Magic Hour in Williamsburg

Matt and I traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia over Memorial Day weekend for a class with Tami Potter, creator of Mosaic Moments. Budget and time constraints kept the trip shorter than I imagined, but we still enjoyed three amazing days immersed in history.

One of the highlights of our trip was Magic Hour. Magic Hour is that time just before sunset when the lighting is soft and warm. It makes colors pop and everything look spectacular in photos. Kevin and Tami Potter took us on a little tour of some of Tami’s favorite gardens in the historic district and provided photo tips for us along the way.

Since Magic Hour occurs after most of the buildings in Williamsburg are closed, there were few people wandering about and our group practically had the city to ourselves! We went into places that we did not realize were open to the public, learned some tidbits of history from fellow members of our group, and got some amazing photos. It was one of those evenings I never wanted to end.

This is one layout I did showing just a few of the photos Matt and I took …. I wanted to keep the map and tips Tami gave us, so I included it in a pocket on the page. The layering on the pocket was inspired by Matt and the use of a totally different die set — the Postage Stamp Set. I was talking to him about the dies and bouncing ideas off of him for a video. He was thinking literally and thought I should create an envelope and put the stamp on it … I started thinking about how to make the flap and it evolved into this pocket …

I love how it turned out … and it is super easy to create. I made a video to show you how to do it …

 

 

This post is sponsored by Mosaic Moments.

Stripping the Kayak

I learned to kayak so I could get closer to nature — ducks, swans and turtles, in particular. So, I always have a camera with me when I go. While I haven’t had the courage to take my Cannon out on the water yet, I do bring my iPhone along for the ride.

For this page, I compiled some of the pictures I took, as well as some my husband took of me, into a panorama of sorts. It’s a great technique that is easy with Mosaic Moments.

Naturally, I made a video to show you how to do it …

This post is sponsored by Mosaic Moments.

Signs of Spring

While it feels like August around here, spring was just a few weeks ago. Fortunately, my crazy life has finally calmed down enough for me to share all of the things I have been making and this page showing the signs of spring is one of my favorites.

The pictures were taken at different times over the corse of a few weeks and several of them were those rare opportunities you get to witness a special moment in time. The squirrel, for example, posed for me for several minutes so I could get a series of pictures.

The baby ducks hopped out of their nest and dipped their feet in the water for the first time … I haven’t seen them since, but I’m sure they’ve moved on to another lake.

The little bird behind the fence worked for several minutes to steal that feather from the chicken’s run. It took a few attempts to get it positioned just right in his beak before he could fly off with it for his nest.

And the robin, one of the first I saw this spring, let me get closer than I ever have to take his picture.

I used Mosaic Moments dies and grid paper to create the layout. I love the mixture of close-up photos with those farther away. And I love how the 1-inch square floral photos wrap around the ducks.

I made a video to show you how to make this page.

This page was sponsored by Mosaic Moments.

One Die, Two Looks

This page, which features photos I took while on a ski lift at Boyne Highlands last fall, features the Triple Diamond Die from Mosaic Moments. I used it to give the eye a break from the busy photographs, while framing the feature photo.

While I love the simplicity of this die, it can also be used to create more complex patterns, like I did below.

Here, I used the same die to create the look of a quilt. Although it looks complex, it really only takes a few sheets of patterned paper (use double-sided to save more time), a single die and a few runs through a die-cutting machine to create it.

I made a video for Mosaic Moments (I am compensated for creating videos for them) to show you how easy it is.

Baby Blue Jays

Have you ever had one of those magical times in nature where you just happen to witness something spectacular? This was one of those times.

I was sitting on my back deck, enjoying a cup of coffee and watching my chickens play (a favorite pastime of mine). I had filled the bird feeders and given the chickens a little treat and then just sat back and relaxed. I was enjoying the cacophony of sounds from various feathered friends, but the blue jays were definitely the loudest. And then they came. Young jays flew onto my swing, the bird feeder, the shed and into and out of the nearby trees. I’m not sure how many I saw that day, but from the photos, it looked like at least two. They posed for photo after photo (this is about 1/4 of the ones I took) in between calling to friends or mom. Then, they would fly off and another would appear. They didn’t seem at all threatened by the chickens or the crazy lady on the porch. For about 20 minutes they posed and gathered sunflower seeds, while I photographed and studied them. It was incredible.

I, of course, used Mosaic Moments Grid Paper on this page. I find it is the perfect way to scrapbook when you have so many photos you want to use. The different size squares and rectangles allowed me to emphasize the important portions of each photo.

I also used layering dies to make the photo mats on this one. And, I even made a video to show you how I did it!

The Hippopotamus

To say I love hippos would be a bit of an understatement. I LOVE them. They are not just my favorite animal; they actually invoke the same sort of breathless, heart-thumping, adrenaline rush most people get when they meet their favorite rock band, superstar or the President of the United States. For me, it’s hippos. (Artists are often a bit eccentric.)

So, when my sister first told me she was planning a trip to Africa, my very first question was, “to see the hippos?!” because why else would anyone go to Africa?? Naturally she had her own agenda, but she did take a few videos and some pictures of the hippos for me, because that’s what sisters do.

Had this been for my scrapbook, I probably would have printed these in 8x10s, but since this one is for her, I kept them all on one page using the Mosaic Moments system. I used the new letter die from Mosaic Moments, but I used just the inside of the letters to make my title look like it was coming out of the mat.

This one is on Pewter Grid Paper, following page pattern #305. I added a bit of cardstock and some patterned paper from We R Memory Keepers as accents. The explanation of the hippo is from a trading card I have been carrying around for a few decades. It was part of a set on animals my kids had when they were little — sort of like animal baseball cards. I knew it would come in handy eventually and thought it was perfect on this page.

You can see how I did it in this video.

 

Mosaic Mittens

I’m back!

My poor blog has been so neglected this month … between the holidays, being sick and working on classes and other projects, I am just so behind. That, however, is the story of my life … I feel like I am always a day late and a dollar short!

I have several posts that I’m behind on, so I’ll try to get those caught up in the next few days.

The first is one I am so excited to share!

Did you know you can cut felt with most of your thin, metal dies? You can!! In this video, I show you how to turn a border die into fabulous felt mittens! Thanks for watching (and reading)!

Here’s the link … 

 

Fir Trees

These photos were taken on our trip to the UP in June. This was the day we decided the rain and cold wasn’t going to ruin our vacation and we bundled up and hiked through the wooded beach. It was so beautiful.

I used the new Fir Tree die from Mosaic Moments to embellish the page. I love this one because you can use it with or without the grid square.

I am imagining a border of these trees all decorated for the holidays, but I can’t do that until after Christmas, when I have photos to use!

Until then, I made a video to show you how easy it is to cut and put together this little tree. Click here to watch it!

Above the Trees

I was privileged to go to Boyne Highlands this fall — right in time to see the amazing autumn colors. There was breathtaking beauty everywhere I looked.

I used Mosaic Moments’ new leaf die (love the unique size and shape) to accent some of my favorite photos. And, of course, I made a video to show you how I did it! Click here to watch it.

Starting with A

Thin metal dies from Mosaic Moments makes putting together beautiful layouts take less time than ever … honestly … with a page pattern to follow and the dies, I can put together a complex page in just 15 minutes.

But, the basic dies … the ones that cut the squares and rectangles you need to complete your pages … are a bit of an investment. Fortunately, you don’t need all of the dies to get started. I did this entire page using only one set of dies, the A set.

The A set is one of my favorites and probably the one I use the most. And, it makes making layers and all different size squares quick and easy.

I created a video to show you how easy it is … click here to watch it.

NOTE: I am compensated for making videos for Mosaic Moments.