trimmingthesails

Pass The Book

 "Oh, my sainted aunt!" I pulled it forward from the bookcase and stared at it in horror: I should have passed this lovely volume on ages ago ... Sian's wonderfully generous Pass The Book project ensured that Expressive Photography by the Shutter Sisters popped through my letterbox, and now it's time for it to possibly pop through yours: if you'd like to be in the draw next Wednesday 4th April, just let me know in the Comments section below and I'll do the rest :).

Resons to want to peek at this book?

• stunning photography - as you might expect, it's a gorgeous visual treat
• beautiful page design - some great graphic layouts for copying!
• ten themes: horizons, portraiture, nature, spaces, childhood, stillness, documentary, creatures, table and togetherness
• each theme has an introduction, and double-page spreads entitled Approach, Perspective, Composition, Lighting, Details, and Processing

If you're interested in improving the way you think about taking photos, and ideas for shots which will be truly memorable, then this is for you - sign up quick!

The Littlies (and the Biggies) were delightful last weekend; I've only just managed to download the photos, so a scrapbook page might just be on its way soon ...

(Self-) Portraits and penmanship ...

... neither being my forte, as a scrapbooker. If you have the courage to hand-write on your pages, I salute you - and should you ever run a course on it, I will be at the head of the queue! I've long admired the ability of Miss Smith (Journal of Curious Things) and Sian (From High in the Sky) to do this so consistently and seemingly effortlessly. You might think that an art-journalling course would be the perfect place to start, being a vehicle for self-revelation and discovery - but I am a wuss and working up to the challenge on both fronts. Junelle's lovely page using scraps of patterned paper and paint to show her pile of folded laundry has, however, inspired me to make this ...

And as you read, I may well be airbound; and am warning that next week there may be some seriously cute pages about this young man and his little brother. Hopefully, I'll have struggled out from behind the cases by the time I get to Arrivals so that they recognise me.

And may you have a lovely weekend, despite losing an hour's sleep for British Summer Time :)

Pond-liner and Acronyms ...

"The thing I'm wondering is", Himself said carefully, "where does it all end?" He peered into the teapot and gave it a stir with the spoon.
"Meaning ...?" Brevity was the order of my day. I held out my cup.
"Well, to  be honest, it was the mention of the pond-liner that did it". He poured.
I studied the tide of tea rising inside the white china. "Uh-huh?" I replied. I wasn't quite clear where this was heading, but it didn't feel like anywhere I wanted to go.
"It seemed a trifle ... over the top." He picked his way carefully through the potential verbal minefield as he chose a ginger snap.
"It was recommended as a surface for printing on. You know, for that screen-printing class I told you about."
The reply was a trifle biscuity. "Is that the same one as the painting class? Or is it the wild art-journalling class?"
"No, it's neither of those, it's coming up later. April. No, May, I think." I was warming to what felt like his interest.
"Right", he said. Though it clearly wasn't. There was a slight pause. "It's just that there seem to be a lot of different things lying around. Especially of a Not Quite Finished nature."
"In process", I explained. 'My Bloom True canvases have got to the Bolshy Teenager stage and I'm waiting for them to grow out of it, and the bits of patterned paper are Going To Be Something in my journal ...

Himself coughed slightly. "You see", he said, "I'm thinking of starting a blog myself."
Hot tea coming down the nose is even hotter than when it goes down the throat. He fished in a pocket and passed me a hanky. "For the friends and spouses of CAPs."
"CAPs?" My vocal chords were still wobbly.
"Creatively-Affected Partners," he said. "Though I'm thinking that A could also be Addicted". He brushed a few crumbs off the table into the palm of his hand. "Do you think you could ask your creative friends if this is what happens?"
"I'm sorry?" I hoped my voice didn't sound as quavery as it did inside my head. "You've lost me." He hadn't quite, but I wanted it spelling out.
"You know the kind of thing", he elaborated. "It starts innocently enough with just one craft, then there's another, and before you know it there's a whole load of stuff sitting on the AmPal bill ..." (Code in our house for Amazon and PayPal.) It'd be useful information for my FAQ page."
"Right", I said. There was another slight pause. "I could also ask them how their friends and spouses and partners cope", I added. "What they say. If indeed it is a problem for other people. No point in a blog there'd be no interest in."
The sarcasm whizzed right past him. "Brilliant!" he said, rising from the table. "Let me know how it goes, then." And he went.

Any CAPs reading? Or d'you know one? Please help me out - all comments and experience welcome! :)

Moans, gripes and sundry whinges ...

Midweek murmurings and churlish chunterings of dissent and discontent up here. There's only so much word verification a body can stand ...

Not much else to say, really, m'lud: I rest my case. (And thanks to Cathy Zielske for a great template.) :).

 

A magic spell(ing) ...

Sometimes, even in the midst of a cool grey day which starts out thinking about Spring and decides to dissolve back into Winter, there are sudden unexpected shafts of sunlight. Mine came in an email headed 'Granma' ...

Of course, I didn't have any digital paper the right shade for the photo: it is so often thus! Then another ray of illumination struck: if you can use a Photoshop action on a photo, what would happen if you try it on a paper? A quick blast of Antique Colour (EZ Actions) on Mindy Teresawa's Itty Bitty Robots, and it was good to go.

Some days you just think, the magic doesn't get any better than this ...

And it's farewell to ...

... Miss Smith's Just One Sketch class. Here is my final page, the One Without a Photo; instead, I've added a little piece of experimental design work printed onto cotton. It's been quite a week: no, truthfully, you don't want to know, and I don't think I wish to remember! Suffice to say that a little bit of scrapbooking managed to get done in some teeny weeny pockets of time. (You can tell, by the spelling mistake below which I've only just spotted, that I have been somewhat distracted. Bother.) Still, here it is ...

And to brighten the mid-week, through my letterbox came a lovely envelope from Melissa with some glorious stamps and stamping:

"A product of Friendship Farms", it says. How lovely! As good a description of Happy Mail as you can get. Thank-you :). And just as I was thinking it was perhaps time to change my blog header, this arrived today. Look away now if you're squeamish ...


Clearly, in our monochrome world up here, it is not farewell to hats, gloves, and the spade in the boot of the car. Where did we put that bag of salt and grit ...