August DIY Challenge (2023)

[Cassel]

This challenge has had great success in the past so we can continue to have it on a regular basis, don’t you think?

Just like those “some assembly required” kits that you can buy for a shelf, a chair, or a picnic table, I am including a 3600×3600 pixels canvas with some shapes.

You HAVE to use the shapes in the size and proportions they are. You can move them, rotate them, flip them, and rearrange the layering if you want but you cannot resize them.

You need to use ALL the pieces but you can add more if you want.

So it is like all the pieces to build a DIY shelf: you cannot change the size of the pieces but you can use them creatively.

Obviously, you will want to recolor them or replace them with papers, photos, etc. We just need to be able to recognize the initial shapes.

Here is a preview of the shapes involved. Because of the size of the shapes, there will obviously be overlaps. Will it be for papers or photos or both? That is up to you!

Click here to download the layered template.

Post your projects in the gallery.

[Bonnie Ballentine]

This was very difficult for me. I don't put a lot of elements on my layouts and getting these to fit in a way I liked was a challenge. Not sure I like it now but it's not too bad. I am looking forward to seeing how others interpret.

[Corrie Kinkel]

Bonnie you did great!

This is my contribution and it is showing a couple of photos I took just the other day. When on a weekly walk with a friend, we came along a street that had a row of small trees that had hanging flowers like hop bells and we joked that the trees must be called something like "beech hop" or "hop beech" as the leaves were like beech leaves. We both didn't know those trees and so I looked in the plants-app on my phone to see what it could be. We had a good laugh when I discovered that those trees were really called Hop-Beech; we will never forget that name! 

For this layout I used my photos, made a ribbon with lace and colored or filled the other elements. All the colors are taken from the photos and some elements are recolored to match. The background is white with a frosted glass overlay (Inky deals) which I have in my stash. Font is Brellos a freebie by CF.

Edited August 13, 2023 by Corrie Kinkel
typos

[Bonnie Ballentine]

So pretty, Corrie! Great job!

[Cristina]

Bonnie and Corrie, both layouts are great. Love both!

[Jenifer Lyn]

•✿• Excellent job indeed!
These types of challenges are my favorite. Making us step outside
of our comfort zones in trying new things. Seeing how each of us put
them together is the absolute best! Great challenge, Carole!

** Will be back shortly with mine too.

[Ann Seeber]

These pieces were definitely a challenge for me. I like my layouts spare and uncluttered usually. I combined some pieces and doubled up on others. The central circle is white reduced to 10% opacity over the background photo. The top border is the scallop clipped to a lace ribbon. The red borders are strips filled with a red pattern called 5Geometry. I filled the beads with a gradient. The top flower is named AHA-hygge, from my stash. This is my grandson Brad and his girl, Livia back in July at an event.

[Mary Solaas]

1 hour ago, Ann Seeber said:

These pieces were definitely a challenge for me. I like my layouts spare and uncluttered usually. I combined some pieces and doubled up on others. The central circle is white reduced to 10% opacity over the background photo. The top border is the scallop clipped to a lace ribbon. The red borders are strips filled with a red pattern called 5Geometry. I filled the beads with a gradient. The top flower is named AHA-hygge, from my stash. This is my grandson Brad and his girl, Livia back in July at an event.

Ann - Thanks a whole lot!!! I've been looking for "frosted glass overlay" and can't find one.  This is how you do it!!!  Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[Susan Ewart]

2 hours ago, Ann Seeber said:

These pieces were definitely a challenge for me. I like my layouts spare and uncluttered usually. I combined some pieces and doubled up on others. The central circle is white reduced to 10% opacity over the background photo. The top border is the scallop clipped to a lace ribbon. The red borders are strips filled with a red pattern called 5Geometry. I filled the beads with a gradient. The top flower is named AHA-hygge, from my stash. This is my grandson Brad and his girl, Livia back in July at an event.

What a cool technique with the white overtop and reduced.  

[Natalie Spooner]

This was a great challenge, and by that I also mean brain smoking!  Somehow it came together, I never really feel I'm in control of the out come, I just go with the flow that seems to evolve in the process. There are some fabulous results being posted and tricks / tips shared. Thank you all.

This tells the story of my Sister's grandson having lunch with our Dad, his GG Papa. The request was for tomato soup and crackers which is a favourite for both of them!

The papers, tags and graphics are from a DS kit of Jessica Dunn's called Bistro. I overlapped a lot of the rectangles at varying opacities. The inner circle was filed with a paint transfer and shadowed which gave it some texture. The  large font is Ravi, and the pointers are Gigi, both in my collection, probably from Creative Fabrica,  but I'm not sure.

[Jenifer Lyn]

•✿• This is absolutely precious, Natalie!
A beautiful layout, that both will enjoy for years to come!

[Sue Thomas]

These delightful interesting bees have consumed a great deal of my time this summer, observing and  macro photographing them.  Which is very tricky as they are super fast and really tiny.  Every year I create  more and more  bee log tower hotels for them.  Drilling hundred of holes in each one to accommodate the residents.  This year I had well over a thousand leafcutter  bees to home.

For those that are interested :The drill bit size is 5mm, with a depth of 2 1/4 inches. Each bee can lay up to 6 eggs.  They collect pollen with the " pollen brush"   on the underside of their abdomen.  Starting at the back of the nesting chamber, the female bee builds a protective leafy wall, which she will pack with a loaf of pollen and nectar (or paste). She then lays a single egg directly on each loaf and seals the chamber with another protective leaf wall. Typically, the females will lay eggs that will become females towards the back of the nest and males near the front. This behavior provides an extra layer of protection for the female eggs.

Edited August 17, 2023 by Sue Thomas

[Susan Ewart]

18 minutes ago, Sue Thomas said:

These delightful interesting bees have consumed a great deal of my time this summer, observing and  macro photographing them.  Which is very tricky as they are super fast and really tiny.  Every year I create  more and more  bee log tower hotels for them.  Drilling hundred of holes in each one to accommodate the residents.  This year I had well over a thousand leafcutter  bees to home.

For those that are interested :The drill bit size is 5mm, with a depth of 2 1/4 inches. Each bee can lay up to 6 eggs.  They collect pollen with the " pollen brush"   on the underside of their abdomen.  Starting at the back of the nesting chamber, the female bee builds a protective leafy wall, which she will pack with a loaf of pollen and nectar (or paste). She then lays a single egg directly on each loaf and seals the chamber with another protective leaf wall. Typically, the females will lay eggs that will become females towards the back of the nest and males near the front. This behavior provides an extra layer of protection for the female eggs.

This is fascinting.  The detail in the wings of the bigger photo is unreal.  I cant imagine the patience and timing required to photographing these bees.  The information you gave is very useful.  I have made a bug "hotel" this year from some stumps of a tree that died.  Next year I can add a log tower hotel.  Do you lay this log down or have it vertical so no water gets in.  Do you make a lot of holes in the same log?  Very interesting indeed.

[Sue Thomas]

23 minutes ago, Susan Ewart said:

This is fascinting.  The detail in the wings of the bigger photo is unreal.  I cant imagine the patience and timing required to photographing these bees.  The information you gave is very useful.  I have made a bug "hotel" this year from some stumps of a tree that died.  Next year I can add a log tower hotel.  Do you lay this log down or have it vertical so no water gets in.  Do you make a lot of holes in the same log?  Very interesting indeed.

Thank you Susan, perhaps others  will make their own log tower hotels.  The photos are degraded due to having to resize down to post.  The logs I use  are dry, around 2ft tall, with a diameter of anything from 9 inches to  13 inches.  I drill 10-20 rows of 20 holes in each log close together.  I don't drill all the way around only the front.( purely for photographic reasons, also positioning them in direct sunlight, for most of the day)   I have them standing upright. Once the season is over I put them in the garage for the winter, taking them  back outside in late Spring.  

[Donna Sillia]

1 hour ago, Sue Thomas said:

These delightful interesting bees have consumed a great deal of my time this summer, observing and  macro photographing them.  Which is very tricky as they are super fast and really tiny.  Every year I create  more and more  bee log tower hotels for them.  Drilling hundred of holes in each one to accommodate the residents.  This year I had well over a thousand leafcutter  bees to home.

For those that are interested :The drill bit size is 5mm, with a depth of 2 1/4 inches. Each bee can lay up to 6 eggs.  They collect pollen with the " pollen brush"   on the underside of their abdomen.  Starting at the back of the nesting chamber, the female bee builds a protective leafy wall, which she will pack with a loaf of pollen and nectar (or paste). She then lays a single egg directly on each loaf and seals the chamber with another protective leaf wall. Typically, the females will lay eggs that will become females towards the back of the nest and males near the front. This behavior provides an extra layer of protection for the female eggs.

So very interesting and requiring a lot of patience.

[Sue Thomas]

I didn't  comment  on my layout in the initial post. Anyway, I  used the embossed  technique on the text in the two shaped elements. I must confess, that I  was itching to resize down many of the layers, but I refrained from doing so. Lol.

[Jenifer Lyn]

1 hour ago, Sue Thomas said:

Thank you Susan, perhaps others  will make their own log tower hotels.  The photos are degraded due to having to resize down to post.  The logs I use  are dry, around 2ft tall, with a diameter of anything from 9 inches to  13 inches.  I drill 10-20 rows of 20 holes in each log close together.  I don't drill all the way around only the front.( purely for photographic reasons, also positioning them in direct sunlight, for most of the day)   I have them standing upright. Once the season is over I put them in the garage for the winter, taking them  back outside in late Spring.  

•✿• How truly fascinating indeed, Sue.
What a super hobby!
Being allergic to them, I would never dare to get that close.
How brave you are! Have you ever been stung by them?!

[Jenifer Lyn]

On 8/16/2023 at 6:28 AM, Ann Seeber said:

These pieces were definitely a challenge for me. I like my layouts spare and uncluttered usually. I combined some pieces and doubled up on others. The central circle is white reduced to 10% opacity over the background photo. The top border is the scallop clipped to a lace ribbon. The red borders are strips filled with a red pattern called 5Geometry. I filled the beads with a gradient. The top flower is named AHA-hygge, from my stash. This is my grandson Brad and his girl, Livia back in July at an event.

•✿• What a beautiful couple, Ann!
This layout is as beautiful!
I love how you lowered the opacity on the larger image, 
as it really makes the other two stand out. 
Super layout indeed!
 

[Sue Thomas]

27 minutes ago, Jenifer Lyn said:

•✿• How truly fascinating indeed, Sue.
What a super hobby!
Being allergic to them, I would never dare to get that close.
How brave you are! Have you ever been stung by them?!

Insect Macro photography is one of my many outdoor hobbies. I find the wonderful world of insects fascinating.  To put your mind at rest, Less than 25% of solitary bees and wasps don't have stingers. Those that do (females) will only  sting when  threatened.  Even then it doesn't have the same effect or hurt as much as a honey bee sting.  They usually don't sting when being handled, and I handle them all the time, fishing them out of the bird baths, picking off my clothing, they buzz in my hand, which tickles  until I release them.  Only bumblebee workers and Queens have stingers, even then they are  only used  in defence. Like the solitaries, they don't usually sting when being handled.  To answer your question I have never been stung. 

[Jenifer Lyn]

•✿• WoW! I didn't have a clue! That's good to know.
I can see how fascinating bee keeping can truly be.
I look forward to more pics of your outdoor adventures! 

[Sue Thomas]

6 minutes ago, Jenifer Lyn said:

•✿• WoW! I didn't have a clue! That's good to know.
I can see how fascinating bee keeping can truly be.
I look forward to more pics of your outdoor adventures! 

You must be relevantly new to the campus.  I have been  quiet for the past few months, it is summer after all, and  where I now live in Canada, the season is very short, but guaranteed to be  hot and sunny, unlike  my homeland Wales. I've been active in the campus since late 2015, and  seasoned members have become  accustomed to  expecting my layouts to be of all kinds of nature.   Here are some recent posts.  I  thought my posts would automatically go into the gallery, but I see obviously not. 

[Sue Thomas]

Challenge.

[Sue Thomas]

I like to create magazine covers to showcase my photos.

[Sue Thomas]

[Cassel]

26 minutes ago, Sue Thomas said:

I  thought my posts would automatically go into the gallery, but I see obviously not. 

I have been looking for a way to do that automatically, but that is not the way the forum works. I wish!