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And here are the candies.

The birds are made with my photos and I used the stamp script

I found these templates on Creative Fabrica and decided to make something similar myself. Photos are mine and everything else is stuff accumulated on my computer.

Magazine Workshop 2025 Page 2 These pages might not be in the same order as the Workshop as I added more pages and have two (yes, TWO, because this is high end publication after all 😁) double page layouts coming up. The two "rocks" in the back of the layout, left and right sides, are actually petrified trees. The big slate which is the base I've had over 20 yrs (same with the rocks) when we were stuck in construction when we went camping. We decided to pull out and have lunch instead of waiting in the long line. I was exploring this little pull out area (not a proper one, just a place with a big flat spot on the side of the mountain) and saw a whole lot of slate that was coming off the mountain. I picked up two good size ones that I used initially for photographing my lampwork beads/jewellery. this one is about 18x18 inches and I've used it more times in the last couple years that I ever did before. It's pays to hold on to some stuff.

O is for Ornaments. My father loved looking for sand dollars whenever he was on a beach. In 1981 and 1982, they spent a couple weeks each year at Hilton Head Island. He collected a lot of sand dollars, brought them to bleach them. After that he painted them white. Mom arranged with the art teacher to paint Christmas items on them. On the back she noted the year and the place collected. He found a whole lot more the 2nd year than the 1st year. Mom added a red ribbon on them for hanging on the tree. For quite a few years, they adorned our Christmas tree. Mom also gave quite a few away to family and a few friends. A couple years ago I was going thru the boxes of Christmas stuff that had been on shelves in the basement for years since I had no idea what was in them. Most had been packed away by Mom. I found a box that was all the sand dollar ornaments. I no longer put up a full size tree but I bought a 3 foot pre-lit tree to sit on my marble table and decorated it with these ornaments. I leave the ornaments on it when I put it away each year. I gave an ornament to the children of my cousins and still have plenty for me. I love looking at it and it gives me comfort as I feel Mom and Dad with me during the hardest month of the year for me.

Well, Lab 14 Mod 12. This was interesting: create peppermint candies and a hot-air balloon. How are you going to put both of those in one layout. I at first thought of putting Santa Clause in one of the hot air balloons and have him spill out candies to people on the ground below. That didn't work out so well. So I put Santa in the Christmas balloon and have people below on the ground and used a CF House that they were walking towards. The shadows on the ground I had to play with as there is a drop-off to the left which is where their shadows would fall. The candies will have to come later. I'll also show the other balloons I created. the people came from Pixel Scrapper from various contributors.

Created in PSP. July Tut/Tech challenge, cutout title. Macro shot of one of the tiniest of flowers. Unfortunately I don't know what it is. Over the years so many Medeteranean plants have been introduced into Cornwall, that the native plants have been chocked out, due to it's very mild climate. The layout is mine. I also did both techniques demonstrated in the tutorial. The stitching is a stitch brush I created a long time ago, from which masterclass or creative scrap, I have forgotten.

I really like the Sketch scripts so I wanted to compare the three. This is what I came up with The original photo

This is fabulous Lynda and I love your other layout, such beautiful photos. Stamps are the best aren't they, little pieces of art I can actually afford. and thanks to Carole, I can now make stamps too.

For the letter O I didn't have to think long and hard to come up with something. Around X-mas our son brought us this oil lamp for the garden table and I made a photo to show him the lamp when burning. Put that photo on my flashcard and job done. I wish all my ideas were so easy to execute 🤔

I would happily join the club!

My late hubby, Fran, was a clown with the kids. He would make is famous "nerd faces" and they'd crack up laughing. He loved it. 🤪

Thank you but I'm not sure if I'm going to get all that stuff, the problem is where to store it for other uses and keep it in good condition. I can see my hubby searching for something and the result is all my stuff is in a heap on the floor. Maybe I exaggerate a bit but it is not far from the truth, he always asks after his search and not before where I easily could have told him where to look.

Me too! I know, that XYZ is really hard to get. Many many years of study involved (and little bit of patties from pasture 🙃).

I'm impressed by Dr. Carrie's credentials - XYZ

It's a seamless grey paper and the darkness is from the light fall off, the background is about 12-18 inches away and the grey paper is hanging from a stand (or you could stick it to the wall above and then it continues to the table the rocks are on and off the edge at the front. In this case I think the curve from going straight down vertically to the table horizonally goes quite low, not the gentle curve I would otherwise use. It made it darker at the bottom. My light (constant light) is on the left side (see where the shadows are?) but it's important that the light doesnt hit the background so I angled it slightly forward, the front edge of the light source (closest to the rocks) being about 45 degrees (give or take) from the background. You might need to add a flag on the edge of the light (black foam core or paper that will stand up or be taped on the light source) so any stray light from the light source doesnt make it to the background. This way you can take a mid grey or even white paper become dark grey or even black on the background just by having the subject a bit farther away from the background and the light facing away so that creates fall off of light hitting the background. Your light source can be a lamp, a window, a soft box. Use a gauzy or translucent fabric to diffuse the light so the shadows are a bit softer. The closer the light is to the subject the softer the shadows, the farther away it is the harder the shadows and you might need a fill card on the other side to open up the shadows if they feel a bit dark. here's my quick badly drawn diagram. I'll find the tutorial I watched where I learned to dip the paper background a little below the table and why. This photographer is really awesome and I've learned a lot from him even though he has flash/strobes, I can do it with constant light, I just need more of it. It's great learning and when I learn to use the tiny little strobe I bought I will at least have had practice setting up shots. Dont think you cant ever do it if you dont have flash or strobes, because you can. I'll send the link when I find it. Like Carole, this guy makes it look so easy...I'm so far from that at this point, I will get better though.

Wow Julie, that's so sweet of you. If you were closer you and I and your waggily tailed kids would be heading out together on bikes, or feet! I surely do wish we all could live in the same city. Can you imagine that many friends in one city?

Love the comparisons, and the beautiful, soulful face!

Beautiful story, Rene. Thank you!

I totally get it and am in the act of purging photo stuff today. I"m tripping over cords from the lights (need so many to get enough light) and that's why I just invested in a tiny studio flash (barely qualifies as a strobe) as it's powered by a battery in the strobe which means no cords. Still I'm overwhelmed with too much stuff and lots of it useless. I'm still in a big house, when we downsize you'll hear me crying. I'm purging pretty good today until the cat came and laid it the middle of it all. Break time I guess. The problem also is we got some equipment cheap at auctions and then when i got better stuff I should have gotten rid of the not so good stuff. I was just saying how I started from humble beginnings not that you need to follow suit. Best you dont or you'll have no space left in your house. Window light is plentiful and free and a piece of white paper makes a great reflector.

Thanks Susan

Believe me, I do a lot of moving lights around or the subject around or the table it's on around. When I started out I had a table with a thinner edge and I used those study lamps that clamp on the table. they are the ones that have an articulating arm and swivel head, I had 4 of them. When i say I started with very cheap equipment, I did. Then I got (*GASP*) chicken coop lights that I could put some gauzy material over the front for diffusion (I bought some white parachute like material from the fabric store) and my hubby made wooden supports to clamp to the table so I could clamp the chicken lights to them. Caveman engineering at best. If you want a really black background, I found black foam core isn't always as black as you want, especially if there is too much ambient light on it. But black velvet is really black....if you can keep it wrinkle-free and without any bits of white lint... it makes for a great blackidy-black background. Your photos have been great and inspiring so i know you will get a great end result.

I know, right? it's all about the cats safety.

My dad told the worst jokes. He would start laughing halfway through. 😁

Lab 14 Mod 8: Requirements: An Anchor shape - in the layout it is obvious in the lower left hand corner (but I also made a preset shape, a paint brush, and a picture tube); and a line pattern - the background paper uses it (I made a pattern as directed and used it for several papers). The title is a word element from my Beach Kit as is the seagull in the upper right hand corner. My daughter and her husband took a much needed vacation just after his birthday.

hello everyone, i am posting this to let you know that i will not be able to post anything for some time as i have had a very bad fall in my home and broke my wrist and put my whole hand out of action. my head and all body bones an muscles did not do to well either. ended up in hospital. my husband is helping me to write this post. i am thankful it was not my right hand that got damaged. i will try to stop by with hubby's help and view everyones work over the coming weeks. best wishes to you all, Dawn