Gold Star – Sue

Let's meet a very active member of the Campus. Although she is NOT a scrapbooker, she does seem very happy in our community.

Can you tell us a bit about you?

Hello, my name is Sue. I’m a Welsh lady who left her heart behind in Wales, when I moved to the Saskatchewan Prairies, Canada 14 years ago, where there are no comparisons what so ever to home. My husband had always wanted to live and farm in Canada.  My 2 Children are in their thirties, not married or have any children of their own.  I was born a farmer’s daughter, and married a farmer, so, needless to say I have a passion for the great outdoors, and everything to do with nature.  I’ve been a horsewoman all my life, competing in many disciplines.

How did you first get acquainted with Paintshop Pro?

I was first introduced to Corel, by an old friend who had his own printing business in Cardiff, way back, when I bought my first computer, which was the Amiga 500. I’ve made cards for a long time, since the children were very young, I encouraged them to make family and close friends thank you cards, the field soon grew when we included making celebration, birthday and other greeting cards.

I used to do Power Point Presentations for weddings and other special occasions, clients would give me photos, which usually needed some  form of editing before being put into the presentation.  This is where PSP came in very handy.

My mother was an avid bird watcher, and I must have inherited that from her, as I too am an avid bird watcher. Being an amateur photographer, I enjoy taking photos, mainly of wildlife, and landscapes, so I’d have to say my primary use for PSP has always been photo editing. Then incorporating those photos in the cards. No matter how good a camera you have, editing is a must to give that wow factor to any photo.

I’ve always used my own photos in card making.  Some sent digitally, the majority by post. Nothing nicer than to receive a unique home made card,  through the post. The old fashioned way! Since moving to Canada, I give an insight to family and friends at home and around the world of my lifestyle through my photos in cards. Even in the form of calendars.

How did you come to join the Campus?

I can’t actually remember how I stumbled across the Scrapbook Campus.  I must have been searching for something on Google, but I can remember thinking to myself, "Oh! Scrapbooking, that’s not me at all." Or so I thought.  I have never scrapbooked in my life, whether it’s digital or with paper, glue and a pair of scissors.  PSP was mentioned on the site which triggered my curiosity.

I believe I joined as a Diamond member in October of 2016. I primarily joined to broaden my knowledge of PSP. I really enjoy the creative Scrap.

Can you share some of your work from since you joined the Campus?

Sure. I participated in the Calendar Challenge, in November 2016. These are some projects designed for that calendar.

November is when the Snowy Owls migrate from the far north, and make their appearance further south, where I can take shots of them. I used several techniques, made my own postage stamp, drew my own branch, cut out the owl and promoted her to a new layer, and changed the colour of the Month. I also created the tag and the ribbon for it.

Humming Birds are extremely difficult to photograph, but I was determined to get as good a shot as I could.  I had never seen a Humming bird in my life before, and they only visit our area, passing through during  late spring and then again August when they arrive either on the 3rd or the 4th August, and stay until 31 Aug. They are very punctual.  En route for warmer climes, where they spend their winters.  Mainly California.  I wanted a good shot of one to include in a calendar for those that I send to at home.  It has taken many years and countless photos of Hummers, before I finally got the shot I was happy with.   I particularly like the colour contrast of the photo, the colours of the Hummer and the contrasting colour of the LarkSpur flowers, it was feeding on.

The reason I chose this photo for the cover of that particular calendar was because the geese were facing in different directions which is quite unique, along with their reflections.

If you want to see more projects made by Sue (and other participants) during the Calendar challenge, she posted some in our showcase forum thread.  Register as a student, like Sue did; check out our different membership available to you.