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I have had this starting point from Shimelle last week rolling around in my head. Overall her sketches have really given my creativity a kick in the butt lately, but I haven’t tried out a starting point yet, so I thought it was about time. I am very dedicated to using small scraps from my box of left overs right now (I certainly have some favourites in there I would like to get on a layout instead of just having them waste away), and last weeks starting point is just perfect for that. So, better late than never! Here goes:
Me and my parents went on this amazing trip in 2010. We went on a road trip in Tuscany. It was one of those completely incredible lets-get-lost-and-see-what-happens trips, with lot’s of fantastic little Tuscan towns and good food and wine and great coffee and sunshine. So many impressions! Both my dad and I had just gotten back into photography and I think I took almost 1500 photos that week. I have weeded a lot of them out, of course, but among the hefty numbers of photos I’ve kept there are some clear favourites, and this is one of them.
Again, I’m very sorry for the crappy photo. I seem to only have time to photograph my layouts late at night. Far from ideal! Anyway:
I’ll try and translate the journaling:
At the end of the week it was time to leave Volterra and head back to Viterbo and, in the end, Rome. Spring rain! Suddenly all the green completely changes tones. Heavy clouds rested on the mountain and of the roof tops and old walls of Volterra. The cypresses are no longer standing tall and proud, but are tousled by the wind. How could anyone describe the scent of the fresh air? Go to Italy in late spring!
We took a detour over the woodland hills of Colline Metallifere, on this damp day a veritable jungle of chlorophyll. Tangled roads leading up into the mist. Incredibly beautiful ans such a contrast to the cultivated hills of Tuscany.
After several hours in the car our need for coffee was dire. We found a small café in the town of Massa Marittima, but the town seemed completely deserted. It turned out that everyone was attending the Sunday mass, and the café we were in was the place to gather in afterwards to have a cheeky glass of Campari. Enter stage right, a group of people in their most fashionable Sunday best, lead by a very sharp lady in high heals. We, the wrinkly, dusty tourists, were given a long stare, and then it was very clear that we were NOT invited to share the free nuts that were placed by the bar. But we enjoyed our perfectly balanced 1-euro cappuccinos and ordered ourselves another one.
I love the photo in this layout; I think it’s the dearest one I have from that trip. It’s my dad, me and my mum (a rare combination in one and the same photograph), sitting on our bar stools in that little café, in front of a huge mirror. So I snapped a shot of all three of us through that mirror. When I see this photo I can really think back and remember how happy I felt in that moment. Because I felt that we were all happy and in a really good mood, after having spent an amazing week together driving around in Tuscany and finding new amazing things every day. And finally finding a cup of coffee that day.
Early springtime is hitting Sweden as of now; it’s still a bit chilly but if you find the right spots, you can still take of your coat and sit for a while in the sunshine and enjoy the moment. This means that suddenly there’s actual daylight! Beautiful, sunny daylight! That means more hours per day of possible photography.
I really love to photograph people. I can not stress that enough. But I am always terrified of missing the moment, not being able enough, and loosing the shots. So, I’m in desperate need of practice, so that I start feel comfortable with it, you know, to get rid of the nerves.
So this weekend I had the fantastic opportunity to take a few shots of my friend Cecilia, an opportunity for which I am very grateful (Most people I know, while not very shy at all, do not want to have their picture taken).
Just being out in the sunshine was great, a big burst of energy, but also, it was a lot of fun just walking around finding new spot to shoot in, and I really got a lot of time to mess about with the settings on my SLR.
Below are two of my absolute favourite shots. I feel rather proud of them, and this is the reason: I have known Cecilia for ten years. She is a beautiful girl. And I feel that I have a caught a moment when she is feeling happy and beautiful herself. And that’s my favourite part of photographing people.
This post is cross posted at phobicgamer.com
You know when you’re a scrapbooker and a crafter and you always make loads of pretty things to give to other people? It’s the best thing, ever. It makes your heart beat. But sometimes it’s even a liiittle bit better when someone makes something handmade for YOU. Like when your sweetheart spends the better part of an afternoon making something like this for you on Valentine’s day:
Being a Valentine’s card from a boy gamer to a girl gamer, that is rather a strong message. I know my heart is a’fluttering today.
(He cut this by hand. Seriously! Who needs a Cricut?)
Hope you had a great feb 14th! Love and respect. And chocolate.
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Today’s prompt for the 365 project was to create something out of paper. But not to use scissors, or glue, or draw on it. And it did possibly not have to be origami. Huh. I though a lot about what I was going to do. Fold something? Rip something apart? Make paper flowers? Make a pile of crunched up paper balls from my gazillion unfinished drafts and burn it?
In the end I went for a simple solution, even if the thing itself didn’t feel easy. I took out a piece of paper and started writing about my grandfather. I have a photo of him and our family dog, looking out over the sea, breathing it in, like they often did. None of them are with us today and I miss them sorely.I’ve wanted to do some journaling about this photo for some time, to try and catch some memories, so this seemed like a good time for it.
I wrote the journaling in Swedish, but have tried to translate it here. Bear with me though; English is not my native language:
Throughout my childhood he was a part of my summer holidays, my grandfather. My whole family got in the boat and went out to the island, and there he stood waiting for us on the jetty. My grandfather. He raised his cap and waved and smiled; a big, sincere smile. It was a strong certainty I felt as a child that he was genuinely happy to see us. You stepped onto the shore and you knew you were loved.
He was a great animal lover, which became apparent for instance when all the birds on the island followed him around wherever he went. He always kept a piece of cheese in his pocket to give them as a treat, and called for them and talked to them constantly. They flew after him and sat on his shoulder when he was working in over at the shed or down by the water. If you were lucky you got to feed them too, and it could happen that they landed and ate directly from the palm of your hand. But only if grandfather was present. It was as id they were doing it as a favour to him.
There were other animals that followed him around, of course, they all did. Like the foxes. He kept feeding them our leftovers, and they would snoop about to see what he was up to. But only when things had calmed down and grandmother and grandfather were alone at the cabin.
Whenever you came to visit grandpa always had a story to tell. It was like an update about the neighbourhood, about the foxes and birds and badgers. In return, I got to tell him what was up with my own pets.
He was always very happy when we brought any of our pets out to the cabin. He spent an entire summer taking care of, and talking to, my pet bunny, one year when we were travelling a lot.
My grandfather and our family dog, Chief, was like two peas in a pod. It was like they had a constant conversation going on whenever they met. They both loved the island, the cabin, and the sea. They both enjoyed life to the fullest out there. And grandpa always had a piece of cheese, or maybe a meatball, to share.
I had a completely scrappy weekend! On Saturday I met my friend Andrea at an art supplies shop to buy some pretty papery goodies, and then we spent almost 9 hours in complete frenzy scrapping a wedding album for her sister. And we finished it! And made it look awesome! It’s just something about adding all the photos into a context and a complete story that makes them just a little bit more amazing to look at.
Sunday I spent with my dear mom, making Christmas cards. It was ages since we did something together just her and me, so I felt really grateful we had the chance to schedule that day in. She made so many pretty cards, I just had to sneak some photos of them and share. We have completely different styles, so it’s always surprising and fun to see how she’s gonna end up using her supplies!
We ended the weekend with a nice dinner, my mum, dad, Jed and I, shared a bottle of wine, talked about crafty things. I’m lucky to have a family that indulge me, they let me go on and on about my ideas and plans. I feel like I talked their ears off. Maybe I should get out of my crafty corner more….
I have started making some Christmas ornaments, and of course the most fun is to make something for your family. I decided to make these little hearts for my mum and dad to put in this tree, and I wanted them to look a bit vintage, so I painted the hearts in several layers of paint and then sanded the edges down a bit. When I decoupaged them I added some crackle glaze on top.
The photos are of me and my brother when we were growing up, and there is also one of our old family dog, who we all miss dearly. I thought this would be a nice way to add some memory keeping to our Christmas, and something a bit different than a mini album or a scrapbook page. There are so many fun ways to preserve those memories!
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And so I will!
There are seriously few gifts that mean so much as something someone made themselves. Time is precious for everyone, to use your time to think, plan, and make something with someone else in mind is, for me, a very big compliment. I’ve been meaning to post a picture of this for the longest time now, this beautiful knitted comfort shawl that Hanna made me. I love the colours, the pattern, the shape, I can’t believe she put so much effort into it! I wear it whenever I feel a bit chilly (which I do every so often in my old crappy apartment) and it’s The Perfect Gaming Shawl.
Thank you Hanna, I don’t know if I said it enough!
 Photo very sneakily taken by Jed Here is more pictures of another one hanna nkitted, go see! And another one :) I wish I could knit… (She has tried to teach me, maybe it’s time for another try).
It is a bit frustrating before the holidays, I really want to spend days and days crafting and doing fun projects and X-mas gifts for my loved ones, but there is just too little time. Suddenly there’s only a few days left. It’s just ironic that the time when one has the most cheer and enthusiasm to do something there is just NOT enough time to do it. I need to win a lottery or something so I can take December off!
I sent out all my X-mas cards in time though, and even managed to take a few photos of them, even though they don’t look all that good. Taking photos of projects during winter is not the easiest thing to do in Sweden. Good daylight conditions is pretty much out from October to April. But I cranked up the ISO on my camera and turned on all my X-mas lighting and my living room and almost blinded myself with little desk light, so hopefully some of them can be posted here. Soon. As soon as I find time!
I did NOT do as well as our friend Malin however, who has been making her own candles AND made a whole crate of beautiful X-mas cards to send out. Amazing! I’ve seen her craft in person a couple of time now, she just goes for it, she is so efficient and still manages to make both fun and beautiful projects. I bet her friends and family will be pleased to get one of these:
Colour me impressed!
My boo is a very crafty and creative person, I don’t think a day has gone by when he hasn’t had a good idea. He’s just an inspiring person to be around! He is the kind of person you can explain an idea too, he’ll understand it and show an interest and then give you good feedback or more ideas. Among other things he is great with graphics, he is a great photographer, and the other day he built new shelves in all my wardrobes from scratch! So there you go, could I be boasting more? ;)
Well, the other day he said: “It’s my mum’s birthday soon, maybe we should make her a card?”. And we did! Or, HE did, I was just the assistant, really. He explained what he wanted to do and I provided means to do it. He highlighted the pattern on the paper with copper embossing powder, and added some skeleton leafs to make it more autumnal. This is the result:
I’m a proud girlfriend!
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