August 2023 - RANDOM Challenge

[Julie Magerka]

1 hour ago, Sue Thomas said:

I can never understand the logic in anyone flapping and running around hysterically at any  creature.  The most sensible thing to do is to stand motionless. That goes for bats too.  I grew up in a 600yr old vicarage turned farmhouse.  The stone walls were 3ft deep, with a spiral stone staircase.  We had bats in the attic, which would occasionally fly through an open bedroom window at night.  They are the Pipistrelle bats.  Of course you have heard of the saying bats in the belfry.  It's very true, and most churches and chapels at home are occupied  with bats. Since I was a child their numbers have diminished greatly, and they are now protected in the UK  If  you have them in  your attics, you have to live  with them. Also, the UK is one of the very countries in the world that is rabies free.  It doesn't stop me handling them out here without gloves.  I agree they are very much misunderstood creatures.  Hollywood and Disney has a lot to answer, for the way they portray  many creatures in their productions. 

 

I had a wonderful up bringing  on a Welsh hill farm.  I would go out in the morning, and wouldn't be seen until tea time.  I was allowed the freedom to be a child, and if I wasn't in  by tea time, there was a row.  Great times, and some many happy memories, surrounded by animals.

The history of European places (like Wales) is so deep and rich, and l-o-n-g compared to North America. The house (and life) you described during your childhood sounds so wonderful and magical. When I was a kid, I disappeared for hours on end (in the summers) and feel very privileged to have had that kind of upbringing.  I have always assumed that "bats in the belfry" referred to the real thing. I didn't realize the UK is rabies-free! That's a great thing. And yes, shame on Hollywood and Disney and others who malign nature's creatures.

[Susan Ewart]

5 hours ago, Corrie Kinkel said:

Susan you are not going to quit! and leave me out there, will you. I'm on lesson 5 too and my advice is: read carefully, take it slowly and try every step. It is logical though. I think of it as a new language which has very strict grammar rules. See you inside the course with some results.

I wont quit.  I think I was having one of those days when everything is a challenge (read: nothing goes right) and I was tired.  I watched the video and felt way better and today I feel more positive about it.  Thank you for the boost.  I do understand "try and except", it's in every day life.  If I try something and it doesnt work, go to plan B.  I got frustrated when i was trying to use the files I shouldnt have been using.  And Mireille has loaded me up with some things to try and now I'm looking forward to getting back in.  I find I need to have a good chunk of time when I'm doing scripting lessons and the last few days have only given me little bits of time here and there.  I really appreciate your post to me here.  I need to hear that, and I need to somtimes be strongly nudged.  Your first sentence is what made it for me.  I read it and thought, no, I am not going to quit.  I'm glad you said it the way you did.  

[Susan Ewart]

On 8/31/2023 at 9:09 PM, Sue Thomas said:

Well Susan, I'm  rendered speechless, as I am  totally overwhelmed by your comments, and others on here and  on Facebook  on my work.    We have an appreciation for the art  of photography, and displaying those images, giving them pride of place in layouts.  We all have different styles in our presentations, yet in those photos and layouts our passions resonate through. I must give credit to Carole, because without the campus we wouldn't be able to achieve our goals, to the high standard that we do. Or the close knit international family that we have become.   Next  Spring and Summer you will be looking at your garden and it's occupants ( the world of insects and other creatures) in a whole new light.  I loose all track of time when I'm outside crawling around on the ground.   I'm going  to suggest you put out a hummingbird feeder in early Spring.  Hopefully, you'll have visitors passing through.  Then again, in late July for the ones  stopping off, en route South.  The solitary bees , have pollen brushes either on their legs or abdomen, depending on their species.  Bumbles have pollen baskets on their legs.  You are sure to have fun observing the leaf cutters too.  I will look forward to seeing photos of your visitors.  You'll have 2 photographic studios, one indoors and  the one Mother nature has provided.  

I am humbled by this whole group and the experiences I have here. Do you think Carole knows just how special this place is.  I think back to how lucky I felt when I opened the Corel email and saw the bootcamp...just as I was about to give up on learning PSP.  I never imagined all the other things I would be learning from everyone here, such interesting lives you all lead and such cool places you all go. I was out photographing today and I had a bee (fuzzy one, with beautiful colors) almost the whole time.  I heard myself apologizing to it on occassion when i got it it's way.  Thank you for the information about the hummingbirds.  I was going to ask you how to entice them back to the yard.  Love how you worded that last sentence, about Mother nature.  You are quite right about next spring.  I will be out there looking at the possibilities and I will start earlier too.  And like you, when I'm in the photo "zone" I can be at it for hours.  Summer is short so I'm trying to prioritize the flower photos now while they are out.  Soon it will be winter and that will be time to go back into the photo studio and to learn the other stuff I want to be learning.  

[Ann Seeber]

10 hours ago, Sue Thomas said:

I would go out in the morning, and wouldn't be seen until tea time.  I was allowed the freedom to be a child,

@Sue Thomas It was the same for me.... different time. Now they debate the practice and we're known as "free range children." Actually, I brought up my daughters that way, also. We're talking back in the '60s. If parents kept the children under their thumbs they were labeled "helicopter parents." ?

[Michele]

I was also a "free range" child, but growing up in Brooklyn, NY was quite different than your wonderful country upbringings. 

[Susan Ewart]

5 hours ago, Ann Seeber said:

@Sue Thomas It was the same for me.... different time. Now they debate the practice and we're known as "free range children." Actually, I brought up my daughters that way, also. We're talking back in the '60s. If parents kept the children under their thumbs they were labeled "helicopter parents." ?

I was too.  When we lived on a lake my mom would blow this conch (shell) and we'd hear it from 1/2 way down the lake and head home. Often it would be faster to get in the lake and swim back.  In another town, we'd get on our bikes and be gone exploring most of the day. I wonder what made us head back home. the only place they did keep an eye on us was when we lived right across the street from a very wide fast moving river (drownings every year).  We weren't supposed to go to the river bank (which was about 30 feet from the end of the front of our house) and well, that's just what we did and we got in some serious trouble if we got caught.  

[Susan Ewart]

2 hours ago, Michele said:

I was also a "free range" child, but growing up in Brooklyn, NY was quite different than your wonderful country upbringings. 

All I know about life in Brooklyn is from TV and movies. I wonder how "real" they were compared to your growing up.  

[Michele]

45 minutes ago, Susan Ewart said:

All I know about life in Brooklyn is from TV and movies. I wonder how "real" they were compared to your growing up.  

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn? lol

[Susan Ewart]

21 minutes ago, Michele said:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn? lol

I had to look this one up.  Did you read it?

[Corrie Kinkel]

11 hours ago, Susan Ewart said:

I wont quit.  I think I was having one of those days when everything is a challenge (read: nothing goes right) and I was tired.  I watched the video and felt way better and today I feel more positive about it.  Thank you for the boost.  I do understand "try and except", it's in every day life.  If I try something and it doesnt work, go to plan B.  I got frustrated when i was trying to use the files I shouldnt have been using.  And Mireille has loaded me up with some things to try and now I'm looking forward to getting back in.  I find I need to have a good chunk of time when I'm doing scripting lessons and the last few days have only given me little bits of time here and there.  I really appreciate your post to me here.  I need to hear that, and I need to somtimes be strongly nudged.  Your first sentence is what made it for me.  I read it and thought, no, I am not going to quit.  I'm glad you said it the way you did.  

Thank you and I'm very glad you didn't really thought of giving up. Although I understand very well the need for having a couple of hours to spent on a new lesson to grab the full meaning of those new concepts. I'm struggling myself with that too and I don't have to go to work anymore, but my beloved hubby takes a chunk of my time and I have other weekly appointments with a friend to go walking and swimming (one has to keep fit).

[Julie Magerka]

1 hour ago, Susan Ewart said:

I was too.  When we lived on a lake my mom would blow this conch (shell) and we'd hear it from 1/2 way down the lake and head home. Often it would be faster to get in the lake and swim back.  In another town, we'd get on our bikes and be gone exploring most of the day. I wonder what made us head back home. the only place they did keep an eye on us was when we lived right across the street from a very wide fast moving river (drownings every year).  We weren't supposed to go to the river bank (which was about 30 feet from the end of the front of our house) and well, that's just what we did and we got in some serious trouble if we got caught.  

OMG! When I was a kid free roaming in our small town, my Dad would do his loud whistle with a knuckle in his mouth to call me home. If I didn't hear, someone in town did and let me know to get going! I know I had it good when/where I grew up.

[Julie Magerka]

1 hour ago, Susan Ewart said:

I had to look this one up.  Did you read it?

I read that one so many years ago and loved it. It probably deserves a read now since it's been so long.

[Michele]

19 hours ago, Susan Ewart said:

I had to look this one up.  Did you read it?

Absolutely. It's a lovely book.

[Dorothy Donn]

On 9/2/2023 at 11:13 AM, Julie Magerka said:

OMG! When I was a kid free roaming in our small town, my Dad would do his loud whistle with a knuckle in his mouth to call me home. If I didn't hear, someone in town did and let me know to get going! I know I had it good when/where I grew up.

I thought every family had their own "family whistle".  The one that brought kids, dogs and best buds running for home.

[Bonnie Ballentine]

3 hours ago, Dorothy Donn said:

I thought every family had their own "family whistle".  The one that brought kids, dogs and best buds running for home.

My Dad whistled for me and I scurried home ASAP. Some things you did not mess with!

Edited September 6, 2023 by Bonnie Ballentine

[Michele]

Our "family whistle" was when the street lights turned on.

[Mary Solaas]

On 9/2/2023 at 8:48 AM, Michele said:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn? lol

That book is really great.  Written by one who did grow up in Brooklyn.  I spent my first 7 years in New Jersey (Just across the river from New York City) and remember going through the Holland Tunnel into New York City with my dad and mom.  I remember seeing the New York World's Fair (1939); I remember Chile's Restaurant (?); I remember looking up at the tall buildings; I remember; I remember coming into NYC around Christmas time and  the wonderful window and toy displays at that time (always love the toy trains); there were cobble streets when we saw the Macy's parade and my dad lifted me up on his shoulders from those cobble streets in order to see better.

Michele, you have put me on a memory lane visit .....

[Michele]

19 minutes ago, Mary Solaas said:

That book is really great.  Written by one who did grow up in Brooklyn.  I spent my first 7 years in New Jersey (Just across the river from New York City) and remember going through the Holland Tunnel into New York City with my dad and mom.  I remember seeing the New York World's Fair (1939); I remember Chile's Restaurant (?); I remember looking up at the tall buildings; I remember; I remember coming into NYC around Christmas time and  the wonderful window and toy displays at that time (always love the toy trains); there were cobble streets when we saw the Macy's parade and my dad lifted me up on his shoulders from those cobble streets in order to see better.

Michele, you have put me on a memory lane visit .....

The Christmas windows are always awesome and there are still a few cobblestone streets.

[Natalie Spooner]

On 8/31/2023 at 8:26 AM, Sue Thomas said:

Thank you for your kind words on the Robin layout. I'm  pleased I  was able to inspire you. Mind you that's  one of ge many reasons why we are part of the campus. What a lovely memory layout you created. I like the framing, and the vector petal shapes. May I  make a suggestion. Your plaid background paper is lovely, but try making the pattern smaller, and see what you think. I feel it's a bit of a distraction from the lovely  photos. Find the pattern in the material pallete, instead of  flood filling 100%,  lower  the %.  

Hi @Sue Thomas, I did take your advice as I agree it was a bit distracting. It led me on a whole new adventure about seamless tiling LOL! Decided to make a tag as I had been inspired by those made in the Travel class and here is the revised result. Thank you sharing your thoughts from experiened eyes!?.

[Sue Thomas]

5 minutes ago, Natalie Spooner said:

Hi @Sue Thomas, I did take your advice as I agree it was a bit distracting. It led me on a whole new adventure about seamless tiling LOL! Decided to make a tag as I had been inspired by those made in the Travel class and here is the revised result. Thank you sharing your thoughts from experiened eyes!?.

It was a pleasure!  You resized the pattern perfectly, it isn't any longer a distraction, instead it enhances the overall layout, without taking the eye away from  the photos. 

[Jannette Nieuwboer]

My attempt at numbering. I miss the Beatle's greatest hit 'ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE'!!!!! It was more difficult than it looks like.  

[Sue Thomas]

2 hours ago, Jannette Nieuwboer said:

My attempt at numbering. I miss the Beatle's greatest hit 'ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE'!!!!! It was more difficult than it looks like.  

I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you  mean when you say "my attempt at numbering"   As for your numbered circles, the numbers aren't centred.  May I suggest that you create your numbered circles on their own image. Create the circle,  object,, align, centre in canvas. Type your number, resize etc. object, align, centre on canvas.  Then copy merged to your  layout.  Repeat, until you  have done all your  circled numbers.  In the creative scrap there is a tutorial on  creating a  word art Xmas tree. (word tree Lab 10-12)  That  tutorial may help you adjust  the text in the triangle, in order to dispense with the actual triangle. 

[Sue Thomas]

3 hours ago, Jannette Nieuwboer said:

My attempt at numbering. I miss the Beatle's greatest hit 'ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE'!!!!! It was more difficult than it looks like.  

 

[Jannette Nieuwboer]

1 hour ago, Sue Thomas said:

In the creative scrap there is a tutorial on  creating a  word art Xmas tree

 @Sue ThomasI really appreciate you trying to help me. But now you're on the wrong track. This challenge is about numbering Yes? I made a pyramid. The bottom layer is the most important. I had never done such a thing before. It took me some effort to make the pyramid, divide the spaces properly, and create neat lines. So it is certainly not the intention to make the pyramid disappear. You can simply find these types of pyramids on the internet. There are several of them, but Mr. Maslow is the best known. In a graphic layout, he tries to create order in the chaos about what is important in life. 'No one had the 'needs of life chosen. Because I had never done something like this before, I had no experience in the order of work. You are right in that. That could be better. 

[Sue Thomas]

23 minutes ago, Jannette Nieuwboer said:

 @Sue ThomasI really appreciate you trying to help me. But now you're on the wrong track. This challenge is about numbering Yes? I made a pyramid. The bottom layer is the most important. I had never done such a thing before. It took me some effort to make the pyramid, divide the spaces properly, and create neat lines. So it is certainly not the intention to make the pyramid disappear. You can simply find these types of pyramids on the internet. There are several of them, but Mr. Maslow is the best known. In a graphic layout, he tries to create order in the chaos about what is important in life. 'No one had the 'needs of life chosen. Because I had never done something like this before, I had no experience in the order of work. You are right in that. That could be better. 

Ah yes, now I remember that challenge, it was a short while back. I had completely  forgotten about it.   My apologies.  I was unfamiliar with those pyramids you mentioned, until I  googled them.