Your Opinion Please

[NMarti]

I'm having a hard time with the tribute because I don't want to go overboard but don't want to minimize either. Please take a look and let me know yes, no, more, less... The pictures are from Evan's mom and they are off her website so the quality is a little low. She sent them to me yesterday so I decided to go ahead and get it finished so I could move on with the rest of Travis' book.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1vhwdU8cU0GrbknJaiNUtlz8lSYU5_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1vhwdU8cU0GrbknJaiNUtlz8lSYU5)

[BettyC]

Nancy--what a wonderful tribute! Living in Oceanside, CA (a Marine town), we're very connected to this and there's not much that would be "over the top" or "overboard" for this fallen soldier's dear mother.

[GaryK]

Nancy

Very nice tribute.

You do of course know when you ask for our opinions we nitpick. :)

The only thing I found was the top font a little hard to read. Might just be that I don't have my glasses on, but I found it a bit too scripty/swirly. I also found the eagle to be a bit distracting .. maybe lower opacity. I think it is a perfect addition but my eye goes straight to the eagles eye/beak area.

Like I said nitpicking.. still a fantastic image. Great work.

[GaryK]

Nancy

On a whim.. and it may look really corny.. can you move the layers so his eye and the eagle eye are on top of each other?

[Wendy]

Hi Nancy ...

I think that you have done a beautiful job on it ... and I am sure that his Mother will be pleased and proud of it :)

Wendy
PS ... Maybe just a shade lower opacity on the eagle

[NMarti]

Hey Gary - pick away - I want this to be special. Okay I lowered the eagle a tad and changed the font color and decreased the shadow size so it is easer to read. I'm having trouble with that font - I can't find just the right one I'm looking for - if I knew what that was.:rolleyes: Oh - I tried moving the eagle but it did look kind of funny with just the beak coming out of the side of his head.

Thanks Wendy and Betty for looking and for your kind comments.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1HfMxQExi3DnQ4cpWRfLgsq4DIytea0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1HfMxQExi3DnQ4cpWRfLgsq4DIytea0)

[lindajay]

Nancy, if it were mine, I'd STOP right where you are. It's just terrific, and neither too much nor too little. Can you imagine how meaningful this will be to his parents?!!!

[Pauline]

Nancy that is beautiful. So sad. He looks so young!! I wouldn't add anything I think it's perfect.

[NMarti]

Thanks Linda. I know it will mean a lot. I have already promised to send it to them. I know my son in law will be pleased as well. I'm waiting for the photos of his other friend and then I have his pretty much in mind as well.

Pauline - Thank you too! I think I'm gonna leave it alone unless someone's suggestion would vastly improve it. Yes, Evan was 24 when he died.

[Pauline]

Sadly my uncle died on last Monday. I would like to do a tribute but it's hard to even know where to begin. I really don't have any good pictures of him, but perhaps when my Aunt gets back from the funeral out west she can send me some. It's a beautiful thing to do, but I also find it very difficult and sad.

[billz]

I'm sorry for your loss Pauline ... hang in there.

Nancy -- I think it's a touching work and a wonderful gesture.

Bill

[sharlmitch]

Nancy,

You have done a beautiful job! His family will love it!
I do like the font at the top in the red rather than the blue!
GREAT JOB!!!!:)

Sharon

[Wendy]

Nancy ...

The font is much more readable now ... looks great. Don't change a thing :)

Wendy

[kevq]

Nancy,
don't change a thing. His parents will love this tribute .
Kev.

[Russinator]

I think you did an excellent job. It brought tears to my eyes - Russ

[GaryK]

Nancy

Fantastic.. I thought it was the font, but the red makes it much more legible.
If this doesn't touch everybody who views it, then I don't know what will.

[NMarti]

Thank you all so much! I agree the red is much better. I'm putting this one to bed. Now - one more to go for Chris.

[Robyn]

Nancy,

Boy oh boy, have you found your niche or what! What a wonderful tribute you have created...........it's perfect.

Looking at this I've realised why I can't do/am not comfortable with scrapbooking. I'm not a very emotional, touchy feely person and whether you are doing a tribute like this or something on baby's first tooth I think you need to be able to be in touch with the 'emotion' of the occasion. Am I making sense?

[NMarti]

Robyn
You certainly are. That's why I failed so miserably in the beginning trying to do the pages. I was using images I didn't care about. I nearly gave up without sending anything in at all. When I started choosing images that meant a lot to me - it just clicked.

[Tom K]

Nancy; Just beautiful as it is ( red type ). The family will be deeply touched
with the sentiment... Tom

[Ellen]

Nancy,
Late with an echo here but it really is moving, and you have nailed it with out being overly sentimental. Great job, please share the second tribute.

[kayser]

Nancy- Very moving and just the right touch. I'm sure she'll appreciate it and it will bring a tear to her eyes.

[mom to 4]

Nancy:

It is really beautiful. I like the change to the color of the type also. Very moving. I love that you have the "greater love than this...." on it....I was going to suggest that earlier, but forgot.....

You have it just right. Stop. Put it to bed........it is wonderful.

[mom to 4]

Pauline:

I am sorry to hear about your Uncle.......


Robyn:

Being of Irish descent, I am always being told by my Italian husband that we are a COLD people..:eek: ..not touchy/feely.....I wonder if that is also the reason I have stayed away from scrapbooking, but I also think it takes a long time to do one page and really wonder if it isn't that I just can justify spending the time on ONE page, when I could maybe do something very simple to 10 photos........I like to think that is the reason........:D

[Vesta]

Nancy,

A tribute by definition: A speech, compliment, gift, etc. given in acknowledgment of admiration, gratitude, or repsect. You have said it and illustrated it all with impecable taste. This is very very moving.

Vesta

[Norm F]

Nancy,

Sorry to hear of your Uncle's passing. Obviously you are being impacted by the war in a big way.

Your scrapbooking skills are really amazing. Your stuff has a professional look to it. It's hard to believe you were struggling with the whole concept just a couple of months ago. I now have Matt's Scrabooker's DVD which I need to get busy watching. Other than this site and the forum, what resources have you been using to learn these new skills?

[Robyn]

, but I also think it takes a long time to do one page and really wonder if it isn't that I just can justify spending the time on ONE page, when I could maybe do something very simple to 10 photos

I'm a bit with you on this one Colleen.......and also perhaps is the fact that I can see that I'm not particularly good at it and feel like I'm flogging a dead horse a bit when I try scrapbooking. I'm going to have one last try using my granddaughter Sally (I am very close to her) and see if I can come up with something .......well anything that is halfway decent. (I'll post it as my grand scrappy attempt.) I want to be able to say.........well I've done one scrapbooking page that actually looks like a scrapbooking page that I'm pleased with.......and then I'LL MOVE ON. More than anything at the moment.......I want to try and become a better photographer and be able to capture a moment rather than a happy snap.:D

[Robyn]

Nancy,
Your scrapbooking skills are really amazing. Your stuff has a professional look to it. It's hard to believe you were struggling with the whole concept just a couple of months ago.

Norm.....I so agree with you.

Nancy......damn it.....I don't mind admitting that I'm just a tad 'jealous' of how you have developed your skills. Great work!

[WingAnimal]

Nancy -- Very nicely done! A very fitting tribute. It is so hard to capture every deep emotion that flows through each of us at the tragic loss of life. I think often most can be said with the least amount of words. You've done that.

[ME100FINN]

What an incredible project. Anyone would be blessed by a gift done so perfectly. It truly captures an emotion and preserves so much in such a small space. Chimin' in late here - but I'd lower the eagle lots more and the words hero-soldier-friend would be nice with a softer glow/blur. If not, I still love it the way it is...

[ktnoon60]

Nancy, what an awesome page! His mother will love it I'm sure. You've really blossomed as a scrapper while I've been gone. The pages in you gallery are wonderful also. It looks like you've found your niche, great work.

Terry

[NMarti]

Wow - you guys really blow me away. I feel like I don't have the slightest clue how to approach scrapbooking yet you see it as just that. This is, to me, more of a collage but then I guess that's what scrapbooking really is anyway. I feel like something clicked and it sort of came together but I still don't like all the fru-fru stuff that, in my own mind, still goes with scrapbooking. To me less will always be more so maybe I can do this after all.:rolleyes:

Thank you all so much for your strong votes of confidence. I am waiting on the pics for Chris and then I'll get back to the rest of Travis' book. I really don't want to settle in here as a scrapbooker, but I'm finding a lot of things I've been trying to learn are working quite well for scrapbooking (blending, backgrounds, word art etc). So Robyn, make a gorgeous collage with those cool blends that you do, add some nice words and there you go - a scrapbook page! You can do it!

Terry - I was wondering where you had been.

[JRR]

Very touching, Nancy. If you are doing one for the other person, you could just substitute pictures. I don't see any need to change perfection.

[road runner]

Nancy - You did a masterful job of presenting a real Hero - If he saw it, I believe he would blush and then break out into a real big smile. May the Lord bless you for you effort!

roadrunner

[NMarti]

Thank you so much Janine and Roadrunner. I never knew this boy but I think he would be okay with it.

[jazzfisher]

Nancy,
I'm playing a bit of catch today w/the forum.

That is a very beautiful & loving tribute, tears sprang to my eyes immediately---you couldn't do any better than you did.

Not exactly the same, but I am working on photos I took last year of a band who had brought a guest member. He was hit by a drunk driver last Sept. & is still in a coma. I'm putting together a cd, it was the last time they had all played together. So very sad....

[judystowell]

Nancy,
Your tribute is just beautiful. It gave me goose bumps looking at it - I'm sure the young man's parents will be so pleased.
Thanks for sharing.

Judy

[NMarti]

Thank you Judy and Sherry.

Sherry - I'm really sorry to hear that. I hope it goes well for you putting it all together. They are really hard to do - or maybe it's just I was putting too much emotion into it. Hope he recovers and is able to thank you in person for doing it for him.