Belated Kudos!

I logged into my gallery at The Lilypad today for the first time since October, apparently, and had a message that one of my layouts had been featured on the weekly Story Board at Log Your Memory...like, two months ago!  What an awesome surprise!

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All a Blur

SO.  It's been another month since I've posted last.  Bad, bad blogger.  But this week's Digi Dares was the kick in the pants I needed to create something that I could actually put up here.  I *have* been working, you see, it's just that it's all been for future releases, and I can't post yet!

But the idea of journaling my thoughts about the week of Christmas was an intriguing one.  I can't say I went the deep and philosophical route...but it's honest, at least.  And helps explain why it's been so dang long since I've shown my virtual face around here!  Click to enlarge...

All a Blur digital scrapbooking layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Kit: Kitschy Christmas by Jen Barrette and Sahlin Studio; Template: June 2011 Freebie by Sahlin Studio; Fonts: Century Gothic, You Are Loved

Speaking of showing my face...if you look closely, you'll actually see a picture of *me* on this layout!  Bet I could count on one hand the number of times that has happened!


UPDATED 1.6.2012: Turns out I won! How cool is that?  Thanks, DigiDares!

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I Heart Faces: Autumn Splendor

I love it when I Heart Faces announces a photo challenge and I know immediately which picture I want to submit!  For "Autumn Splendor" this week, this shot was my clear choice.

Our old house was built in a subdivision that used to be someone's corn field...flat with no mature trees.  So naturally, the kids wanted the new house to have woods (or at least a tree they could climb).  They've waited since the move in August for the leaves to start falling...they wanted to rake...they wanted to jump in the piles!  And they finally got their wish!

I love this photo because it's pure spontaneity.  I suppose it could have been a posed thing, but it wasn't.  They literally landed in the leaves that way, all laughing, all (uncharacteristically) managing to look in my direction at the same time!  Splendid.

Leaves

Thanks for looking!  Don't forget to check out the other gorgeous entries at I Heart Faces!

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I Heart Faces: Fix It Friday

So, I've never participated in an I Heart Faces Fix It Friday before!  But, I've been playing more and more with photo editing, and this pictures was just too cute to pass up!  And since I'm determined to drink the entire pot from my new coffeemaker this morning, I decided to give it a whirl!

Here's the original shot, courtesy of photographer Adrienne Zwart...

And here's what I did, working in my trusty ol' Photoshop Elements 7...

1. Lighten Shadows (25%)

2. Pioneer Woman Fresh Color (no Hue/Saturation adjustment, Soft Light 30%)

3. PW Bring Out the Eyes (70%)

4. PW Sunshine (10%)

5. Flatten

6. Duplicate layer, Screen (25%)

7. PW Edge Burn (25%)

8. Flatten and crop to recompose

My final product...

  

Thanks for stopping by!

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I Heart Faces: Let Them Be Little

Four-year-old bliss.

In the Surf 

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Inspiration Overload

I've been running on inspiration overload this week.  Maybe it's that I'm procrastinating doing all the things around the house that are more important... Maybe it's that I caught up on downloading Becky Fleck's PageMaps that I had missed over the last few months.

Either way, I've been a scrappin' fool lately!  It feels really great, because I haven't had a jag like this in a long, long time... Believe it or not, these are just the pages I've done for fun; there are several more that I can't show you yet because they have to wait for the sketches to be released!  Sigh.  I'm loving this.

Enjoy!

 Spaghetti Face digital scrapbooking layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Kit: One Love Collab by Scrap Orchard; Lined Paper: Line it Up by Amy Martin; Border: Doodle Borders by Sahlin Studion; Sketch: PageMaps by Becky Fleck; Font: Underwood Champion

  Apple Orchard digital scrapbooking layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Kit: Apple Orchard by Sahlin Studio; Paper Fold: Gunhild Storeide; Sketch: PageMaps by Becky Fleck; Fonts: Mailart Rubberstamp, Gill Sans MT Condensed

   What is Fall? digital scrapbooking layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Kit: So Grateful by Sugarplum Paperie and Sahlin Studio; Overlay: Fall Overlay by Anna Aspnes; Font: Underwood Champion

 Fresh Air digital scrapbooking layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Paper: Kate Teague; Stitched Border, Jeweled Button: Karen Funk; Ribbons, Flowers, Buttons: Audrey Neal; Tag: Robyn Meierotto; Word Art: Sara Schmutz; Fonts: JP Sponge Job, I Love Derwin

 Playful digital scrapbooking layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Kit: Art and Soul by Sahlin Studio; Word Art: Playful by Sahlin Studio; Sketch: PageMaps by Becky Fleck; Font: Traveling Typewriter

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I Heart Faces: Tickled Pink

It's Monday, which means photo challenge day at I Heart Faces!  Their theme this week is "Tickled Pink," in honor of breast cancer awareness.  I really struggled with whether to post something of my wonderful mother-in-law, whom we lost to cancer 19 months ago.  I looked at a hundred pictures of her and decided to keep them to myself for today :).  I think they're better suited to my own memories than today's competition...

So, here's a much lighter-hearted take on the color! Little daughter, perpetually dressed in pink, gettin' some love from Puppy.  Click to see larger and clearer, and as always, thanks for looking!

Kisses

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