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Ta-Da! Thanks to the encouragement and ideas of RENE and SUSAN, I got motivated for the Letter E. And it didn't take long to throw it together. I made the fabric piece to hang the dangly earrings on years ago, when I often wore that style. Nowadays, they mostly languish in the spare bedroom, hanging forlornly. I don't dress up that much these days, and I think they look odd with yoga pants and t-shirts! 😁 The acrylic clear frame is from Annie C. Digitals, the pastel pink flower from Digital Scrapbook. The background falling petals come from online somewhere.

No, this is my Mom as child

You might be surprised that someone just may be interested in the photos you take. I see requests for photos by people that aren't related to the individuals they are looking for all the time. Just last week a gentleman from my town was looking for a photo of a single lady that had been a teacher and principal at one of our elementary schools for many years. He was creating a memorial for her on Find-A-Grave and wanted to add her photo. A former student had one. Even though my close family relatives are not into the family history/genealogy like I am, they do enjoy my scrapbooks and hearing about my findings. But, I scrap mainly for me. I enjoy the process and the final product.

Actually I find it not depressing because empty can my you just succeeded (like an empty bucket of ice cream that you succeeded in eating!)

My husband is much the same. Luckily he is patient (when we are out walking and I've taken my camera) when I stop for 10 minutes to photography a leaf or crack in the sidewalk or something like that. My husband used to take pictures when we hiked, probably more for something to do while waiting for me. Now the camera is just useful for him to take pictures of stuff he will sell (he likes to build computers and sell them - or tinker with fixing stuff). It's a strange contrast between how we each measure our hobbies. Mine costs me money as my goal is the feeling I get when I create something without the need to profit from it. His goal is fixing something broken or building something and selling it making his hobby pay for itself. To me, that's just work. I should add that he loves the feeling of fixing something broken. and the fact that at least he has a hobby at all.

I never get tire of old family photos. the older the better. I have always found them interesting. Strangely, I love looking at them but never use them. I'm a weirdo.

How many of us have stood under a smoke alarm waving a towel at it because it goes off when we're cooking. 🤣

You got that right, Sharla. It is amazing to have such a wide variety of images and sources for them. I need to loosen up about AI images. So far, I have not had much interest in them.

The difference is that I very much like to take photos. I almost never go out without my phone, even if it is to run an errand, and very often there is something I take a photo off and I'm very happy that I can use those for my layouts. My husband isn't overly interested in the photos I take and on a good day he will say: "oh nice" without even looking at them. Just the way it is, to quote you!

I love using stock photos and illustrations on weird and wonderful subjects that I could never possibly get to photograph or create myself. I think we live at an amazing time with this great wealth of shared images and photos that we can use or simply be inspired by. At the moment I’m trying to get grips with AI generated images because these also offer us a vast amount of material to work with. I’m into week 10 of a P52 AI art project -it’s fascinating to see all the different images that are created starting from a single word. To me, scrapbooking is about telling a story about something that matters to the person creating the page – the photos and images are simply one element and they don’t have to be created by us.

My alarms also notify before going to full stress. If there is smoke or water vapor they first say that there is 'smoke' in such and such room. You have some time to check it out and press the button in the middle of the alarm to shut it down. Of course you need to get rid of the 'smoke' after that or the situation will repeat itself.

Lots of great work you've been doing Anja. Hope you get some time to explore the family roots. It's endlessly fascinating!

Julie I love what you do with stock photos, but this isn't something for me. I only use it when I want to make a layout, like the AAM series and really need something that I don't have, otherwise I want to use my own photos.

and these for week 2

So much to do...and such limited time! I have to pick and choose what will get some attention. I have AFF 2.6 and PSE 2024 and I'm trying to learn/use both. I think, at this point, I have seen more PS videos over the last few months, and so I am tending to prefer that program. But when I want to do something quickly, I default to PSP. Considering how little I knew of any of these apps a few years ago, I feel pretty good. It's the process that I enjoy. There's a creative team member at Vicki Robinson Designs (Gina) who uses only images from sources like Pixabay, Unsplash, etc. for her layouts. She looks first at the kit or parts of it that she wants to use and then searches for a photo to suit the feeling. I also like to find online images, but I tend to work the opposite way: photo first, kit or elements later. The older couple layout uses an image I got from one of those sites. I'm playing mostly these days, trying to work in PSE or AFF, to achieve the image/effect I have in my head for the photo(s) I want to use. Once I began following particular photographers on FB, then I receive lots more of those feeds from Meta. I have become aware of some wonderful work. In the icebergs layout, the images come from Ray Mackey in Newfoundland. They are all from Twillingate which is offshore from the northeast coast of Nfld. It is known as the Iceberg Capital of the World and presently has some in the harbour. If you don't know Newfoundland/Labrador, you are missing some of the most spectacular rugged and natural landscapes. Also, the place names in that province are so unusual and endearing. The hospitality of the people you meet is legendary.

I must confess that in such circumstances I talk back, saying/yelling shut up or was this necessary or something like that. My husband still thinks I'm a bit of a lunatic if he happens to hear me and I find that strange after 53 years of marriage he should be accustomed to it by now. 😊

I think I have to go eat some ice cream now!

that's so cool. Is the voice loud enough to wake you up? And....do you ever talk back to the "voice" 🤪

So cool! You did justice to the letter E. I used to make jewellery (silversmith and lampwork beads) and hardly ever wear jewellery anymore.

Anja, these are really wonderful layouts. You have such a beautiful style. My favorite is the "Time" one, I can really relate to that quote. With that many "tabs" open it's hard concentrate and get even one thing done.

I love the idea of using EMPTY, but that might be a bit depressing? But I love your layout ideas.

Is that you Anja in the first layout? I just love that one.

I have six smoke alarms, they are all Nest Protect alarms. You can give every Nest a meaningful descriptive name. They speak and communicate with each other through the wifi network. When one detects something, it transmits the info to the others. So, wherever you are in the house, the smoke alarms says what is happening and most important, where in the house. It says the descriptive name, so you never have to guess ans search where the alarm comes from. A bit pricy, but in my opinion well worth it.

Alarms in my house have only gone off due to my cooking! At my brothers house the upstairs landing is small and has 3 bedroom and one bathroom off of it. So when they shower and forget to turn the fan on in the bathroom the smoke alarm in the hallway, which is about 5 feet long from one end to the other, goes off. When we first moved to where we are now we were staying in our little RV trailer. I'd go to my brother for a nice long hot shower and forgot one day. OMG! being in the shower with no clothes on and the alarm rings is no picnic. it took about 5 minutes of waving a towel at it for it to shut off. Good thing my brother and rest of the family was at work or school! We do however have water alarms. With sudden downpours here we have had sewer backups (yup, poopy fishys in the basement!) so we bought this fancy alarm and I could dunk in a pool of water and it never went off so we got these other little simple alarms and believe me when they go off I'm sure the neighbors can hear it. Up three levels at the opposite end of the house it's like the alarm is right beside my ear. Luckily my city has a crew that comes out anytime to free the clog which has always been over 150 feet out from my main drain (ie. across the street!). I have to pay for it (used to be $90, the city ate the other $90, now we pay the whole $180. Roto rooter would be $500-700!). We have huge boulevard trees and the roots are caving the the old clay pipe my old 1964 house has.

Empty is a thing. But Julie you are the Queen of Ethereal layouts, go with that! Get a flower off whatever site you get photos from and use you blending magic and make it feel ethereal. Or in the best use of a font all prettied up use the word "Empty" in the space of white. and put a frame around it like you have been doing.

Very beautiful Julie. I tend to work both ways depending on the project. Photo first if I have no layout in mind and Layout first if I'm doing a workshop or using a template and need to fit photos to the template or theme. Your work is outstanding.

Anja all your layouts are lovely in their own way! So nice to see more of your work.

In the house we now live are 2 smoke alarms and no carbon monoxide because we only have electricity and no gas. The alarms have an electric connection and a battery as back-up. Those batteries are suppoost to live 10 years. When we bought the house we didn't know how long they were already in and after a couple of years one started to go off at the time we usually go to bed. False alarm!!! They are placed high against the ceiling and we were afraid the whole block would wake up and my husband had no alternative than to shut off the electricity before he went to the shed to fetch the ladder. In the dark with the light of my phone and a flashlight, while standing on a chair so he could more or less see what he did, he managed to get the alarm loose. The next day we called an electrician to check on the alarm and see if it could be repaired. No that wouldn't be a good idea, so installed a new one and checked the other one. We were happy we hadn't already been to bed! However after only 2 weeks the alarm that was replaced sounded again and this time in the middle of the night. So we had to do the same as before and this time it took us longer to get it off, when you are in deep sleep it takes a while before you realize what is happening. Our next door neighbors woke up too! The electrician came again and said this was the first time that he installed a new alarm that had a manufacturing fault. We have a new one and until now it is without fault................. but you never know!

My condo has 3 smoke alarms + one that only detects carbon monoxide that my utility company sent as a gift. One day, I heard the familiar high-pitched screech but, looking around, I couldn't find why one or all of them were sounding off. They are all fairly close together because I only have a total of 900 square feet of space. I called the landlord and he ordered me to #1) check the stove burners and #2) get out immediately! I found one burner knob turned but with no flame. I shut it off, roared around opening windows and turned on the HVAC fan as I ran out the patio door, while worrying about my pets! Of course, they were in hiding so I had to trust the gas would dissipate quickly. It was a scary experience!

this month in another Forum I made this challenge Layouts week 1

Rene that is what I do too. It is nice if I have a printed scrapbook on my table and my friends like it, but for me it is the making of it with the use of my own photos that I enjoy.

Yes the voice is loud enough. But if you're a tight sleeper you'll surely be awake when it goes to full stress. That thing is so loud it nearly gave me a heart attack when I first heard it. Luckily it was a false alarm, my Wife fogot to turn on the extractor hood while cooking. No I don't talk back. It doesn't like that. 😉

I want to have all three, but I have only Affinity Photo yet.

I also have quite a collection of earrings that I rarely wear anymore. Thanks for the great idea, Rene.

Z = Zephyr Eyed Silkmoth Sorry about going twice in a row but just thought it might help keep us going.

Most of my photos of value are old family ones and it would get dull fast if that's all I ever used for layouts! I don't take that many photos b/c I don't go that many places. Even when I do get out, I forget to use the camera/phone. Also, there is no one to whom I can bequeath the pix I take. No one is interested, in family history or my life. Just the way it is.

Oops that isn't nice and it costs too; however your "adventure" in you brother's shower is hilarious 🤣

It also looks like an ant, at the stem, is coming to the party too! Mother Nature using a complementary color scheme too! It's neat to get this up close look at something most of us dont even see or realize is there.

This little guy is so cute. He(she?) looks like he's hyped up on caffeine and ready to rumble

That's a pity and I'm sure you will find something; Rene has a couple of good ideas and before I decided on my Eiffel tower I thought of Easter eggs.

Wow, Anja, all layouts posted are beautiful! You were really inspired!

I am also learning both programs. After the Magazine Workshop, I have been watching more PSE videos to catch up on the time I spent only using Affinity. At the same time, I am working with PSP for the Build-A-Kit workshop, which is my relaxing time, because I don't have to find out where things are, how they work, etc. I love all programs! Each one has something that, imho, works better than the others. Once you start working with Affinity, you'll probably see that it's also a great program.