Photo Scavenger Hunt

The things to hunt for in July were:
sprinkler
dandelion
clothesline
road side stand or farmer's market
American flag

A few layouts have come in. Email yours to me and I'll be happy to post them.

 Jan's layout. She has some incredible old pictures in her collection.

 Another of Jan's layouts that incorporates the rest of the items.

Karolyn's layout. Here's her journaling:

 Summer Fun

I’m a Summer Girl! Because I tend to be cold all the time, summer is my favorite season.

FLAG:  We fly our flag often but especially for the holidays. At the farm, we fly one all the time. This summer (2013), I helped Shane, Grace & Ellie make flag t-shirts while babysitting in June.

DANDELION:  I love to make a wish when blowing a dandelion! I captured this one while on our 40^th anniversary cruise in Greece. It looks just like American dandelions but this one is pretty special.

ROADSIDE STAND:  I can’t get enough fresh produce in summer. I was going to snap a produce stand but instead asked Bruce to seek one out while in Albuquerque. No surprise that he found a roadside taco stand instead! He & the fellow pictured couldn’t communicate but another person stepped in to interpret. The story quickly got out of control with Bruce getting the photo & a free dinner!!

CLOTHESLINE:  I am reminded of my childhood in Laf. when I helped Mother hang clothes on the backyard line. They smelled so good as we folded the dry clothes! When we went to Italy in 2007, I was surprised to see they just run their lines outside the windows for all to see. At least mine was in the backyard!!

SPRINKLER:  I don’t recall getting to play in the sprinkler much but here I have Stephen, Lauren & Erin on the Slip ‘N Slide at ages 4, 6, & 9. The grandkids also love to Slip ‘N Slide @ the farm.

I always hate when summer ends. The fresh produce, sunshine, & tan become a distant memory as Fall & Winter approach.

Here's my layout. I've decided on a format that I'm going to use throughout the year. I'm going to compare and contrast each item with a childhood memory. Here's my first set:

When I first found out about a photo scavenger hunt, it sounded intriguing. Knowing I probably wouldn’t take the time to do it myself, I decided to make it a challenge for my friends. I modified the concept and reduced the number of photos to just five per month. These five simple things remind me of essential summer from my childhood.

1.   American flag: Memories of the 4^th of July barbeques with the Self family are the best. We had shot off firecrackers---carrying the punk between our teeth. We roamed and played all day. Once it got dark, we settled on top of our cars to watch the fireworks display. Back then, a bunch of kids could lay on the roof without fear of collapse! 

When I saw Morgan and Victoria’s flag fruit fantasy pizza on our vacation, I knew that would be my choice for this photo.

2.   Dandelions were a dime a dozen when we were growing up. We wound the yellow flowers in to jewelry, but it was the whispy seeds that really got our attention. We would make a wish and then “blow.” If you managed to blow ALL of the seeds, then chances were good that your wish would come true.

With today’s weed killers, it’s getting harder and harder to find a dandelion. I found this one on the path to the beach in Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Honestly, I’m not even sure it’s a dandelion---but rather another wildflower. Still it reminds me of the ones from my youth.

3.    You could always count on sprinklers as being a good source of summer entertainment. Anything to cool us off. Playing in the water was synonymous with hot, humid, muggy St. Louis.

Now-a-days, we don’t run through the sprinkler anymore. It’s as if we’ve grown up and the sprinkler has become the sophisticated device to keep our gardens watered. Still, I watch the flowers grab the mist and hang on. Whether I’m in the sprinkler or not, it’s a refreshing feeling.

4.   Mollerus’ roadside stand was “the” place to get your fresh fruits and vegetables. My sisters both worked there. But even if someone wasn’t there to collect your money, it was an honor system---take what you want and leave payment.

I’m not sure that would work today. There’s nothing I like better in the summer than fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s the perfect time to concentrate on eating healthy. It’s so much easier with an abundance of produce available. Jeanne was with me when I got this shot. The nectarines and plums were delicious.

5.   Every yard in the neighborhood had a clothesline with fresh laundry blowing in the breeze. Even if the clothes were a little stiff, it was worth in just for that smell!

Unfortunately, it looks like clotheslines just might be a thing of the past. I searched and searched and couldn’t find a single one.

The list for August is:

1. A fountain

2. A Historical landmark

3. An unusual flower

4. A swing or hammock

5. A fire truck or fire station

Good luck and if you have a layout, be sure to send it to me! Can't wait to see what you come up with.

AYM/1

The St. Louis girls arrived on Thursday night. I planned AYM for Friday morning so that they could participate while they were in town. Prior to this, they have to send their layouts and really can't be part of the meeting. I was happy for them to see how it usually goes at our meetings---everyone sharing their layouts, stories and the techniques they used. I was also happy for the Nashville girls to get a chance to meet them in person.

The layouts did not disappoint. This month, the topic was: "The Never List: 10 Things you will Never Do or Never Do Again." As usual they all took it and ran. Great ideas.

 This is Janet's layout and journaling:

I DID SAY I NEVER WILL…

1.       Own another pure bred dog. They all just seem to be high maintenance and have attitudes that are hard to deal with. Give me a Humane Society Mutt any day.

2.       Wear a pair of “Short” shorts, age has a negative effect for that style of clothing (as do 2 piece bikinis, see #10).

3.       Fry chicken, a long time ago I did try to do it and it was an awful experience. First I found out how hard it was to cut up a chicken, which is just gross! When I cooked it the outside was burnt and the inside was raw, after 2 more attempts I decided the best fried chicken is the kind you buy and that is what my family still eats.

4.       Oysters are something I will never eat. I can barely stand to look at them much less have it slide into my mouth.

5.       Go Scuba Diving. Ron & I took classes once and Ron did get certified. The weekend of the test I had a head cold and could not dive, but it turn out that was also Ron’s last dive, it was just too cold of a sport for him.

6.       I have never been good at Spelling and it seems that I’m never going to master it.  Spell Check makes my life so much easier

7.       “Name that Tune” is a game that I just don’t play. It seems impossible for me to hear a song and be able to know the title or the artist. I always walk away when that game comes up.

8.       Walk to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, again. Since I did it once I know what it’s like and seen the sites on the trip, so there is no need for a repeat.

9.       Sky Diving is not on my bucket list. I have no desire to jump out of a plane, free fall and then swing in the air for hundreds of feet – as Jackie did.

10.   The days of going primitive camping are in my past, as are my twenties and the idea of going on a float trip and having to drag a canoe in low water is just another thing that can stay in the past. I just NEVER want to do either again.

 Karolyn's page.

 Pam's page.

 Erin's page.

 My page and journaling:

There are so many things I could put on my never list. But when I really thought about it, these were just 10 thoughts that have been important to me with a couple unsolved mysteries thrown in for fun. This list is really all about me. There’s the part of me that is confident, inquisitive, sentimental, honest, vain, organized and loving. My “Never List” is just another interpretation of that which is ME!!!

I’ll never have any more babies.

I have never doubted my decorating abilities.

I’ll never forget how it felt moving from

St. Louis on January 1^st, 1977.

I have never cheated at games.

I will never know what happened to the

only dog I ever loved.

I have never been without a book.

I will never be as thin as I would like.

I will never know how this turtle got in our pond.

I will never be as organized as I’d like.

I never dreamed that Sandy would

never get back to Nashville.

Carla's page.

Jeanne's page and journaling:

Karolyn brought this layout to share with the girls. This was from our mystery trip in March.

While the St. Louis girls were here, we had a few lessons. Here are the layouts we did:

 They asked for some ideas using tools and techniques. I taught them a simple sunburst design that's all the rage right now incorporated in a title page. Also, we embellished punched scallops and added mother-of-pearl heart buttons.

In this layout, we focused on layering embellishments. We also added stitching to the page.

Girls, if you email your journaling to me, I would be happy to post it with your layouts!

I can't wait to see what "8 Things you Learned from your Mother" next month!!

I have received quite a few layouts for the "photo scavenger hunt." I'll post them on Friday along with the items for August. See you then!

AYM/3/ABC

 Organized and Plenty of Produce

 Locks of Love

 Il Divo and Jobs

Games and Hair 

 Fall Festival.   All of the above layouts were by Jennifer. She was really on a roll this month and is nearly caught up.

Gymnastics and Handstand and more were Linda's layouts from last month.

 Linda's layout---she interviewed her grandchildren. Great idea!

 On this layout, Linda told the story of how she became "Kahkee!" I always thought it was a strange name, but now it makes perfect sense.

 My "O" is Organized and "P" is Proof. Just a glimpse in to the start of my obsessions!

My "M" is addicted to Magazines. "N" is that's Nasty---and tells the story of Janice's severed finger.

Erna has a lot of work ahead of her, but she's up for it!!

AYM

Another layout from AYM.

Photo Scavenger Hunt

I finally figured out where I saw the idea for the photo scavenger hunt. It's here on the Gallo Organico blog. I'm changing it up a bit for anyone that wants to follow along. We'll just hunt for 5 things a month---or just one thing if there's a great story to be told. Then you can make a scrapbook page, email it to me at the end of the month and I'll post it---or link to your blog. Whatever you want to do is fine, no pressure!!

Let's get started. For July, it's summer and it's hot. Let's find the following:

Sprinkler

Clothesline
Dandelion

Roadside stand

An American flag

Can't wait to see what memories these items evoke for you!!

AYM/1-Simple Pleasures

The assignment this month was to scrapbook 4 of your guilty pleasures. I love the turquoise and orange color scheme. When it comes to simple pleasures, many of us shared the same sorts of things: chocolate, beverages, scrapbooking, and pedicures. I must admit, I could add at least another 10 things to the list, but this month the "number" to focus on was 4.

This is Jeanne's layout for the month. Candy and alcohol---just a few of her favorites! Erin (below) doesn't "get" chocolate mint but apparently, Jeanne does.

Erin's journaling reads "I have many pleasures in life, but these are definitely my favorite 4.  Chocolate- unfortunately for my physique I have never met a piece of chocolate I didn't like. Except, I do not understand the whole mint and chocolate combination, not my thing.  I LOVE to scrapbook! I have been scrapbooking since I have been 15 and have been collecting "stuff" ever since. To date I have 16 completed scrapbooks.  This picture is of my scrapbook closet- I just love it and everything is organized just how I like it.  My next pleasure is wine- sometimes wine is necessary when scrapbooking.  Chardonnay is my absolute favorite. Pretty sure I get that from Aunt Carla. I also love to go shopping.  The Saint Louis Galleria is my favorite mall.  Apparently I have liked to shop since I was a little girl as my mother tells it.  I certainly enjoy all of my "guilty" pleasures!" 

 4 Guilty Pleasures of Mine (by Janet)

Pleasures of life are all over but to choose 4 of my own was different. Besides my first thoughts of food and more food I finally thought of 4 things I do that I totally enjoy but also can give me guilty feelings for one reason or another, but not bad enough that I would give them up.  They are: #1. Cropping is a favorite pleasure of mine but it has it’s guilt. It takes time from other things that could be done around the house plus how I do enjoy spending money on all the needed supplies.  #2 Massages given by Karen are wonderful and Free and a lot of the times I even get dinner too. I go every other week and the guilt hits me for taking Karen’s time for something all for me.  #3 Ice Tea, Popcorn and Diet Pepsi are things I always have to have. I grew up eating popcorn every Friday night and having ice tea every day, it’s only been in the last 30 years that Pepsi grew as one of my biggest pleasures. No need to explain guilt here. #4 Reading Books is now something I do everyday and totally enjoy. I don’t read novels but what I do read takes my mind off of lifes heavy thoughts. It is funny that I feel guilty about the time I spend reading because when I was a kid I was taken to the eye doctor because every time I read I got a headache. We found out my eyes were fine and the doctor suggested that I might just hate reading. He was correct – I really did hate to read for pleasure as a kid.  

Here's my layout for the month and journaling:

When it comes to simple pleasures, I’d have to say that these four are among my favorites. There’s nothing I like better than sitting on the front porch swing reading a good book on my Kindle—-add a Starbucks "venti Iced black tea shaken with three Equals, please.” That brings me to my iPhone where I have my gold card. It automatically pops up when I’m at a Starbucks. There are so many cool apps—I enjoy playing Yahtzee and Wheel of Fortune with my friends. And, best of all, I can access my Kindle on my phone so I can read anywhere. My iPhone and Kindle sync with each other which I find amazing. Plus I love the cool Kate Spade case Butch (via Mindy) got me for Christmas. Last, but not least, I am completely hooked on Downton Abbey. Mindy gave me seasons 1 & 2 for Christmas. Now I’ve gotten my friends hooked too.

My favorite line so far was when Miss O’Brien said, “Get back in the knife box Miss Sharp” when Anna said something snippy to her. Funny since Miss O’Brien can be a nasty character. I’ve always been smitten with Britain. I should have been born British because that would be the only way I could have the accent! These simple things are simply pleasurable.

A New Challenge

My newest challenge for you is a photo scavenger hunt. I’ve been reading more and more about photo scavenger hunts. They sound like so much fun and I’ve been meaning to do it for a long time. But, somehow, I never quite get around to it.

Now you might be wondering what this has to do with your life---and specifically your scrapbooking. Well, I’m also thinking about photos you might have from the past. If you do---then great. Use them to make a layout. If you have a story to go along with it, then, all the better.

The “rules”:

Each month, I’ll give you five things to hunt for and photograph. Then you will create a layout---any way you want to showcase those photos. Some months you might not find everything---that’s okay. Some months, there might be something that reminds you of a memory that you want to focus on and do the layout about just one thing. It’s completely up to you. This is your book, so there really are no “rules.”

At the end of the month, I will be happy to post your layouts on the AYM blog if you send them to me.  Or, you can send me the link to your blog and I'll post that. I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with.

I’m hoping this is just one more way to motivate you to scrapbook more. Actually, maybe this is just a way to motivate ME to scrapbook more. I’m always up for a challenge. That seems to get me moving!

Keep an eye out for your July challenge---coming soon!