hinting that he wanted a special calendar done by me this year... a few years ago I gave everyone in the family a calendar, but it is very time consuming, because I don't use pre-made calendar templates. I create my own, and add all of the family birthdays and events. (This is over 50 people... nieces, nephews, spouses, grand nieces grand nephews, siblings, in-laws, the whole bit). So I finally got busy and made him a calendar. I just had some of my favorite layouts of the year printed at Costco, printed the calendar itself on my trusty Epson, on regular card stock, then had it spiral bound, and added the photos when it was all complete. I think it turned out rather well!

I used a lot of Dover art for the calendar sections... so that entailed a lot of scanning and editing and futzing around until I was happy with the look. Each month had a unique icon for the birthdays and holidays, mostly simple Photoshop shapes. It was a fun project, and I wish now that I had taken the time to make one for everyone! (Sigh, there's always next year!)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T19:59:00.000-08:00

We have enjoyed a wonderful, special Christmas weekend! Although our family was smaller this year, we had a wonderful time, good food, warm home, lots of music and sharing of gifts. I hope that you all had a most special holiday, what ever holiday your family celebrates.

In really teeny tiny font size, I wanted to share the fabulous news that my sweet husband Bruce got me a new Nikon D5100 dslr camera! I'm so excited! It works like a dream, and I can't wait to explore everything that I will be able to do with it! (It takes video as well as still photos, which I'm definitely going to have to learn!)
I am looking forward to lots of creative photography in 2012!

Christmas Cabbage Patch Babies

2011-12-20T17:06:00.000-08:00

In my collector's blog The Copycat Collector, I posted today about my small collection of Christmas Cabbage Patch Kids. Every Tuesday I post one of my toy collections, and during Christmas month, I've been adding the few Christmas toys that I have. I thought I'd blog about it here today, because three of the four dolls I have featured, were designed by me when I worked at Mattel in the mid-90s. (Important note: Cabbage Patch Kids are NEVER to be referred to as 'dolls', they are always 'kids, or babies, or preemies, or whatever! One mustn't break the rules of the Cabbage Patch!) These particular cute li'l babies were sold through the Avon Company, and were in their catalogs, not sold in stores. So there's no special package or box that they came in. Just a poly bag. But they are cute, don't you think?

One of the babies, the one in the red dress, is a prototype. The little applique image is actually a drawing, showing what the final sewn applique will look like. I think it's kind of nice to have that little artwork on there, rather than the perfect machine made patch, visible on the green dress baby.

The funny Christmas tree one, is a collectible special edition Cabbage Patch Kid from OAA (Original Appalachian Artworks) named Treena. She is from 1995. I meant to sell her years ago on eBay, but just never could bring myself to do it. I think I'll hang on to her. She sorta looks like a combination of a Christmas tree and the Statue of Liberty, don't you think?

The Gifts of Christmas

2011-12-16T18:19:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I participated in a huge Christmas extravaganza put on by my church. The Thousand Oaks Stake of the LDS Church presented "Finding Christmas", a trilogy consisting of the First Christmas, The Music of Christmas, and The Gifts of Christmas. I was in the Gifts of Christmas. Our portion of the trilogy was a play, combining the magic of Dicken's Christmas Carol with modern times. It was so much work... we put on 5 different performances over 3 days: Friday evening, Saturday matinee, Saturday evening, Sunday matinee, and Sunday evening. Each performance required us to perform our segment 3 separate times, because the audience circulated to all three performances. So, three times each performance meant we put on our show 15 times! But it was so much fun! We had lots of rehearsals over the past month or so, especially the last week. It seems that my whole life revolved around the rehearsal and performance schedule. In addition to doing a little 'acting', if you can call it that, I played my hammered dulcimer as part of the play. It went really well! I didn't make any mistakes to speak of, and I wasn't even nervous. It was exhilarating to be a part of such a wonderful production. The other two segments were more like standard concerts or pageants... with choirs, soloists, orchestra, and dancing. I didn't really get to see the other two shows, but I heard they were wonderful. Bruce video taped some of the segments, and everything looked and sounded so professional.

I'm finally getting back to normal this week, but I feel so bad that I haven't been blogging at all since last Friday. I hope that just because it's Christmas coming up next week, that I don't let this go too long without an update!

I created this simple layout (I even used our Christmas card background) to share a few of the photos of the performance. One of the fun things about the show was that I took photos with my iPhone during the show, while I was onstage, and in character. It was part of the show, and it gave me lots of (mostly horrible) photos to work with. (Trust me, although the iPhone cameras have come a long way since they first came out, the photos can't compare to a DSLR!) But I think these came out just fine, and they capture the spirit of the performance!
(Click on the picture for a closer look)

Too Much Busy-ness!

2011-12-09T17:30:00.000-08:00

It's been nearly a week since I blogged, and although I haven't done anything creative this week (other than work on our Christmas newsletter to go with the card I posted last) I didn't want to wait another day to write something!

Today on my collector's blog, I posted about my small collection of Chris Van Allsburg books. I love his illustrations, they really resonate with me creatively and artistically. Our family's favorite book to read on Christmas Eve (except for the New Testament of course) is the Polar Express. We've read that book aloud every Christmas Eve for well over 20 years. I'm not sure what year I bought it, but probably in the late '80s.

So, in celebration of Christmas Traditions, and the wonderful writing and art of Chris Van Allsburg, I say:

Getting Into the Christmas Spirit

2011-12-03T09:31:00.000-08:00

I am really getting into the Christmas Spirit this year- for a variety of reasons. One reason is that I'm surrounded by Christmas music. That's a good way to get me in a happy mood! Not just the usual Christmas music I play on the CD player or computer, but the music I'm playing or working on for various Christmas events. I'm playing the dulcimer in our Stake Christmas Concert next weekend (Ack! It's coming up so fast!) so I've been practicing "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Joy to the World". Then there's our Ward Choir, which I am the director... we are preparing three Christmas songs for our church service December 18th. I'm helping Annie work on "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (me plunking it out on the piano, she singing it beautifully and sweetly) for our church women's organization Christmas dinner and program this coming Thursday.

Another reason I'm in the Christmas mood, is that I got our Christmas card done early this year! That's early for me... I finished it December 1, uploaded it to Costco yesterday, and picked them up last night. I still have to write and design the Christmas letter that goes along with it, but I'm feeling creative, so that should happen over the weekend.

I'm also in the Christmas mood because I'm featuring Christmas items in my daily Collector Blog all month... I sure hope I have enough Christmas collections to last me that long! (keeping fingers crossed!) Although I haven't started decorating yet, I think we'll start pulling out the boxes this week. Can't wait!

But the biggest reason I'm in the mood for Christmas, is that I have more time this year to enjoy the holiday preparations. It's great to be home during the day, instead of whizzing off to work, only to return in the evening exhausted and uninspired! (I've even gotten a tiny bit of shopping done, which is so unlike me!)

I hope you enjoy your holidays too, whatever you celebrate!

The Last Photos

2011-11-30T17:55:00.000-08:00

Today was the last photo for our 30-day photo challenge. I'm sad to see it end, it was a lot of fun. It was a bit stressful having to use my iPhone camera for nearly half the month, since my Nikon died, but that also meant challenging myself to stretch a little with my compositions and approach to the photo.

Amy's 'Kid

2011-11-29T09:59:00.000-08:00

When the kids were here this past week, our daughter Amy was going through some of her childhood possessions. She was sorting through the things she wants to keep, and stuff she's ready to get rid of. She and Jon live in small apartment in Salt Lake, so there's not any extra storage room. So those things are staying right here for the time being. One of Amy's most precious treasures is her old Cabbage Patch Kid. She took very good care of it through the years, and it brings back so many happy memories of her as a little girl. There is a story behind how I got that doll, and I wanted to tell it through a layout for her.

Back in the Spring of 1983, I had heard about this new Cabbage Patch line of dolls. I wasn't yet a doll designer, but I had strong opinions on the aesthetics of dolls. This new doll was not my favorite doll in the world, but when I saw the vast shelves of CPK dolls at Zody's in Hollywood, I thought I'd better get one for Amy for Christmas. Christmas was still a long time away, but there was such a huge selection, I was mesmerized. I clearly remember standing in that toy section, with dolls from floor to ceiling on the shelves. Dozens, if not hundreds of dolls. Each one different. Of course, I wanted one that looked like my brown-eyed, brown-haired little girl. And she had to be wearing something cute- nothing frilly for my little tomboy. It took me quite a while to find the right one. She was wearing a red dress, and had long brown pigtails, tied up with white ribbons. And her name was 'Honey Stephie'! She was perfect. I brought her home, and hid her in the kids' closet, high up, and in the back. There she sat for months and months, waiting for Christmas. (Trust me, I don't ever buy Christmas presents that early... if I get something that long before Christmas, it is given to the child for some other special occasion. Like breathing). Then, in about October, all hell broke loose! Cabbage Patch Kids became the rage! There's probably never been a toy frenzy like the one over Cabbage Patch Kids that year- people fighting in the aisles, and the great lengths people would go to to acquire one of the precious dolls. It was a media spectacle too, and I wasn't immune to seeing the news, and the crazy prices people were willing to pay. And I had one of these precious dolls hiding in the closet. For a brief moment I considered selling the doll. We were, after all, a struggling young family with two little ones. Amy wouldn't know the difference, she had never seen the doll, nor asked for it. But I decided that giving the doll to Amy was more important than money, so in the closet it stayed. On Christmas morning, Amy was thrilled with her new dolly. We took some photos of her with the doll, and I found them to scan, and share on this layout.

(I think it is an interesting footnote, that a little over ten years later, I became a Cabbage Patch designer when I was working at Mattel, and for many years after during my freelance years. I'm part of that Cabbage Patch history too!)

Photo taken of me in the Mattel Photo Studio, 1996

The Photo Challenge is almost over!

2011-11-27T11:15:00.000-08:00

Only a few days left on the 30-day Photo Challenge: here are my most recent day's entries:

I kind of cheated on Day 25- our friend Janel actually snapped the photo. Since my camera died, I didn't want an iPhone photo for our Holiday shot. Janel kindly let us borrow her camera, and she ended up taking this one, since we couldn't figure out how to use the auto shutter settings on her Canon. (nice camera, by the way!) The topic was 'Happy', and that picture looked pretty happy to me!

About Creative Block and Other Things

2011-11-26T00:17:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, we were in Palm Springs, for a much needed break, and for me to find some uninterrupted time to work on my history of South Pasadena Junior High (which I've been sluggishly writing for about 4+ years). I did get quite a bit done, and I also was able to scan more photos from the SPJHS archives, of which I am the temporary guardian. One of the photos really intrigued me... it was of a group of 8th and 9th grade girls, taken in 1934. These young ladies were the girl's sports 'managers', who were each in charge of a different sport. I found out the names of each of the girls by finding this photo in the school newspaper, but it was the original photo itself, not the small black and white halftone in the paper, that captivated me. Looking at the girls close up, I was surprised to see that they seemed so real to me. Their pretty faces and cute hairstyles didn't look dated to me... they looked universal. A couple of the girls looked like they could have walked straight out of our local mall, and fit right in with adolescents of 2011. They all wore simple, light colored (probably white) dresses. School uniforms. They all wore old-fashioned shoes with anklets (some of them were patterned... just like today).

I wanted to make a layout about them, but since I didn't actually know any of these girls, it seemed I wanted to make a layout about the 'real-ness' of them. Or at least my wanting to make them seem real, so that my eventual finished product book will bring them somewhat to life. I'm not doing a book about any particular students- it's just a history of the school after all. But in doing my research, I'm finding myself feeling closer to many of the students and teachers. I guess it's just a visual thing, because I know nothing of them, really. But in my convoluted way, I'm saying that I'm trying to bring these kids to life. Or at least make them seem not like old black and white photos, but like real students who had real lives.

So, I started a layout on November 13th. I had an idea of how I wanted it to look. I easily composed the page like I envisioned it, but after that, I had nothing but creative block. The basic design never changed, but I changed everything else... the colors, the title, the background, the handling of the group photo behind the girl in color, even the girl changed and changed. I finally 'called it a day' yesterday, and declared it finished. I realize I'm making way too big a deal about this process. It's just a layout. Not every layout is a work of art, or incredibly original or creative. Many of them are just a bunch of photos layered prettily on a page with a title and a few words. Done. But I wanted this one to be special. And I don't think I really did that. It's ok. But I guess that's the way a lot of designs are. Ok. And that's really quite all right.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

I have so much to be thankful for! All of our beautiful children are here with us for Thanksgiving! We've had so much fun in the past few days, eating, visiting, driving, eating, just hanging out. And eating!

I'm so thankful for a wonderful husband! He takes such good care of me, and is so fun! He loves having the kids here, and plans lots of fun activities for us to do! I love him for trying to take my precious camera apart to try to fix it.. we found some instructions online on how to do it, and he made a valiant attempt. But it went 'POOF!', and I think it's a goner. But he was so sweet and patient to give it a try. (I'm almost hyperventilating here without my camera... it's soooo hard to use an iPhone camera to try to capture those precious memories. But I will do it!)

I'm thankful for a wonderful family. I have two amazing sisters, a great brother, and my sweet 99-year old Mom. There are also wonderful in-laws, and tons of fabulous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews. Some of them will be at our house today to celebrate Thanksgiving! I've counted 22 that will be here, and for that, I'm so grateful. To have a house large and comfortable enough to accommodate all this family is truly a blessing.

Here are the last three photos on the 30-day photo challenge. These iPhoto ones have actually turned out pretty well!

2/3 Done

2011-11-20T21:32:00.000-08:00

Today was Day 20 of our 30 day photo challenge. I admit, I've really been enjoying it. The only problem has been that my beloved Nikon D40X camera died on Monday while we were in Venice. I was photographing some lovely flowers, and I thought the motor sounded a bit funny. Then, it just stopped working with an error message that says: "Error. Press shutter release button again". Well, I tried that. Nothing. Same error message. Luckily, my new iPhone takes quite nice photos, especially outdoors. In fact, the large photo on my previous layout was taken with the iPhone, and I like it even better than the earlier ones with the Nikon. But, for indoor, low light, zoom, etc, they just don't quite cut it. So, I've been using the iPhone camera for my last 3 days of the photo challenge. See if you can see the difference! (Maybe you can't!) The possible good news is, I looked up this error message on Google, and found out it MIGHT be possible to fix it ourselves, VERY carefully, with detailed instructions. But it also might fail, in which case, we need to decide whether to pay for an expensive camera repair bill, or buy a new one. Which wouldn't really work into our budget right now. Please keep your fingers crossed for us!

A Day in Venice, California

2011-11-18T23:25:00.000-08:00

This morning Annie and I drove to LAX to pick up daughter Amy an son-in-law Jon, who arrived in town to spend a week with us for Thanksgiving. We had planned a day trip to go to either Santa Monica or Venice, and I'm so glad we picked Venice. I've lived in the Los Angeles area nearly my whole life, and I've never been to the canals of Venice. I've been to the boardwalk at Venice Beach, but not for years and years.

The canals of Venice are just beautiful.. lovely homes, some bungalows, some super modern. Most of the homes have a little dock and a rowboat, canoe, or paddleboat tied up there. There were lovely flowers, ducks in the water, and people walking their dogs. I met a couple visiting from Toronto, who were in love with Venice and the canals.

Venice was the brainchild of a man named Abbot Kinney, who in the early years of the 20th century, envisioned a resort area on the beaches of Southern California like Coney Island, combined with the canals of Venice, Italy. Originally, much of the city was covered by canals, but only a small section remain. Neglect, development, and politics contributed to their being filled in many years ago. Today the canal area is a very desirable location, and the homes there are pricy and eclectic. Super modern sit next to 1920s bungalows, with exotic flowers, landscaping, fountains, and of course, footbridges along the canals.

Crazy!

2011-11-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

It's been a crazy few days... our daughter Annie came home from New York today, she's left New York City for now, happy to reestablish herself as a Californian! It's also Annie's 20th birthday, and it was wonderful to celebrate with her! We've missed her so much- phone calls and infrequent visits just weren't enough!

In addition to Annie moving home, we're also getting ready for EVERYONE to come home for Thanksgiving. Daughter Amy & her new husband Jon arrive tomorrow morning, and son Ian and wife Jessica arrive Sunday. We'll have a full house! Son Alec and daughter-in-law Alicia and grandson Jackson will be staying with her folks here in Moorpark, so at least we won't need to put anyone on the couch. So, lots of cleaning, organizing, and shopping to get ready for the holiday.... We'll have around 20 here for Thanksgiving, I can't wait!

But, not a lot of time for scrapping, or doing fun creative projects. One of the bonuses of losing my job, is now I can focus on establishing my own business again. I've taken back my studio from Bruce, who's been using it for a couple of years. So, now I'm in the process of cleaning, organizing, and moving myself & my computer back into my lovely studio. It's definitely more comfortable than the kitchen table!

I have had some time to take my daily photo for the 30-day challenge. Without further ado, I'll post the last few days. I'm also working on a layout, perhaps I'll get it finished tonight so I can post it.

Next Group of Photos

2011-11-13T17:06:00.000-08:00

Here are the next three photos from our 30-day Photography Challenge. As always, this is really fun for me, trying to figure out something interesting for each day.

For the subject of 'many', I took a photo of my many toy typewriters. (I was originally thinking I had 11 of them, which would be perfect for 11/11, but alas, I only have 10.

This gorgeous lady is my Mom, Vi Clark, who is 99 years old. I treasure every day I have to spend with her. Yesterday we went out for ice cream, and I snapped this photo.

I love where we live... lovely weather almost any time of year.

The Beautiful Mission Inn

2011-11-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday when we were returning home from Palm Springs, we spent the afternoon in Riverside at the amazing Mission Inn. I had visited the Mission Inn once before, back at Christmastime 1976. My post-college roommate Susan was from Riverside, and we went out there to visit her family and see her home town. I hadn't really spent any time out in the Inland Empire, so it was all new to me. I clearly remember going to the Mission Inn with Susan and her Dad. I loved the incredible architecture and decor.... and always wanted to return. Bruce had never heard of it before, so it was fun to share it with him. But it's changed! It has been lovingly restored and revamped in the past 35 years or so, going through several owners, including a time when it was completely shuttered in the 1980s.

We went to the little Mission Inn Museum, and signed up for a tour, then went and had lunch at the Mission Inn Restaurant, where we enjoyed a lovely meal on the Spanish Patio.

On the tour we learned all about Frank Miller- the original owner and visionary who created a magnificent monument to hospitality and beauty over a period of nearly 35 years. The first large section of the hotel was built in the early part of the 20th century, and was designed in the Mission Revival style of architecture. But after that, each section and wing had a different style: Spanish Revival style, Renaissance Revival, Moorish Revival, Spanish Gothic, and there is even a Chinese section. He hired several architects over the years, and traveled the world to buy artifacts and treasures with which to furnish his masterpiece.

You can click on the layout for a closer view of some of my little photos!

Another Few Photos

2011-11-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

We're on day 10 of the photo challenge, and I've really been enjoying it. Here are my next 3 photos, with the subject & date & info on each one.

Desert Morning

2011-11-09T07:11:00.000-08:00

Today is day three of our visit to Palm Springs, and it's going to be a short one. We have to check out of our room at 10 am, so I'm up bright and early trying to get my internet postings done for the day. The only negative aspect of our visit has been that our resort doesn't have internet access, and has very poor cell phone reception. So each morning I've gone to McDonald's to spend an hour or so on the internet taking care of my blog, emails and other computer stuff.

I'm very proud of myself: I've really been working hard on my book this week, and feel I've made more headway than I had hoped. I've made good progress on three chapters. Since it's research based and not 'imagination' based, like a novel, it's hard to quantify how much research and note taking actually are going to end up applying to the finished product.

I also took a little time yesterday early morning to take some photos of the nearby desert. It was day 8 of the photo challenge, and the subject was Morning. I really liked some of the shots I took, so I put them together into a very quick layout.

More of the Photo Challenge

2011-11-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

Bruce and I are in Palm Spings for a few days. We have a time share here- Palm Springs isn't my favorite place in the world. I'm not a desert person, but it's a great getaway, and place to work. I have been working (very slowly) on writing a book about a school I attended, and I use this stay as a chance to work on the book without any interruptions. Both this visit and last, I hauled all of my boxes of research materials & archives, to have a few days without any other commitments.

But I do have a few commitments: one is for the 30-day photo challenge I'm participating in. Here are my last 3 days worth of photos, including today. I finally got wise and put the dates & name of the challenge on each one.

(If you are a male person, please avert your eyes on this last one)

My other commitment is my collector blog, which must go on- travels or no. You can check it out here.

Regardless of my feelings about Palm Springs and the desert, I will share with you any photos or layouts I do of the dramatic desert scenery.

The 30 Day Photo Challenge

2011-11-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

There are lots of challenges in the world of photography and scrapbooking. I often participate in them, enjoying an extra push to get me out of my comfort zone, help me learn a new skill, or just join in the fun. Generally these challenges are single layouts or photos. I prefer technical challenges: a new Photoshop skill, or a design element. I also enjoy color challenges: using a particular color combination. I am very reluctant to do long term challenges, because I'm just not willing to commit to doing a layout a day, or a photo a day, or a layout about a photo a day. (Some of these challenges last a whole year!). But this one popped up just at the right time! It's a photo a day for a month, each day has a different fun theme. Since I am now "unemployed", I figure I can do THAT! So, today is day four, and I can already see a problem. Not that I can't take the photos, but that there might be some days that the subject might not jibe with my life. Today's subject is clouds. Wouldn't you know it, there's not a cloud in the sky today? So I guess that means I'll have to be clever and come up with either another idea for clouds, or wait until later to see what pops up in the sky. Three days from now, the subject is "In the Kitchen". Well, I love my kitchen. I could take lots of great photos of my kitchen. But three days from now my kitchen will be the kitchen at Palm Canyon Resort, where Bruce and I are going for a few days, including Day 9. I don't think the little kitchenette there is really quite up to snuff for a great photo. Perhaps a little cheating might be in order. I mean, who wouldn't do that? So I think I'll have to do a little shuffling around of photos & days to solve all of my weighty problems.

I don't think I'll post my photos here every day, but I'll try to take a few opportunities throughout the month to get them up.

Some of the people participating have created clever frames and titles on their photos, so I've done that too. I'm such a copycat!

Holy Halloween, Batman!

2011-11-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

Here's the original photo!

Now that I have "lots of time on my hands", I thought it would be fun to celebrate with a layout. This photo was taken with Alec's iPhone camera, and when he texted it to me, I laughed out loud! I just knew I had to have a little cartoon fun with it! I probably overdo it with the halftone filters on my layouts, but I can't get enough. I guess I'm a 60s girls who loves Roy Lichtenstein and pop art! Isn't our little guy adorable? He took his Halloween adventure very seriously, and scored a half a bucket of goodies. We weren't home when they arrived to trick or treat at our house, but they stuck around so we could marvel over their costumes and take some photos of them.

Mystic, and Some News

2011-11-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest layout! I vowed not to do another one of these 'photos in the letters' layouts any time soon, but it just kind of happened. As usual, too many photos, too little space, so I just did the title work, and I'm happy with my choice of photos. The day we were in Mystic, Connecticut in early October, was a gloomy one. But the sun's rays streaming gently through the clouds, subtly illuminated the river. It wasn't an overly dramatic scene, but quietly beautiful. The water looked pewter, the sky like silver.

Shown in the layout are some of the scenes we saw in Mystic, including our friend Leon, who is the children's book buyer at Bank Square Books in Mystic, daughter Annie walking along the river, the work of a local children's artist, and the famous Mystic Pizza.

On a personal note, I was laid off from my job today. It's been a rather trying experience. I've never been "downsized" before, other than Weight Watchers, LOL. I really loved my job- great company, great co-workers, great career.... but I am at peace that things will work out for me. At the moment I plan to restart my own toy design business, that I had for 13 years. I'm also looking forward to NOT driving 100 miles a day, round trip, in 3-4 hour Los Angeles traffic. Stay tuned. I'm sure I'll enlighten you on how things are going in my creative life.

Colorful in Every Way

2011-10-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

Our daughter Annie is very picky about photos of her. She's pretty much hated every layout I've ever done about her, because she doesn't like the photos. She doesn't seem to like the pretty, smiling ones. She doesn't really like the solemn ones. I'm not sure what it is, but only Annie knows what photos she likes. So, when we were in New York with her earlier this month, I had her pick her favorite photos that I had taken of her. I put them into an album on iPhoto, and I promised that I would only use these photos in my scrapping. Well, I've already broken that promise! I just thought these pictures were so cute, I couldn't resist. (She did choose the one on the top left of this layout, so I'm not totally a bad Mom).

These pictures were taken in Central Park, right by the Boat Pond. I love the cute faces she was making, she's totally uninhibited with her expressions, and they are charming and dear to me. I love the contrast of her beautiful fair skin, her lovely green eyes, strawberry blonde hair, and purplish hat. She truly is a colorful girl!

Victorious/ Spin Master Cast Party

2011-10-25T22:53:00.000-07:00

"Tori Vega" (Victoria Justice) poses with her one-of-a-kind doll

This afternoon our design & management team at Spin Master Toys, where I work, went to Hollywood to the Nickelodeon Studios for a special cast party with the cast of the Nick show "Victorious". We have recently released dolls and toys based on the show, and we were treated to a lovely visit to the studios and set, where we presented each cast member a one-of-a-kind gift. The girls (Tori, Trina, Cat and Jade) received beautiful dolls, designed by my fabulously talented co-worker Kristie. The boys (Andre, Beck and Robbie) received one-of-a-kind handpainted microphones designed by me. We also presented director Dan Schneider, duplicates of these gifts for his own enjoyment. The cast couldn't have been sweeter. They didn't even look bored posing for endless photos! They loved their gifts, and were thrilled to have a unique and special treasure to display in their homes. (Actually, the girls all wanted to take them out of their display cases and play with them. Cat really did take hers out of the case!) They are all so annoyingly photogenic, if it hadn't been for a number of blurry photos due to my taking pictures without a flash, I would have about 300 good photos from the event.

The adorable "Cat" (Ariana Grande) poses with her doll

"Jade" (Elizabeth Gillies) loved how much her doll looked like her. Eerie!


Here I am, posing with the entire cast of Victorious.

"Robbie" (Matthew Bennett) seemed to like the microphone.

"Beck" (Avan Jogia) and Jade are a couple in the show

Tori and Trina (Daniella Monet) are sisters in the show.

Tori poses with me and co-worker Kami.

3 of my co-workers brought their little daughters (ages 8 and 9) and the girls were awe-struck, meeting their favorite TV stars, and having them fuss and pay attention to them. What a special treat!

Cat was so sweet with the little girls.

Jamie Yager

2011-10-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

I've been one busy girl these past few days, and not a moment to create any layouts about all that busy-ness! Friday, Bruce and I joined son Alec & daughter-in-law Alicia at the Culver City Veterans Hall for a MMA pro tournament. For the uninitiated, MMA means Mixed Martial Arts, and it's a type of fighting that's not boxing, not wrestling, not karate or judo, but a mixture of moves & techniques. Not my usual Friday night entertainment! But nephew Jamie, who is a pro MMA fighter, was the headliner in the Samauri Pro 2011 event. There were 7 fights that evening, and Jamie's fight was the last one. It was quite exciting! I was able to take some decent photos of the fight, due to the fact that I could photograph with my telephoto lens from the balcony, thus over the top of the fence that surrounds the ring. Jamie won handily, winning a TKO (technical knock-out) within just a few minutes. He was awesome! We were so proud of him. I guess in the world of MMA, Jamie is pretty well known, and at one time he was on the TV show the Ultimate Fighter. Since we don't watch TV, I have no clue if this was a great thing or not. But I do know that this big fight Friday was Jamie's big 'come back'.

So there you have it, my story, and my layout. (Click on the layout for a closer view).

Gritty City, Pretty City

2011-10-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a concept layout I've been thinking about. I often use my long commute time to plan layouts, taking some of the design time & experimentation out as I think about how to do what is in my head. Once I planned this one out, it didn't take long at all to execute it. I wasn't sure if it would work out like I'd envisioned it, but I think in some ways it's better than I had hoped. I considered doing the entire right side a blend of greenery right into the buildings, but somehow I didn't do that, and I like how this looks better.

Of course, it's rather symbolic. Actually, I don't think the city is all that gritty. My daughter lives in a part of the Bronx that I wouldn't exactly consider a garden spot, but even there, there are lovely trees, and interesting architectural details and textures that are rich and 'pretty'. But still, I'm a 'green lover', and I love to see the contrast of trees, flowers and plants with the skyscrapers and other buildings.

Central Park

2011-10-15T00:22:00.000-07:00

Another layout about our trip to NY: this one features photos taken in Central Park. It was a beautiful early Fall day, cool and peaceful. Annie sang for us under a bridge... the acoustics were wonderful! She has such an incredible voice. We enjoyed watching the children climbing all over the statue of Alice in Wonderland and Lewis Carroll's other creatures. The toy sailboats were out in full force on the pond. It was one of those days that might make me want to live in New York!

Avery Homestead

2011-10-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

When we were visiting our daughter Annie in New York last week, we spent part of the weekend in Eastern Connecticut visiting our dear friends, the Archibalds. They took us to visit some friends of theirs, Connie & Perc Reeve, who own a wonderful, historic home that was built at the very end of the 17th century. Bruce and I took a lot of photos inside and out, and we marveled at the beauty and simplicity of this lovingly restored piece of American history. Each detail is just perfect!

Their home, called Avery Homestead, is located in Ledyard, Connecticut, and is the oldest house in Ledyard. For this California girl, anything that old is just unimaginable! (Just think, it was built almost a century before the American Revolution!) The house today looks much like it must have over 300 years ago. The keeping room and parlor are in their original state, as is the master bedroom and summer kitchen. The Reeves are working to bring the other rooms into authentic period look, and have restored floors and walls to their original finish. It's a work in progress, but they've made amazing progress! The Avery Homestead sits on 16 acres with a pond, and is under a preservation trust.

I created a 'double-double' layout for them... two two-page spreads. Click on the photos for a closer view!

A Map on My Heart

2011-10-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

I was recently reading a novel, in which one of the characters talks about how he felt about his childhood home, and how he likened his earliest memories to having a map of home on his heart. I loved that sentiment, and it made me wonder if I likewise remembered my earliest home. Then I remembered this story, and decided to scrap it.

If you can't read the journaling, here's what it says:

When I was a very little girl,
our family lived in a little town
in Eastern Oregon called Vale.
When I was 3 1/2, we moved to
Southern California. We visited
our old home and friends 2 years
later on a brief vacation, but
other than that, I never once
went back to our old town. All of
my siblings returned to Vale at
one time or another, but not me.
About ten years ago, Bruce, Annie
and I drove Amy up to Rexburg
Idaho for college. After dropping
her off, we decided to take a
different route home. I thought
they might enjoy seeing my birth-
place, and I wanted to see our old
home again myself after so many
years. When we pulled into Vale
from the East, we drove down into
the lovely farm valley that I
hadn’t seen for nearly 50 years.
I completely surprised myself when
I was able to navigate us straight
to our old home. No maps, no directions.
I simply followed some unknown inner
map that lead us straight to the little
yellow bungalow that you see in this
photo. It’s said that we carry a map on
our hearts of our childhood home,
and I guess that’s so.

Manhole Covers in New York

2011-10-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what possessed me to photograph manhole covers in New York, but our last day there, I took a dozen or so photos of different manhole covers around the Bronx and Manhattan. I've seen photos that others have taken of these great pieces of iron (I guess that's what they are) and each one is slightly different.

I arranged these to look like it was a single scene with 9 manholes. Not! But I hope you enjoy my little creation!

Trip to New York Days 4 & 5

2011-10-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

We're back now from our trip, and we had so much fun! Unfortunately, we had very limited internet access while we were in NY, so I've been a little delayed getting our last two full days represented here. But I'll pick a few of our highlight photos, and start working on some layouts in the next few days. Stay tuned for more!

On Saturday evening, we took the train to Eastern Connecticut, to visit our friends the Archibalds. We had a lovely time with them all day Sunday, enjoying their family and home, and then taking a drive to Mystic & Stonington, stopping on the way to meet their friends the Reeves, who have an amazing early 18th century New England farm house, decorated completely in period.

Stef & friend Leon in the Connecticut woods

17th Century Connecticut farmhouse owned by the Reeve family

Fabulous red barn

Annie hugs our friend Valeen at the Reeve home

The Archibalds and the Reeves

Near Mystic, Connecticut

Mystic, Connecticut

Stonington wharf area

An hour or so later, at sunset

Central Park

Alice in Wonderland Statue in Central Park

Annie in Central Park


A private school on 5th Avenue

Some pretty foliage in Central Park

Goofing off in the subway.

New York Textures

2011-10-03T04:28:00.000-07:00

I did manage to complete one layout, on the train the other night... thought I would share it. There are just so many interesting textures to be found in New York.... architectural details, cobblestone streets, posters, graffiti, flowers... I just put a few together from my photographs.

Trip to New York Day 3

2011-10-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

It seemed that day three of our trip consisted of non-stop running.... running down stairs, up stairs, down into the subway, up from the subway, from the subway to the restaurant, then to the museum, then running back down the subway, changing trains, up the stairs, back to Annie's up four flights, back down, running to the train station, then.... relaxing on a long trip. You'll read about that on Day 4!

Here are the visual highlights of day 3!

Gorgeous architectural details in Manhattan

Annie & Bruce take a moment to relax on a street bench.

Moor cool decorative bas relief.

The highlight of our day: lunch at the Shake Shack near the Museum of Natural History

One of the Theodore Roosevelt quotes in the foyer of the museum.

The interior of the outer space exhibit at the Natural History Museum (Yes, we went back for a second time... we just didn't see enough the first day!)

Leaving the museum, off on the subway

Subway musicians... who knew Cookie Monster could play the marimba so well? Note the enthusiastic audience.

The train platform in Harlem where we waited for the train to take us to our new adventure!

Trip to New York Day 2

2011-10-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

The fabulous Whitney Museum on Madison Avenue

Window shopping on Madison Ave.

I love how this photo looks with the pedicab driver against the dark bus windows.

Yesterday was quite an adventure. We enjoyed spending time in the lovely Whitney Museum of American Art, we ate a really mediocre, expensive meal at a Madison Avenue cafe, (mine was ok, Bruce's was awful, so that averages out to 'mediocre'), we walked across Central Park, and met Annie at the fantastic Museum of Natural History, where we enjoyed the amazing Biodiversity Exhibit.

The front of the Museum of Natural History

Bruce and Annie at the museum

Otter diorama, isn't he cute?

Biodiversity wall... I love how they exhibited all of the different species!

Another diorama... looks so real!

After the museum, we took the subway over to the lower East side, where we went to a movie (the Help- which was my favorite movie of the year, bar none), then grabbed a quick artichoke pizza slice or two, and plowed home through the pouring rain. Umbrellas didn't keep me dry, I was soaked clear to the knees and from shoulder to elbow.

Trip to New York- Day 1

2011-09-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

Bruce and I are in New York, visiting our youngest daughter Annie. Annie lives in a little apartment in the Bronx, and we are staying with her. She works in a cute little bakery in the West Village. Yesterday was my first day in New York- Bruce actually flew in 24 hours ahead of me, and he had a whole extra day to spend with Annie. I spent all day Wednesday flying east, and so Thursday we enjoyed seeing the sights. I go to New York quite frequently, so I don't feel like a tourist, just a visitor. There's always so much to see, and do, and photograph.

I'm just going to post some of my favorite photos from the day, and add a little commentary here and there. Eventually I'll get around to creating some layouts, but for now, I hope you enjoy a few photos.

Wonderful textures & colors next to Annie's apartment.

Cool bas relief right across the street from Annie in the Bronx

Annie's next door neighbor

A pretty brick courtyard in the East Village

Greenwich Village

Getting ready for a storm... dramatic sky over the Village.

Corrado Bakery, where Annie works on Christopher St. in the West Village.

Bruce enjoying his yummy salmon sandwich.

"Mom! Why do you have to take pictures of me at work???!!!"

Annie at the counter of Corrado Bakery

Across the street from Corrado Bakery.

Holding up the wall.

Pretty brownstones in the Village

Have a Coke and a Smile

2011-09-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

Back in the 1980s, Coke had an advertising campaign using the slogan "Have a Coke and a Smile". When I finished this layout using some of the photos from my previous post, that old slogan jumped into my head. Because of Julie's beautiful smile, I thought it worked perfectly.

I made two different layouts, one with a red background, and one with gray. When I showed Bruce my red one, he loved the layout, but hated the red. So I changed it, and I think I still like both versions. So, which one do you like best? (click on any of the pictures for a closer look).

More of the Little Red Car

2011-09-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a friend, Mel, who restored a wonderful 1953 Morris Minor. Due to his love of all things Coca Cola, he painted it red, and accessorized it with Coke-themed extras. He had a vision of having photos taken of a model posing with his car, wearing some of his vast collection of Coke stuff. Saturday, we set up a photo shoot at the same location as before, and I took a couple hundred photos with our fabulous model Julie.

I love this shot...so retro looking! Julie is wearing my Grandmother's hat, and my Mom's gloves. Everything else is from Mel's costume file.

I'm planning a layout or two for Mel, but I wanted to post a few of the better photos, because I'm really proud of them. It's certainly not due to my photographic skills, but a combination of fabulous model, wonderful car, great lighting, and a great setting.

The Pause That Refreshes.

Ready to Fly

2011-09-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

Bruce and I will be going to New York in a few days to visit our daughter Annie. We love to travel! We're looking forward to the day when we can travel more often, visiting not only our kids, but having some adventures on our own! I thought it would be fun to create a layout in celebration of travel... this layout features some photos of places we've been recently, and the open window represents the adventures that are waiting for us, just outside our window. (no, that's Yosemite outside the window, not our little cul de sac!)

I hope you like to travel as much as we do! Bon Voyage!

Aidan Smiles

2011-09-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

My little grandson Aidan is six, and is not really comfortable having his picture taken. We visited him in Texas ten days ago, and got to spend quite a bit of time with him. But every time I would bring out my camera, Aidan would put on this little grimace that I'm sure to him, is a lovely smile. But it's really a not-so-natural smile. So, I always look for ways to take photos of him spontaneously smiling, not posing. I managed to click off a whole series of these cute photos while we were chatting at a shopping center with some friends. He was horsing around, and Grandma was trying to be unobtrusive. I loved the cute smiles he was showing! Of course, he had a wad of green chewing gum in his mouth but I decided not to Photoshop it out. After all, that's part of the package of Aidan smiling!

Fun With Fruit Crate Labels

2011-09-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Bruce and I were antiquing in Carpinteria on Saturday, and we came across a cache of 'blank' produce labels. These labels came pre-printed with lovely artwork of various types of produce, scenery and the like, with blank areas where the local growers could add their names and information to place on their crates for sales and display. As you may know, vintage produce label artwork is very collectible, especially in California where so much of the United States produce is grown. I have a small collection of 'fruit crate art', and I thought it would be fun to buy a few of these and use them for my design work.

Since we live in an agricultural area (Ventura County), it seemed perfect to add our family name to one of these labels. The only problem was that my favorite had a large grapefruit in the middle, and I'm not a fan of grapefruit. Other than that, and the fact that the art was a bit faded (mostly the blue had faded) I thought I could easily fix it. Below is the original artwork, and above is the sign I made. I plan on printing it, framing it, and hanging it in our kitchen, where the decor is decidedly vintage and leans towards these colors. If you would like one for your family, leave me a message and I'll send you details about how you can get a personalized one for yourself!

My Baby World

2011-09-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

I wanted to scrap some baby pictures of myself, such as they are... this is pretty much all of them! I thought it would be fun to just position it as my entire world as a baby... Mommy and Daddy and sisters and brother... you know, baby life!

I was a cute baby though! Spoiled rotten since I WAS the baby of the family!

Austin

2011-09-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

I've been creating some fun, artsy heritage layouts this past year, like this one, but haven't really tried it for current layouts & photos. But I was feeling in an experimental mood!

Sometimes when I am driving on my long daily commute, I plan layouts or different techniques. I just think and think about something I want to do, and figure out how I might accomplish it in Photoshop. I've been wanting to create narrow horizontal stripes to experiment with texture and effects. My hope is to achieve a kind of 'engraved' look, like old engraved drawings from the 19th century. The PS halftone/ line filter in the Sketch artistic filter, doesn't work well for me because the lines are not crisp and sharp, and because it's a filter, not a layer or brush. I totally love halftone dots, and lines, and like the added texture and interest they give my layouts. So, I just started layering photos & playing with blending modes, and halftones & stripes (used as both brushes & eraser), until I got the effects I wanted.

On our trip to Texas, we spent quite a bit of time in Austin. On Friday, Ian took the day off, and we actually made two trips to Austin. Bruce, Ian and I spent the morning in Austin kicking around, and met Jessica for lunch at Zocalo, her favorite Mexican restaurant. We had to go back to Kyle to pick grandson Aidan up from school, and then we went back to Austin to go to the Texas State History Museum. It was a fabulous museum, and although Aidan found it a bit boring (after all, he's only 6, and the museum is three stories high!), he was a champ, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We all met for dinner at the Shady Grove restaurant.. a typical, trendy, and funky eatery designed to feel a little like you're camping at a KOA campground.

Sunday afternoon we returned to Austin to walk around & see the sights while we waited for sunset when the bats make their nightly swarm. Hundreds of thousands of bats live underneath the Congress Avenue bridge over Lady Bird Lake, and each evening from about April to October, they swarm out of their temporary home, and fly off in search of food. You can read more about it here. So, my layout celebrates downtown Austin- the capitol building, the giant star outside the Texas History Museum, the Congress Street Bridge, the sign for the museum, son Ian and husband Bruce, and of course, the bats.

Just a Little Bragging...

2011-09-14T17:34:00.000-07:00

My sister Lynne's photo appeared in yesterday's New York Times... she's a docent at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA. Eagle-eyed niece Tracy spotted it, and alerted the family. I thought it was pretty cool!

Around the Town Square

2011-09-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, while in San Marcos, I took a little walk around the town square. It was very hot.... probably about 100 degrees, so I didn't go very far. There were so many interesting things to photograph- textures, signage, interesting architecture, historical signs, sculpture. I created this layout from some of my photos. Perhaps it's a bit too symmetrical, but I think it conveys the feel of a lovely, old-fashioned Texas town square.

The Bass Player

2011-09-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

We just returned home last night from four fun days in the Austin/ San Marcos area of Texas. We were visiting our son Ian, daughter-in-law Jessica, and grandson Aidan. On our last visit to Texas last year, Ian asked me to create a layout about his skateboarding, so I did. You can see it here. This year, he asked if I wouldn't mind taking some photos of him playing the bass, and perhaps doing a layout about that too. So I did! Ian has been playing the bass almost as long as he's been skateboarding. That is, most of his life. He's very talented, and has played with a number of bands through his life, including world-famous Moorpark band Protocol, and San Marcos music stars Falcon Buddies.

Today, Ian plays more for relaxation and experimentation, and is still as talented as ever. Ian also plays a wonderful instrument called the Chapman Stick. You may not have ever heard of this instrument, but it's kind of like a percussion guitar that looks like a fretboard that lost the rest of itself. It has a unique sound, and he's really good. It always adds a unique vibe to any gig he plays.

Rest In Peace

2011-09-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

Photos taken at Pepperdine University 9/11/10. Each year Pepperdine assembles 8-foot flags for each victim of 9/11. The display is sobering. Layout done in 2009.

Just A Little Snippet of Texas

2011-09-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

We've been in Texas since Thursday night, enjoying some time with our oldest son Ian, his wonderful wife Jessica, and our little grandson Aidan. We spent a fun day Friday with the kids, eating, visiting, enjoying "The Story of Texas" at the Texas State History Museum, and then today (Saturday) we spent the better part of the day at the San Antonio Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with Ian and Jessica, and several of their close friends. It was a very special service, and afterwards we all went out for a late lunch at a nearby restaurant.

I am sure I will find some fun things to scrap, with all of the photos I've taken so far, and those that I will take in the next couple of days, but I thought it would be a good idea to just put some of my favorites together for a little sampler of "the Best of Texas". So far!

The Tea Party

2011-09-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

This week on Two Peas in a Bucket, Garden Girl Erica Hernandez challenged us to create a layout using a photo as our entire background. Well, this is nothing new to me, I do it all the time. But I've been wanting to do a heritage layout for awhile now, I haven't done one for a few weeks. So, when I found this cute li'l photo of me in my collection, I thought it would be fun to do an entire layout about it.

I decided that the thing to do was to try to figure out as much as I could about the photo and when it was taken, and what I was doing just from looking at it, because I don't actually remember this little tea party. But there are many clues. First and foremost, we only lived in this hillside house in Glendale for a little over 6 months... from sometime before Halloween (I clearly remember my Tweety Bird costume Halloween '55, so we must have moved there before Halloween). And we moved to our permanent home in South Pasadena sometime in the summer of '56, just before I started kindergarten. Our family lore is that we lived in Glendale for six months, but it must have been somewhat longer than that.

I loved that table and chair set. We bought it when our family lived in Oregon. I have photos of me sitting at that table on my second birthday, but I have no idea if it was bought new for me, or if it belonged to my older sisters. It was white metal with red seats and table top.

Looking at the photo, it's hard to tell if I have the ginormous scab or scar above my lip where our dog Sandy bit me Christmas Eve 1955. (I had many, many stitches, I still have the scar). It's likely that, even though California is warmish in winter, the photo was taken in the spring, because I'm not wearing a jacket or long pants. So, Sherlock that I am, I surmise spring. Afternoon, because the sunlight is coming from the west, over the hill by Forest Lawn. Late afternoon, because of the long shadows cast by the railing.

The funny little delight was noticing my brother Gene's scooter, propped up almost out of sight on the far left side. Seeing that little detail made me smile... I remember that scooter so well. It was red, and many years later, the handle was removed (by someone, probably not me) and I used it as a skateboard to smoothly traverse the hills of South Pasadena. It was on this makeshift skateboard that I took a nasty spill going down Stony Drive into the Arroyo Seco, but I digress.

The one thing that I wish I did remember, is that doll. I wasn't really a 'dolly' kind of girl, especially as I got older. I do remember playing with baby dolls a lot, and I had a wonderful Revlon doll when I was about 8 or 9. (I still have her). But I just don't remember this particular doll at all. So sad! I DO remember a doll I had while living in that house, whose body was made out of a material called "magic skin". I took her to a little friend's house down the street, and she & I fought over the doll. She tugged and I tugged, and this doll split right down the middle of her magic skin. Stuffing flew everywhere! But I digress yet again!

So, here you have it. A few little clues, and a lot of empty spaces. But still, a fine photo of a happy little girl.

Two Is Cool

2011-09-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

My grandson Jackson is way cool. I was inspired to create a fun layout about him, using 3D letters for his 'seat'. It was tricky & a bit time-consuming to do the letters and keep the perspective and shadowing realistic, but I'm pretty pleased with the results.

One of the things that I struggle with, when looking at people's fantasy layouts, is seeing perspective that doesn't look right to me. Although I don't create very many layouts in this style, it is very important to me that the perspective be correct, and each detail look as realistic as possible. Everything in the layout except for Jackson, and the robot was created from photos I've taken of different textures. My challenge is to take these flat photos and shape them into something 'real'. I wish I had time to do this every day!

*ETA, I wish I had CS5 on my own computer (I have it at work), it would be so cool to have the 3D features so I wouldn't have to create it all by hand!

Isaac's Big Day

2011-09-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

(Click on the layout above for a closer view)

Saturday was a big event in our extended family: my grandnephew Isaac was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and celebrated his eighth birthday surrounded by lots of loving family. Isaac (Ike) lives in Northern California, but one set of grandparents live in Southern California, along with one Great-grandma, and lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. So, his family and his other set of Grandparents traveled to LA for the baptism and celebration. It was so much fun to have eleven of my fourteen grandnieces and nephews together, they are my favorite photography subjects. After the baptism at the Wilshire Ward in Los Angeles, we went to a lovely park the Church owns near the Los Angeles Temple. There we enjoyed a feast prepared by my niece Sarah (Ike's Mom) and the kids played and had a great time. Although I tried to get photos of nearly everyone there, I missed a few. But my favorite photos were of the kids. I think they are all adorable, and VERY photogenic.

Nikki and Ella

Aerie

Ben and Baby Brooke

Nikki

Owen

Zoie

Lucky Shots

2011-09-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

I almost always have my camera in my car. Every day on my long commute, I see things that I want to photograph.... some days I have the time to stop and take a picture or two, other days I'm in such a hurry that I miss some great shots that I often regret later.

The key to getting good shots on the go is keeping your eyes open. If you travel the same route often, or every day, it's anticipating the shot that you might be lucky enough to catch: the school bus stop just as the children are embarking or disembarking. The dog-walker with that cute pug. A certain way the light reflects off the lake, or a building. On my daily drive, I often stop and shoot the ocean, the surfers, the sunrise or sunset over the coast. But sometimes something else catches my eye. The other day as I was driving home, (earlier than usual, I might add) I spotted a patch of giant sunflowers planted at a gas station of all places, on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Blvd. in Pacific Palisades. I quickly pulled into the gas station, pulled into the pump area, grabbed my camera, and took a few nice shots of the flowers. Of course, the gas station sign did not make a very attractive backdrop, and the height of the flowers meant that some of the shots facing away from sun, were of the busy traffic along PCH. But thanks to my telephoto lens, these background annoyances were just a blur, and I was able to take some pretty shots.

The other morning, I was driving downtown early, to go for my early morning workout, when I saw how pretty and ethereal the fields looked in the fog. Certainly my shot wasn't very dramatic, but I like it anyway.

So, moral of the story: be sure you have your camera with you all the time... either your full-size SLR if you have one, or a pocket sized digital, so you can grab those unexpected, or anticipated, photos.

The Joy of Being a Collector

2011-08-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

Never one to shy away from promoting myself, I created this layout over the weekend to celebrate the joys of collector-hood. (Actually, I've taken so many photos of my collections for my other blog, I needed to create a layout about them)

And not only did I want to show off my fabulous collections, but I wanted to share my amazing song-writing skills. Yes, I wrote the lyrics to the new, definitive version of Rogers & Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things", from the Sound of Music. Broadway will soon be knocking at my door! You are welcome to sing along, or at least hum along as we all join together in song!

Blue colored dishes
and orange crate labels,
old vintage linens
to put on our tables.

Sweet toy typewriters
that type and go ‘ding’!
These are a few of
my favorite things.

Dick and Jane readers
and Raggedy Annies,
robots and postcards
and little stuffed lambies.

Banjos and zithers
with rust on their strings,
these are a few of
my favorite things...

Don’t have fur coats,
don’t have gold rings,
when I’m feeling sad,
I simply remember
my favorite things,
and then I don’t
feel so bad.

SUP Surfing!

2011-08-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

The big trend on the Southern California coast, where I find myself twice a day on my daily commute, is SUP surfing, which means Stand Up Paddle surfing. At first I thought it looked kinda wimpy, like surfers who needed training wheels, but I did a little research and found out it actually has a reputable history- surf teachers in Hawaii way back in the 30s and 40s, would stand up on their boards to get a better view of their students. So, as far as I'm concerned, if it has a legitimate Hawaiian origin, then it's ok with me. That's not to say that all the SUP surfers I see each day are experts... some of them look a little less than, shall I say, masterful. This morning as I was standing along Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, a couple of the surfers fell off their boards just standing there. No waves. Just one minute up, the next minute, into the briny deep. Maybe it's kind of like a combination of surfing and sightseeing. Even when there are no waves and the hard core regular surfers are sleeping in, these intrepid SUP'ers are out, cruising along the coast, hanging out with the sea birds.

Liv Spa is Live!

2011-08-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

As I've done in months past, when my designs hit the toy shelves, I'll share with you! The newest Liv playset, the Tranquility Spa (to be used with the Liv color change Spa dolls) is out, ready & early for Christmas. It was a fun project to design, and went through a lot of changes before it got to its present form. But, perhaps your little daughter or granddaughter would love one of these for her next birthday or holiday! You can find the playset on the Target website, and it will soon be available 'wherever fine toys are sold'!

The Clarks in TV Land

2011-08-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

I have so many memories of watching TV with my family when I was a child. We didn't get our first color TV until I was in high school, so those old westerns and dramas were enjoyed in black and white, even when all of my friends had a color TV. I enjoyed them just as much in black and white! The shows I'm featuring here in my slide show were the shows that I shared with my family in the 50s and 60s, especially my Mom. We didn't watch a lot of sitcoms, game shows, or variety shows. There were a few comedies we enjoyed, but it was the dramas that we loved.

There were lots more programs that defined my childhood: shows like "I Dream of Jeannie", "My Favorite Martian", "My Three Sons", "Leave it to Beaver". But these were primarily MY shows... I don't remember my Mom or Dad watching these with me. So I instead chose the shows that remind me of my folks, and sitting in our TV room (yes, we had a dedicated 'room' for the television... it had originally been a porch) watching some great, classic shows.

Cooking With Zoie!

2011-08-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

When we were visiting my niece Sarah & family last month in Northern California, little Zoie was helping her Mom make breakfast. I loved watching her trying to crack the eggs exactly right, and stir up the mixture. I think she did a great job, and I got some fun, if blurry, photos of all the action. Nice job, Zoie!

Living My Childhood Upside Down

2011-08-12T23:36:00.000-07:00

When I was young, it seemed I spent a good deal of time upside down. What? Do you think I was a baby opossum, hanging upside down from the tree outside my bedroom window? No, I was merely a young acrobat, doing headstands, handstands, somersaults, cartwheels, flips, round-offs, walkovers....on the ground and on the diving board. It suddenly occurred to me that I had a number of photos of myself upside down.... not very good photos, but I could see a theme coming on! Although the thought of being upside down now gives me an enormous headache.

But in celebration of my youthful flexibility and skill -I could stand on my head for hours (at least it seemed like hours) I created this layout.

Two!

2011-08-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

Our grandson Jackson celebrated his second birthday on Saturday, and I thought it would be perfect to use last year's layout as a template & format for this year's! I loved the continuity of the same high chair, and same bib.... it just seemed like it was a natural! (I have a feeling he won't be sitting in a high chair for birthday #3, so I'd better take advantage while I can!)

Jackson has the cutest personality. He definitely knows how to use facial expressions to his advantage. I loved every one of them!

Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad

2011-08-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

When we were in Yosemite last month, we took a moonlight train ride. The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad (restored logging railroad, narrow gauge) had a dinner train ride that we thought sounded like fun. They served a yummy BBQ, with great entertainment, and then we all boarded the train for just a few miles down the mountain, where we sat around a campfire and sang old-time songs... reminded me of Girl Scout camp! While we were waiting to eat, I browsed around, taking pictures. These photos of the engineer doing his pre-trip prep work, were some of the results of my curiosity. It just reminded me that railroad engineers have been doing this same routine for decades.

Jackson Turns Two!

2011-08-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

My little grandson Jackson had his 2nd birthday party yesterday, and we all had so much fun. His actual birthday was Friday, so it worked out perfectly to have the party on Saturday. He was shamelessly spoiled by family and friends. In addition to the books and Thomas the Train toy, I made him an ABC book. I wasn't organized enough to have it done in time to have a hardbound book made, so I just uploaded the pages to Costco, and filled a 8x8 album with the images. It really turned out cute, and I think it will make a fun quiet book for church.

Some of you might recognize the template- I created this same format for an ABC book for my older grandson Aidan a couple of years ago. But I switched out many of the photos, and made it special, just for Jackson.

Here are a few photos from the big party, a layout will be coming soon!

California Delta

2011-08-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

When we were in Sacramento a few weeks ago for the State Fair, we stayed in Fairfield with my niece Sarah and her family. Fairfield is about an hour southwest of Sacramento, and we made the drive back and forth a couple of times. The beautiful wetlands area between Davis and West Sacramento is just beautiful this year. There were so many wildflowers blowing in the wind, I thought they made a lovely accent to the photos of the wetlands themselves. Bruce waited patiently in the car while I took photos, so I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wanted to stop at several other spots that were a bit more photogenic! He has the patience of a saint when I get in the mood to take pictures! I don't think he thought this area was as beautiful as I did.

Small Blessings

2011-08-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

I've been a little discouraged about my scrapbooking lately... wondering what the heck I'm doing and why I'm doing it. It's not that I don't have any creative energy or ideas, it's just that sometimes I feel I just don't have a place in the scrapbooking community. (Tiny little pity party)! But yesterday I got two small rewards that made it all worthwhile.

My scrapbooking home is 2 Peas in a Bucket, and I post all of my layouts there, in the digital gallery. 2Ps is both a traditional and digital site, so we digi folks are a very small percentage of the scrapbook community. Yesterday, I was looking through the General Scrapping message boards- these are 90% about traditional scrapbooking and all of the tools, techniques, and supplies involved in scrapping. There was a message board post asking people to list their favorite current two-page layouts in the gallery. I casually opened the thread, and was so surprised that someone had listed my layout as their favorite! Not only is my layout one that I didn't think was all that spectacular, but it was also in the digital gallery, so I didn't think many people would notice it. That made my day! (The layout is the one I just posted, Santa Monica Pier).

Also yesterday, my sweet niece Emmie emailed me a photo of the artwork I created for her new little one Brooke, hanging on their nursery wall. It looks so cute, and it's so rewarding to see something actually being loved and appreciated.

I think I'll take these two small blessings and add them to the many that I already have!

Santa Monica Pier

2011-07-31T14:10:00.000-07:00

(Click on my layout above for a closer view)

On Friday, my company (Spin Master Toys) had our summer picnic at the Santa Monica Pier. It was so fun! We had a chartered double-decker bus to take us to the pier, and they had a special, huge tent for our event. BBQ, photo booth, then they gave us a wristband to get onto any of the rides for free. Silly me, I just took pictures!

A few fun observations: the carousel at the pier has been in continuous operation since 1922. Although it has been moved, it's the same as I remember it as a child in the '50s. Dozens of films, television shows, and music videos have been filmed at the Santa Monica Pier, including The Sting, A Night at the Roxbury, Iron Man, NCIS, Gilmore Girls, 24, and Chuck.

There's an amusement park at the end of the pier. It's called Pacific Park, which reminds me of the old Pacific Ocean Park, which was a short distance down the coast when I was a child. Although I didn't go on any of the rides this trip, it looked like a good park, with lots of fun rides!

Little Red Car

2011-07-27T21:39:00.001-07:00

My friend Mel asked me to photograph his little red Morris Minor last Saturday... well, actually, we are getting ready for a 'photo shoot'. I put that in quotation marks because I don't do 'photo shoots', I take pictures. But this is sort of going to be a photo shoot. Mel restores cars as a hobby, and this delightful 1953 English Morris Minor, he has lovingly restored in the theme of his favorite beverage: Coca Cola. Although the Coke details on this car are subtle, and mostly in the interior, he has a bundle of accessories, costumes, and Coca Cola stuff to put together a full-fledged photo shoot. So, We went downtown Moorpark early Saturday morning to 'scout locations'. (Makes me feel like a Hollywood location scout, LOL). We found the perfect spot. High Street, right across from the train station- the cutest little bistro and salon. Mel drove right up on the sidewalk, and I took some pretty good photos, if I do say so myself. So, in a few weeks when we actually shoot with a model and all the Coke stuff, we will be ready with the perfect site. (One cute feature of the car, is the vanity plate. It reads: "REFRSHG".)

Ventura

2011-07-25T12:19:00.001-07:00

Bruce and I spent our anniversary day (July 8th) in Ventura. We had a lovely day, the weather was perfect, and we had a relaxing time near the ocean, and then staying at our favorite inn, the Pierpont.

I just wanted to scrap a few of my favorite photos from that day. Click on the image for a closer view!

Ernest E. Clark

2011-07-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

I've done several layouts about my Grandpa Clark, but I wanted to do one with this more recent funky style. I'm in the process of organizing a family reunion and so have been looking at some of my old family photos. These are a few of the images of my Grandfather and his Father and siblings. The background is from a newspaper article from 1925 with a little blurb about Grandpa and one of his dramatic readings at the annual Cyrus Clark family reunion. My Grandfather was born in Benson, Utah in 1887, and passed away in Hollywood in 1978.

California State Fair

2011-07-19T11:50:00.001-07:00

Here's the layout I created from some of my Fair photos... as usual, there were way too many photos, and way too little room to scrap them. But it was fun to make something fun & colorful. I actually created two versions.. one added a photo of me with my white award ribbon. It was just too busy, I was perfectly happy to eliminate it! After all, goats and bungee jumpers are more important!

The Fair

2011-07-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Bruce and I attended the California State Fair in Sacramento. I entered their scrapbooking contest a couple of months ago, and won third place. They sent us free tickets to get in, and so we decided it would be fun to make the trip and check out the fair. We weren't disappointed! In fact, I had no idea it would be so amazing! I took scads of photos (what a shock) and the combination of beautiful day, colorful fair scenery, and luck gave me quite a few great shots.

One of the highlights of the day was meeting online scrapping buddy Tiff. We entered the contest together, and were excited that we both won prizes! I got 3rd place and she got an award of merit. I can't wait to scrap all of the fun photos... I'm sure you'll be seeing more about the fair in the next few days.

Alec & Jackson

2011-07-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

For my son Alec's 26th birthday last month, I wanted to give him a photo of him and little Jackson. Since Alec & Alicia have been living in Utah, there haven't been all that many opportunities to take anything more than random snapshots of them together. I'm not really one to do photoshoots, and besides, I didn't want to alert Alec of my plans. So I went back through all of my recent photos, and found a picture from April that I thought had some potential. Alec, Alicia and Jackson had just returned from a week in Hawaii, and they flew into LAX and spent a few days here on their way back to Utah. Alec wanted Bruce & I to join him & Jackson for lunch at a favorite Mexican restaurant. Of course, I had my camera. Jackson was fussy and whiny...it's a bit disorienting to do all that travel, and then get dragged out to eat with Grandma & Grandpa! Alec was totally sunburned, and his face was darker than his bleached hair. Jackson's eyes were red rimmed, and his face was blotchy from crying. But I simply changed it to black and white, and played with my Photoshop levels to get just the right contrast and effects. I cropped it down a little bit, and added a sweet quote I found. Printed it at Costco, and had it framed. Alec was thrilled! I thought it turned out quite well.

More Yosemite

2011-07-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Here's the layout I did with some of my Yosemite photos (as it happens, I used all of the ones in my previous post!)

Originally I was very disappointed when I downloaded all of my photos to iPhoto... they seemed drab, some were out of focus, and the colors weren't as bright and true as I wanted them to be. It was such a bright day, and seeing as how I'm allergic to using the manual settings on my camera (ok, I don't know how to use them, I'm a rank amateur!) I found many of the photos were hazy from being backlit, or they were shadowy. But it didn't take much to make my favorites POP. I mainly used my levels to darken the midtones. I didn't adjust the colors (hardly) at all. So, I did end up with a few that I like. Maybe I'll play with a few more and do another layout or two in the next few days. (Click on the image for a closer view)

Yosemite

2011-07-11T00:20:00.000-07:00

Bruce & I just spent two wonderful days in Yosemite National Park... and other than the crowds and a few pesky mosquitoes, it was pretty much the most perfect anniversary weekend ever! Layouts to come, but here are a few highlight photos!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2011-07-08T11:48:00.000-07:00

Today is our 33rd anniversary, and I always do a layout for my sweet husband each year. Here's my latest! (You can find my layout for last year here, and the year before here.)

We're off on a trip to Ventura and Yosemite for the weekend, I'm sure I'll have lots of photos & layouts to blog in the next week or so!

Summer Garden

2011-07-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos I snapped of our garden on Monday.... just a simple & quick layout to show off the gorgeous colors & varieties of the garden. (Full disclosure: the apricots are actually in my next-door neighbor's yard, but they hang over our wall, so I consider them fair game)

One Picture Says it All....

2011-07-05T11:43:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone had a great Fourth! (No matter where in the world you live, it WAS the 4th of July yesterday, right?) But for us in the USA, it is the granddaddy of all non-religious holidays: American Independence Day. We celebrate with fireworks, BBQ, swimming, boating, hanging out with family.... except for the swimming and boating parts, our family had did it all! (Oh, I forgot... we didn't go to a parade either!)

One picture says it all! (Typically, I was behind the camera, so you won't be able to see the big smile on my face at our perfect 4th!)

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T09:52:00.001-07:00

My daughter Amy sent me this adorable 4th of July figure from her store in Salt Lake... she was designed by Lori C. Mitchell, one of my favorites. Isn't she cute?

Our town has our fireworks show on July 3rd every year, so we've already enjoyed the spectacular pyrotechnics show. I took tons of photos, but most turned out badly. Here's one that I like!

We're having a family BBQ today, I'm looking forward to a relaxing afternoon and evening, enjoying my family, and counting my blessings! I know that everyone loves their own country, and there are many wonderful places in the world to live. But I'm especially proud and blessed to live in the United States, and today we're going to celebrate!

Just a Few Moments of Solitude

2011-07-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Every year at this time, either I, or my sister and I, take our Mom to Forest Lawn Cemetery Hollywood Hills, to Dad's gravesite. It means a lot to Mom to have us make this little journey, and it gives her a little quiet time to sit and mourn for Dad. They were married for 63 years. There's nothing that makes Mom happier than to have us kids talk about Dad, and remember him. She loves the layouts I make about Dad, she'd much rather I didn't make any about her! Mom is 99, and although she's starting to get a little unsteady on her feet, she's still the same live wire she's always been.

For the first time that I can remember, I forgot my camera. But I did have my trusty iPhone with me. My iPhone is 3 years old, and doesn't take the great photos the new ones take. Plus it was a very bright day, not so great for photos. But I really liked this one: taken from slightly above, showing the flowers, the headstone, and Mom looking cute in her capris & straw hat. The photo wouldn't stand the test of enlargement, so I added some of my favorite artistic Photoshop filters to give it a more painterly effect. Not sure if the ghostly image of my Dad is over the top, but it made the colors pop, so I kept it in!

Thursday was Bruce's birthday, and I made him a framed layout for the occasion. I combined some elements from my recent Assyrian Palace layout, but added some new photos and changed the format. I also made it the larger 12x12 size, which I rarely do (I like the smaller 8x8 size). It came out great, and Bruce seemed to like it a lot. I make him so many framed layouts & digital designs, he never knows quite what to do with them, or where to put them. I hope he figures it out soon!

Send in the Clowns

2011-07-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

In honor of my new collector's blog, I created this layout the other day, using one of my collections. I created it for a CT call (creative team) for a website that I frequently contribute to: Color Combos Galore. I didn't make the team (which I didn't really expect, since I don't scrap in the style that is predominant there) but I had fun doing a layout & using colors that were perfect for me & my idea. So, I ended up with a nice layout out of the deal, and no creative team responsibilities to hassle with! (ok, I'll admit I was a tiny bit disappointed...it's always nice to be recognized and validated. But I'm going to be fine...)

Introducing!

2011-07-01T07:05:00.001-07:00

Today is the day I inaugurate my new blog: The Copycat Collector. I've been busy behind the scenes, designing my blog header, listing and photographing some of my collections, and trying to get it all organized so that it doesn't take up all my 'spare' time. You can read about why I call it the Copycat Collector on the side bar of the new blog.

I hope you stop by and visit often, and leave comments. Note that occasionally I will be open to selling or otherwise getting rid of a few of my things. (My husband is very happy to hear this news) I will mark FS (for sale) on the blog entry if that is the case.

I hope you enjoy my new blog, and that you continue to visit Stefstyle to see all of my latest projects & adventures!

Today's a Great Day!

2011-06-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Today's a great day for two reasons.... the first is it's my sweet husband Bruce's birthday! That's always a wonderful reason to celebrate! I wish I didn't have to work today, and that we could spend the whole day together, but alas, duty calls. We'll have a fun evening together though! Happy Birthday honey!

The second reason is because my new blog premieres tomorrow! July 1 is the debut of my soon-to-be-revealed fun blog, so I hope you stop by here tomorrow for the final details & link.

Here's another tiny hint:

Evolution of a Blog

2011-06-28T23:38:00.000-07:00

They say 'less is more', don't they? I've changed the look of my blog many times in the nearly 3 years I've had it. The header has remained the same, but I've gone from vintage to natural. I had this background for nearly 2 years, until I got sick of it:

Then I picked a stock photo from the Blogger Gallery, which looked nice, but wasn't mine:

Then I started using my own photos for the background, and matching the background color to some part of the photo. I picked about 30 different photos, and formatted them, then I began to cycle through them, changing them with the seasons:

I I think the photos were quite nice, but somehow, I just got tired of how the photo seemed to compete with the blog entry. This was my blog background until today:

I actually lightened this one, because the intense lavender was just too glaring. As I was putting together my new blog, I decided to keep that one simple and white. I really like it, and think that it's really the best design for me. So, I thought perhaps I might make my Stefstyle blog clean and white too. So here it is. Simple and plain. I might change things up a bit down the line. But for now, I'm thinking white space looks mighty nice.

It's Coming This Friday!

2011-06-27T18:23:00.000-07:00

I told you something exciting was coming up soon... well, it's going to be here this Friday, July 1! I will be unveiling a brand-new blog, something totally different from my StefStyle blog. Not to replace it, but to add to my creative exploits and have a little fun! So, keep you eye on this space, and I'll give you more information and a link on Friday! There might be some more hints in the next couple of days, so stop by again!

Tutorials

2011-06-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

Erica Hernandez posted her weekly challenge on 2Ps this past week- it was to utilize a screen shot in the layout somewhere. I think she had in mind people taking a screen cap of their favorite website or something related to their social networks... but the first thing I thought of was the zillions of screen shots I've done in the past few years, that help me create tutorials. I've done dozens of tutorials for digital scrapbooking on a variety of subjects: everything from creating Actions to using and creating Gradients, to Colorizing black & white heritage photos (shown).
I use it for many more things than tutorials, and it's been a lifesaver. I've documented online design piracy, grabbed images from slideshows, and copied webpages and other images when copying individual image files wasn't practical or didn't give me the whole picture. So to speak!

Do you use screen shots? How do you use them? I'd love to get your ideas!

Pinterest Meet-up

2011-06-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

Many of you know about Pinterest... it's a website designed as a place to share the things we've found on the internet that we love: everything from design to fashion to food to.... whatever! I've been 'pinning' for quite awhile now. I've picked several categories that I'm interested in: Product Design, Art and Illustration, Digital and Graphic Design, Photography, and a few more. When I spot something I love on a blog or website, I "pin it", and it goes onto my pinboards. I can write a little about it, and it automatically links back to the source so others can find it. People who come to my Pinterest page can see the things that interest me, and also 'repin' things to their own boards. It's fun to 'follow' others, and get followers yourself. The idea of 'pinning' originated with those of us in the creative fields who often keep bulletin boards of sorts, with all kinds of pictures and images pinned on, to jumpstart our imaginations, and generate ideas.
Tonight I attended a fun Meet-up in Venice, CA at a cute paperie called "Urbanic". I was able to meet Ben, the founder of Pinterest, and talk to some other pinsters, as well as browse the aisles of the fantastic paper store. Naturally, I had my camera with me, and snapped a few shots of the festivities. I loved the cute banners they had out on the back patio.... each one represented something fun that had been 'pinned'.

I hope you'll stop by my Pinterest page, and if it's something that interests you, you can become a pinner too! It's one of those things that can become completely addicting, you can get lost browsing others' pins, finding your own, and searching for fun things to pin. For me, the challenge is to actually use these things I love as a jumping off place for my own creations and inspiration. Happy pinning!

Adelaide

2011-06-21T10:52:00.001-07:00

This is my Grandmother Clark... the Grandma that I knew best growing up, because we lived near her. Grandma & Grandpa lived in a cute little cottage in Hollywood, which was Bruce & my first home after we were married. Grandma wasn't the typical grandma type... she didn't spoil us with treats and gifts. She handed us a bucket and mop when we came for a visit. We always worked (I, of course, hid out in the back room with the books while the other girls slaved away. I can still hear her saying, "Where's Steffie?") She read us Bible stories, and sewed for us. We loved her dearly for her feisty and spunky personality. She had been quite the tomboy growing up on a ranch in Northern Utah, and was as comfortable on horseback as she was on her two feet. But, boy, did she know how to work! Grandpa, on the other hand, was one of those softies who always had an available lap to sit in, and a yarn to spin. He was an artist, and I like to think I got my artistic talent from him. Grandma had a quick temper, and a fiery tongue, but she was kind and loving too. Grandpa called her his "Little Warrior", and I mean little. Grandma probably didn't top 5' tall, and Grandpa was at least 6'2".

I hadn't done one of my fun heritage layouts for a few months now, so I thought I'd pick a few photos of my Grandma in her middle years... when she was in her late 40s, and early 50s. (Grandma's hair turned white when she was quite young, and combined with her brown eyes and dark eyebrows, she was quite striking looking.) I've really enjoyed getting out of my clean 'n graphic style, and doing something colorful, and a bit funky.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

I've always loved Mother's Day and Father's Day. I know there are cynics out there who feel many of these holidays were invented by the greeting card companies to sell cards (and they haven't made much money from me, since I've been making most of my cards since I was a kid!) but call me sentimental... I love them. Especially as a Mom, and wife of a Dad. It's been fun through the years to be on the receiving end of homemade macaroni art, clay handprints, and cards made from construction paper and crayons. Nowadays, our kids (who are all far away) are more likely to post their greetings to us on Facebook, or text us. (I should put a stop to this, but gee, it's better than nothing!)

I love to make something special for my sweet husband and Father of our 4 children on Father's Day. For the past 10-12 years, it's been of the digital variety... often a collection of photos of him through the years, with the kids, or last year- a couple of sweet pictures of him with his little grandsons. This year I thought there would be nothing he'd like more than a copy of one of our favorite photos from Amy's wedding. I added an appropriate quote, a nice frame, and voila! A perfect Father's Day gift.

Yesterday we spent the entire day in South Pasadena, where we attended our high school's annual alumni picnic. We're on the board, and we both had responsibilities at the picnic, so we were there all day. We had a blast!
We then drove around town, taking photos of our lovely home town, with its charming homes, schools,and beautiful buildings. We had ice cream at Buster's, and browsed through a used book store. We then drove down into the Arroyo Seco to take photos
of the golf course, and lovely park and baseball fields. Then we wended our way at sunset, up the leafy Arroyo Drive into Pasadena, to shoot photos of the beautiful Greene & Greene homes, and the stunning Colorado St. Bridge.

I shot a great photo of Bruce in South Pas, and I decided that I'd add it here, because I wanted my sweetie to know how much I love him, and what a wonderful Dad he is to our kids. Today was a wonderful day, we enjoyed a lovely church meeting, including singing in the choir (I'm the director), and then relaxing at home. We heard from all of our kids, and are proud that our boys are both wonderful Dads themselves. Life is good!

My Dad

2011-06-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about my Dad as Father's Day approaches... he passed away almost exactly 9 years ago: on June 29, 2002. I've made quite a few layouts about my Dad through the years, but he never saw any of them. I think Dad probably would have liked some of the things I scrapped about him: his love of jazz:

His love of the outdoors:

His work as a grain & flour dealer:

(You can see this one larger here)

I wanted to honor my sweet Dad this Father's Day, I hope he's watching over me and our family...we sure miss him!

Color

2011-06-14T14:00:00.001-07:00

I'm such a sap for beautiful colors, flowers, blue skies.... and we have those in abundance in beautiful Ventura County, California where we live. I stopped to take photos of these beautiful violet hollyhocks growing out in the countryside near our home. Never one to leave a good photo alone, I thought it would be fun to try something a little different. I hope you enjoy my vision of some of the beautiful colors I see.

Almost Two

2011-06-12T00:15:00.000-07:00

We had a fun family gathering at our house today- my brother Gene and sister-in-law Joanne were down from Utah, so their two kids who live here in LA and their families, plus Mom, sister Lynne & husband Bruce, and son Alec, Alicia and our little grandson Jackson all gathered for food & visiting. There were 3 kids: grandniece Nikki, 7, her little brother Brady, almost 3, and Jackson. There were also 2 very small ones: grandnephew Jace 6 months, and tiny Brooke- 3 months. The kids headed to the backyard, where they had a great time playing ball, and just running around on the grass and stepping stones. As I watched little Jackson playing with his cousin Brady, it finally occurred to me that Jack is not a baby anymore. The boys were so cute together.... Brady is almost a year older than Jackson, but they were playing ball like best buddies. I caught a glimpse of the boy Jackson is becoming. (I do think he's the most beautiful boy too, look at those blonde curls!) Just had to make a little layout to celebrate our almost-two-year-old.

Fredericksburg

2011-06-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

Last summer when we went to Texas to visit our kids, we spent a day in Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg is located not far from San Antonio, in the Texas Hill Country. It's an old German town, and is full of cute little shops, cafes and galleries. But by far the most fascinating and interesting place in town is the Admiral Nimitz National Museum of the Pacific War. This incredible museum honors and tells the stories of the horrific war in the Pacific.... everything from Pearl Harbor, to theBataan Death March, to Iwo Jima to Hiroshima. I never knew how devastating the Pacific War was, and how vulnerable those soldiers, sailors and airmen were on their ships, islands, and planes.

I've been thinking it would be fun to create another 'name' layout, like these two I did of Malibu & Salt Lake, only one with lots of letters. I think Fredericksburg qualifies as a lot of letters. Naturally I had to make it two pages. The photos don't do it justice- Fredericksburg is a wonderful and fascinating town. I hope we can go back again on our next visit! (Click here for a closer view)

Sneak Peek!

2011-06-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be launching a new blog in a few weeks... I've been getting really excited about it, and planning and preparing! My StefStyle blog isn't going anywhere, I'll still be posting my usual creative projects, photos and thoughts here. But I was inspired by someone elses blog a month or so ago, and decided to try something totally different- and basically copy her idea, only in my own quirky way. But that's all I'm going to tell you! I'll just post a photo that is a tiny hint. I'll give more details in the weeks to follow, so stop by frequently to see what's going on here!