Self Portrait Tuesday (on Wednesday).
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Over the last few months I have been observing Self Portrait Tuesday entries with interest. Love the idea. Love encouraging people to photograph themselves. To see themselves through the lens of their camera in so many different and creative ways.
The theme this month is Personal History. I think the idea of this theme finally pushed me over the edge into creating something. I have done quite a few scrapbook pages of myself as a child and a few which compare and contrast my life now and then. I am lucky that I have a lot of photos to look through, reflect on, and create with. Thank you Mom and Dad.
And obviously, I did not take either of these photos of myself. So I guess it sorta qualifies as self portrait. That's ok. I am enjoying the process.
As for my process, I brought the two photos together in Photoshop. I adjusted the opacity (so that you can see the younger photo of me beneath the recent one) and blended them together (so that there is not a hard edge between the two) with the selection tool by deleting one side of the "now" photo of me. I used a quote and a butterfly brushe that Rhonna created for Two Peas and a new font along the bottom called Two Peas Funky Doodles by Elsie. I manipulated the crown by rasterizing the type layer, removing the word queen, and adding in me. If you aren't familiar with Photoshop it probably sounds like a foreign language but it really is not too tough.
Looking forward to seeing more of these as they get linked up to the self portrait site.
And guys, really, thanks for all the comments on the post yesterday. Totally appreciate you guys connecting with me in regards to kids, eating out, expectations, etc.
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49 comments
Love this Ali.
Always cool stuff on your site.
Have to agree with a previous poster....don't go too digi on us. We need
paper girlies too.
You have oodles of talent.
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so beautiful!
so beautiful!
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Love the selfpotrait piece. I wish I was able to work in PS...have it just can't master it. Can't even do simple brushes for techniques. Ugh. It's glue and paper for me only I suppose. Great job, keep inspiring us.
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love your layout so much!
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Very cool!
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Love this picture!
I have a question about the letter A stamp on your album in the lastest CK, I NEED it and I couldn't find it at any of the sources listed. If you have a second could you let me know. NEED it! You always have the coolest stuff:)
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Darling! Perfectly done!
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Ali, you are beautiful. Your art is beautiful. All so cool.
K.
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Hey Ali! I come out of lurk mode every now and again! Just wanted to say that I emailed you a personal history doc with photos you may find interesting!!! You may already have it or something similar but I figured I would share. After all.....look at all you share with us! ;o)
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how cute!
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Ali, when are you coming over to the digital dark side?? That photo collage is awesome and I know a lot of digital scrappers who would be soooo inspired by your work....I know I am!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
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that is just amazing Ali. the little crown, is just perfect, love it all!
corinnexxx
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I'm the owner of the SPT group on Flickr, and one of the contributors on SPT's blogspot.....I see you've come over to the dark side:) I just wanted to tell you there aren't any rules to SPT really....just that its on tuesday and that it says something about you! So technically this is a SPT whether you took it or not!!! Again, Welcome!
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Oh My WORD!! Actually I typoed.........Oh my WORK!! so take your pic! This RAWKS big time!! What a fab Idea! You are such an inspiration! Thanks so much!!
ALi RAWKS!
"D"
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Ali,
This is so cool! And Simon IS just the spitting image of YOU! On another note, I got this in one of the many autism newsletters I recieve. I read it again yesterday and thought of you. Sometimes when I am the one having a meltdown raising an autistic child, I read this little note and everything in the world is right again. Having Vince and his autism has made me a better mother, wife, daughter, nurse and friend. You may have already read this but here it is:
Welcome To Holland
by Emily Kingsley
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this.......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland".
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy! All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy!"
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would have never met. It's just a different place. It's slower-paced (or faster-paced) than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills. Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes ,that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.
(The author, Emily Kingsley, has a son with Down syndrome and used to work for Children's Television Workshop. She was instrumental in the showcasing of children with disabilities on Sesame Street.)
Have a beautiful day!
Love,
Jenny
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I'm with Sharyn (Torm)- lovin' your PS work... Incredible! Yet if you ever convert over to digi completely I'd cry. LOL : )
You really make me want to dig into PSE though Ali! Thanks!
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That is so awesome. You need to have that up on the wall in a frame.
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I love this. Beautiful. I am having trouble reading the quote though. Could you clarify it for me? Thanks.
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Ali,
It is gorgeous ! I love it and going to try this myself. Thanks for the inspirations, a l w a y s ............
Michelle
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Hi Ali! I read your blog often, but I have never left a comment although your work always blows me away. Today I cannot keep quiet!! Your self portrait is just AMAZING. I love what you do :)
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