Royal visitor

     I am having so much fun doing these and can't wait to get them finished. Getting them finished will just be the beginning as I need to get dialogue and captions for the graphic novel. If the kids don't write them for me, guess I will just have to make them up. Not sure they would really appreciate that, but they have a choice.  

     When they were preparing for this ceremony, they knew what to expect since they do a lot with the re-enactment groups. Me, not so much. I did a lot of reading on what the Viking women would wear since my son was wearing Viking clothing. MiLady though went forward in time a little. Still we had a great time. Including Pan who had to walk around in the chain mail for a couple of hours.

French braids to the rescue

Mom, ddpuppies and me

     Mom and ddpuppies took a moment to french braid my mass of hair. Still weighed a ton but made it easier to keep the kerchief on. Though I am wishing I had made a little cap like they are wearing. I think it would have stayed on better.

     In doing the pictures for the graphic novel, I have found that I am not always happy with the colors, especially the skin but I guess I will have to just get over myself and learn to love what I do. :)

Such a cute couple

MiLady and Nuke

They make such a cute couple especially in the full renaissance regalia. We had such a good time.

What expressions

Nuke & MiLady

I have been having a delightful time altering the photos to look like comic characters, but trying to figure out what to have them say is making me want to pull my hair out. That is unless, Nuke and MiLady want to tell me what was being said (or what they want everyone to be saying).

On a roll

MiLady, Nuke, Brindel, Timon

Instead of cartoonizing (is that a real word, I wonder?) the background, I applied was is called a milkglass technique. Sent the Bug a link to the tutorial and she went milkglass crazy, LOL. I think it works well with the cartoon characters and doesn't overpower them. Makes them shine.....

Back to the drawing board

Pan, Nuke, Bear

Aren't they just the cutest? Pan had been standing in the shadow and I didn't get a really good skin color for him. So I will redo him later. But for now, I just love how it turned out. And when I sent it to ddpuppies, she sent me some wonderful pictures she had taken at the ceremony. Can't wait to get started on them. Now if I can just get some from Nuke and MiLady....hint, hint

Muskrat Love

MiLady and Nuke

I may have actually posted this one before. Soon after Nuke and MiLady had their Viking wedding ceremony, I got this "brilliant" idea to make a different kind of wedding album. But this was the only picture I had gotten done, before other things took over my time. Well, I have been re-energized by taking classes from Cassel at the Scrapbook Campus. I have started again. My newer ones are more comic book like than this one, but I don't think I will change it. I'll be posting them as I get them done, but they won't be in any special order until I get ready to make the book.

He wavered

and actually let me photograph him. He's such a kook and I just adore him. But there was a price to pay for letting me do this. I had to take him out for frozen yogurt. Oh well, had to pick up a few groceries anyway.

When all else fails

and you can't get pictures of the kid(s). Take pictures of the flowers you pass along the way. And because the weather was being so nice and cooperating with holiday, the flowers were in full bloom. ddpuppies could tell you what kind these are. I can't. I have managed to kill every plant I have tried to grow, with some exceptions.

Just cuz'

I can. One would think Indy was an international celebrity by the way he acts when you try to take his picture. He realllly hates it, but occasionally I can get one by being sly or by his graciously letting me take one. A little later in our walk that stick he is holding became his new best toy and he delegated me to hold the pistol. Hard to take pictures when you are holding that thing...Maybe that was his plan all along.

Indy wasn't the only pirate around

In fact, Jack Sparrow accompanied us on this walk and had a blast fighting his way through the various jungles we encountered. Once again Indy made the final decisions on where Jack should stand and how. I think he did a great job posing the little character and found some really interesting places.

Pirate ahead

Going through some old toys that belonged to our kids we found a pirate cap gun. I remember the fun I use to have as a kid with them. Fortunately (or unfortunately to Indy), the cap mechanism no longer works so all he could do was pull some James Bond poses, that is if James Bond carried a pirate pistol.

SW Legos have invaded

While Indy was here for spring break we took walks in the afternoons since the weather was cooperating and temperatures were nice. I handed a Lego character over to Indy and let him pose them in various places. These are some that he came up with.

Object(ive) remover...Not!

Original photo

 Last example was of using the object remover in Paintshop Pro. Not real impressed with it. You must have a photo with very distinctive edges for it to really work. Lots of contrast between what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of. With that in mind, it does a fairly good job with wisps of hair. And it is preferable that you duplicate the layer (hiding the bottom) just in case it misses a few areas (like Indy's neck and ears, LOL).

postcard

Edit Selection = Quick Mask

original photo

One of the things I missed when going from Photoshop to Paintshop Pro was the use of the quick mask. I used it for making selections of everything. To me it was just so much faster than using a marquee tool as all you had to do was paint around what you wanted and could use brushes with harder or softer edges to get just the look you were after. Taking the master class from Cassel was the best thing I have done in a long time. I learned that Paintshop Pro has a "quick mask," it's just that it is called "edit selection." And I have made a postcard using a sheet of paper from "Beaches N Cream" again, by Kristmess, and from Elizabeth McCoy, postcard word art. 

postcard

Extractions and a card?

Original photo

Took a master class from Cassel a week or so ago about extractions. I had done a lot of them as a graphic artist for a newspaper, but it has been years now and I had used photoshop at work, not paintshop pro. In this technique, I followed her directions for making a mask from an RBG channel. As you can see from the before image (above) to the after image (below), it worked really well. Then using a paper from "Beaches N Cream" by Kristmess and I piece of word art, designer unknown, I made my own personal postcard.



After

Pleasure Island day trip

Feel the Magic ©WM[squared] Designs; Main Street Magic ©Connie Prince;
Happiest Memories ©Happy Scrap Girl Designs; Magic Moments
Remake ©Laurie's Scraps; Template by Trixie Scraps

One of the really fun things to do was walk around Pleasure Island and see all the nightclubs we knew we were not going to visit at night, LOL. We had (and have) just gotten to old to spend our nights drinking at a club. As as I said in my journaling, I would have liked to have seen the inside of the Adventurer's Club. Guess next time we are in Orlando we'll have to see if it is still there. Beside I want to pick up some more coffee.

Downtown Disney

Feel the Magic ©WM[squared] Designs; Main Street Magic ©Connie Prince;
Happiest Memories ©Happy Scrap Girl Designs; Magic Moments Remake
©Laurie's Scraps; Template by Trixie Scraps

Love, love, love Downtown Disney (or Disney Marketplace). The shops the restaurants, the things to do. Surprisingly, at least back then, prices were pretty comparable to those at home. I bought a pair of sunglasses for $10 that lasted me nearly as long as the price. And they were good sunglasses. Though I would really like to have a set of Tinkertoys the size of those outside that shop.

Linus Hearted

Well, looks like we should have named him Linus (of Charlie Brown fame). He is the most dependent cat I have ever seen. As a kitten he had a teddy bear that he carried around and slept with. The teddy bear is still around somewhere. But recently he found a kitchen towel (either one that dropped out of the laundry basket as I was folding clothes or one that Indy had scarfed up from the kitchen). He know uses it as a pillow or a blanket and, if I can be sly enough, as a cape so that he can pretend he is Thorcat.

More from the Scrapbook Campus

This time I tried out the pop art poster concept that was on the video at the Scrapbook Campus. And I really did follow the directions this time (mostly).

Indy making a face

Now in Pop Art

Well, I was going to link to the Bug's try but apparently she just sent it to me instead of posting it to her blog. Will have to talk to her about that.

Blueprint ran away

Have tried out one of the Master Classes at Scrapbook Campus. They are only available to members for a short time, then she puts them up for purchase. Was having a grand time trying some of the photo techniques she had posted and here is my take on the Blueprint one (and no mine does not look like a blueprint, somewhere along the line I got sidetracked trying different ideas).

 

Original picture of the Greenville, AL courthouse.

Following directions

Diverging from directions by desaturating the original

 

Unhide part 2. More divergence.

 

Adding a texture between the two layers and applying soft light blend mode

 

Changed soft light blend mode to difference blend mode.

I just love how the last one turned out with a darkly night feeling and light streaming out from the inside of the courthouse hitting the ceilings for the balcony and entry.

 



Break to the Future

Sweet Memories add-on ©Bekah E. Designs; Template by Jellebelleke's Designs

     While in Atlanta last month, my daughter showed me how you can use your phone's camera to take a one of a kind panoramic picture. Of course, this was done while we were standing inside the Microsoft store in Lenox Mall. Which makes it all that more interesting, LOL. I really like how it turned out even though my eyes are scrunched.

World Conference Layout

Sundance Bundle ©Laitha's Designs; Template by Connie Prince

     Not often that I get a picture of the room from the outside, but I did this time, LOL. Kind of fun to see where one stays in such a big hotel. Then another photo from the balcony this time overlooking the rest of the hotel and finally Pan's favorite spot in any hotel we stay....The hot tub, spa, jacuzzi, well whatever they are call.

World Conference Center

Sundance Bundle ©Laitha's Designs & Valentina's Creations; Template by Mommyish Graphic Design

     October of 2002 found us back in Orlando. This time at the J.W. Marriott World Conference Center and Hotel. And talk about a view from our balcony... I could look down at the grotto spa and the meandering river pool and just imagine myself at some tropical island somewhere.

A Quark of a Time

*See credits below

     I love Quark's Bar & Restaurant. We had such a good time when we were having our late lunch that we just stayed until after dinner. The food was scrumptious and the drinks, well you see the pictures. Last time we were there the Warp Core Breach bowl was much smaller.

     *Black Beauty ©Armina Designs; Embrace ©designs by helly; End of Summer Blues ©A+ Designs; Gypsy ©Designs by Helly; Joyful ©designs by helly; Spaced Out ©Kristin Aagard; Spooky Halloween ©Lindsay Jane; Star Struck ©Connie Prince; Whispers in the Twilight ©designs by helly; Template by Shabby Princess Designs

Some experience!

*see credits below

     Back to Vegas with a trip through the Star Trek Experience and museum. Gosh, I loved it and wish they had not discontinued it. Still I would like to get back to Vegas one day and take a helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam. That would be soooo awesome. I have been to both before but so young and not so interested, I think. Not like I would be today by the history and setting.

     *Black Beauty ©Armina Designs; Embrace ©designs by helly; End of Summer Blues ©A+ Designs; Gypsy ©Designs by Helly; Joyful ©designs by helly; Spaced Out ©Kristin Aagard; Spooky Halloween ©Lindsay Jane; Star Struck ©Connie Prince; Whispers in the Twilight ©designs by helly; Template by Shabby Princess Designs

Into the Freezer

    I don't know whether to thank my mother or throttle her, LOL. Indy and I spent our Monday together cooking up meals for the week and more. This is the chicken tetrazzine we made along with some blanched asparagus which went into the freezer. I had saved some of the trays from frozen dinners I had bought then put the dinners in the freezer to harden before vacuum packing. Word of note, frozen dinner trays warp when vacuum packed. Next time just freeze then wrap the vegetable and entree separately in plastic wrap then vacuum pack together. Will take up much less room in the freezer as well. We also made spaghetti sauce. I probably, now have enough dinners frozen to last a month. I need a bigger freezer.

Not the only one missing him

kfkap & Indy

     These two spent a lot of time together, either being friends or mortal enemies. kfkap would get put out whenever Indy spent more time on video games than just staring at him. Of course, the cat would have nothing to do with Indy, if Indy was inclined to play with him. Just like boys. But now that Indy is not here, kfkap is going nuts. Pan is the only one who really plays with him, I just pet him now and again.

Missing him

Indy

     Gosh is he growing up or what? This was the day after they got in and it was nearly 80 degrees out so we headed over to the local frozen yogurt shop to fill up on cake batter and triple chocolate yogurt with cookie batter pieces and chocolate chips. At least he did. I just watched. We took them back on Saturday and I'm still missing him. At least this time around he wasn't sleeping until 11 a.m., but was up by 7 every morning.

57th Fighter Squadron

Indy checking out the jeep



Indy in the jeep



The Princess & Indy



More the Princess & Indy



Getting cranky Indy



Indy and the princess in the bunker



Daughter & the Princess



Closer up of Daughter & the Princess

     One of the restaurants we always try to make it to while in Atlanta is the 57th Fighter Squadron. It looks like a burned out French chateau with plenty of WWII vehicles positioned outside and a delightful bomb shelter as you walk in. Once inside there is plenty to look at with all the memoribilia, letters and photos . From the table you can catch a glimpse of a small airport outside.