My New Baby Arrived!!

I'm totally in love:) And it's ABOUT TIME Pentax came up with this lens!! I've been waiting years for a prime lens, agonizing the whole time over whether to stick with Pentax or switch over to Canon or Nikon. Every once in awhile I'd search the sites, always to be disappointed that there were no new lenses. My friend Cindy was the one who tipped me off to this baby, and the dear UPS guy (whom I'm not sure I've ever even seen) brought it today.

I really put the wide-open f-stop (1.4 OMG) to the test today. It's gloomy and raining, yet the images turn out great with nothing more than natural light. I swear this thing could take pictures in the dark!


How did I get handsome Christopher to pose for me? I promised him the rest of his Culver's concrete mixer from the other night, lol! Have you tried these things? They are to DIE for! We HIGHLY recommend blueberry & banana. Hm...might have to make a field trip when Michael wakes up from his nap...

Digi in Deep (Another Jessica Sprague adventure)

Part of the reason I've neglected my blog lately is that I'm in another Jessica Sprague digital online class! And loving it again, of course! Here's what I've done so far this session:

Credits:
Design by Jessica Sprague
* Ledger background paper (lumiere): from La Paperie No. 1 Paper Pack by Jen Wilson
* Yellow vertical paper (definingflowers): from Nostalgia No. 1 Paper Pack by Jen Wilson
* Blue patterned paper: from Keeping Up with the Jones - Home kit by Trish Jones
* Striped patterned paper: from King Me kit by Katie Pertiet
* Red paper strip: from Meaning 4 Elements pack by Jen Wilson
* Flourish frame: from Shmootzy Frames, Vol. 3 by Nancie Rowe Janitz
* Flourish brush: from A La Mode Brush Set by Mary Ann Wise
* Hemp tie ribbon: from Star Chasers kit by Katie Pertiet
* Jewelry Tag: from Tiny Tags set by Linda Gil Billdal
* Button: from Barcelona kit by Lynn Grievson
(several items recolored)

My favorite technique from this layout was the compound mask we created using the PS drawing tools (the circles and round blue mat). Our challenge layout for week 1 was to create our own compound mask design and repeat some of the other techniques from the week 1 layout. Here's what I created:

Lesson 1b for Jessica Sprague's Digi in Deep course...compound mask inspired by Jessica's challenge but created by me using drawing tools and a custom shape (the arrow).
Triangles at the bottom inspired by Jen Wilson's previews for her Laundry Line as well as a layout by Kelleigh.
Jen Wilson Nostalgia 1: background paper, blended with a solid from her Laundry Line.
Triangle papers: Emily & Annie from JW's Laundry Line
Other items from Laundry Line: flowers and circle tags.
Brown paper: Trish Jones "Keeping up with the Joneses: The House" (recolored)
Shmootzy Frames Volume 3 by Nancy Rowe Janitz
Katie Pertiet hat pin & tag
CK Becky font and Chopin script
Scrap Girls ABR Beloved ribbon tie (recolored) & TCS Pen & Ink flourish brush (to embellish the edges of the title)
This fulfills all the challenge criteria for lesson 1b at Digi in Deep!
(# Add a title by combining brushes and fonts
# Use a clipping mask or a layer mask to "wrap" a ribbon around another item
# Add your journaling in a semi-transparent block
# Add a pop to a photo using a blended, feathered overlay)

Billy Joel Concert

My fabulous in-laws won tickets to Billy Joel's concert in Des Moines Tuesday night! Then they got another block of 4, and my sister-in-law also won a block. Whew! We were spread out all over the stadium, and somehow, my friend Kristina, her family, and I got the best block:) We were just behind the stage but REALLY close; it was great! The photo above is borrowed (hehe) from the Des Moines Register site, as I was a good girl and heeded the ticket: "No cameras allowed". Yeah...the women in the front row were snapping FLASH pictures right in Billy's face. Whatever.

The concert was great, and I realized Billy Joel sang a few songs I didn't know where his, lol.

Layout of the Week!

Layout of the Week!
We in the scrapbooking world often say "Toot" to "toot our own horn" when we've been published, etc. I've always thought the term a bit crass, especially now that I have 2 and 5 year-old boys who I am constantly telling to STOP TALKING THAT WAY:) Well I have something to brag (not sure that's any better...hm)...about! Last Saturday I was happily scrolling through my Scrap Girls newsletter waiting to see what cool freebie would be at the end, when "what to my wondering eyes should appear?"...But my own layout in shining color, lol! I made quick work of spending my gift certificate, let me tell you:)

Here it is a little larger, with credits:

Based on sketch by Jen Caputo
SG TCS Bella and Bella 2 collections
SG BHA blossoms & blooms winter
2peas snap frame (flourish at left of photo)
candera font
tree photo by me, moon photo by DH (extracted and enlarged by me)
The layout was in answer to a challenge to scrapbook a picture of the sky.
TFL!