Tuesday 30 June 2015

Photo Scavenger Hunt - June Finds

We've reached the end of the first month of Rinda's Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt, and I'm enjoying seeing the blog posts popping up here and there, and seeing people's finds posted to the Facebook Group.

I had a fantastic day in Runnymede recently, where I found 10 items and one of the substitutes, but I only have a few more photos to share today. I normally do the bulk of my hunting during the school holidays, which are still three weeks away here.

The full list is on this handy printable, thanks to Julie Kirk (which saves me a lot of typing!)


Apart from my Runnymede finds, which are in a separate post and I won't repeat them here, I have:

5. Architectural Columns
8 June - The Royal Exchange, City of London



6. A Metal Bridge (I've found a quite few, but I'll just share two.)
8 June - Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets, London



8 June - The Regent's Canal, London



9. A Tent
4 June - Skreens Park, Chelmsford



12. A Public Restroom
12 June - Lakeside Shopping Centre, Thurrock



14. A Traffic Signal
8 June - On the lock between the River Thames and Limehouse Marina, London


There are two more metal bridges here too, one on each lock gate.

18. An Overloaded Truck, Car, Bicycle Etc
8 June - A cyclist in Mile End Park, Tower Hamlets, London


20. A Natural Body of Water
8 June - The River Thames at Limehouse, London


The majority of these are from 8 June, when I completed my walk of the Jubilee Greenway with the section of the Regent's Canal from Islington to Limehouse. I've been really bad at blogging this and I do intend to catch up soon.

Meanwhile, you can catch up with the progress of my fellow Scavenger Hunters via the link-up at Rinda's blog. And, if you like what you see, it's not too late to join in with us. You have until the Autumn Equinox (22 September) to track down your own versions.


Monday 29 June 2015

Stick It Down - June Card

It's almost the end of the month, and I'm squeezing in one last card, from the June sketch at Stick It Down. I'm on the single page DT there, but I do like to do the double pages and cards too.

Despite making a trio of cards already this week, I needed one more, one suitable for a 15 year old boy. I recently bought some green 'Happy Birthday' paper intending it for masculine cards and I used it as the start of my colour scheme. I picked a couple of 6x6 papers and layered them up for a simple version of the card sketch.


With my sentiment already printed on the paper, I used a chipboard circle in place of the sentiment circle in the sketch. It was one that I had previously inked and then not used, and it fitted in here. I also punched three cardstock stars and stuck them together for a thicker embellishment, adding them to the chipboard with a foam square.  

Supplies
Card - Craft Tonic
Paper - Making Memories, Craft Creations
Chipboard - Papermania?
Ink - Docrafts

Tools
Fiskars Postage Stamp Border Punch
Hobbycraft Star Punch

Saturday 27 June 2015

Tulip Cards

Paper after cutting into it for the last page
I've had a piece of paper with tulips on it in my stash for several years. It was a pretty paper (aren't they all) but the tulips took up half the page and I had no idea how or when (or even if) I would ever use it. 

However, the pink background was the perfect colour for my last page so I cut into that sheet at last, using the top part for a couple of strips and a some ticket die-cuts. I figured that I was never going to use the paper at the full 12x12 size anyway, and this way at least part of it would be used.

Then I realised that although it was a difficult paper to use on a scrapbook page, it would be possible to use it for cards. The row of tulips had gaps in between some of the flower heads and, with care, I could cut it into three pieces, with one, two and three tulips. Each piece was a different width, leading to cards in three different shapes/sizes.


I started from the right, with two flowers on my first card. The paper was large enough to cover a standard 4x6 card, so that's what I did, but everything else I added to it looked wrong. This is the third iteration of the card - I finally made the paper a little narrower and added a punched border strip in green.


I used the middle section, with three tulips, for my next card. This was wider and seemed suited to a square panel. The width of the flower panel was dictated by the position of the flowers and my square was too small for the card, so I matted it on some old mulberry paper. Finally I tied a ribbon around the flower panel.
The single tulip on the left of the paper gave me a tall, narrow card. The background at that point has faded from pink to grey-green so I switched to pink mulberry paper behind the flower, and added a border sticker to the bottom of the panel.

Thursday 25 June 2015

2 Today

I'm sharing a page from our daughter's 2nd birthday today. With just four 4x6 photos, I initially wasn't sure whether to fit them onto a single page, or spread them across a double. However, all the photos were crop-able and some benefited from the removal of extraneous clutter, so I cut them down and went with the single page option.

It's a dead simple page - two rows of photos and papers, all with the corners rounded, and narrow strips above and below for my title and subtitle.



Supplies
Paper - Carta Bella Baby Mine, My Mind's Eye Quite Contrary, MME Collectable, Twelve by 12
Number - American Crafts
Letters - Docrafts
Rub-Ons - Papermania
Gems - Forever in Time
Washi Tape - Unknown
Ink - Docrafts

Tools
Big Shot & Ticket Stubs Die
Woodware Daisy Punch
Craft Creatives Flower Punch

Tuesday 23 June 2015

And After

I'm scrapping 2002 at the moment, in particular photos from the Queen's Golden Jubilee in June that year. I had sufficient photos for four pages and I'm using the same papers and lettering for them all.

This is the third page that I've made, but the second that I am sharing (see also On Parade). To confuse you further, it's the fourth and final page from the day. It's early evening and I remember taking the photo of the Clock Tower to demonstrate how 'late' it was. Only seven o'clock you might think, but that was our children's bedtime and we still had an hour's travelling to do. The other two photos on the page are of some of the floats from the Jubilee Procession earlier in the day, now seemingly abandoned at the roadside.



Supplies
Cardstock - Colorset, Bazzill
Paper - Papermania Portobello Road, Glitz Design Hello December
Letters - American Crafts
Washi Tape - Papermania
Epoxy Stickers - Ebay
Stars - Papermania, Unknown
Pearls - Craft for Occasions
Ink - Ranger

Tools
Fiskars Bracket Border Puncg
X-Cut Small Circle Punch

Sunday 21 June 2015

On Parade

No new printer yet, so I'm still scrapping photos from 2002. The next set are from the celebrations of the Queen's Golden Jubilee. Looking back, we must have been mad to take our kids, aged not quite 2 and 5, and a pushchair up to London in those crowds, but I'm really glad that we did.

My photos fall into a few groups from different parts of the day and I think I will be making four pages. The first one chronologically will cover the Queen's journey to St Paul's Cathedral in the Gold State Coach (but I need to reprint a photo for that). This page has a trio of photos from the Jubilee Procession in the afternoon. We were really lucky to get a front row spot opposite Westminster Abbey for this, allowing some unobscured photos.

Three 4x6 photos - that means I fell back on a default page design, stacking the photos in a column with a border down the side. I had two whole pieces of Union Flag paper (plus a few scraps) left over from my Olympic and Paralympic album so I'm going to spread these across my jubilee pages.


Supplies
Cardstock - Bazzill
Paper - Papermania Portobello Road, Bo Bunny Ambrosia
Letters - American Crafts
Resin Dome Stickers - Ebay
Stars - Papermania
Pearls - Craft for Occasions
Washi Tape - Unknown

Tools
Fiskars Bracket Border Punch
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch
X-Cut Small Circle Punch

Friday 19 June 2015

Framlingham Castle

I'm plodding through my 2002 photos chronologically at the monent, filling in the gaps in that year's album. My next set of pictures were from a visit to Framlingham Castle. I had four 4x6 photos, and a choice of two possible layouts. Either I could arrange the pictures in a large block, or I could put three in a column and crop the fourth to lie next to them. I decided on the latter as being a little more interesting and cropping the photo would lose nothing significant.




Supplies
Paper - Mostly old and unlabelled, Lasting Impressions (cream strip)
Letters - Gold Label
Washi Tape - The Range?
Pearls - Artoz
Ink - Ranger

Tools
Big Shot & X-Cut Tickets Die
Fiskars Postage Stamp Border Punch
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch
Woodware Label Punch


Wednesday 17 June 2015

Out of Africa

Having made a divided page a few days ago, I needed to fill in the back of it, of course. One of the paces that we visited that holiday was Suffolk Wildlife Park (since re-branded as Africa Alive), and I had a selection of animal photos from the day. I chose the best five (of seven) for my five pockets.



Three of the pockets have 4x6 photos, but I despair at the photo developers and page protector manufacturers as my photos and pockets never seem to be the same size; I had to add small strips of paper to these photos in order to fill the pockets.

PS If anyone knows what the animal is in the bottom left pocket, please leave a comment. I can't remember and I've been unable to identify it. Thanks.

Supplies
Paper - Bo Bunny Ambrosia, Basic Grey Archaic (6x6)
Letters - Basic Grey
Frame Studio Calico
Stickers - Basic Grey Archaic, MAMBI, Ebay
Enamel Dots - Teresa Collins
Washi Tape - We R Memory Keepers
Ink - Ranger

Tools
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch
X-Cut Small Circle Punch

Monday 15 June 2015

A Day in Runnymede - Photo Scavenger Hunt

Today is the 800th Anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta. The official celebrations started with a River Pageant yesterday, and the Queen will visit Runnymede today. I was there on Saturday, and although preparations for the events were in progress and the security presence was obvious, it was possible to wander the site freely.



I had high hopes of knocking off a few of the photos from Rinda's Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt during my visit and I was not disappointed. I got my first photo, a person walking a dog, (no. 3 on the list) within moments of leaving the car park.




There are several waymarked routes around the site and I combined two of them for a walk that took in all the memorials and a stretch of the river. 

The most obvious event preparations for the Queen's visit were the rehearsals and sound checks on a stage in the middle of the meadow, a stage surrounded by tents (no. 9).



Going around this area, I had my first opportunity for a photo of at least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms (no. 17) as I passed a pair of police officers on patrol.



Then I reached the Kennedy Memorial, sited on an acre of land which was given to the American people by the British in 1965. The 50 steps through the woods form part of the memorial and represent the 50 States. 



The memorial stone at the top is inscribed with words from President Kennedy's inaugural address in 1961, and lies in front of an American Scarlet Oak tree whose foliage turns red in November.




Returning to the meadow, I passed another link to our American cousins, an oak tree which was planted with soil from Jamestown, Virginia to commemorate the bicentenary of the US Constitution, which has its roots in Magna Carta.




A little further along I reached the Magna Carta Memorial itself, complete with architectural columns (no.5).




The third memorial that I wanted to visit was the Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial, which was built on the hill above Runnymede. A path runs up through Cooper's Hill Coppice, with steps in the steeper parts.

An outdoor stairway? No that was the 2012 hunt!
The path crosses below the back of the memorial,




before dipping back into the woods and taking you to the road that leads to the front.


The memorial is dedicated to the 20,456 men and women from British Empire air forces who were lost during World War II and who have no known grave. Their names are engraved on dozens of panels  around a central square.

More architectural columns
I was surprised by the number of tributes to the fallen airmen that have been left here. Many of the panels have poppies stuck next to certain names, and cards, flowers and photographs line the benches, including this bouquet (no. 1 on the list).


I climbed the spiral staircase up to the roof, for the panoramic view (no. 16) of Runnymede below me.



I descended back to the meadow, and crossed to Langham Pond, a natural body of water (no. 20) formed as an ox-bow lake from the River Thames.


On the other side of the meadow, I looked back at the rural landscape (darn, that was last year)


and crossed the main road to get to the River Thames, another natural body of water.


At this point, I should have turned left along the river bank to complete my circular walk but, with time to kill, I turned right and wandered towards Runnymede Pleasure Grounds instead. This was definitely a good decision as far as the Scavenger Hunt is concerned because I immediately passed a group of people eating outside (Alternative A). Luckily they all had their backs to the path, or I don't think I would have taken their photo.


The River Pageant will pass along here, and they are clearly expecting crowds of people, who will need to answer the call of nature during the day. I'm hoping that there were plans to erect steps for these public toilets (no. 12) before the big event.


A little further on, I spied my ticket booth (no. 19) too.


I retraced my steps, which took me back past a brand new statue of Queen Elizabeth II, due to be 'unveiled' as part of the Magna Carta commemorations. It had its own security guard, and he stopped me from taking a photo as I passed it the first time, but this time he was talking to someone else, and I was standing behind a tree. Naughty I know, but I couldn't resist a sneaky pic.


I'm sure I can't have been the only one though, and if they really didn't want people to take pictures they should have covered her up.

Back to my planned walk now, as I followed the Thames to complete the circle to the car park. There I visited an exhibition about the importance of Magna Carta, both at the time, and through the principles of freedom and equality that it has come to represent.

Facsimile of Magna Carta
The estate office and tea room at Runnymede are memorials too. The Fairhaven Memorial Lodges were commissioned by Lady Fairhaven to remember her husband Sir Urban Broughton, who bought Runnymede in 1928 to safeguard its future.


They lie one on each side of the main road, with a pedestrian crossing between them, perfect opportunity for a photo of a traffic signal (no. 14). I did check the lodges for a nice ornate door knocker, but no such luck!


However, while photographing the lodges, who should I notice approaching but another three people wearing matching uniforms. Three police officers are better than two, so I snapped another picture for the hunt.


My final photo was another repeat - one of the security officers with his sniffer dog, patrolling the perimeter fences.


So on the thirteenth day of the Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt, I knocked off 10 of the 21 items, and one of the alternatives too. I don't know how many of these photos will make it into my final list come September, but it was a good day's hunting.