Tuesday, May 19, 2009

On The Road Again

My Niece graduates from Kickapoo High School today so my mom and I flew out to Missouri from California last Thursday... yea I'm behind again! I had asked my niece to take me for a drive so i could take some photos. I saw some beautiful sights but she was going to fast to get any pics.... I did anticipate a shot and told her to stop right on the other side of the next hill... she did... i got out and snapped this

On The Road Again



Friday, May 08, 2009

Color, Color Everywhere!

I have really been struggling the past few months.. the doc has been playing with my meds and i have had it with the cold gloomy weather so i did what i usually do when life gets bleek, i took my camera and went out in search of my muse!
This is what I found -










Yes, I'm Alive!

LOL.... it's been a month.. or more....

I've been keeping a secret...

I entered a 6 week Contest hosted and sponsored by
The Shabby Pickle and After Five. It was an anonymous contest. we were all issued a number and had to register in the galleries with that number rather than using our regular gallery that is tied into our user names. The sites alternated weeks as far as issuing the topic of the week, judging, and creating a collab kit for that weeks theme. The collab kit didn't need to be used in the layout you submitted in the main round but if you did any BONUS layouts they had to be done with 100% of that weeks kit. Contestants got 50% off the kit... all six weeks kits seemed to use the same pallet (and not my favorite one i might add) Each week was judged by designers and ct members of that weeks shop plus some guest judges from other sites. No one got eliminated but you had to post in each weeks main event to be eligible for prizes. each week the top 10 layouts went up for a public vote... (a way for extra points) it was all about the points... I thought wow! of all the contests i have seen this one seems more fair than any!....

Week two I was disenchanted... not because my layout didn't make the top 10 for week one but because of a number of other things!

  1. many people waited to post their layouts until the last minute and crashed the server

  2. as a result they were given several extra days to post (5)

  3. top 10 were never posted until almost the end of the following week

  4. bonus round points were given by lottery and NOT per layout

  5. judging criteria was NEVER posted

  6. We NEVER knew where we stood point wise during the contest

  7. people could vote as often as they wanted during each rounds public judging phase



so about mid week three I started referring to it as a challenge... how can you compete against the unknown??? I enjoyed the topics they really stretched me but to be honest, 6 weeks was a long time to do layouts and not be able to post them anywhere but the contest galleries... the final scores are not in but I am certain I didn't win anything, I never made a top 10, i never was drawn as a bonus round winner... but hey I finished and that was important to me... I was frustrated and i didn't quit!! hooray!!! LOL and I met a lot of nice people... err numbers LOL

So, here are my layouts... you'll notice i stared strong with the bonus round layouts and when i realized how that was working i backed off and then didn't do any LOL



Week One Topic - It's So Me...



something that shouts YOU.. a color an article of clothing, a place etc.. something that when people see it they will say that's so you!



MELLOW - I used a picture I had taken a few days earlier





Week One Bonus Round

week 1 bonus 2

week 1 bonus 1


week 1 bonus 2 redo


week 1 bonus 3


Week Two Topic - FLASHBACK

Should transport you back to a time or a place

AUGUST 8, 1969 - Charlie Manson, The Manson Family and Sharon Tate


week 2 one and only final


Week Two Bonus Round


week 2 bonus 2


week 2 bonus 1



Week Three Topic - A Moment In Time

week 3 final


Week Three Bonus Round


week 2 bonus 3


week 3b

Week 4 Topic - Sing Me A Song

Use lyrics and/or title of a song that brings back memories or you just cant get out of your head

Elton John's Tiny Dancer - My daughters First Dance Recital age 4


Week 4


Week Five Topic - Color My World

Use some type of photo treatment


week 5



Week Six Topic - It's a Bird, It's a Plane


inanimate object photos or no photos - i used a picture I took last year of the San Diego Temple


Week  6