retiredtchr08

Every Christmas from 1978 to 1996 my mother designed, created and sent out over 200 handmade ceramic Christmas ornaments. The steps were tedious but they were a gift from her heart. First, she poured plaster into a paper cup and when it dried she etched a design in the side with the larger diameter. The design, which included the year, had to be created in reverse so that the ornaments came out correctly. Next, she poured slip (clay that is thinned and has the approximate consistency of cream) onto the etched design to make the ornament. When it was partially dry she would carefully lift it off the plaster mold and place it onto a cookie sheet, poke a hole near the top and let it dry completely while pouring the next one. Once she had made 15 - 20 ornaments she would then fire them in a kiln creating bisque porcelain ornaments. The next step was to coat each ornament with glaze, which gave the ornament its color and then. once again, fire them in the kiln. This process continued until she had all 200 plus ornaments. The final step was to attach a red ribbon through the hole. The ornaments were then placed in bubble wrap, so they didn’t break, and mailed. Not all the ornaments made it through the process in one piece and there were times when my mom had to “borrow” mine to send to someone. The year I decided to put all the ornaments in a shadow box I realized I was missing several. I was heartbroken. My mom had died earlier that year and I so wanted this as a memory. My mother-in-law who knew my mom well gave me her entire set…a gift from her heart.

Wanted to do a fun layout using recent techniques I learned: clipping and blending modes. Here are the collection items and various fonts I used: TCS_EarthVessel_embellishments SNU_BrooksideManor_embellishments ABR_ChicInstinct_paper AFT_FallFantasy_frame JZI_EasterPeep_frame ABR_ChicInstinct_alphabet BMU_Menagerie_alphabet KWE_SSTools_AutumnVelvet_sage KWE_SSTools_AutumnVelvet_goldenrod PS_ArialBlack_font PS_Tratatello_font PS_SnellRoundhand_font

I love to work with old photos in Photoshop. Correcting can be tedious but the results are so rewarding. When repairing photos I use a variety of tools; generally whatever works. I am self-taught so I might be using tools in a whole new manner, but it works. This photo is of my dad standing on his high school's steps in 1944. It was filled with creases and tears, especially in the areas of the door. The family was kidding him about what a heartthrob he was back then and he in turn signed the photo with Love, Rudy for his swooning gallery. To create the layout I used the following SG products: ABR_ChicInstincts_Emb_Stem3.png TCS_Bella_Emb-FlourishGold.png MPE_ChristmasAtHome-paper-9.jpg EBA_MermaidMystique_Paper_Special.jpg KWE_SSTools_Styles_AutumnVelvet_Spice Font: Monotype Corsiva Font: Eurostile