We're heading to Ahaheim soon, to celebrate 'Auntie's' birthday and to get a little more use from our Disney Annual Passes. WooHoo! But, while I was making preparations to go I was reminded of the page I recently did for the Summer Lovin' Challenge at Challenge Masters.
Heck, for some people I guess cutting up their photos into little squares could be a scary thing. But, all my pic's are digital .. cutting them up is no problem. If I screw up it's okay ... I'll just print another one! Our challenge was to cut our photo into a minimum of 4 squares. Well, you know me ... had to go OVERBOARD! But, it's been ages since I've done a photo grid so it was kinda fun to slice my photo into 104 little squares and re-assemble it for the challenge.
Plus, it solved a problem. You see, my son-in-law, Billiam, took this photo of us making that final BIG DROP on Splash Mountain last Spring. RheAnna refused to go with us so she and her Daddy were waiting patiently in the viewing area while the rest of us made our way through the long line to our waiting ... water filled log. Why is this one important? It was Breckin's first ride down Splash Mountain!!
The problem? The photo wasn't quite as clear and sharp as most of Bill's pictures. But, I could disguise that by cutting it up! The background ... the mountain itself, wasn't the focal point of my photo. It was the people in the boat. And, carnage would have occurred if I had cut up the part of the picture with us in the boat ... slicing heads, bodies ... not a pretty sight. So, I printed a second photo, cropped it to feature us in the boat, matted it onto cardstock, and 'popped it up' with foam tape as a layer on top of my 'cubes'.
There. That worked. But, it was difficult to make out the people in the log boat. I knew my story, the most important part of this page, was going to be long and 'colorful'. There was no way there was going to be enough room on the page for all my journaling, so I opted to create a little mini-book where I could tell my story.
The front of the booklet was the perfect place to feature a close up of our 'crew', screaming our way to the bottom of the hill. If you look closely you'll see I am in front, bravely holding my Flip video camera, capturing the entire adventure on tape! Behind me is Tori then Justin. Lisa is behind him. And, tucked into the back of the log ... behind Lisa is little Breckin! Bringing up the rear ... and holding securely onto Breckin is RaKell. We thought that would be the best place for her ... securing Breckin, reassuring her, calming her fears as she rode the ride for the first time. bbwwwahahahaha Check it out. RaKell is screaming like a little girl as the log drops!! bbwwwahahaha
Anyway, the rest of the page was layers and embellishments ... lots of embellishments .. each one worth 5 points in the contest. I also used letter stickers as a mask to create the title word 'SPLASH' ... inking around them then removing the stickers. Mountain was stamped using black Staz-On ink.
This is a wonderful memory. The excitement of the ride, Breckin being so brave, being able to share the whole experience with my beloved family. But, the best part was the result. After we exited the ride we caught up with RheAnna and Billiam. We had tried to guilt RheAnna into riding .. tried bribes, tried everything. She's just so cautious, so reluctant to participate in anything that might cause her fear or harm ... a good quality in the overall scheme of things ... not the BEST quality when you're seeking thrills and adventure in Disneyland. But, I showed her the video ... and she saw the happy characters, the fun music ... not dangerous or harmful at all. And that was all it took. She ended up riding Splash Mountain with us later that evening! Even her Daddy went! It was a wet and wonderful Disney Day!!
Oh ... and just to show you how much fun it was ... here's the video of Breckin's wild ride! Now, bear in mind ... it's a bumpy ride, it's bright and sunny outside and nearly impossible to see what I'm aiming the camera at. And, my own senses are heightened ... the anticipation of the big drop .. the concern that Breckin will have fun .. worried that I may drown the Flip camera!!! bbwwwahahaha. My video is long ... but distinguished .... heheheh (blushing) ... actually it runs about 8 minutes. And, I'll admit it's a bit jerky ... lots of movement ... and I covered the lens during a couple of the 'good parts' in an attempt to protect the camera from water. Breckin is buried in the back of the boat. Justin and Lisa are spending most of their time on the ride removing shoes, storing them in plastic shopping bags, getting everything organized and ready for 'the big one'. We're all covered beneath our Disney ponchos ... useful because they gave us a heightened sense of protection ... and yet useless ... we were soaked when we got off the log.
Just one more fabulous Disney memory ... shared with my crazed Disney fanatic family. Watching it is making me excited to go again ... this time with Auntie! aaaahhhh, aren't birthdays wonderful??!! Thanks, Auntie ... for getting old ... well, older .... hehehehe Love you!
Hi Colette! I have not seen you on the color room lately, so thought i would pop on over to your blog and see what is going on in your world. Love the mosaics. Lots of work, but an awesome effect. That ride down splash mountaing looks fantastic, and is that you in the very front with your camera...LOL. Keep well and i will pop in from time to time.
Marion xxxx
Posted by: Marion Werren | September 17, 2010 at 01:10 AM
Oh I love your family adventures at Disney...one of my favorite places...such a happy place!! Wow love this mosaic..I have only done one in my scrappin career!! LOL..you have challenged me to do another!!! love, love the layout!! BIG HUGS from Tennessee..
Posted by: patti smith | September 17, 2010 at 05:33 AM