Photos and Stories

Month: May 2020

Toilet Paper

By

On May 29, 2020

In Scrapbooking

Do you need any toilet paper? I ask myself that question every time I go to Costco. Thursday, the store finally had my favorite brand. It’s been out of stock since early March. I bought a big package of 36 rolls to add to my store. By my count I now have more than 144+ rolls of toilet paper stored in a closet that used to have empty shelves. If I used a roll every two days, that would last a year.

When I got home from Costco, I texted my daughter, “Do you need any TP?” “No,” she replied with 😂😅🤣, “I’ve still got that package I bought in April.” We both laugh, me knowing that if she runs out, I have plenty.

Normally one wouldn’t think of toilet paper as an inspiration for a layout, but I have to tell you that I smiled to myself and chuckled a lot as I created this page. Actually a paper overlay included in Anna’s new ArtPlay Palette reminded me of the toilet paper rolls I bought on Thursday morning and a little story.

Paper and Transfer
  • Place solid paper 3 from ArtPlay Palette Lost on a new blank 12×12 layout.
  • Above the paper, place Paper Overlay 1.
FotoBlendz
  • Just above the paper place file 1 from FotoBlendz Overlays No. 14.
  • Clip the toilet paper photo to the mask.
  • Rotate and place the photo of toilet paper above the mask.
  • Use the Object Selection Tool to mask exclude any background before clipping the photo to the mask. Adjust both mask and photo as needed.

Note: I used the Warp Tool to adjust the mask to better fit the paper layer. I also used the Warp Tool to align the line in the paper overlay with my photo.

Build Background with Overlay and Splatters
  • Above the photo layer place Edge Overlay 1 from ArtPlay Palette Lost on the left.
  • Then place two copies of Splatter 1 to form a triangle.

Note: The shadow in the paper overlay lines up with the bottom of the toilet paper role.

Embellish
  • Add wooden word from Lost WordART Mix No. 1. Give it a small shadow with
  • Create a text box below the title and write journaling.
  • Add psd MultiMedia file from Bonus available with the full release this week.

Note: I recolored the ribbon with a Hue and Saturation Adjustment.

A silly question, texted to my daughter each week, bonds my daughter and me now. “Do you need any TP?” This text between us has become an ongoing joke, a cause for shared laughter. Is there a hidden significance, something I’m not facing? Probably. Laughter often masks deeper feelings. Sometimes, a good laugh at myself is simply a good thing. At any rate, today I laughed!

Petulance

By

On May 17, 2020

In Scrapbooking

I really wished the garden was open. I miss walking with my camera in a rainbow of color every spring. Instead, I was thinking about an expense we really didn’t want, but the compressor on the heat pump was going out and the furnace was rusted. As I looked out the window at the sunshine beaming down on the new grass, I kept thinking about what I was missing, wanting to be at the garden again with my camera. Instead, I waited and tried to stay away from the installers.

Combine

I often combine layers from different files to create a page. In this case, I knew that I wanted to use the Artsy Transfer and then looked for other pieces to use to tell my story.

Note: I deleted part of the thread and pasted it to a new blank layer so that I could use it separately.

FotoBlendz
  • Place layers of file 5 from Rainbow FotoBlendz No. 1 below the transfer layers.
  • Clip photo to the mask.
  • Turn off color layers as desired.

Note: I used only the green, red and orange.

Elements
  • Place the clover and button face from ArtPlay Palette Rainbow next to the frames.
  • Move the second piece of the thread into place.

In case my journaling didn’t explain Petulance, I’m feeling childishly sulky or bad-tempered, especially after dealing with two young men who didn’t wear masks. I wore one!

Rainbow Possibilities

By

On May 8, 2020

In Scrapbooking

In a time of staggering joblessness, illness and death, I find it hard to focus on the positive. Yet this afternoon, I experienced a few moments of joy working with Anna’s new palette, ArtPlay Palette Rainbow. Maybe it’s the colors or the thoughts of possibilities suggested by a rainbow.

Create a Composite of Photos

To create this page, I combined two photos that I captured at Lauritzen Gardens in 2018.

  • Blend photo of rainbow display and large fish, resizing and masking as needed. Duplicate and change the second copies to Hard Light.
  • Place transfer 4 from ArtPlay Palette Rainbow. Rotate and enlarge about 10%. Use it as a clipping mask for the photos.
  • Duplicate the transfer and change the blend mode to Color.
  • Adjust the blending and positioning of the photos.
  • Make a composite of these layers to use to create the rest of the layout.
Clip Composite to FotoBlendz Mask
  • Open file 2 from Rainbow FotoBlendz No. 1.
  • Place above solid paper 1 from ArtPlay Palette Rainbow.
  • Clip the composite to the fotoblendz mask. Adjust the positioning.
  • Duplicate copies of composite. Change the blend mode of the first copy to Soft Light at 75% and the second copy to Hard Light at 50%.
  • Reposition some of the glows to emphasize the rainbow colors in the photos.
Build Background
Embellish
  • On the right, place word art elements from Bonus Set included with today’s release.
  • On the left, create a cluster with ribbon, small frame, charm included in ArtPlay Palette Rainbow. Clip another photo to the mask. Note: I resized the frame and place it along with the shadow below the mask.

Lettuce

By

On May 3, 2020

In Scrapbooking

Green leaf lettuce is a staple for my meals. No matter what other vegetable, fruit or protein I use, green leaf lettuce is the first layer of every salad bowl. As I learn to shop online for groceries I am also learning to trust someone else to pick out my produce. Today someone else selected my tomatoes. They looked good. Next time, I’m going to ask the store to select my lettuce.

Use Part of a Template
  • Open template 1 from Hipster Plume Template Album No. 5.
  • Place just the frames, splatter, stain, text boxes and plumes.
  • Clip photos to masks.
  • Clip a photo to stains
Mask Screen Shots
  • Place copies of internet screenshots. Mask portions as needed.
  • Place lettuce screenshots in position below the small frames.
  • Add custom shadows as desired.
  • Adjust the position of template layers.
  • Stamp brush 10 from Fare No. 1 to the left on a new blank layer below the frames.
  • Add a splatter from another hipster template on the right.
  • Place just the alphabet beads from Food WordART No. 1 on the thread included in the template.

Learning to shop on line is fun, but challenging too. I didn’t realize until today that there is a box under each item in your cart to make a comment. So many little details to learn about these shopping apps. After the pandemic ends, I may never want to go back to the market.

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén