Oh Christmas Tree

Our grandson about four years ago!

all from Jofia's Warm Christmas kit

Getting all Nostalgic!

I've been looking at all the warm and inviting Christmas pages at Designer Digitals, and seeing the one that Mollie posted, with her tree filled with ornaments collected from all over the world, and each with a special memory attached, makes me a bit nostalgic for my "big tree" with the ornaments that are packed in numerous boxes in the garage!

For the past few years we've enjoyed fewer decorations and a smaller, thinner tree that doesn't take so many weeks to put up. It can only handle my lighter ornaments that are mostly a collection of artist's designs. I never realized I'd been choosing angel ornaments when I bought or bartered with other artists and craftspeople, until I gathered them all together, so now I call this my "angel" tree!

I had planned to give up on the "big tree", but reading Mollie's page makes me want to get mine out at least one more time before sharing them with Linda and Lauren.

"Christmas Dinner Menu, 2007"

Click pics to enlarge.

THE MENU:
While waiting for the rest of the family, Lauren lights the
candles to warm the table for Christmas Dinner. Prime rib,
roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding are keeping warm,
while Lauren’s chocolate fondue with strawberries, chocolate
cake balls, and other delicacies to dip, wait until after we’ve
opened our gifts. Linda and family are on their way with
the vegetables and an apple pie for dessert.
In the hustle of finishing the dinner, I forget the bread
and spinach salad, but because of all the other foods these
aren’t missed!

Credits:
Jessica Sprague template
From Designer Digitals:
Dana Zarling Paper: Grungy Christmas
Katie Pertiet: Old Time Christmas Kit
Doodle Do Title Borders
Lil Metal Charms_Christmas Collection

"Christmas Day"

Linda, our oldest daughter in front of the tree on her first Christmas. I remember the toys well. The tall plastic sailor toy went missing while we were visiting New York the following year. She'd thrown it out of the car window!
Everything by Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals.

Faces of Christmas

Jessica Sprague template
from Designer Digitals:
Dana Zarling: Grungy Christmas
Pattie Knox: FeltFriends_Reindeer Dudes

Remember

Christina Rennee frame

I did manage to get one useable photo of granddaughter Ally at our family Thanksgiving dinner!



I used Jofia Devoe's Happy Island kit - so much fun to play with!

Ally

Granddaughter Ally at the playground. Most all the shots that day turned out blurry! Ally was so active and didn't stay still for a minute so that didn't help, plus I need some sort of tripod. Maybe I should stick to trees and flowers that don't move!


I had a hard time concentrating on this and ended up lifting part (the left side) from wildchild
Plus Inspiration from Lynns gallery at Designer Digitals

designerdigitals.com

Lynn Grieveson: Amelie Kit
Katie Pertiet: Curled Note Paper

My great granddaughter Brooke, fascinated by the sound of wind chimes, reaches up to try and grab them.



4 frames were slightly enlarged and arranged around the edge. Pink paper on top and edges selected with lasso tool and cleared (deleted). A lightened version of the pink paper was chosen with the picker to be used as a stroke around the edge (1 pixel stroke). A drop shadow was given to the pink paper - the color was a very dark version of the pink.
Her hand was selected and cut out and a soft eraser cleaned it up. The photo was cropped below the hand and placed into a frame, The cut out hand was then positioned in place.

All items from Vera Lim of Vera Lim of Vera Design

They really did wear dresses that short back then!
My daughters outside our home in Yokohama, Japan about 1970


I used De Anna's (Rubia) wonderful outline technique she shared at Designer Digitals

Paper from KPertiet_VintageWinter
Frame - KPertiet_SunPrintFrames-3.png
Butterfly from Katie Pertiet
Rhonna Farrer bird
IOD papers apron strings
Chris (me) tears and brushes
font :earwig factory, CK Double Mou

Guam very early 70's
Lynn Grieveson: Island Blues kit found at Designer Digitals
Christine Renee_WildflowerStamps_FloralFrame

Jen wilson Meaning 1

My mum about 1968
I arrived in England with Linda and Lauren after a couple of years in Turkey to find my Mum had left to visit my two sisters in Chicago and this was taken on that visit. I caught up with them later which was to be my last time with Mum.

Credits:
Katie Pertiet: paper strip from La Cremerie Myrtille (slightly colored)
jewelry Tag, Flossy Stitches, Posted Valentines.

Chris (me) Background paper, frame.
Brushes: Jason Gaylor

We had a lovely visit from Ray, Lauren and Ally over the weekend and went out for supper - first time Howard and I ate beef in a long time! I think Linda, Jim and family were having too much fun in their boat on the Bay To join us!


Katie Pertiet: PinUp Vintage Frames at Designer Digitals- love those!
Gina Marie Huff: Believing in you at Weeds and Wildflowers
Chris (me) A gradient orange overlay for the bg paper.
" " Flower clusters that I had fun making in Photoshop.

A nice match for my couch!

Daughter Lauren wearing the perfect match for my couch!

I'm having a great time with these frames. This one's a little different in that I usually "paste into" the photo to the frame in Photoshop, but since this acts more like an overlay and blends into the photo, I place the frame on top and erase the rest of the photo. I'm going to try to insert cracks and tears so instead of a frame it will look like an old photo!
I wish I could figure this blogging stuff as well as I do Photoshop!

Credits:
The frame, page edging and paint splatter overlay by Chris (me)
Katie Pertiet, Black frame edgers
All the rest from
Lynn Greiveson, Amelie kit.

Never Forgotten

I have no other photos of my mum, brother and dad's sister from this era so used this old torn and cracked pic that cried out for a grunge layout!

I've restored this photo before, but recently decided that I like tears and folds in old photos. I loved a layout by Nevache (will link to DST later) It reminded me of an old worn 1890 magazine I had on the computer so decided to use it to fold around Katie's frame.

Credits: Chris Shoop (me): Grunge and folded frame, flowers and leaves, flag, cord. Katie Pertiet: LetterBox papers, FlossyStitches_yellow, Tiny PostageFrames, FiledPhotoFramesNo2 paperclip Kelley Mize: measured edges

Joey's Birthday Treat

I'm trying to link to credits on these, will learn this blogging one of these days!! The tear is mine and the paper is Katie Pertiet's Botanist 3

Our annual "Take grandson out for a Birthday treat" day!
This year it was off to buy a skateboard - not any old skateboard, mind you, this had to be the "pro" kind instead of the toy one from Target he'd been using. Ours came from Dick's and we had two very helpful young men get Joey fitted up with the best one for him but wouldn't break the bank for Pappy!

My daughter, Linda when we lived in Guam for a couple of years in the early seventies. I need to write down memories before they're forgotten!

After living in Turkey for two years we were returning to the United States for a short visit before our next stop in Japan.

The photos were taken not long after we encountered an angry anti-American mob! Click on picture to read journaling!

After journaling this event I realized the subject was way too serious for the style below!

Glow

Granddaughter Ally - This layout was for a Quote Circle Journal

Knitted Wedding

A hip young club called Cast off meet at a variety of places that has included a "knit-in" on Brighton beach (U.K.) during one of the town's festivals, and were also once thrown out of the London's posh Savoy hotel "because knitting just isn't done in public". A couple of years ago they held a Knitted Wedding. Everything at this wedding was knitted, from the cameras, to the dress, the food and decorations.

Knitted Wedding

Brandie and Randall

Our Granddaughter recently had a Daughter..... and that makes us Great Grandparents!

A Tender Moment

I recently finished scanning our slides from 1957 through the 1980's.
It took over forty years and the technology of the scanner and Photoshop to see this image of my husband and daughter, Linda,  properly. The original 1964 slide was very red and too dark.

The london tube on youtube.

I always remember the tube in London. Everyone stayed in their own space each trying to avoid the other's glance. The gentleman with the bowler hat who'd caught the tube to The City, carried his newspaper to hide behind, though I often caught him sneaking a look over the top.

Today the tubes must have gone through some magical transformation according to this youtube dining experience:
Tube Dining

Mud Mud

On our way from Guam to Maryland in 1973, we stopped off to visit the Hippo in Disneyland.

Sunday morning