Monday, June 29, 2009

Summer is here!!!!

Wow! Today was a hot one. After the cold weather of last week, where it felt more like the starting of winter rather than summer, its a huge surprise! And guess what - its tipped to get warmer! Think its time to go out and buy a paddling pool for the kiddies.

We are in week 1 of the photographer's workshop with Karen Russel and boy, does the work start today! I was nicely surprised to see how much work was put into just one lesson today - we are covering composition this week. We have 3 assignments to cover with 2 photos per assignment to upload. So i should get back to my desk and do some reading :)

There are still some places in the Shades of Summer Europe Edition :) - will keep it open till the end of the week and then once that passes - i will start the fun!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Some paintings!

All the way back in February I think it was I came across Jana Beck's paintings on Elizabeth Kartchner's blog. I loved how she did them and thought straight away of my husband's birthday. Well last month it was his birthday - and these lovely paintings above were his present. Thanks so much to Jana - they are great! 

Talking of paintings, did i mention that i took a painting class while we were on holidays in Austria earlier this month? Well here is the finished painting.  My first ever painting. I really really love the background and had to get the teacher to convince me to actually paint the flowers i was to paint. I'm for sure not going to give up my day job (actually what day job ;) ) but it sure is fun.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

When I need inspiration .....


I have been going through old magazines and tearing out pages that inspire me. So yesterday I took the big pile of torn out pages and made them into a booklet of inspiration. I think I got the idea to put them on a binder ring from Lain from one of of Scrap Happy podcasts. Sorry if i am wrong. 

I have stuck each layout onto a 6x4 index card (that i had bought for another purpose and never used - so repurposing!!) and the next to the layout i have written who made the layout and why i love it. 

I have also made a project ideas booklet, and a layout idea booklet.
So no more keeping magazines and not going back to look at them. 

What do you do with the layouts you love from magazines?

Friday, June 26, 2009

Shades of Summer season 2 comes to Europe!!!!!



photo from Elizabeth Kartchner.


So excited to be hosting the European version of Shades of Summer. Elizabeth Kartchner started this great idea up last year. Sending sunglasses from Blogger to Blogger around The States and everyone taking a photo of themselves in the glasses! This year the fun is coming to Europe!
Are you in Europe? And interested in joining in on all the fun?! The keep on reading!

 

Rules for Shades of Summer 2009:


1 Open Box (Take out sunglasses and don't loose paper with other addresses on it.)

2 Take photo with sunglasses on

3 Print out 4x6 photo and include in box with sunglasses


4 Email Liz and I  a photo of you wearing shades to ShadesOfSummer(at)gmail.com and Everydaycreativeness(at)gmail.com.

5 Send out glasses within 3 days

6 Each person will pay for their own postage to ship glasses and photos. I will try to organize those who sign up by countries - so that we can keep postage to a minimum.

7 If you are going to be on vacation for longer than 14 days, sorry, please don't enter. And if you will be on vacation please include the dates in the email and I will work around it. :) thanks.

8 Please do not enter if you are moving this summer

Ok I think this is it! So excited to get things going. So email me at everydaycreativeness(at)gmail.com if you want to join in on the fun!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Shades of Summer European edition

Hey everyone!
Just a quick note to let you know I am helping out Elizabeth Kartchner this summer with her great idea, Shades of Summer.

If you are if you are in Europe and want to participate email me at: everydaycreativeness(at)gmail(dot)com

I will post more info tomorrow once I pick up my mac from the dr! If you don't know what I'm talking about check out this:
Elizabeth Kartchner


iMac at the drs

So the day I have been dreading has arrived. This morning the kids and I got out of the house early and headed to the apple store in zug. We got there just after opening and brought my iMac to be checked over. It's now 2pm and we still haven't heard anything, hoping no news is good news right?

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Emotionally Perfect Photo

I LOVE THIS PHOTO.
Its not just that we are laughing together, but its the memory of how it happened. 
I was about to head to Australia with just Dylan. Rolf and Alexandra were to follow about a week later. Alexandra and I were so sad that we had to say goodbye and the almost 3 year old brain just did not understand that Mama was not going to be there when she got home from playgroup. So I said why don't we take a photo of the two of us, print out a copy and we can carry it around while we are apart. Good idea Mama! So we got in front on my iMac and took some photos. She took her photo with her to playgroup and held it as i walked back home to head to the airport. When i looked back to see if she was ok, she was standing there all sad but that photo was clenched tight in her little hand. 

We have been talking about emotionally perfect photos and everyday photos in the class with Karen Russell and i rushed to upload another photo (very cute photo of Dylan as a Baby - a photo that melts my heart) But i think this photo would of probably fitted better to our assignment this week. Note to self, don't try and do everything straight away - give the old brain some time to think! 

Monday, June 22, 2009

It all begins today ....


I am so so excited that my class with Karen Russell starts today. 
I have been wanting to learn more about photography and how to shoot in manual for awhile now. And even though i have been reading up a lot about my camera and how to use it - its going to be fantastic having a "live" class to follow. 

So far I love the set up for the class. As you read and listen to a lesson there is a check box next to that lesson so you know where you are and what you have done. However looking at how many lessons are ahead of me is a bit daunting - 8 weeks of 5 lessons a week is a lot. But I am totally up for the challenge and hope to come out the other end a better photographer. 

So a big shout out to my fellow class mates! Look forward to getting to know you all over the weeks ahead!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Those monthly kits ...

I get 2 monthly kits at the moment. One is a mid monthly one from Scrapmuse and the other is from a Germany company called Dani Peuss. I love getting kits! and I am seriously thinking about adding to them and getting Studio Calico too (although my husband will probably have something to say about that too). But before i even go ahead and try and make that decision I have to deal with the kits that are taking over my scrap space. 

Currently when a kit arrives in the mail, I divide it out straight away. So the embellishments go into a zip lock bag and marked with kit club and month and year and the papers stay in the bag they came in and are marked then put into my cropper hoppers. But two cropper hoppers and two "self made" cardboard holders later, I have run out of room for my kits. Also, I tend to forget that I have these older kits and work only with the newest. 

So I have a lot of supplies that i don't use cause they are not in my system - and therefore dont us them.

I currently organize in a couple of ways. Cardstock is by color. Pattern paper is firstly by brand (American crafts, cosmos cricket, pink paislee, making memories, basic grey, scenic route, sei, jillibean soup and sassafras las) and if they dont fit into my fav brands then they get put into another cropper hopper divided by color. Also i have a small amount of paper divided by "theme" (birthday, christmas, wedding etc.) 

So i am seriously thinking about either dividing kits that are older than a year into my system. But the problem here is, if i regret it I cannot go back - that would be impossible. I am then thinking that i will divide the current cropper hopper into 12, one for each month, and then as a new kit comes in i take out the old kit and either use it, divide it out or put it in my give away box for my friends who are just starting out to scrapbook. 

So what do you think? do you get a monthly kit? how do you deal with them? Would love to hear from you!

Friday, June 19, 2009

A week

This week has just gotten away from me. 

I have no idea where it went. 

Friday already. 

Hopefully i will have some time over the weekend to work on some photos to upload from our recent vacation. 


Saturday, June 13, 2009

Happy Birthday Phyllis!!!!!!

Today is my good friend's birthday. Happy Birthday Phyllis! She is totally responsible for introducing me to scrapbooking too. For her birthday among other things I decided to make her this:

Its vouchers to use when she needs a little help with some german phone calls. I know she sometimes feels bad asking me to help her out and thought this will take any guilt away! 

I really love how it turned out. I cut two pieces of patterend paper in different sizes and used my sewing machine to sew a pocket. The dark green cirlce was done by cutting out a circle from a piece of cardboard and using it as a template to use some distressing ink and an inking tool to blend the color in. Finished off with some ribbon from Making Memories and of course a thicker! I made the vouchers in Word and just printed them on some cardstock. Used my new fav font too - American Typewriter. 

I hope she likes it :)

Having fun with my camera .....

I have been reading a lot lately about my camera and trying to learn as much as i can before my class begins with Karen Russel at the end of the month. This morning we woke to a beautiful almost clear blue sky. A huge change to the rain we have been having lately. Anyway I thought I would go and take some photos from our balcony. 

And here are two of my favorites. 

Yes that is a hot air balloon and the moon in opposite corners. I kept wishing for the hot air balloon to get more in line with the moon but no - the wind didnt want to help me out. 

I almost missed this shot - was to busy looking at the settings on my camera and then all of a sudden Alexandra yelled plane. Would of bee cool when it was closer in line with the moon. 

What i can't get over is how well my camera shoots blue - when reviewing the photos I almost couldnt believe that was the sky. 

Friday, June 12, 2009

This Day in Reinhard History!

Yes I have been missing in action.
A lot of things have been going on. We were away on holidays last week. Had a fantastic time in a place called Saalbach Hinterglemm, a village 90 mins from Salzburg in Austria. Will hopefully get a post about that soon. We had a lovely time and came back all relaxed! But as soon as we got back we started having problems with one of Alexandra's schools.  Which is slowly being sorted out. 

Anyways

Wow - was so inspired when i read Cathy Zielske's Blog today. She has started a new series called This Day in Zielske History, which is a look back at what photos she took on this day over the years.  So I have gone straight to my iPhoto program and checked out what photos I have taken on June 12th since going digital (or actually since I got this computer).

First one I found:

My daughter with no neck ;). She is about 6 weeks old here and just starting to smile.

Fast forward 3 years and another moment caught in her everyday life. She did love to wear anything pink, ballet, fairy related. She loved to skip around and dance and twirl