TEN THINGS ON THE TENTH

PHOTO SHOOT

Unknown to me, my daughter organised a photo shoot before Christmas.  She has a friend, you see, who is a very talented photographer and they set off one day to a local favourite spot.  Emma likes natural shots rather than posed studio ones and I agree, natural ones reflect personality and capture time and memory.

And so for my 10 things today I thought I would share some of the photos that Tracy took: 

It was difficult to know which to show as there were about 150 photos to choose from.  But I think you'll agree, she has captured my girls beautifully. 

And Emma kept the photoshoot a secret because she had some prints framed as our Christmas present.

 

Here they are with my new sofa.  Emma didn't know, but as soon as the sofa was delivered and in place I immediately said the wall needs some big black & white photos.  I am sure my daughter and I are telepathic sometimes.... 

Now I have seen all the photos I will change the print on the right.  Emma knows there are better photos but was under pressure to get the set done on time.  I may just have to get more printed now that  I have seen them, too!  And make an album, because I am so spoilt for choice!

If you want to see more of Tracy's wonderful work go here.  Thank you Tracy....  I love, love, what you did!!

And if you want to see more '10 on the 10th Day of the Month' posts pop over to Shimelle's.

I'm off now to see what others have been up to!  Thanks for visiting and enjoy what ever you are doing. 

10 things on the 10th (November 2011)

It was July when I last posted 10 things on 10th, despite thinking that I'd like to do this regularly.  So I'm pleased to be part of Shimelle's monthly group this time round and to share some random ramblings:

1.  Nearby there is a tearoom at the top of a granary, high in the sky.  It overlooks the watermill and river and it is a tranquil spot where I like to sit and linger over a cup of tea and slice of cake.  Which is what I did today, because I decided this was the perfect place to leave a couple of books that I hope someone might find by chance, and enjoy. 

2.  A week ago you see, I joined BookCrossing.  So I hope that whoever finds the books will record them and that I can follow their travels.  If you have not heard about BookCrossing I have briefly explained it here. I love the sense of surprise so am quite excited about leaving books for others to find in unexpected places.  And I hope I might find the occasional book too!

3. I recently discovered 'Simple Stories', a beautiful collection of papers & elements that are ideal for quick pages or mini albums.  And there are some free digital downloads here that are perfect for the 'starting school books' I plan to make.  Shimelle has been suggesting in her 'Pretty Paper Party' class that you can combine bought and digital papers or elements.  I have done this for a long time and I love being able to mix and match and to expand my materials.

4. While downloading new digital papers and kits I realised just how many I have saved on my computer.  Mmmm.....  along with my boxes of 12x12 and other papers, I cannot possibly work my way through this collection but it does not stop me buying more on a weekly basis!  Jessica Sprauge offers some wonderful bargains on One Buck Wednesday.  Note to self: do NOT buy any more Christmas papers!!

5. A friend has just been given a new camera and she is very excited and keen to use it.  What's more, she has asked if we can get together for some photoshooting fun.  I would love to use manual settings rather than rely on automatic but I am lazy and short of time, so I go for the easy option.  But now I might be inspired to use some of the ecourses I have bought and saved on my computer.  This will give me a basic idea, and then I just need to put it into practice.  I was much inspired by Margie's clever shot where she added two images of each family member in one photo.  I love creative ideas using photos.

6. That's probably why I love programmes such as Picasa, Befunky and Fotosketcher.  All are free downloads with lots of creative ideas that are quick and easy to do.  I have Photoshop but  this takes time and effort to use, so like manual controls on my camera, I often resort to quicker ways of achieving what I want. 
Hopefully one day there will be more time to experiment and play!

7.  I am woefully behind in organising my photos and Project 365. I keep telling myself I should spend time doing this, instead of browsing blogs.  But another hour or two passed this morning as I enjoyed reading different takes on 10 things on the 10th.

8. I have received and sent Mail Art.  I was lucky enough to be the recipient of Sian's Pass the Book and I did not anticipate the envelope to be so thoughtfuly decorated by Deb.  I especially liked the Google map she printed on the back showing her home and mine.  What a brilliant idea!! 
And I loved reading Ginger's post about the Mail Art she has received.  I have decorated envelopes for as long as I can remember, as I have always used opportunities to create and use my imagination.  It is only recently that I discovered it is an art form in its own right and it is lovely to see a focus on sending happy mail as I'm sure I'm not the only one who misses handwritten letters and interesting post arriving through my letter box.  I plan to connect with other Mail Artists and it has been interesting reading the book that Deb sent me.  I have picked up tips and ideas, and I'd love to send out mail to people who appreciate what it is about.  So drop me an email with your address & blog if you would like some post to come your way. 

9.  As much as I love good paper mail, an occasional email brings much joy too.  Over the years I have dipped in and out of tracing my family history but one connection left me completely stuck.  Recently I put a message on Ancestry.com and a wonderful woman has done some research for me and untangled the thread!  I need to follow up her leads now but I am very excited.  At least I know some answers and more questions will follow. Perhaps there will be a story there to tell?

10. Another reason for being excited is that my workspace has made more progress.  It finally has electricity and heating, and I have bought new tables and chairs.  It will remain work in progress as I like to live in space and allow it to naturally evolve, but it is comfortable enough to finally invite friends for a celebration and creative day later this month.  And I hope to start preparing pages for Journal Your Christmas.  I learnt a lot last year about how not to do it, so I hope I can make it less complicated and time consuming this time round.  Only sometimes, I have discovered, I need more than one lesson!!

Now, I am off to look at more '10 things on the 10th' blogs before I snuggle infront of the log burner.  I so love a real fire these dark nights.... 

10 things on the 10th (July 2011)

Last month I made a list  and have been busy working my way through: 

Organising my photos - this is started and work in progress.  There was rather a lot of catching up to do, you see! 

Project 365   Finally added to my Flickr album here.

Start an Art Journal  more about that here.

Finish knitting a bollero.    That's here:

Finish my 'Journal Your Christmas album'.  I just need to put the pages together.  

Use my Wii fit. 

Not done.... 

but only because I have been doing a lot of physical work this month.
I also bought 2 fitness DVD's that were recommended by my daughter.  She has only used them 3 times and has noticed a big difference in her muscle tone.  I've used it once so there is hope for me yet!  And I will get the Wii out sometime as it is a lot of fun.

Birthday Blog.   A blog hop to celebrate my first year. A HUGE thank you to the very special people who helped me with this, and to everyone who took part. 

Plan holiday or a break. I'm looking forward to visiting the 'Bloomsbury Set House' and Lewes in Sussex, with friends very soon.  We are also in the process of buying a campervan, and have joined the Camping & Caravan club.  The site directory has just been delivered and I'm looking forward to a cut of tea and more making more plans to get away.

Organise my work space.  Unfortuantly it is taking longer than hoped as there have been unwanted delays, then yesterday I experienced vertigo every time I looked up.  This is not a good experience when perched on a ladder, so again I did not achieve as much as I hoped.  But I did make a difference and today I will buy more paint and start on the interior.  So, good progress is being made even if it is slower than I wanted.

Add a texture to a photo.

This was not the photo I wanted to post but for some reason Blogger is being picky.  This shows the before and after, and this can be quite fun as well as creating age or different effects.  Kim Klassen is offering a free mini-course on how to add textures.  It starts today, so head straight over if you are interested in finding out more.

So, this time I shall be continuing with organising my photos and workspace.  And I plan to carry on with the painting because I have some chairs and a lovely little table I want togive new life to.

I wonder what plans you have or what you are working on right now?  Have fun what ever you are doing.

This post is part of Shimelle's 10 things on the 10th. 

RAIN STOPPED PLAY....

 

No, not at Wimbledon but in my garden.   Because we have been busy building my new craft space.  I wonder if I will take the jump one day and call this my studio?   At the moment I am thoughtful about what it will be called and hope that once it is filled I will know.  Meanwhile I have been busy on the outside, painting and making it mine, all mine.  

I wanted it to blend into the garden, so that it feels that it has grown out of the ground.  Once I have planted around it and added a plaque and lantern or two I hope it will look like it has always been there. Because,  it has in my dreams. 
But for now rain has stopped me painting.  I could go out and buy paint and start on the inside, but there is still small work to be done and so I will be patient.

 So instead, I will finish the last page or two of my Journal Your Christmas Album.  Yes, I am still working on it.  But you will understand the reason why it is not completed.  I still have two days left before I post my next 10 things on the 10th, so it will be done.

But before I start I am going to have a cup of tea and browse ‘Painted Pages’.   I was lucky enough to be picked for Sian’s ‘Pass the Book’ and have been turning the pages at every opportunity.   I will say more about this another time, but for now it has given me the inspiration to get out the paint instead of ink pads.  I also bought a template the other day, so my Journal Your Christmas album will be getting a new look. 

Best get started!

TEN minus FIVE

....  is five.  Five more things to complete on my list of 10 things on the 10th that is.  And my workspace today is still looking a crazy mess, but that's how I like it best.  Because I can dip in and out as time allows.  I have been busy finishing the last pages of my Journal Yours Christmas album and because I am enjoying it so much I decided to finish it on 6th January which is the 12th night. 

This page is a collage done on Picasa using some of my favourite photos taken during 2010.  Favourites because they trigger happy memories or special moments that I want to recapture time and time again.
That I wrote about here, here, and here.



I wouldn't usually do a college on a page, but this was an idea suggested by Shimelle as part of this course, and  it fitted perfectly with that I wanted to achieve.

I wouldn't normally print images off Google for my pages either.  But I wanted to create a page about Pantomine, and did not have any photos I could use.

The Cinderella poster opens and inside I will use the space to journal.

There are just a few pages to go and some more journalling to add.  Then I need to find a way of binding this very fat album together!

 
Happy Wednesday and enjoy what ever you are doing.
Oh, and by the way, if you want to see what other people have on their workspace go over to Julie's here.

10 things on the 10th

I posted here about things I want to change within the next 5 years.  That is a very generous time frame because realistically I want it to be more like 5 months.  But who’s counting?!

Then Shimelle suggested posting 10 things on the 10th of the month and I got thinking. ....  life has felt very chaotic and busy lately.  Things have been neglected because of the on-going building work and spending time with my Mum following her operation.   I have now started my new job and slowly, slowly, I am gathering my breath and trying to catch up.  And so, I am going to set myself 10 goals this 10th day of the month.

I am giving myself to the 10th of next month to complete this, that's 4 weeks.  So let’s start:

1.     Sort out my photos.   Since December these have been simply downloaded off the camera onto the computer.   Usually I sort each download into various albums and have a system that works for me.  I take lots of photos on a daily basis so this will be a huge task.  And best not left any longer!

 2.     Project 365.  Yes – I am still doing this even though my Flickr album only contains 30 photos this year.  This means I need to download a photo a day from February to now.  I once got behind with this before and made a mental not NEVER to do that again as it was so frustrating and difficult to catch up.  Some lessons need repeating!

3.    Start an art journal.  This is more pleasure than pain.  Something I keep saying I want to do, and now I have set myself a target.

4.    Finish knitting a bolero for my newest granddaughter.  I keep starting projects and not finishing them, and you know how fast babies grow.  Wren will outgrow it before I finish if I don’t get it done!

 
5.    Complete my Journal Your Christmas album.  Yes – you read right!  I know I have said this before and again I will be taking it to my monthly group.  But this time I plan not to be distracted.  The trouble is I see other exciting ideas and put the JYC album aside.  Not this time, because I really do want to finish it before I start another album.  And I have others earmarked so I have motivation.

6.    Start using my Wii machine again.  I did use this regularly for a while and enjoyed the fitness games and exercises.  I need to increase my physical activity and this suits my lifestyle right now.  In the future I hope to be able to get out more.   I love walking and gardening but for now things indoors are more pressing.

7.    Plan something for my blog birthday on 20th June.  I’m still thinking what I might do.  Watch this space!

8.    Plan a holiday or short break away.  A change of scenery would be very welcome.

 9.    Organise my work space.  You know how things accumulate and increase in piles?  At least it saves the need to dust.....

10.    Add a texture to a photo.  One of my plans this year was to experiment with Photoshop Elements and become more familiar and confident with using it.  Not so!  I have used textures before by layering and I even started taking photos specially to use as textures & effects.  Remember I said I download my photos into albums?  ‘Textures’ is one of them  and this is a photo I previously experimented with. I am setting this as my final challenge and hope I can remember how to do this.
Incidentally, if you don't have Photoshop, 'Picnik' offer a range of special effects, lots of them free and fun to play with.

 
I am looking forward to coming back on 10th of next month to celebrate my achievements, and I really hope I can do all these things.  Especially organising the photos.  I wonder what 10 things you would choose?