A fascination with words...........

My friend Jen has been blogging lately on how opportunities or events in her life inspire her art. I've enjoyed reading her posts every morning and consider it a creative boost to my day.




This year my oldest, Alex graduated from High School. How could that be? I just graduated from High School a few years ago...(okay...so it was actually 1984! Don't laugh...I just gave away my age...) It was 1982 that I first took a graphic arts class at the local Vo-Tech school. I just thought it would be interesting, not knowing for the slightest where this early journey would lead me.....

My parents thought it was a waste of time, but nevertheless, after much convincing, they let me go my junior and senior year. We didn't have word processors back then. Business cards and stationary were made the hard way. We had a strip printer. It was this little machine in a closet. Sort of like a camera. It had a film strip with different letter typestyles and you exposed each letter - one at a time. There was no automatic spacing, you did that with your eyes. When you had your words all spelled out, you stuffed it under your shirt and ran as fast as you could to the dark room to develop it. Then it went to the wax machine. After that you literally cut a pasted it to your layout.....the process continues until it finally reaches the press and your "whatever" was printed.





My senior year we were in style - we got a typsetter machine. This machine was HUGE! Full of buttons and options and little one line screen that held about four words. I became a pro at the machine. I would sit for hours just playing with words, different typestyles, different sizes of letters. I love titles, writing, though I'm not a poet...I just love words.

Fast forward to NOW. Im sitting here typeing to you on a laptop computer that is way more powerful that that huge typesetter we had in 1983. I use all the skills I learned back then everyday. Whether Im designing for publication. laying out a project sheet, or just for plain ole' fun. In fact, I wonder what graphic art's class would be like now?



While I love scrapbooking, I have a real love for digi scrappin. It takes me back to High School days and makes me feel young again! Here's a sample of my latest layouts to share with you. I did it on the plane on the way to England last month. I hope you enjoy.

I use Photoshop Elements. The papers and other accessories and embellishments I downloaded from Scrapgirls.com (i think...it's been a while).

Well...since my ice tea is gone, that must mean it's time to go to the studio and reminisce some more. I think today's theme will be metal jewelry memory crafts.....