Challenge#203

[Grant]

This one should be no surprise ... express your feeling for the season in whichever artistic manner you see fit!

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http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Challenge/Challenges.html

Present and Past Challenges will remain Until tomorrow at 7:00 pm the then
the Present will be Past and new images will be posted as Present.

* Important notice to all the new people in this forum. This is not a
close shop you are all invited to submit an image. If you don't think you
are good enough this is your first mistake, I think most have found that
working on the Challenge has improved their personal level. So young and
old, hot shots and cool dudes now is you time to post.
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[Grant]

I am in the middle of creating my yearly newsletter/seasonal greeting web pages pages and it struck me that I hadn't posted the Challenge. So I took a welcome brake from writing HTML coding for my Christmas pages to write HTML code for the Challenge pages.


The images just seem to get better and better with each Challenge .....

http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Present/index.html

Notes for viewing.

1). Clicking on the thumbnail will open a larger image.
2). Clicking on the larger image will advance you to the next larger image.
3). If you are using Internet Explorer F11 will toggle a full screen view

... gives the images a view they deserve.

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__________________
Grant

[AngelicKim]

Some great holiday images already. Hope I can find time to get one in this time.

[kimi_boo]

Oh Steven... you sure know how to put a smile on!! :D :D

[nkeevers]

Okay, now what is the challenge? I didn't find anything!

[Wendy]

Hi Norma ...

Every year at this time the Challenge is free format ... so you simply express your feelings in any way you like.

Its the Seasonal Greetings Challenge ... and I'm doing Christmas Cards :)

If you look very carefully in the corner of my first one you will see that I slipped the magic number in :)

Wendy

[chas3stix]

Hi all,
Great submissions...as usual. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Chas

[nkeevers]

Wendy, I see that...cool!

Ward, great idea!

And everyone's else's are all great. If I can get a minute in between my last minute Xmas shopping, etc. I might think one up.

[Byron Gale]

Ward,

Very c_ever!!! :p

Byron

[Ward Grant]

Thanks Byron and Norma for your comments. I must admit I've seen this idea before so it is not totally original.

[Grant]

Season's Greetings, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Once again the Dixon's have published their yearly Christmas web site, and I do believe this is our twelfth year. We love sharing each one with our family and friends from around the world. Please enjoy the music, read the gifts, and reflect. Have yourselves a very Merry Christmas.

http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Christmas/Index.html

Love

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[Wendy]

Grant ...

Each year I find myself waiting for and looking forward to seeing your Christmas web site ... The sentiments you express in it always bring home to me the spirit and love of Christmas.

Thank you for all you do and I hope that you and you family enjoy a happy and peaceful Christmas :)

Love to you all
Wendy

[Sissy]

Oh my. This is my first Christmas with the PET forum, and your posting took me by surprise. I loved your letter and looking at all the pictures. Then I read the first gift; the tears started flowing. Then I read the second gift; my heart went out to the spiders with more tears. But I liked to have lost it when I looked at the third gift. What a beautiful memorial.

Grant, you are phenomenal.

[nkeevers]

Grant, what an awesome Christmas website! It brought tears to my eye! What a nice gift for everyone! Thank you so much and you and yours have a wonderful holiday and a prosperous and happy New Year!

[chas3stix]

Grant,
Your Christmas website is just FANTASTIC! Merry Christmas to you and yours and all the best in 2007. With all the remodeling going on,was Debbi Travis hiding in the shadows?...:D
Chas

[BobWarren]

It's Christmas Eve, an appropriate time for comments on our Seasonal Challenge contributions, don't you think? And I have all but one present wrapped (and one I can't remember where I hid).

ALEX B: Great job on the ornaments and holly wallpaper.
BEN M: A full moon or a day shot turned into night? Nice work.
BYRON G: Love the hat -- how did you do the 'fur'?
ELLEN H: Nice use of the ornament background for the affirmation.
CHARLES Y: Here in Chicago, where it should be snowy, we had sunshine and almost 40 today -- great use of the snowfall pic.
GARRY W: Nice work on the snow globe.
JACK S: A pair of great snow scenes -- either would make a great card.
JODI C: Even sharks need a holiday!
JODI F: A beautiful scene, a great frame and wonderful work on the rays shining from the text -- a very happy holiday to you, too!
MALCOLM D: This globe is looking a little familiar -- love the contents in this one.
KIMI B: Love your choices for text fonts here.
RITA G: Great work on the stained glass.
MARILYN L: Very pretty -- I am always impressed with your abilities with hair. Now I have to add admiration for the confetti!
NORMAN K: Cute Yorkie - and nice work on the corner ornaments.
RED S: Love the message in the smoke and the Old Man in the Moon. The little touches like the candles in the windows are great.
ROBYN L: Absolutely professional -- who's the tike?
SISSY: Nice job transmuting the orchid.
TOM M: Very effective use of contrasting elements to get the message across -- the stencil font is a nice added touch.
TREVLYN: Ah, Duchess, good to see you back -- that squirrel needs to work on his coat!
WARD G: Great pun in #1! Nice work on the ornaments in #2.
WENDY W: Neat card display -- the metal elements really shine.

A happy holiday to all!
Bob Warren
http://www.rewarren.com/challenge/chl203.htm
RANDOM GALLERY:
http://www.rewarren.com/challenge/random.html

[Byron Gale]

BYRON G: Love the hat -- how did you do the 'fur'?Thanks, Bob!!

I made it using a David Nagel brush set I downloaded from www.creativemac.com (http://www.creativemac.com) years ago. It is his free set #12 for hair and fur.

Regretfully, it appears that the archives there are now missing sets #2 - 15. :(

Byron

[Red Sky]

Thanks for the comments Bob. Both yours are great; got to love the sky gradient in #2! Hope you find the gift you hid.

[Red Sky]

Grant- Your Christmas web page was wonderful, and very moving, especially Part 3. Peace on earth; kind of a hard concept to grasp these days. Best to you and Doreen.

[mrod]

Thank you, Grant, for the time and effort in your Christmas site, and all year as well.

I loved the Pearl S Buck story. As instructed, I reflected. I remembered my own childhood, when my brothers and I would get up to help my dad feed the animals, even on Christmas. Before any presents were opened, breakfast eaten, or hot chocolate drank, we went out to care for the horses, sheep, and goats. I remember those times fondly, though I probably didn't appreciate them as much as I should have back then, when we were young, life was simpler, and the biggest concern was how to break through the ice in the water troughs, and who's turn it was to drive the tractor. Simple, like the shepherds in all their fear and excitement, running to see the Child, and then telling everyone they met.

Many blessings to you all on this Christmas.

Mike

[Ritage]

Grant,

thank you for sharing your wonderful Christmas gifts.

I hope you are having a joyful day today and wish you and Doreen great success with all your plans for the new year.

Rita

[chas3stix]

Bob,
Thanks for the kind words. Two inches of snow in the Las Vegas valley is an event! That same storm dumped two feet of snow on Denver.
Being raised in Chicago I remember more white New Year's Days than white Christmases. I also don"t have fond memories of twenty below and four feet of snow...:)
Chas

[Ward Grant]

Bob-Thanks for taking the time on Christmas Eve to comment on everyone's entries. I hope Santa was nice to you.

Grant-Thanks for the Christmas pages and three gifts. Very well done and very appreciated.

[Robyn]

Thank you Grant for sharing your Christmas site with such wonderful gifts.

Bob, thank you for taking the time to comment on the submissions. The little girl in mine is one of my granddaughters, Sally.

[Wendy]

Have to admit that this was a special Challenge for me as one of my entries is the 500th one I have submitted ... I couldn't resist adding a tiny 500 into it :)

Alex ... Nice card. I really like the way you have used an ornament as the frame for the photograph.

Andie ... Love the warmth you have in the image ... and those flares add the finishing touch

Ben ... Oh that brings all the cold snow into Christmas ... I love snow.

Bill ... Now that did make me laugh. What a fun card !!

Bob ... Stunning effect in No 1 ... do tell us how you did it. No 2 is beautiful, great colours and textures in there.

Byron ... Oh that is so cute ... what a neat way to celebrate.

Ellen ... Beautiful work on all that blending. It looks good.

Charles ... Wow that looks like a fairytale scene ... so pretty.

Chris ... Wow I love the way you have done it and would really like to know how you did it all??

Garry ... Nice work on the image and the snowglobe makes a great way to display it !!

Jack ... What a beautiful photograph in No 1 and very nicely framed. How did you do No 2 ... its just so effective!!

JodiC ... Love the ornament and the subject certainly made me laugh.

Jodi ... What a truly delightful image you have created for us ... its just wonderful :)

Karin ... What neat New Year Card and I love the neon text !!

Malcolm ... I really like the serenity you have in your image and nice work with the colours of the snowglobe.

Kimi ... Oh very nice ... I love the fading out and those rays of light are great.

Rita ... Nice work on the glass, it looks really festive.

Rod ... Beautiful soft dreamy look .... it makes a really great card.

Marilyn .... Oh that is so pretty. It really should be a book illustration.

Norma ... What a lovely photograph and it really makes a very nice card ... the flares are a great touch.

Steven ... Oh that is clever !! ... nice work on it.

Robyn ... A truly delightful layout and beautiful blending. I love it :) Just have to ask which font you used??

Sissy ... What a pretty card and the ornament looks great !!

Susan ... What an effective card ... clever idea and very nicely done. It looks great !!

Tom ... Great work on the globe ... it looks real. Great work on it!!

Trevlyn ... Oh that is fun. Looks like your front yard squirrel is having fun. It makes a lovely card :)

Ward ... Neat pun on the word Noel in your No 1. Certainly made me laugh ... nice work on it . Really like No 2 the series of ornaments is a clever idea and they look so good.

Wendy

[Byron Gale]

Byron ... Oh that is so cute ... what a neat way to celebrate.
Wendy,

Thank you!

Curly must have been a good bird this year (when I wasn't looking!) because Santa filled his stocking with millet sprays -- his favorite!!

Byron

[scrapperjlc]

JodiC ... Love the ornament and the subject certainly made me laugh.


Wendy

Thanks Wendy. Actually, my submission was for Challenge #202, not #203, but I guess since it was an ornament Grant decided to add it to the holiday ones too, which is fine, but a shark eating a house was not really my intention for a season's greeting to all! :D

Jodi

[Robyn]

Hi Wendy,

Once again, thank you for taking the time to comment. The font I used was Flaemische Kanzleischrift.

[Ellen]

Thanks Grant for sharing your Christmas letter and gifts, they were beautiful.

Thank you Bob and Wendy for taking the time and care to comment, and Wendy congrats on having 500 entries.
Happy New Year everyone and may all our challenges be as pleasant as those here.

[billz]

Wendy - Thanks for the comments. Ruby certainly looks to be enjoying her first Christmas. That's a card you'll treasure.

Bill

[Ward Grant]

Wendy

Challenge entries submitted.....500
Forum posts.....................25,000
---------------------------------
Your contributions...........priceless

[Tom M]

25000 !!!!???***** http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/1654/jawdroppingix7.gif

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/2530/applause150zr2.gif

[Robyn]

500 for Wendy!

I must have missed that. Congratulations on 500 superb entries......you always lead the way for the rest of us mere mortals! :D

[Wendy]

Well thank you for the kind words :)

Made my day !! ...

... and I just noticed that Wendy's Mini Tutorials (http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3641) now has over 26,000 viewings :eek:

Maybe one day I will catch up with it ...

Wendy

[Ritage]

Wendy,

congratulations on all your achievements!

Now, isn't it time for a book? You've got all the material and just need to put it together. And then you can assure any prospective publisher that we'll all buy it.

Rita

[Wendy]

Rita ...

Oh No way could I do that ... :eek:

Wendy :)

[chas3stix]

Wendy,
Congrats again.......500 challenge entries.......you've been quite busy!
Should you write the book please place me in the missing chapter....:D
Chas

[kimi_boo]

Wendy... I think a book is a wonderful idea!!
A book of tutorials... full of creative ideas. It would sell like hotcakes. :D
There is nothing like it out there.

put my order in, I'll buy one!

[jstorck]

Wendy,

Congrats on 500/25000. Now convert that to hrs, mins, secs, weeks, etc... WOW!!!!

Thanks for your comments.

#2 was a color photo my brother took this year at the city park. I used the grey to ... filters from Flamming Pear on 3 layers and adjusted the opacity. I then used color burn, I think, and applied a texture to the second layer. I then added a B/W clipart of people and a candy cane. I think that was it. Many times I still end up with my meanderings through the menus. I should one day start recording them incase I want to try them again.

[BobWarren]

Bob E. Warren - 2:11pm Dec 31, 06 PST (#12 of 12)

Wendy --
Thanks for your comments. As usual, the explanation is at:

http://www.rewarren.com/challenge/chl203.htm

I filled a copies of the two lines of the text with a gold color, then used a radial blur to make the radiating light. The overall look is a combination of the poster edges and rough pastels filters.

Bob Warren