The Beauty of Digital

We had the best Halloween night. It was my turn to go trick or treating with the kids and they had a blast. It was so much fun to see them run from house to house. The weather was perfect as well.

A couple of years ago, I created this layout for my daughter Ellie who was WonderWoman. Well, let's just say that Quinn saw it today and insisted that he have one as well. He had a few requests though. He needed Robin in the background and I should get rid of Captain American and substitute Hawkman in his position.
All I can say is that I LOVE digital.....15 minutes later and I know that I will have one happy little boy in the morning.

All products are from Designer Digitals.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to all of you! The kids are really looking forward to a fun day. They did trick or treating on Main Street this weekend and had a blast. Ellie informed me that she didn't want to go trick or treating. She thought it would be more fun to hand out candy. It made me kind of sad to realize that she is growing up so fast and leaving stages behind. We'll see what actually happens. I'm hoping that she goes. I thought I would post a few pictures so you can see the costumes.

Hippy Girl


A Fairy

Batman

The whole crew...

Have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by!

Deconstructing Project 365

Almost two years ago, I reluctantly started doing Project 365. I saw plenty of wonderful inspiration in the gallery and I thought it would be so cool to look back on how our days had been spent. I wish I would have done this when my kids were babies. I say "reluctantly" because I wasn't convinced it was something that I would follow through with because I'll admit it, I like scrapping what I want and I generally don't use templates. I think templates are fabulous but I like the freedom of a blank screen. I started the project at the beginning of 2010. I wanted it to be simple in hopes that I would follow through with the project each week. I created a basic template that you can find below. I included seven pictures and a little bit of journaling regarding each picture.





This is what I learned from the first year of Project 365

- I can do it and it is pretty simple if I use a template and stay caught up
- I love having a record of our daily lives
- it wasn't a problem to take a photo a day

When I began thinking about continuing the project in 2011, I tried to figure out what I really wanted out of the book. I would say that the first year, I was just kind of trying it out to see if was something that I could commit to. I found out that I could indeed keep up with the project and enjoyed it. I also discovered that there were some things that I wanted to change for 2011.

1) Journaling - our lives are SO busy that I knew I wanted to record more of what goes on in given week than the description of seven pictures. I love the way that my dear friend Elena who is also on the Creative Team at DD did her journaling for 365. She just listed random things and I followed her lead for this year. I am able to include so many more details with this method. I will certainly be following suit for 2012.

2) Focal photo - I decided that I wanted to include a larger focal photo on each page to make more of an impact.

3) Special Events - In 2010, my book contains exactly 365 photos....one for each day regardless of the day. I decided that I wanted this book to be more inclusive of our lives and that means including special pages for birthdays, holidays, trips, fun family outings. I think that this has been my favorite addition to this years book. I have so many more photos included because of these fun events that I wanted to document on a larger scale. You can see the bottom spread in which I have Quinn's first field trip on the right. I like this because if I fall behind in scrapbooking, I know I still have record of it right here in this album. Honestly, 365 takes the pressure off and allows me to have more time for what I call "fun scrapbooking".

4) Quote - I take a lot of inspiration from what others are doing. My dear friend Carol who is also on the Creative Team at DD has an awesome book going this year. She included in her album quotes that she liked. I LOVE that idea and was quick to incorporate it into my own album. On the bottom of each page, I wrote a famous quote. I really enjoy finding these quotes but I know that I won't do that part again next year....I'm running low on quotes.

5) Color Palette - I used a neutral color palette and color photos. I'm pretty sure that I will use neutrals again for 2012.

I'm just starting to think about next years project and what I want it to include. I thought if you were interested in going on this journey, it might be helpful to hear what things did and did not work for me. I would highly recommend it. My advice would be to just set aside a time that you will complete this project each week. My pages take me about 25 minutes to complete and I know that years down the road, I am going to love having a record of our entire year at my fingertips.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Create your Future Clip

My dear friend Elena posted this at Designer Digitals the other day. I just LOVE the message and the graphics. I thought you might like to see it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SDMwvFr5Gk&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Holiday Gift Idea

The holidays are right around the corner and I'm always trying to figure out gift ideas in advance so that I don't have to rush. Angie Wagner who is on the Creative Team at Designer Digitals shared a great project that I thought you might like to see. She uploaded a sample in the gallery last year and I knew immediately that I wanted to give it a try. It was so simple and made for some great gifts last year.

I bought a plain cream (or white) tile that was 6 inches by 6 inches. The tile cost less than a dollar. I purchased Mod Podge which is a sealer.
I printed out one of my 12 x 12 layouts to fit this tile. I'm guessing it was 5.75 x 5.75 inches. I placed the photo onto the tile and then brushed the Mod Podge over the top. I did three coats and let the tile sit over night inbetween coats.


I did one for each of the kids with my favorite layout from that year. I purchased little easels for them and that was it. I gave them to their grandparents. It was such a simple project. You certainly wouldn't need to do a layout that includes pictures. There are so many great products in the store, you could easily create something beautiful for a kitchen or a bathroom.

If you are looking for a gift idea, I promise you that it doesn't get any easier than this. Here is Amelia's tile from last year.

I hope you are having a great week. Thanks for stopping by!

My Style

I am REALLY enjoying class at Getting It Scrapped. I have been blown away by the pages that people are creating. Absolutely incredible work. The gallery is filled with inspiring pages. My kids have been hearing constantly "oh my gosh....look at this one". The people in the class have been so kind and enthusiastic. I'm going to be sad when it is all over...thankfully we have a few weeks left. One of my students was kind enough to ask me about my scrapbooking style and how I had arrived at this point. I thought I might share that with you as well.

I often hear people say "I recognize that it is one of your pages before I even click on the thumbnail". I don't know if it is good or bad but it would be safe to say that my pages have a unique look to them.

I have scrapbooked my whole life. As a paper scrapper, I would say that I LOVED the look of pages by Becky Higgins (she is no longer at Creating Keepsakes). I would immediately flip to her sketch when the magazine came in the mail and try to lift her page. Her pages were always simple and clean. My husband gave me Photoshop Elements for Christmas one year and I had no clue what it was or what I would use it for. He said "trust me, this is right up your alley". He installed it on the computer for me and I tried to play with it that night. I was SO frustrated that I let it sit for a year. Then I wanted to see if I could create more unique looks for titles on my paper pages. I figured out a few very basic things about how to use text. Then I saw a blended image in a magazine advertisement that intrigued me and I was determined to figure out how they did that. I bought a basic photoshop tutorial by Scott Kelby. I played and played with it until I had it down. I could blend a photo before I could do anything else in Photoshop. Then I took a couple of classes at Jessica Spragues site that gave me some of the basics of Photoshop.

While I was in Jessica's classes, she included products in her classes from Katie Pertiet which led me to Designer Digitals. I discovered a whole world of incredible products that could enhance my blending and everything else for that matter. I dropped my paper scrapbooking and went all digital. I haven't looked back. I have taken a couple of classes since then. One by Pattie Knox at Getting It Scrapped called Art Journaling...which was fabulous. I also took another class that was very template based which just isn't my style. One of my favorite things in life is looking at a blank screen and figuring out how to use it.

I honestly think that I have two types of pages. 1) Bold and Artsy 2) Bold and Clean. My "artsy pages" obviously involve blending and these are my favorite pages to create. I love to try new techniques that can enhance my photos and I do a lot of "playing" in Photoshop. I always want my photos to be the most important aspect of the page. If you came to my house, you would see some of these pages hanging on my walls as well as some of the walls of friends and family members. The second type of page that I like to create is a very traditional scrapbooking page that could probably be duplicated as paper if I had the right products. When I am telling a story of an event or something that has a lot of journaling, I go to this type of page. Again, I still like the photos to be the most important aspect of the page and I like clean lines.

I guess I would describe my style as bold and graphic which I think is interesting because if you met me in real life, this would not be how I characterize my personality. I consider myself quiet and reserved. At any rate, I LOVE every aspect of creating art and documenting life. It has certainly become my passion in life and I'm just giddy that I get to share it with others. I never would have thought that I would EVER be teaching a class on Photoshop when I opened that Christmas gift from my husband years ago. God has certainly been good to me and I'm so grateful that I get to share this passion with the people in my class, the members of the Designer Digitals community and everybody who reads my blog.

I saw this quote yesterday and wanted to share it with you:
We shape our lives not by what we carry with us but by what we leave behind.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Framing without the Frame

I just took a stroll through my gallery and I think it would be safe to say that I use some type of a frame on almost every page. There are so many fabulous ones in the store...of course I'm going to use them. But occasionally I try to frame my image without using a frame just for a different look.

I like to create a shape...usually some type of rectangle...add a drop shadow to it and then attach a photo. I think it gives it a clean look and helps create depth on a page. Sometimes I simply attach the photos to the shapes and other times I use that shape as a little canvas for blending. It is such a simple technique to use. I thought I would show you some examples of this...

All products are from Designer Digitals.

Again, this technique is so simple but you might want to give it a try. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend!

October Pages

I hope you are having a great week. We have had a fabulous fall...so beautiful and warm. This week the temperatures have dropped significantly. Fall is hands down my favorite time of the year to take pictures and also scrapbook because of all of the amazing products in the store.

Life has been extremely busy over the last couple of week which is good but there never seems to be enough time in the day or rather at night when I can be productive...thus the blog has been neglected over the last couple of weeks. I'm trying to get my hands around a few scrapbook projects that I need to get started. The first is a vacation album from this summer, the second is that I decided that I would be more prepared for December Daily this year and I'm also trying to figure out how I want to approach 365 for next year. Each of these projects wil involove templates to make it more manageable but I'm trying to figure out which templates and product line that I want to use.

I'm hoping to get back to a regular blog posting schedule here soon. I thought I would just post a few pages from the last couple of weeks.

All products are from Designer Digitals.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week!

Masterful Scrapbook Design - November

It has been a very busy week....WONDERFUL....but very busy. Class is rolling at Get It Scrapped and let's just say that I am over-the-moon with what I am seeing in the galleries! It has been so much fun and I'm so proud of how everybody has embraced the material that I shared with them in the first week of class.

I am also excited to tell you that I will be guest teaching at Masterful Scrapbook Designs for the month of November. Masterful Scrapbook Designs was created by Debbie Hodge and it is now in it's second year. Each month she has a panel of guest teachers. Last year it was four guest teachers each month and this year it is five. With each month is a new topic. The topics are fantastic and there is such a variety. The topic for November is Texture and Dimension. The guest teachers provide examples of their work. I am providing 10 examples for my work for November and then explaining design aspects of my pages. These examples are included in pdfs in which Debbie puts all of the layouts and ideas together. Each teacher also writes an article and has a live webinar in which people that register can ask questions. I just think Debbie came up with a winner with this format. There is SO much information included each month from both traditional paper and digital scrapbookers. I have enjoyed it so much and found so much inspiration from everybody. In November, I will be guest teaching with May Flaum, Michelle Clement, Cindy Liebel, and Peppermint Granberg. You can learn more about it here.

October 10th

October 10th has finally arrived and I am so excited. Class started today. The first lesson was posted at midnight last night and I woke up early this morning and a beautiful page has already been posted in the gallery (thank you Val) at Getting It Scrapped. It was a perfect way to start the morning. I'm so excited about starting this new journey in my life.

Jeff was in Kansas City all weekend with our neighbor. He returns today and that makes me very happy!

The weather here has been incredible....80 degree temperatures and the colors of fall are amazing. My camera has been getting a workout!

Here are some photos from the last few days. On Friday, I took Amelia and Quinn to this fabulous little farm. We had a blast!

This is our sweet little neighbor who always comes to see if the kids will play with her. She just turned two and yesterday when I came out into our garage she was standing there and said "Mia jump leaves". It was precious.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Blending and Beyond Information

We have been busy putting the finishing touches on class. It has been so fun to see it come together and we are ready to roll. If you have registered for class, we would appreciate it if you could get all set up in the forum and gallery within the next day or two. We want to make sure that everybody is set for Monday. Here are some important dates that I wanted to pass along to you.

October 8th - Registration closes at midnight Eastern Time

Monday, October 10th - Week 1 (Blending) Recording and Class Materials will be posted
Wednesday, October 19th at 9 PM Eastern Time - Week 2 (Blending) Live Webinar (Recording available within 24 horus)
Monday, October 24th - Week 3 (Spilling Over Technique) Recording and Class Materials posted
Wednesday, November 2nd at 1 PM Eastern Time - Week 4 (Spilling Over) Live Webinar (Recording available within 24 hours)
Monday, November 7th - Week 5 (Extractions) Recording and Class Materials posted
Wednesday, November 17th at 9 PM Eastern Time - Week 6 (Extractions) Live Webinar (Recordings available within 24 hours)

Thanks for ALL of the support. Looking forward to "seeing" you in class!

Have a great day!

My "Stuff"

Someone recently asked me about my equipment. I thought it would be kind of fun to do a blog post on this. I'll start by saying that I don't like change so if I find something that I like....I usually stick with it for a LONG time.

I have a Canon 7D body which I love. I upgraded to this last fall before we hit Disneyworld. My lens: Tamron 28 - 300 mm
This lens pretty much stays on my camera at all times.




My computer: I work on a PC...specifically Dell.

My software: I upgraded to Adobe Photoshop CS5 over the summer. I had used CS2 forever.

My albums: I keep my everyday pages in We R Memory Keepers 12 x 12 Faux albums and LOVE them. They hold so many pages. My albums are all cinnamon.



When I do an actual album from a trip or something specific, I use Shutterfly.

My Prints: I have my 12 x 12 pages printed at Persnickety Prints and I absolutely LOVE the quality.

My Products: Designer Digitals :)

I have to include this little book which has been with me since my paper scrapping days. I love to look for page titles and quotes in here.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Creating Keepsakes Blog

Katie Pertiet is guest blogging over at Creating Keepsakes this morning. The blog can be found here. She is talking about using blendable photo cards and even included a free sample for you to play with. These blendable photo cards are wonderful....they are so easy to use and create such beautiful effects. I hope you can hop on over there and check it out today.

Getting It Scrapped Fall Lineup

There are several new classes at Getting It Scrapped this fall. In addition to Blending and Beyond, Katrina Kennedy and Amy Kingsford are also teaching classes that I would love to take. Katrina has some fabulous photography classes this fall that can be found here. Amy Kingsford is offering a class called the MacGyver's Project Remix which helps you see your products in a new and creative way. Anna Aspnes recently did a post on this and is offering a coupon for those of you who have not registered yet. Debbie Hodge put together a "sneak peek" preview of my first week of Blending and Beyond tutorial and you can find it here. I'm very excited about all of the classes at Getting It Scrapped. I'm looking forward to a very fun fall!

Here is a peek at the very first layout that I will be creating in class which starts on October 10th.

I hope you are having a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!