A slightly later than usual Let’s Phlog Monday, but still posted on a Monday evening for all my readers waaaay over there.
I am more than a little bit excited about my post today because I have the opportunity of showcasing someone else’s amazing talent. It’s a real joy discovering something just a little bit different and having the channel to share it.
We live in a wonderful age where despite all of its sins technology has opened up a whole realm of possibility and connection beyond our front fence. I had the good fortune to meet up with a North American talented photographer and digital scrapbooker, Toni Legates, through technology and a mutual friend. Toni’s work runs the gamut from pure scrapbooking to visual melded design incorporating photography and scrapbooking. Put simply, I love her designs and I wanted to share a sampling with you.
Toni’s work moves beyond the realm of the obvious and incorporates a level of depth and dimension that is a feast to the senses. Every piece is meaningful and relevant. Every piece is a testament to designing talent.
Toni says “I’ve never worked in film photography. My first camera was a digital point & shoot. When I loaded the first photos I would take with this little low resolution camera I was instantly transported into a world of possibility. I also discovered I had much to learn. Shortly after realizing I could make magic with my camera I found a free open source, editing program called GIMP and set out teaching myself how to use it. Then it happened, I saw my first scrapbooking layout and knew that somehow I was home! Not only could I take and edit beautiful images but I could greatly increase their impact by creating a layout that helped tell the story of my photos. After teaching myself how to scrapbook and confidently putting those skills to use, I began looking around online at wonderful quotes and sayings that had deep meaning for me. Those words inspired me to create my own spin on them creating something not only uplifting but beautiful to look at. Every photo and every quote speaks to me and tells me what it wants to become visually.”
Please sit back and enjoy the work of Toni Legates straight from Toni’s digital darkroom.
A masthead for the blog, Love is An Action Verb:
Love is An Action Verb – design by Toni Legates
A highly stylized image with added artistic design elements to give a real piercing effect:
Nita’s Beaming Eye – photo and design by Toni Legates
A clever digital meld of two photos, which I am calling Smoke On The Water. A case of seek and you shall find?
Photo by Toni Legates
A digital scrapbooking montage of the quote Listening Heart:
Listening Heart – design by Toni Legates
You can find a further example of Toni’s work in my A to Z April Blogging Challenge post, O is for Orchard: Finding the Sweet Success of Life.
Toni’s designs leave an impression and I have carried them with me long after the first sighting. I hope you enjoy this magical mystical tour through Toni’s dark room and I can’t wait to see what new designs emerge from its depths in the future.
And now for the question of the day, is scrapbooking an action verb?
Raising the Curtain 
Scrapbooking as an action verb works for me. Then again, I don’t have much of a problem with verbing nouns, particularly in informal writing. 🙂
Works for me too. Much like faxing, facebooking and hoovering :).
Wow!! Such creativity. Thanks for sharing!!!
Toni’s stuff is great isn’t it? Talented much.
Absolutely!! So unusual!! Thanks for sharing!
thank you!
Wow. This is amazing. I’d like to try it, but it would probably turn out like my first knitting project. Nobody could recognize what it was.
Thanks so much for the visit and the comment. I won’t tell you about my first and last knitting project. Needles to say it drove me to try crochet.
Its doable Lutheranladies, I wrote a book about it now I just need to get it published….You can learn any skill you put your mind too.
Very talented indeed and such a great concept. Thanks for sharing this beautiful work.
Agreed and I love it that the internet now provides us with an opportunity to get talent out there.
My Dear Dear Friend,
You have made my week! Thank you so much for kind and generous words and sharing a bit of my art with the world! I’m almost speechless and a tad choked up at the moment. Suffice it to say, I love you to bits!
Don’t choke, Tone! You’re most welcome and can’t wait to see more. And … the feeling is mutual 🙂
Love it when I am introduced to new artists.. She does wonderful work..Thanks so much for the share!!
Thanks Lynne. You blog is such a great medium for that also. Thought I’d take a leaf out of your book :).
Thank you very much!
Oooh. I’ve never heard of digital scrapbooking before, but now I’m very intrigued. Also, I think Toni’s work is fantastic! Very inspiring 🙂
Thanks Rhonda it is inspiring and so clever. Great to see your comment around here :).
Rhonda what intrigued me about Digital scrapbooking vs. traditional scrapbooking is how amazingly clean and green it is, No trees loose their precious stature because all of the things that are beautiful about the texture and dimension you find in traditional paper scrapbooking. Is easily visually replicated in your computer. All of your beautiful digital papers and elements can be stored right on your hard drive to work with at your leisure. Once you master this skill you will never be at a loss when it comes to creativity. I actually wrote a book about how to learn this process with all the basic skills you need to get started. I just don’t know how to go about publishing it at the moment…
Thank you for bringing Toni’s work to my attention. That eye is just magnificent.
Thank you GOF that is the love of my life’s beautiful eye 😉 I’m headed over to your blog to have a look around.