ScrapMatters is having a sale to celebrate Digital Scrapbook Day. On November 1-2, 2008 receive 30% off everything in the shop except Commercial Use and Bella Scraps Magazine. We sure hope you will join us. Also we’re partnering with DigiScrap 101, so if you’re new to digital scrapbooking head over to digiscrap101.com and check out their wide array of FREE video tutorials and maybe win a prize or two.
Happy Halloween! Mary (littlehiccup) here with a few Halloween photo tips. The hardest part of making your Halloween photos GREAT can be working with low levels of light. With all those spooky (and not) subjects, you will definitely want to try some of the following tips to make your Halloween photos stand out with a few simple lighting tricks. Remember, some Halloween shots actually look better with low lighting because it adds to the mood. Depending on your camera, you may be able to use one or more of these methods. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, so in the spirit of Halloween…pick your poison!
Turn off your flash or diffuse it
1. Increase your ISO. This allows you to take better shots in lower light. But be careful, this also makes your images a bit noisy or grainy.
2. Slow down your shutter speed. This will allow more light into your camera, but you will catch any movement of your subjects. A good tip is to use a tripod (and very still subjects) if you use this method.
3. Increase your aperture. This also allows more light into your camera, but with this setting you lessen the depth of field.
4. Another idea would be to have the monster hold a flashlight about 6 inches under his or her chin and shine it up toward their face. It will remind you a little of telling ghost stories at camp, but the effect will be very ghoulish!
5. To diffuse your flash, you can use any of the following: colored cellophane, tissue paper, nylons, or a piece of a frosted disposable cup or translucent milk jug.
Shoot at dusk
If at all possible, shoot some photos outside at dusk. You won’t need to use your flash and you will get amazing results with the natural lighting. I guess there is a reason they call it the golden hour.
Tips for Jack-O-Lanterns
When shooting photos of jack-o-lanterns, make sure and put 2 or 3 candles inside. The more light the pumpkin gives off, the better your photo will turn out. You can also try using a flashlight to light up the front a bit, or use it as an uplight behind the pumpkin to give it a silhouette.
Hope these tips help. I can’t wait to see all those ghosts, goblins and Goofys in your LOs! I apologize for no pictures in this post, but I have to take them tonight!
Happy Haunting!
Hi, everyone . . . Jaime here with a little Hybrid tutorial for you. I have been a traditional scrapbooker for a long time, and for the past few years I have also loved digital scrapbooking. One of my favorite ways to merge the two is what I like to call “punchable hybrid”. Paper punches are one of my favorite traditional scrapbooking supplies, especially shapes like circles, squares, and tags because of their versatility. I like to create images in Photoshop to use with my punches, so I can just print and punch. Circles are what I use the most because they are easy to create, and I have a few different sizes of circle punches. Here are a few examples:
This is a cake I made not too long ago for my son’s birthday. He had a Halloween-themed party, so I used Britt’s kit “A Halloween Nightmare” to create these circles with the letters to spell my son’s name. I sized the circles to 1″, printed them, and used my 1″ circle to punch them out. I taped them onto toothpicks and stuck them in the cake.
This is a journaling tag I created awhile ago, and I use it all the time. I think it is the perfect little tag to add a date, tie to a gift, or whatever. Sometimes I print and punch this one, and other times I use it digitally as a brush.
Here is a mini card I made using the tag, but this time I added some text before I printed it out.
Like I said, I like circles because they are fairly easy to create in Photoshop. However, sometimes I like to use my other punches, too, so I’m going to show you how I go about making sure what I create is going to fit the punch I want to use. These screen shots are from Photoshop Elements 5.0, so the steps may differ depending on what program you are using.
First, punch a shape using a solid color and scan it in. The particular punch I am using is a tag punch by Stampin’ Up! I have two of these punches, one that is slightly smaller than the other, so they can be layered.
Now, select the magic wand tool and click somewhere on the white. Right-click and choose “select inverse”. (I do this rather than just clicking on the black part, because it doesn’t always select the correct part that way, especially if I used textured cardstock.) You should now have marching ants around your shape.
Create a new layer above this one, and go to Edit . . . Stroke Selection. I chose 5 pixels for the width and Inside for the location. Hide or delete the original layer (the scanned image). The outline is not perfectly smooth, but that’s okay because I’m not going to print that part anyway . . . it’s just there for a guideline. Now, using the outline as a guideline, create your tag (or whatever shape you are using). I created a birthday tag using the ScrapMatters Birthday Collaboration Kit.
Open a new document the size of the paper you will put in your printer (I use 8.5×11). Select all parts of your tag (you can merge the design part first if you want, just don’t merge the outline to it because we want to be able to hide it before we print), and drag it onto your new document. Copy this as many times as you want it to print.
Now, go in and hide or delete all the outline layers (I initially keep them to use as a guideline so I can make sure I give myself enough room between tags).
Now, print it out and you are ready to punch.
Like I mentioned earlier, I have another punch like this one, only slightly larger. So, I punched out some green tags and mounted the “Happy Birthday” ones on these. Most of these I will use to tie onto gifts, but I used one of them to create a 3×3 card.
I hope this tutorial was valuable to you! And, because I love freebies, I’m offering my oft-used journaling tag as a freebie. Included in the download is an 8.5×11 .pdf version of a sheet of tags that are ready to print and punch. They are sized to fit a circle punch that is 1.25 inches or bigger. I’m also including the .abr and .png forms so you can use it digitally, too. (Click on the preview to go to the download page.)
Enjoy, and let me know if you have questions!
Hello and happy Tuesday everybody 
I am Farha and happy to host the Tuesday Template Challenge with you.How’s life getting on ? Hopefully everyone in good health and will gear up for this fun fun challenge!
I would like to thanks Jeni Hopewell for her fabulous template to play with this week.
this is mine
credits here
these are other CTs inspiration layouts by :
Holly
jeni
stephanie
kim_b
what to do :
#1Download the template here (leave jeni loves, thanks!)
#2 Post your layout to this gallery (thanks!)
#3 copy the image link and post in this thread (thanks!)
Goodluck everyone and have fun, ok !
Lucky winner (will earn a bonus point) will be announce before the next Tuesday Template Challenge. Have a fun scrappy time because you have the whole week to scrap your heart out.
for more info and QA about the challenge system, you can read it here at our forum
hugs,
Farha
Thanks for your patience during the server transfer! It went much faster than planned. HURRAY!
Yeah, I thought the site was going to be down, but so far it’s not. So, I get to show off a VERY talented lady, for you all to scrap lift. I (alamama) love her LO’s. They are all so beautiful and each so different. I picked kkklatt!! You can check out her gallery here. She has many styles to choose from. Please make sure you post your LO’s in the forum.
When I asked the Creative Team/Design Team to come up with a FEW early enteries to inspire you they really gave me some beautiful lifts!!! There’s a lot so I had better get going!
Cyndi & I picked the same one: Random Photo Session
By Cyndi
By me (alamama)
By kkklatt “Big Boy”
By hallstepher
Sahlink and **Holly** lift the same LO bY kkklatt
By sahlink
By **Holly**
By kkklatt
By littlehiccup
By kkklatt
By kimbytx
By kkklatt
By neecceebee
By kkklatt
By TheWerners
Thanks for looking at this long post! I can’t wait to see wait you come up with!
Heather here, from the Scraps Matter Gang. Today I’m interviewing Yzerbear19, Melissa!
1.Your screen name? Your real name?
Yzerbear19 / Melissa
2. What is your main job/career?
I work full time at a pretty unglamorous and boring job, but I have
lots of time to scrap.
3. Are you married/children/pets?
I’ve never been married and have no children other than the
four-legged feline variety. I share 4 cats with my sister: Draco,
Isis, Morgana, and Cassiopeia. Draco and Isis are brother and sister
from the same litter. Morgana is their sister from a different litter.
My sister found Cassie in a tree in the yard in September 2006 and
when no one came forward to claim her we adopted her. They are all
super spoiled!
4. Where is home for you?
I live Michigan about 2 hours north of Detroit. I’ve lived in Michigan
my whole life so it is most definitely home. And despite the crazy
unpredictable weather and cold winters I don’t think I would want to
live anywhere else.
5. What are your 3 favorite foods?
This one is hard because there are so many things that I like. I think
my top three would be Lasagna with lots of cheese and absolutely no
meat, Deep-dish Chicago style Cheese Pizza, and what my family calls
Scalloped Corn. This is an old, old family recipe that is made from
cream corn mixed with eggs, milk, and saltine crackers then topped
with bacon and you bake it until the bacon is all brown and crispy. It
sounds kind of strange, but it is so good. My mom makes it for all
major holidays and family functions. It isn’t a family gathering
without it.
6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Its so hard to pick just one. I think my favorite would be Pistachio
or Cookies and Cream. I love the Breyer’s Cookies and Cream made with
Oreos.
7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet?
Definitely sweet. There are times when I like salty, but mostly prefer sweet.
8. Beverage of choice?
I drink mostly water. I think my favorite beverage though is St.
Julian’s sparkling White Grape juice. St. Julian Winery is Michigan’s
oldest winery located in Paw Paw and I don’t think its sold much
outside of Michigan, but you can order it online. I also like the
sparkling red grape, which is made with Michigan grapes. We usually
will get a few bottles of it for holidays and special occasions.
9. What’s your least favorite food?
I could probably write a short story on all the foods I don’t like.
I’m an EXTREMELY picky eater, but if I had to pick one food to be my
least favorite food it would be fish and seafood. I got really sick
when I was younger when I tried some seafood a couple of times and
haven’t tried it since. I also hate liver, Brussels sprouts, lima
beans, cauliflower, not a big fan of spinach. The list could go on and
on!
10. PC or Mac? What program do you use?
PC – A red Dell Inspiron laptop that was a belated birthday present to
myself. For software I use Photoshop 7.0 that I’ve had forever.
11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started?
I started digi-scrapping in March 2007 because I was frustrated by the
lack of paper and elements for Civil War related topics. I had all
these beautiful photos from the battlefields and paper scrapping
wasn’t really doing them justice. I saw a bunch of beautiful layouts
on another message board and decided it would be perfect for my Civil
War battlefield layouts. Once I started I was hooked.
12. What was your 1st LO about?
My first layout was of Antietam National Cemetery using one of my
favorite photos of “Old Simon” who stands at the center of the
cemetery. The words on it are from the poem “Bivouac of the Dead” that
is displayed around the cemetery on plaques. I didn’t really use a
whole of scrapbook elements on the layout.
13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there
other hobbies)?
I have TONS of other hobbies! I love to read, though I haven’t read
much lately. I read mostly historical romances. I have over 800 books!
EEK! I love to write, though again haven’t had a chance to write much,
but the inspiration for that hasn’t been there. I love to travel. I
love to go to Civil War battlefields. I’ve only been to 3 so I have a
lot more to go to. I also love all kinds of museums. I think my
favorite is the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.
My sister and I usually pick places that have a lot of history like
Boston, MA, Gettysburg, PA, or Washington, DC. And of course I LOVE
Disney. I’ve been to both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. I don’t
even remember my first trip to Walt Disney World because I wasn’t even
2 years old. I still love paper scrapping, though its difficult to
find time to work on it. My poor Cricut probably feels a bit neglected
right now. I am a huge hockey fan. I love the Red Wings, Michigan
State, and our local OHL team the Spirit. A lot of big names from the
NHL have played in the OHL, so its exciting to watch the young players
who may someday make the big league. I love figure skating as well,
though haven’t been as into it as in the past, but still watch it when
its on. Can’t say I have a favorite among any of the current skaters.
Though I do like Mirai Nagasu, Caroline Zhang, and am really hoping
Kimmie Meissner has a good season.
14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you?
This is an easy question . . . *TITLES*!!! I have the hardest time
thinking of clever and creative titles and often find myself using the
painfully obvious title. I have always struggled with titles, even
back in school when I had to write essays and stories. Titles have
always been something that just doesn’t come naturally to me.
15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to
scrapbooking?
I’ve always wanted to learn to play the violin. I took lessons for a
year in elementary school, but life was busy and there wasn’t time to
continue the lessons. Plus I never practiced. I would love at some
point in my life to take some lessons again.
16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows?
I love movies! I’m lucky because my sister is a HUGE movie buff so we
have a pretty large movie collection with all kinds of movies. I love
historical dramas and chick flicks. My three favorite movies (in no
particular order) are “Gone With the Wind,” “Legends of the Fall,” and
“Titanic.” I also love the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Disney’s
Mulan. I don’t watch much TV, but I’m a huge fan of the Amazing Race,
Psych, and the Tudors. I also like Reaper, Jon and Kate Plus 8, Law
and Order: SVU, and Monk. My friends and family know better than to
call on Fridays during Monk and Psych!
17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the
background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?
My “scrapping” environment is wherever I my laptop is. Sometimes it’s
the scrapbook room at home, sometimes the living room, often times my
desk at work. Most often I listen to classical music while I scrap
like Rachmaninoff or Vivaldi. I also like movie soundtracks like
“Memoirs of a Geisha” or “The Tudors.” If I’m working on a Civil War
themed layout I will often listen to Civil War music. Mostly its
instrumental so I can focus. If I’m at home in the living its usually
whatever is on the TV at the time, though sometimes I will put on one
of the music stations.
18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be?
That’s hard but I think probably stitches and flowers. I love stitches
in digi scrapping. They are way easier than in paper scrapping. And I
love flowers, I think they add a touch of elegance to a layout.
19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…?
I love Disney, but I *HATE* roller coasters. I am not a thrill ride
person by any means. When I was 7 I went on Space Mountain at Walt
Disney World with my oldest brother and nearly threw up on him. Last
year my sister coerced me to ride Big Thunder with her at Walt Disney
World and I screamed and cried the entire time. She won’t ever ride it
with me again. At Disneyland she rode it by herself while I sat nearby
and waited.
20. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style?
I’m not exactly sure what my style is. I like clean lines. I like
simplicity. I like elegant.
*21. Favorite LOs that you have done? *
I have a lot of favorites and each one for a different reason. Two of
my favorites are:
*Mulan* – Mulan is my favorite character and I love how this all came together.
*What do you see?* – I love this photo of Cassie
*22. Best Figure Skater Ever?*
Without a doubt, Michelle Kwan. I’ve been a huge fan since she won
her first World Championships in 1996 in Edmonton. There have been a
lot of highs and lows over the years as a fan, but its been an amazing
journey. Michelle is such an excellent role model, especially how she
has handled the disappointments in her career. She acted with class
and grace in 1998 after winning the silver at the Olympics. I think my
favorite moment is her long program, Lyra Angelica, from Nationals in
Philadelphia in 1998. What a magic moment. I wasn’t there in person,
but even on TV you could feel the magic and electricity. It was so
awesome and amazing. I have goosebumps just thinking about it. I still
have hope that she will come back. And through Michelle I’ve met some
wonderful people and made a lot of friends through the Michelle Kwan
Forum.
Check out Yzerbear19’s fantastic gallery here!
Thanks Melissa!
Hello ladies
Lina here with another Saturday Special!
Today’s Saturday Special will be about Word Paths!
Word Paths is a quite easy technique which you can use in order to make a text fit into a specific shape or even follow a specific shape! Today we are going to see how this can be done and apply it to our layouts!
Unfortunately, this technique cannot be done be people who use Photoshop Elements but there are some products in our store that apply to word paths and can be used by people who use Photoshop Elements!
Ok , Let’s see how it goes!
I use photoshop CS2 so I hope that my tutorial will be at least helpful for those who don’t!
1. On your layout let’s say you want to make a word path around your photo!
Duplicate the photo layer and make the duplicated photo a little larger , enough so that the typing around it will be obvious!
2. Then go to the layers palette and holding down the ctrl key click on the duplicated photo and you will see marching ants around it!
3. Then go to Paths and click Make Work Path and then OK!
After, you choose the horizontal Type Tool , the font and the Left Alligned Text, then click on the line exactly where you want your text to start!
Then write your text and remember to delete the duplicated photo ! And that’s all!
Now if you don’t want to follow a specific shape and just want to make a word path. You start by using the Polygonal Lasso Tool! You make the shape you want to! And then you follow the exact same procedure as in the previous case with the Paths!
Of course, there is the alternative case that you might want your text to be fit inside a specific shape. In this case you can follow either way but you don’t click on the line with the marching ants but inside the shape, so that your text will start inside the shape!
Here are some layouts I have made using Word Paths
Here are some layouts that our wonderful CT has come up with!
This one is by Monique aka Monsu using Shape it Up Text paths by Happy Scrap Girl and
Tickkle me Happy by Erica Zane
This one is from Mary aka littlehiccup using also Shape it up by Happy Scrap Girl and Muss’
new fantastic kit and alpha from Missed the Bus by Britt-ish Designs!
And this one is from Brit making a text within a shape using Muss’ BeautiFall kit.
So, remember that by completing this challenge you get one point and another if you use a new released product! Also, you can complete this challenge to get the point for this month or you can choose to complete it for November! If you decide on having the point for November you must submit your layout by 1st November and not before cause the point will be added to this month’s total!
My favourite layout will win an extra point and her name will be announced at the end of November!
Also, your layout must be unique for this challenge and cannot be used for any other challenge.
Finally, you must submit your layout to this thread in the forums if you want to get your point(s) for the challenge!
That’s all from me. Can’t wait to see your layouts!!!
Huggs
Alamama here for your Photo tip of the day. I am still a bit new to this, but I wanted to share with you a little of what I do to my photos to “enhance them.” These instructions are for PSE.
Let’s take your photos from this:
To this:
This is VERY easy. If I can do it, you can do it. It’s what I call it “Christine Do-Able”!!
Can’t wait to see your pictures using this!!! Thanks for taking the time to read this!
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