Wordless Wednesday: June 8, 2016

caught mid laugh

AAM Lightroom Love - I've Got It

Now I only bought Lightroom to organize my digital supplies, remember? Oh has that changed! I'm taking Kim Klassen's on line course, Round Trip, and trying to take the time to play as well as watch all the videos and try to absorb a portion of the information...oh the fun!

I know I won't be using certain things in LR. Probably. For one thing, my images are almost totally iPhone. For another thing, my eyes don't 'see' some of the corrections and adjustments Kim makes, even on a 27" iMac. That's a bad thing but also a good thing. No point in losing sleep over aging eyes. At least I can see!

Well today I took some old images from a trip to Italy. A trip which had as its main purpose - a visit to the Mecca of opera, LaScala.

From what was an image where the blown out white even bothered me to an image that I like. It's got that old world look - a scene from a noir movie set in Italia?? Who knows. But I like it and Thank You Kim and Lightroom.  The cost of Lightroom was much cheaper than Photoshop for me and that leaves money for other goodies. Chocolate! And exercise classes to burn off that chocolate!

Strip Ease

What a fun idea to do for an art journal! I saw this here, and couldn't wait to try it. I had some Hawaii tags that had been printed on the wrong paper and I hope you know how that is! Please say it isn't only me who does such things.

As soon as I had some free minutes yesterday, I went up to the studio, tore and arranged in under 15 minutes. I came back to the piece later in the evening and in 10 minutes or so had it all glued. The journaling bits were done in the first time block so wow...how cool is that for a technique!



I also had a bit left that I wanted to use so it went on the facing page. I'll write things later on that page and do more embellishments. Just not this week! I had fun, which I always say is the whole darn point. Strip Ease indeed! thank you Michelle, and thank you Janet for pointing me to this one. You oughta try it, it really is fun, and who doesn't enjoy tearing up paper. hehehe



July 17
eta: There is now a 3rd smaller bit of frangipane flower on this down at the bottom left. I knew I had cut one out but couldn't find it till I cleaned my table. Tomorrow, Hawaii

Wordless Wednseday

Get Out The Celery

Need something special for your new fall look??? well cut your hair and get out the celery. As many things as I've done to my hair, this is not going to be one of them. But it might be what YOU need! Send me a picture if you decide to go Leopard to match that new Snow Leopard on your Mac

the how of it

T!m Holtz and Me

Ok, there were a few others around, like 70+ others but I have to say, I felt like I really got personal attention from T!m. When I saw that he was teaching at The Queens Ink in Savage, I really didn't care what he was teaching. I had seen his energy on videos and thought this is a fun guy and I want to feel some of that vibe.

I had hoped it would be some kind of stamping/inky class but there weren't any of those. When I saw the classes available - a metal jewelry making one was filled - I really couldn't tell what they were really about, so I picked one by time. Let's start mid afternoon, rather than early am. I suspected I'd be the klutz in the class but fortunately I'm old enough, and generally confident enough to know that it's ok. I can make the others feel downright gifted that way! Thanks to Father Terry in CA, and a lot of others, I no longer have to be in the 98th percentile. Well usually.

I got over to Savage, and prayed for a good parking space. I haven't done this for a loooong time but Patti always says bring your kit of tools, and with that and my lunch, and my drink, and my purse, I was in need of a sherpa. Since they don't have any on hand in Savage MD that I've seen, I prayed...and someone was leaving the am class as I cruised the more convenient parking lot. Phew!



Everything was all set up and other than a bit of a snafu when I picked a seat I was told was empty by the woman sitting next to it, only to be vehemently told it was TAKEN by another woman when I cam back after looking about. Fortunately, I found my bag of supplies which she swore she never saw anywhere. (In hindsight, I should have prayed for a seat too...) But I found myself next to one helpful woman, and one who seemed to have no intention of speaking the entire 3 hours. Very strange. We also played check my Iphone out with T!m.

So what were we doing? Aha..it turned out to be a book with a metal covered canvas cover. Part of me laughed my head off internally thinking What Have I Gotten Into?!?!? but the idea of making a book appealed to me. So T!m turned on the video, and off we went. He kept walking up and down the aisles as did his Tonto, aka Mario. No surprise that this girl made a few mistakes early on... and when he said it's basic sewing, I understood why. Sewing??? Uh, that was 40 years ago T!m.

We laid out our pierced 'signatures' and then started the process.




T!m swore he'd help the slugs finish up their books with some fatal or minor flaws and so we went on to the metal. The hammering and embossing and coloring were ok, but all in all this is not me. For others in the class it was the main point so no size fits all. I got it all ready, the woman on my left helped me with some of my errors since she had made the same, and then T!m came back and helped me deal with some of my sewing issues.


I wrapped up my book project as T!m went around and helped a few other people out. He really has a great teaching style and is so very very patient in getting you to where you need to be. I'd love to take another class with him and you know, I don't think he stopped talking the entire time! But it was always on task, and with a lot of humor. He's just the kind of teacher you'd want for your own child starting out in school.

The class was sadly over, night was finally falling so I packed up my gear, headed to the bathroom and a look round The Queens Ink. A good day in all, and I have a book that looks pretty much like the example on T!m's website. Well it does if you don't look TOO closely!!!

Worded Wednesday

Doesn't always take much to amuse me, does it... This post is usually Wordless Wednesday but I decided to do words, ergo the post Title. I had quite a chuckle thinking about it...I guess I'll be the one who's happy when she ends up in The Home. (Feel free to wonder about my mental state, but just don't tell me you are.)

Well anyway, some of you may know that I tutor reading at one of our local detention centers. The modern, well run, low-risk inmates one. I had taken the literacy training years ago, and a two day slog THAT was. Ugh. It almost put me off tutoring. In the end, I was told I needed to make a year commitment to my student, with a weekly lesson. That seemed hard to do with the hours I was keeping at work, and fortunately for me, the assigned student never showed up. I figured that was A Sign.

Some time later, the AAUW contact at the detention centers said they needed people to teach Life Skills. Great I thought - I was alive, and was perfectly fluent in such things as checkbook, tax forms, calling utility companies etc so I thought it would be a perfect fit. (I have since learned that perfect fits in jobs etc often turn out to only seem perfect. There's usually at least 1 major flaw that makes you wonder WTF.) The fly in this Life Skills ointment turned out to be the hours. Weekdays from about 9-11 a.m. Hmmm...that didn't quite work with my paid employement and there was the mortgage etc. to consider. Again, no tutoring. The Signs were $$ signs this time.

Fast forward to last year. I am now retired and see that the Literacy training is being held again, it is only 1 day and I think I can get through that without screaming. I take it, it's fun, and they mention that there is a need for tutors at the Detention Centers. Most everyone in our group of ~30 blanches, but I have been up there for other volunteer work, and can see myself tutoring some foolish 20yr old check forger who 'only' did it to help her drug dealing boyfriend. So I go thru another orientation and get a badge. I am becoming very familiar with the volunteer coordinator and we are email pen pals. I finally go up for my first of the twice-weekly 9-11 sessions. There is light!


But where are the women!??!? All the students are men! I'm told most women in jail already know how to read. Oh...silly me. It's the men who started being the class clowns in grade school, ended up in Special Ed, and feel they will be on the short bus for the rest of their life. I am usually looking at repeat offenders, tho not necessarily 'hard' crime, and they range from very early 20s to nearly 70! But they are all volunteering for this tutoring, and receive no 'time off credit' for the 4 hrs a week they attend. About 85% of my students have been interested and interesting, and the occasional slug who is only warming a chair reminds me of how lucky I am to usually have students who are motivated. Except when it's slug time or I have a student who cannot give up the "oh I'm so dumb" habit, the two hours really go by fast. And then once in a while I get a real character who is FUN to teach and seems to have a chance at not finding himself back 'inside' when he's released. However, that's tomorrow's story. See you back here then, ok?

This Weekend

People are doing all sorts of things, some serious, some that make you Gulp in thinking of the potential, and some sharing beauty and fun. TGIF - Trust, Gratitude, Inspiration, Friday

• On the other side of the world from me, someone is reviewing all those voices that linger in our head, telling us we're not enough. Thanks TinnieGirl! This fits right in with Brene's post at Ordinary Courage. I'm reading along with her and it certainly helps with compassion- for ourselves and others.

• Just a Plane Ride Away is getting ready for a 75% probable move to the Netherlands.

• Hungry Girl made the front page of the Washington Post today.

• In California, Once in a Blue Moon shares the beauty of her fabulous garden. Jain is also a breathtaking cook.
  

• Why do we blog and/or scrapbook? Ali gives her answers. I think a lot of them fit a lot of us.

• I saw this link over on Ginny's Small Studio and if you want to spend half a day looking at house ideas, then the Hooked on Houses Friday post already has 55 in MrLinky. I don't dare go there right now.

• And finally for your weekend pleasure or dismay, depending on how you view gardening,you can check Margaret's Now or Never Late April tasks. Oh I know that feeling. Maybe I'd better read it AND take action.
  
  
  
  
  
  But tomorrow for me is a studio day with my Artist Way peeps. I don't know what I'm gonna take to work on, so I had better get going with my housecleaning and ...ugh...gardening. At least the laundry is on the line, the new sheets are going on the bed, and I have both food to eat and a movie to watch tonight. When the dh is away it's movie time for me! What are your plans? Hope they include some fun thing for just you.
  

Sticky Hands On Fun

Yes, I did have fun! I took a class I have wanted to take for some time but couldn't quite find the time or be in the right place. Claudine Hellmuth, now a 'neighbor' in DC, taught her classic "Collage Discovery" at The Queens Ink in Savage MD. Now The Queens Ink is a place dh and I stumbled upon one day last year, two years ago? when I said I hadn't been to Savage Mills in a zillion years. "The Queen" has it all and has wonderful classes with many well known visiting artists. It always seemed that we would be away when one I had looked forward to was scheduled. Finally got this one on MY calendar!

Claudine, in case you don't recognize her, is the blue eyed blond on the right - probably the only long haired person who didn't get paint or gel in her hair!

Claudine did a few of the basic resist techniques for us, we took notes, and then we went back to our own places and played! Funny how so many of us were so eager to play we didn't read our notes again, and learned over and over to go with the flow and get over it."Oh...no gel on the paper before you add the masking tape!" Play and learn.

Can't get to a class? Well try Claudine's first book Collage Discovery Workshop. She has a few other books and some videos out besides, and a new book in the wings due shortly.

I went home with paint on my fingernails and a few items I had made, and a lot of good memories of fun, a great teacher and lots of companionship. I wish I could do this every month! At least there is an Artist Way studio day next Saturday.

Do you have a 'play-group' for your creative endeavors? Don't you NEED one???

One More Movie

Ah...got one more in before dh returned from his week away. (Sadly he had enough rain and wind to make some of the days a wash for biking.) The man isn't much of a movie watcher but this one is going to be rented again so he can see it.

I am my father's daughter in jumping ahead in the storyline with movies and I did with this one. No, I had not read previews etc but thinking of a Will Smith movie kind of helped. It didn't matter. I loved, loved, loved it and suggest you go to Redbox and plunk your dollar down.

Seven Pounds

Winding Down The Year

DH usually does a year wrap up for us so we can look at our own year month by month. Some of this he gets done by looking at our monthly credit card bills as almost all our purchases are done that way. Don't worry...we pay our bill in full each month so no monthly surcharges are incurred. The bonus points do add up btw. However he hasn't done this yet while we're down at Hilton Head so I'll try to think of some of the big points.

We saw a lot of marvelous cities this past year from Granada and Sevilla in Spain to Gibraltar and Lisbon.

Chicago is always a favorite that is wonderful in the fall. We finally got to Italy and took the trip I had hoped to make for our honeymoon 7 years ago. We never did agree on which of the three main cities we visited was our mutual favorite - Venice, Florence or Rome.

I still might go with Orvieto as my choice for a return trip. DH is still 'processing' as the good introvert he is.

I started doing some literacy tutoring in one of our local detention centers and I really like that. The prisoners come and go and I was surprised to find that very few women need basic tutoring. They may make some very poor decisions that land them in jail but at some point in life most of them paid enough attention in school to be fairly capable of reading and doing math on a 4th-5th grade level. The men need those skills.

The other thing that stands out in my own mind for the year is getting an Iphone which led me into the other realms of social media...Facebook and Twitter. Each serve a particular purpose and along with blogging, email, and texting I AM having fun.

Women Women Women

Original by scripsi_scriptum

Oh the fun of it all. BlogHer DC, I mean.

Sunday was dinner with dh in Bethesda at Jaleo on a mild fall night, a gorgeous full moon, and then a night by myself in a hotel (luxury is sleeping in the middle of the bed - sometimes). Monday, I crossed the street to the Hyatt and a day full of mostly local bloggers, around 250 of us, talking, laughing and Having Fun. Oh it was heaven. Noisy but heaven.

And did the sponsors feed us! But I'll get to that later and be back with lots more fun bits and ideas gleaned. I learned so much ...about blogging and about us as female bloggers from the presenters and my fellow bloggers. In addition, I think I finally have found some local community.

wowOwow!

Wordle Away

Friday Memories



The On My Desk players...



All the This Is...players

This could be another serious waste of time creative endeavor. Wordle

Coming to YOUR town??

I saw the article on Matt in the weekend paper and I wonder why this wasn't suggested as a career choice back when "I" was in school??

Watch Matt on YouTube