Alphabet Photo Challenge - B

[Cassel]

The idea of one photo a week was quite popular in 2024, and it encouraged participants to take photos and showcase them without having to create a whole layout for them.

In 2025, I will offer you a little twist on this. Again, the idea is only to showcase a single photo at a time. You can showcase them as a flashcard, emphasizing the letter (you can use these free cards as a basis to create your own). Of course, if you want a different format, you can use a polaroid frame, a slide, or a playing card (like Susan was doing in 2024). Choose the format you want, and keep it throughout the year. But just make sure to emphasize the first letter!

Every 2 weeks, you will be asked to take a picture of something, at home (or around your home) that starts with a specific letter of the alphabet. The goal is just to be on the lookout for ANYTHING that can be photographed. You can stage the object however you want, or just take a picture of it in its natural environment. For example, you can showcase your favorite Mug, or your Pillow, or your Fireplace.

You can practice your photography skills if you want, but you can just capture things as they are.

Let's just encourage each other.

This is a no-pressure thread.

And if you skip a letter or two, you can always come back. You know your alphabet so you can easily catch up, whenever you need to.

Let's continue with the letter B. It could be your favorite Book, your water Bottle, your cozy Boots, a decorative Bowl you have on your table, etc.

What will you showcase?

[Rene Marker]

B is for Baskets. Specifically Longaberger baskets. I fell in love with them in 1983 when I went to a home party. I still have the 3 baskets I bought that night. I got Mom hooked on them as well. In the late 90's/early 2000's I was a consultant and I was my best customer! I have downsized my collection over the years but still have a lot that are pretty much in use or used to decorate. These 2 baskets are in my dining room. 

 

[Julie Magerka]

  On 1/18/2025 at 1:42 PM, Rene Marker said:

B is for Baskets. Specifically Longaberger baskets. I fell in love with them in 1983 when I went to a home party. I still have the 3 baskets I bought that night. I got Mom hooked on them as well. In the late 90's/early 2000's I was a consultant and I was my best customer! I have downsized my collection over the years but still have a lot that are pretty much in use or used to decorate. These 2 baskets are in my dining room. 

 

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Those are lovely and most unusual baskets. I have not heard of them before. I really like the one with the lid.

[Mary Solaas]

My B is for books.  I have been a book lover and reader since early grade school.  At one time I had over 2000 books in my library (physical). Sadly, I had to downsize somewhat to 1000 books; however, being the book lover that I am, I am slowly again building up my library. Sh! don't tell my caregivers!  I read the 3 volume set of Lord of the Rings every year - about to finish volume 1 and open volume 2 - The Two Towers - where Sam and Frodo encounter Gollum in the eastern realms and are about to enter the dreaded realm. Tolkien has such rich sayings in each of the volumes.  Although I prefer to handle the physical books (the smell, the feel), I also read e-books in my Kindle app - for one thing, they are cheaper than the physical ones and you can keep a library in a little space! 

[Rene Marker]

  On 1/18/2025 at 2:29 PM, Julie Magerka said:

Those are lovely and most unusual baskets. I have not heard of them before. I really like the one with the lid.

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The company was located right here in Ohio. All the baskets are hand woven. They were very popular in the 80's/90's/early 2000's but after the man who started the company passed away, it didn't fare as well. His 2 daughters tried to keep it going but they really didn't have the vision that their Dad had. Heck, he even had the office building built in the 90's in the shape of the most popular basket they sold. Just google "Longaberger Basket Building". I was there several times when I went on day trips to the Longaberger Homestead (sadly no more) that had a great shopping area and the factory where the baskets were made. You could watch the weavers working on baskets. And, they had an area where you could make your own basket. I had friends do that but I didn't.

[Ann Seeber]

Like Mary, my B is for Book. I had many hardcovers that I donated to my library when we moved to this condo complex. I had two tall bookcases for years but, sadly, had to sell them before we moved. I never counted my collection but once I started with digital books the list grew much longer. I refused to spend more than five dollars on a book (to start, now my base is ten) and I soon discovered I had close to 1000 books! It's easy when your bookseller stores them for you. When I was a child I was horse crazy. My mother said I would try to jump out of her arms when we walked in New York City because the mounted police were everywhere. I was particularly fond of horse books, and this one was my favorite for many years. It was the start of a series and I read them all but I could quote the first line from The Black Stallion from memory. I tried to read Black Beauty but stopped because the horse was abused and I couldn't read about that. I do still have this original hard-cover copy of The Black Stallion in a place of honor. 

Edited January 18 by Ann Seeber

[Corrie Kinkel]

I'm a booklover as well but due to my eye problems and moving to a much smaller house I had to ditch most of my books and I donated them to what you would call a pound shop. Now I don't buy new books, I use ebooks instead that I either buy or lend from the library. So for the B I chose my brass bell which in Dutch is called bel and you pronounce it exactly the same. The bell comes from my maternal grandparents and my mother said she had known it her whole life. After my grandparents died the bell came to my mom and now it is with me. On it are the names of the 4 evangelists with the animals they are associated with. Their names are spelled in a very old fashioned manner where the U is a V. So Marcus is Marcvs etc. There is no date or makers mark on it. In WWII both my parents still lived with their parents and my dad's family home was completely destroyed in the bombing and fire of Rotterdam in 1940 which marked the start of the war for the Netherlands. The house of my mom's parents took a hit from allied forces trying to bomb a school that was occupied by the enemy and half of their house was gone and half was still standing with my grandma hiding under the stairs, luckily she wasn't harmed. So my dad lost everything except the clothes he was wearing and my mom and her parents had still at least half of their belongings rescued. When I was looking what to choose for my alphabet I still found that I have a couple of small items from her side of the family which were saved. There will be more to see in the rest of the alphabet.

[Susan Ewart]

  On 1/18/2025 at 4:21 PM, Rene Marker said:

The company was located right here in Ohio. All the baskets are hand woven. They were very popular in the 80's/90's/early 2000's but after the man who started the company passed away, it didn't fare as well. His 2 daughters tried to keep it going but they really didn't have the vision that their Dad had. Heck, he even had the office building built in the 90's in the shape of the most popular basket they sold. Just google "Longaberger Basket Building". I was there several times when I went on day trips to the Longaberger Homestead (sadly no more) that had a great shopping area and the factory where the baskets were made. You could watch the weavers working on baskets. And, they had an area where you could make your own basket. I had friends do that but I didn't.

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What a cool building.  A lot of thought went into the details.  The inside (the few shots I saw) was really nice with beautiful woodwork.  the stairs and entrance and a piece cabinetry I saw in an office is really incredible.  I hope someone buys the building and keeps some of the originality.  I read talks of it becoming a boutique hotel.  Did you ever get to go inside it?

[Susan Ewart]

  On 1/18/2025 at 4:59 PM, Ann Seeber said:

Like Mary, my B is for Book. I had many hardcovers that I donated to my library when we moved to this condo complex. I had two tall bookcases for years but, sadly, had to sell them before we moved. I never counted my collection but once I started with digital books the list grew much longer. I refused to spend more than five dollars on a book (to start, now my base is ten) and I soon discovered I had close to 1000 books! It's easy when your bookseller stores them for you. When I was a child I was horse crazy. My mother said I would try to jump out of her arms when we walked in New York City because the mounted police were everywhere. I was particularly fond of horse books, and this one was my favorite for many years. It was the start of a series and I read them all but I could quote the first line from The Black Stallion from memory. I tried to read Black Beauty but stopped because the horse was abused and I couldn't read about that. I do still have this original hard-cover copy of The Black Stallion in a place of honor. 

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I also was horse-crazy.  Me and my friend (12 yrs old) would set up a lawn chair jumping course and jumps the jumps. The funny thing was, she ACTUALLY had a horse that she jumped!  This layout is really graphic and I love it!  My husband and I lived and worked on several horse breeding farms. My hubby was a stallion handler for breeding; they are magnificent animals.  Did you ever see War Horse?  That movie almost destroyed us.  Yes, it was an incredible movie, but even as I write this I am tearing up.  Neither of us would be able to watch it ever again. I do not like seeing scenes in movies/shows of animals being abused (I know, it's not real, but my eyes and heart can't tell the difference).  

[Susan Ewart]

  On 1/18/2025 at 11:09 PM, Corrie Kinkel said:

I'm a booklover as well but due to my eye problems and moving to a much smaller house I had to ditch most of my books and I donated them to what you would call a pound shop. Now I don't buy new books, I use ebooks instead that I either buy or lend from the library. So for the B I chose my brass bell which in Dutch is called bel and you pronounce it exactly the same. The bell comes from my maternal grandparents and my mother said she had known it her whole life. After my grandparents died the bell came to my mom and now it is with me. On it are the names of the 4 evangelists with the animals they are associated with. Their names are spelled in a very old fashioned manner where the U is a V. So Marcus is Marcvs etc. There is no date or makers mark on it. In WWII both my parents still lived with their parents and my dad's family home was completely destroyed in the bombing and fire of Rotterdam in 1940 which marked the start of the war for the Netherlands. The house of my mom's parents took a hit from allied forces trying to bomb a school that was occupied by the enemy and half of their house was gone and half was still standing with my grandma hiding under the stairs, luckily she wasn't harmed. So my dad lost everything except the clothes he was wearing and my mom and her parents had still at least half of their belongings rescued. When I was looking what to choose for my alphabet I still found that I have a couple of small items from her side of the family which were saved. There will be more to see in the rest of the alphabet.

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Another beautiful shot and the story blows me away.  Living in North America I just cant imagine what you went through.  My hubby's parents (both gone now) were from Denmark and have memories like that.  I really like the embellished B and the gold frame around the photo.  Really nice photo by the way.  

[Rene Marker]

  On 1/18/2025 at 11:20 PM, Susan Ewart said:

What a cool building.  A lot of thought went into the details.  The inside (the few shots I saw) was really nice with beautiful woodwork.  the stairs and entrance and a piece cabinetry I saw in an office is really incredible.  I hope someone buys the building and keeps some of the originality.  I read talks of it becoming a boutique hotel.  Did you ever get to go inside it?

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Yes, I got to see the lobby. Visitors were not allowed in the actual working areas of the building. I have some photos, probably should do a layout. Maybe I'll use those in boot camp.

[Julie Magerka]

  On 1/18/2025 at 4:21 PM, Rene Marker said:

The company was located right here in Ohio. All the baskets are hand woven. They were very popular in the 80's/90's/early 2000's but after the man who started the company passed away, it didn't fare as well. His 2 daughters tried to keep it going but they really didn't have the vision that their Dad had. Heck, he even had the office building built in the 90's in the shape of the most popular basket they sold. Just google "Longaberger Basket Building". I was there several times when I went on day trips to the Longaberger Homestead (sadly no more) that had a great shopping area and the factory where the baskets were made. You could watch the weavers working on baskets. And, they had an area where you could make your own basket. I had friends do that but I didn't.

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It makes me sad that so many "craft" businesses like this don't continue after their founders give them up or die. Lost arts.

[Julie Magerka]

  On 1/18/2025 at 11:09 PM, Corrie Kinkel said:

I'm a booklover as well but due to my eye problems and moving to a much smaller house I had to ditch most of my books and I donated them to what you would call a pound shop. Now I don't buy new books, I use ebooks instead that I either buy or lend from the library. So for the B I chose my brass bell which in Dutch is called bel and you pronounce it exactly the same. The bell comes from my maternal grandparents and my mother said she had known it her whole life. After my grandparents died the bell came to my mom and now it is with me. On it are the names of the 4 evangelists with the animals they are associated with. Their names are spelled in a very old fashioned manner where the U is a V. So Marcus is Marcvs etc. There is no date or makers mark on it. In WWII both my parents still lived with their parents and my dad's family home was completely destroyed in the bombing and fire of Rotterdam in 1940 which marked the start of the war for the Netherlands. The house of my mom's parents took a hit from allied forces trying to bomb a school that was occupied by the enemy and half of their house was gone and half was still standing with my grandma hiding under the stairs, luckily she wasn't harmed. So my dad lost everything except the clothes he was wearing and my mom and her parents had still at least half of their belongings rescued. When I was looking what to choose for my alphabet I still found that I have a couple of small items from her side of the family which were saved. There will be more to see in the rest of the alphabet.

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That is a wonderful story about this simple but meaningful object.

[Julie Magerka]

  On 1/18/2025 at 4:21 PM, Rene Marker said:

The company was located right here in Ohio. All the baskets are hand woven. They were very popular in the 80's/90's/early 2000's but after the man who started the company passed away, it didn't fare as well. His 2 daughters tried to keep it going but they really didn't have the vision that their Dad had. Heck, he even had the office building built in the 90's in the shape of the most popular basket they sold. Just google "Longaberger Basket Building". I was there several times when I went on day trips to the Longaberger Homestead (sadly no more) that had a great shopping area and the factory where the baskets were made. You could watch the weavers working on baskets. And, they had an area where you could make your own basket. I had friends do that but I didn't.

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I just did the google search. What an amazing building! Thanks for bringing this story to our attention.

[Susan Ewart]

Beads, beads, shiny beads.

These are leftovers from my lampwork (making beads on a mandrel in a torch) days.  I tried lots of different shadows and outer glow (layer style) to have the word stand out on a very busy background.  Time to pick the best and donate the rest.  

[Mary Solaas]

  On 1/20/2025 at 2:08 AM, Susan Ewart said:

Beads, beads, shiny beads.

These are leftovers from my lampwork (making beads on a mandrel in a torch) days.  I tried lots of different shadows and outer glow (layer style) to have the word stand out on a very busy background.  Time to pick the best and donate the rest.  

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Really love this, Susan. You are so unique! 😊😘

[Susan Ewart]

  On 1/20/2025 at 2:19 AM, Mary Solaas said:

Really love this, Susan. You are so unique! 😊😘

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Thank you Mary.  I was rather desperate to come up with a B word.  I'm sure now that I've done B, I'll see lots of items in the house that start with B.  

[Rene Marker]

  On 1/20/2025 at 4:23 AM, Susan Ewart said:

Thank you Mary.  I was rather desperate to come up with a B word.  I'm sure now that I've done B, I'll see lots of items in the house that start with B.  

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I've actually been thinking about doing more than 1 for some letters since I have several things I'd like to highlight. I figure if I'm going to make layouts at the end with several letters to a layout, why not just have some layouts with several items for the same letter. A lot of the items I have on my list are heirloom items that it would be nice to document but not necessarily as a whole layout for that item.

[Julie Magerka]

  On 1/20/2025 at 2:08 AM, Susan Ewart said:

Beads, beads, shiny beads.

These are leftovers from my lampwork (making beads on a mandrel in a torch) days.  I tried lots of different shadows and outer glow (layer style) to have the word stand out on a very busy background.  Time to pick the best and donate the rest.  

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Love this Susan. Quite the collection.

[Julie Magerka]

There's no story here for my B layout. Again, it was first thing that popped into my head for that letter....my baby stuff. Not much has survived the decades but, for some reason, I still have these two items. Looking at the footprints they took in the hospital, my tiny baby feet don't look that tiny! It's been the same my whole life. (Size 10 🙂)

Edited January 20 by Julie Magerka

[Corrie Kinkel]

  On 1/20/2025 at 3:49 PM, Julie Magerka said:

There's no story here for my B layout. Again, it was first thing that popped into my head for that letter....my baby stuff. Not much has survived the decades but, for some reason, I still have these two items. Looking at the footprints they took in the hospital, my tiny baby feet don't look that tiny! It's been the same my whole life. (Size 10 🙂)

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Julie it is astonishing that you still have those items and why should there be an important story to tell with every item that we choose for this challenge. This is lovely as it is.

[Corrie Kinkel]

  On 1/20/2025 at 2:08 AM, Susan Ewart said:

Beads, beads, shiny beads.

These are leftovers from my lampwork (making beads on a mandrel in a torch) days.  I tried lots of different shadows and outer glow (layer style) to have the word stand out on a very busy background.  Time to pick the best and donate the rest.  

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So colorful but not overpowering at the same time!  It is so good you have kept those beads, see you never know when they could come in handy!

[Susan Ewart]

  On 1/20/2025 at 3:49 PM, Julie Magerka said:

There's no story here for my B layout. Again, it was first thing that popped into my head for that letter....my baby stuff. Not much has survived the decades but, for some reason, I still have these two items. Looking at the footprints they took in the hospital, my tiny baby feet don't look that tiny! It's been the same my whole life. (Size 10 🙂)

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There is such beautiful feelings in this layout.  Julie you are really good at putting a story together and conveying the emotions.  So delicate and pretty.  

 

[Susan Ewart]

  On 1/20/2025 at 1:23 PM, Rene Marker said:

I've actually been thinking about doing more than 1 for some letters since I have several things I'd like to highlight. I figure if I'm going to make layouts at the end with several letters to a layout, why not just have some layouts with several items for the same letter. A lot of the items I have on my list are heirloom items that it would be nice to document but not necessarily as a whole layout for that item.

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That is a good idea Rene.  We can always use them later in layouts.  Wouldnt it be cool if you could spell a word and all the letters/photos went with what the words was.  I had planned on doing some layouts with just playing card portion of the P52 challenge.  

[Daniel Hess]