Showing posts with label Inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inspiration. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 21

Sentimental Sappy Day, Freebie, and Filter Challenge

I've begun my sentimental sappy mom day! My baby is 21 and I am sure he won't appreciate me getting all sentimental and sappy, but maybe those that like freebies will because I made one especially to celebrate this moment.

Download Freebie



I tend to take these moments and wallow in them. It is amazing what digital scrapbooking does to help me through those 'oh so emotional moments. I have always said it is good therapy. Scrapping those good moments with those bad moments is healing. I had fun digging out an old photo and crying over it as I scrapped.

Credits on this layout other than my freebie go to Flergs Denim Blues. I recently purchased a few of her kits and I am really enjoying them.

With this layout, I am encouraging you to use a the Underpainting Filter in a layout. Join the challenge here. I simply made a selection of the photo and hit Control J to put it on its own layer. I ran the filter on the copied selection and added a drop shadow.It provided a perfect area to add a title and created a simple artisticness to the layout.

To understand how the Underpainting Filter works, one must first reflect on oil painting techniques with a brush on canvass.



When an artist paints on canvass, after making the general outlines, they create the underpainting, which in effect is simple large areas of general color. Thereafter they paint in the details.

To change the brush size, you change the size of the large areas of general color. The next slider in the filter changes the "texture coverage" and I would recommend just playing with it to watch what it does. To me, it appears to change the amount of area that the texture of the canvas shows through.

The last options on this filter are the same as in the texturizer filter. Although oil painters often painted on canvas, you may choose any texture, even those you have created yourself and loaded. Change the scaling, relief, and direction of light as you do in the texturizer filter.


So, I asked for permission in the forums yesterday to be sentimental and sappy. Of course, the ladies were so fun and friendly and granted me permission, followed by yet another food discussion....yep! What better way to wallow in one's sappyness than to enjoy sappy syrup!

I found that quite funny as I had already planned on having Texas Toast for dinner last night.

I am curious, do people in Texas think of this as Texas Toast? Or is the rest of the country just odd for calling it that?

I am also curious as to how you make your Texas Toast?

I purchase the bread called "Texas Toast" as it is thick, but it does work with regular bread also.

I crack eggs in a bowl and beat them with a fork with salt, pepper, dried mustard, and milk, just as I would for scrambled eggs. Thereafter, I soak the bread in the egg mixture, turning to soak both sides, before frying it in a pan like a pancake.

I would love to hear how you make yours! I find this a bit humerous as the last time I talked about egg salad, oh...I mean eggsalas, the power of suggestion was effective!

Have a wonderful beautiful day on me! Enjoy! ....and I look forward to your comments, as always!

Sunday, July 1

Layout with Grandchildren

I saw this layout today by Lottie and just had to share! You can see her credits at DST.

Lottie…this is totally awesome! I have to scraplift this idea girl! I’ve not seen one like this where the grandparent is extracted with all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren are in filmstrips behind….so cool!

It caught my eye because I was so blessed to have had my grandparents for so long, which your title indicates. However, this inspiration is great inspiration for a genealogy book too. A page like this could be done for each grandparent.

Thursday, June 28

ScrapInspiration

It has been a long time since I have posted one of these posts!

To see previous ideas, just click on the "Inspiration" tab at the top of this blog!
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Place three squares together of your favorite papers and tuck them into layout corners for balance.

Put a collection of circles behind a photo, each with a different blending mode.

Remember to scrap life lessons in your pages to leave for generations to come. Try this quote: "Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it." Eving Berlin

Put a circle of words around and partially on top of a photo, but erase part of the words so that it appears to go behind the photo.

Wednesday, June 27

Page Counting for Digital Scrapbookers

It is common in the digital scrapbooking world to see comparison of page counts. That is, how many layouts have been completed this year. In forums, many ladies keep their page counts in their signature lines.

Since I am trying to organize my folders because I feel I am a year behind on layouts, I thought I would do a page count. Goodness, it sure does lift my motivation to release I have done 63 layouts this year! I had forgotten all the cub scout and boy scout layouts I did to create a remembrance book through the years when my boys obtained their Eagle rank. That really boosted my count.

I have learned that when I am down about my layout progress, a page count really is a surprise and a boost! Try it!

Nonetheless, I am still behind on layouts and needing to get organized so that I can know where to start to get caught up.

I had an organization system which included what was printed and what was backed up, but it went to the wayside when all my time was committed to writing tutorials a year ago. I have neglected my own treasure keeping for giving to others by way of tutorials. I need to redirect my time partially.

I have spent the last few days reorganizing in a new system, printing layouts that have not been printing, and soon will make a list of the layouts I need to complete.

I thought I would share with you how I easily counted my pages in XP. From the folder where I keep all of my digital layouts, I activated the search box. In the search box, I left the name field blank.

I expanded the drop down fields to reveal the fields to specify a date modified and changed the dates to Jan 1 through today. Click the search button.















When the search is completed, if you keep your layouts in both the layered file (.psd for Photoshop) and one or two sizes of .jpg, it may be a little work to count.

To make this easier, choose the "Details" view in the "View" drop down menu.














Click on the column field for "Type" to sort the search results by file type. all of the .jpg images will now be grouped together for ease in counting.

Please feel free to leave a comment here and share with me and other readers how many pages you have finished in the first half of 2007!

Do you think you will be able to create that many in the second half of 2007?

I am curious as to who has the highest and who has the lowest count!

Wednesday, March 21

Simple Suggestions to Inspire your Digital Layouts

Allow photos at mats to go off the edge of the layout.

Put the title right on the photo.

Monday, March 19

Digital Inspiration for Today

Use this title for almost any subject matter, even a new child walking or anyone’s favorite hobby: Your ______ career.

Use thin circles between a photo and a background layer to draw attention to the photo.

Sunday, March 18

Tag of a Photo


I ran a game yesterday that was a lot of fun, but was not able to get a tutorial written. I am going to try to write something today. While you are waiting, here is a bit of inspiration for you which I created during the game.


I threw this together quickly with my first robin photo. Use a tag shape to cut a portion of the photo into a tag.
Leave the tag in place with the photo. Maybe even leave the photo large as the entire background. Try reducing the opacity of the photo and leaving the new tag in regular color. Try blurring the background photo. Try any shape you can think of as a tag shape.
Just experiment with different ideas that may float through your mind and try it!
Use this technique to bring focus to a portion of a photo.
Credit for the rope above is to Microferk.

Saturday, March 17

Scrapping Inspiration

Hang a tag from the edge of an angled photo.

Is your child growing up too fast? Use the title: “My Dreams for You” and journal.

Friday, March 16

Digital Inspiration for Today

Use a pin to attach a journaling mat/card to a folder or other mat.

Scatter adjectives around the layout in different directions.

Wednesday, March 14

Digital Inspiration for Today

Angle the photo and the mat at different angles; use buttons or eyelets to hold them down.

Place three flowers along a ribbon (rule of thirds).

Tuesday, March 13

Inspiration for Layouts for Today

Have a photo of a smiling birthday gal or guy? Use the title: Birthdays Bring Joy

Stroke a photo with a thin strip a short distance from the photo’s edge, putting the stroke on its own layer, so that there is a transparent area between the photo’s edge and the border.

Sunday, March 11

Digi Inspiration

Wrap a ribbon around the bottom of a photo several times.

Use the title: You grew up when I wasn’t looking.

Saturday, March 10

Digital Inspiration for Today

For a wedding photo, use the title “The Best is Yet to Be.


Use ribbons to divide a layout into “color blocks.”

Friday, March 9

Digital Scrapbooking Ideas for Today

Use a jeans belt loop as a hanger for a tag.

Got a couple of boys who like to play in the mud? Use the title “Mud Buds.”

Thursday, March 8

DigiSpiration for Today

Use two journal strips vertically attached to a mat with brads as if hanging a sign.

Use alphabets on top of a rope as if they were strung along it for the title.

Wednesday, March 7

digital scrapbooking inspiration - oh yeah!

Use a “paint strip” under one side of a mat to draw attention to a photo.

Use a brad on a journal strip over a photo utilized like a prong.

Tuesday, March 6

DigiSpiration for the Day

Alternate each letter of a title on top of a different background square.

Use three or four small buttons and one large button placed in the shape of a pet print.

Monday, March 5

DigiSpiration is Here

Use slides to highlight all or one word of the title.

Hold down a photo with a ribbon (tuck the photo under a ribbon); hold down each end of the ribbon with eyelets.

Sunday, March 4

DigiSpiration

Use blocks of words to describe a loved one.

Use a background to make a photo mat.

Place a tag behind a photo (and a mat).

(credit for the above three are from Tina Williams's newsletter - hey, I had to preserve them in my collection, didn't I?)

Use journaling strips inside of a pocket.

Is there a trait that runs in your family? Big ears? Big nose? Dig out photos of the generations and scrap this family trait.

Saturday, March 3

DigiSpiration

Record a baby’s first year by creating a circle of elements (with an open center) like a clock, with each number of the clock representing a month.

Take a photo of your baby’s favorite blanket and use it as a background.

Use photo corners around the outer corners of your entire layout, rather than just around photos.