Hi everyone!  Hope you are having a good start to the New Year!  I am hosting your Tuesday Template this week.  Hope you enjoy!

Download Here

Here is what I did with it using Guess How much I love you by Becca and wordart by Sahlin Studio

and some inspiration from the CT

Jill made this adorable layout with Miss Mary Jane by Jennifer Barrette

Jan made this great layout

and Melissa made this beautiful layout with These Moments – reloaded by Juno Designs

and the rules…you have until the end of January to complete this challenge. Upload your layout to the Tuesday Template Gallery and come back to the forum and link us up. You will receive one point for completing the challenge . You don’t have to use ScrapMatters products-but we sure love it when you do! You can earn an additional point for using any NEWLY RELEASED product from the SM store! (Please indicate that you used something new with your LO/link in the forum.) And, one lucky winner (random) will receive an ADDITIONAL point at the end of the month!

Remember no double dipping…your layout must be unique to this challenge. Can’t wait to see what you come up with.

Thanks for playing along!

Stefanie

Happy January everyone!! I hope your new year is off to a great start!! Are you ready to make and get some more awesome quickpages?!

January means we are entering the months of snow, mittens and hot chocolate. Our featured kit for this months Exchange is perfect for scrapping all of your fun moments romping out in the snow or those times when you are getting warm and cozy back inside. Chocolate Frosted Snowflakes by Stolen Moments is packed with beautiful blues and browns perfect for this season! So scrap one 12x 12 page with this kit and turn it into a quickpage to get back a whole album to scrap all your winter memories this month! The kit will be 30% off beginning January 11th through the end of the month so you will be able to pick it up for the exchange.  Full details are available in the forum.

And here is the full kit..

I can’t wait to see your awesome creations with this amazing kit!  And remember if you participate you will get all the quickpages submitted back to make a winter album in minutes!  YAY!!  So hurry to the store and then see you in the forum!!
-Amanda (panders77)

My pick this week is Frosty by Kim21673. I really like this kit and she made a really pretty page! Be sure to head over to the gallery or the forum and leave her some love!!

Congrats Kim21673!!
-Judy (Jupiter394)

This week I had the honor of interviewing all of our guest designers for the month of January!! How fun is THAT?!  They are all so amazing I am sure you are dying to know more about them (I sure was..) but in case you don’t know..they are the amazing and talanted..By Becca, Connie Prince, and Kaye Winiecki!!  Yay! So I am going to start with By Becca and go on from there.  Get ready for some interesting reading!

1. Your screen name? Your real name? By Becca now that I’m designing, but I scrapped using fourluvbugs, so you’ll find both names depending on where you are!  My real name is Becca.
2. What is your main job/career? My main job if you look at how much time it takes is being a mama and wife and all the things that go along with those jobs — cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, nurturing my little ones and trying not to neglect my husband.  But if you look at my fancy degrees and years of schooling, I’m an attorney.  I practice part time (15-20 hours a week) with my husband.  And of course I design, too.
3. Are you married/children/pets? Yep!  to all three.  I’ve been married for ten years and I’m a mama to four: a boy, age 8, and three girls, ages 6, 4, and 2.  We also have two cats and some fish. . .  maybe 6 fish?  I’m not really sure.  They’re all in one tank.
4. Where is home for you? I live in northwest Pennsylvania but I was raised in Wisconsin, so both are “home”.
5. What are your 3 favorite foods? You have no idea how much I’d love the truthfully answer “lettuce”.   But really its all things dairy: anything with cream cheese, really good ice cream (custard really, like ice cream, only richer creamier and even worse for you).  Oh, and crab legs  (definitely not together!)
6. PC or Mac? What program do you use? PC.  I mostly work on an HP laptop and I design in CS4.
7. What is the most challenging part of designing for you? elements, elements, elements.  I can design papers that I love all day long but I have a harder time creating elements that I adore.  It takes me forever to make something that I’m happy with.
8. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? Photography.  I dabble.  I wish I had time to really study and excel!
9. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? Movies: Gone With the Wind and Cassablanca from the old days.  more recently, I really loved August Rush.  for TV: The Tudors. House. Heroes. Grey’s Anatomy.  We have the TV on a lot in the evening, but my husband almost always picks the shows.  I DVR mine and fit them in when there’s nothing on that he wants to watch or when he’s feeling generous with the remote.
10. Describe your “designing” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where? I always sit in the same seat on the couch — my command center!  I have a table, the phone, and all the stuff I need right where I can reach it.  I usually design amid the chaos of my life when I can steal a minute, for an hour or so while my youngest sleeps and my four year old plays quietly,  and in the evenings after the kids go to bed.  I don’t usually snack, but I like to have a cup of coffee or a Diet Mountain Dew.  In the evenings the TV is usually on.  We watch way too much TV, but we’re usually worn out by the time we get everyone settled for the night.  TV is about all we can handle.
11. If you only had 2 elements in a kit, what would they be? flowers and ribbons.
12. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? Hmmmm, not sure if there are any.  I’m an open book!  I hate brussel sprouts.  I’d love to travel.  I wanted to be an air force pilot when I was a young teen.
13. When did you start designing? How did you get started? Well, three years ago I started designing signatures and from the start I tried to make things when I couldn’t find what I wanted.  My early attempts were really dismal.  Then a little over a year ago I started scrapping and never looked back.  I haven’t designed a signature in months, but I’ve scrapped and scrapped!  I landed a gig on Kim Broedelet (KimB’s) CT and one of the things she asks her CT to do is participate in her color challenge.  Since I had nothing to lose, I thought I’d try designing something for the one in June 2009.  That was my first minikit, it was teeny tiny, more of a micro mini.  LOL!  To my shock, people downloaded it!  So I made one in July too.  It was so much fun!!  And then Chaos Lounge (who I also CT for) and Color With Caryn encouraged me to answer a designer call at Enchanted Studio Scraps.  I felt like a bit of an imposter since I’d never designed more than a few papers or a handful of elements, but I designed the application minikit anyway and to my surprise the store took me on.    I opened my shop doors on August 14, 2009.  Not that I’m keeping track or anything.  lol!  I was fortunate in that I had, and still have, several designers encouraging me and answering my questions when I get stuck, I’d never be here without them.
14. How would you describe your design style? Pretty.  Everything I make turns out pretty even if I try to make it boyish or edgy or whimsical.  I guess pretty is just what I do. That’s how I scrap and its also how I design.  I wish I were a bit more versatile and maybe that will happen down the road, but for now, my style is. . .  well. . . me.  Its pretty easy for people who are familiar with my style to pick out my stuff.  That surprises me actually, since I don’t think I’m doing anything particularly unique, but I’ll take it!
15. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation? Some days I stare at a blank screen.  Other days, the ideas flow and I have to write them down before I forget them.  I love color and I almost always start with colors as my inspiration.  My Frosted Jubilee kit was a request from one of my CTMs.  I made a palette that I loved, but I wasn’t sure what to do with it and I asked my CT for ideas (I’d be lost without them, seriously, I have the greatest, most supportive CT ever!) and one of them suggested a jubilee kit for winter birthdays and celebrations.  Today I’m working on another kit for my CT, a baby kit for one of my girls who is due this month.  My finished kits rarely look like the idea I had in my head when I started.  They kind of evolve during the process.
16. Which of your products in the Scrapmatters Store showcases your style the most? Have you seen my products in the store?  They all look exactly like I made them even though they are all unique.  I found out pretty early on that I can only do this well if I design what I love and forget about the current trends.  I think my favorite kit to date is actually a collab (am I allowed to pick a collab?  how about if I pick only my part of it?) with Designs by Helly — Wintersong.  I love its colors, its sparkle.  It has some wonderful original elements in it and of course I love the papers.

17. What is your favorite color scheme to design with? I can’t pick one color scheme, but I gravitate toward muted or pastel colors with some lights and darks for drama.  I don’t do terribly well with really bright palettes.  I like cool colors better than warm ones and even when I use a color like red its usually a purple-ish red instead of an orange-ish one.
18. Favorite kit you’ve designed for Scrapmatters? Well, so far the only kit I’ve designed for ScrapMatters is Frosted Jubilee, so I have to pick that one.

Thanks Becca for letting us into your world!!  Check out more of Becca’s beautiful products here!
Next up is Connie Prince…

1. Your screen name? Your real name? My screen name is conniep & my real name is Connie Prince.
2. What is your main job/career? Designing is my main career..second only to being a wife & mom.
3. Are you married/children/pets? Yes, married to William for 13 years.  We have one child, Hayden, who is 12, plus two dogs & one cat.
4. Where is home for you? I live in Georgia, just west of Atlanta.
5. What are your 3 favorite foods? I love Mexican food (any of it), fried chicken, and French fries.
6. PC or Mac? What program do you use? I’m a PC and I design with Photoshop.
7. What is the most challenging part of designing for you? The most challenging part of designing to me is not having enough hours in the day to finish up all of the projects that I typically have started!
8. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? I’d love to have time to learn to decorate cakes & pastries, Duff Goldman (Ace of Cakes) style cakes..not your typical rose covered birthday cakes!
9. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? I love reality TV, I’m a Survivor & Big Brother junkie!  I also love Heroes, House, Modern Family, Cougar Town, CBS comedies (especially Big Bang)..I really like TV lol!
10. Describe your “designing” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where? I listen to music sometimes while designing, but typically I like it to be completely silent.  I always have a diet coke or coffee close at hand!
11. If you only had 2 elements in a kit, what would they be? String & buttons!!
12. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? I am also a musician, I play many different instruments!
13. When did you start designing? How did you get started? I’ve been designing for a couple of years.  I started playing around in Photoshop and my design career just developed from there.
14. How would you describe your design style? I don’t think that I really have a set style, I move back & forth between many different styles.
15. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation? My designs always start with a color palette!
16. Which of your products in the ScrapMatters Store showcases your style the most? Party On!  It has my favorite colors & it’s just fun kit!

17. What is your favorite color scheme to design with? I love bold, bright colors, they make me happy!
18. Favorite kit you’ve designed for ScrapMatters? Plugged In, it was created with my son in mind.  He’s really into technology and I wanted something that I could scrap pictures of him pursuing his many interest like gaming, computers, etc.

Thanks Connie for answering all of our questions!  Checkout all of Connie’s awesome products here!

And finally we have Kaye Winiecki…

1. Your screen name? Your real name? nockosh, Kaye Winiecki

2. What is your main job/career? My main career now is motherhood and I also work from home as a Graphic Designer

3. Are you married/children/pets? I have been married to DH for nearly 10 years and we have 2 children. Jaylen is 5 and Tayla is 3. We have a dog named Taggart and 3 goldfish named Thomas, Duncan and Donald

4. Where is home for you? Australia

5. What are your 3 favorite foods? Chocolate, Mexican and Thai

6. PC or Mac? What program do you use? Pc (though very tempted to get a mac next time) and I use photoshop and illustrator

7. What is the most challenging part of designing for you? Having to clean up the mess my felt makes when I get it out, I hate that bit, all the little off cuts everywhere!

8. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? I would love to learn how to do computer generated animation like they use for the Shrek movies, Star Wars etc

9. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? I’m not really into watching that much tv or movies so don’t really have favourites

10. Describe your “designing” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where? My favourite designing environment is when the kids are in bed and the house is quiet, I have a chocolate chip cookie and a hot chocolate. But mostly it is not done in a quiet house, as I either have children noise or DH watching tv noise in the background. If designing during the day I must have a diet coke!

11. If you only had 2 elements in a kit, what would they be? A flower and paint

12. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? Hmm sure, but I can’t think of anything that would be interesting!

13. When did you start designing? How did you get started? I started designing in 2006 (gosh I cringe at those products now LOL) I started by making papers and elements for myself and a friend to use and then applied for a store designer call.

14. How would you describe your design style? Fun, bright and happy

15. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation? A lot of my inspiration comes from my kids, from what they are into or do. But I also get inspiration from magazines, clothing, just everyday things around me

16. Which of your products in the ScrapMatters Store showcases your style the most? Definitely my bumps and blahs kit. It is full of felt elements and is bright and fun.

17. What is your favorite color scheme to design with? I’m a bit partial to red, green and orange, they can be found in most of my products.

18. Favorite kit you’ve designed for Scrapmatters? Well there is only one in the store so far, so it has to be bumps and blahs, but maybe next week when I release my next one that will be my favourite.

Thanks Kaye for letting us get to know you better!  Check out Kaye’s amazing store here!!

Thanks for sticking with me for that extra long post this week!  I had so much fun learning more about our awesome guests this month!!

-Amanda (Panders77)

Hello, it’s Liz and I have decided to do a Saturday Special about patterned papers.  I love patterns I would put every patterned paper in a kit on a single page if I could figure out how to do it, but I have gotten the impression that I am in the minority when it comes to patterns.  So hopefully this will give you some tips and tricks to work with patterns like a pro.

1.  Color is crucial. The color of your patterns will define whether your page ends up looking fabulous or like a hot mess.  One way to ensure harmony is to pick the colors from your picture and find patterns in those colors.  If you are colorphobic (which is nothing to be ashamed of!), you could use black and white or other neutrals.  Regardless of your choice, pick a color palette and stick with it!

2. Know the scale of your patterns. Patterns come in 3 basic scale sizes: small, medium and large.  Know the scale of the pattern will help you use pattern to its best advantage.  All of my examples come from “A Spot of Tea” by Erica Zane and Denise Beatty Originals because it was the kit I used for my page. A small scale pattern looks like this:

It is well small.  I like using tone on tone small patterns as backgrounds alot.  It gives interest without being overwhelming.  Small scales can work great for just about anything and can often be interchanged with solids.

Here is a medium scale:

It is larger than the small scale pattern and can give greater impact to a page.  You could use it as a mat for you picture or stack a solid with it for a background.  This pattern will definitely pop on your page!

Finally a large scale:

his paper says “Look at me!  Look at me!” I would suggest using large scale patterns as accent pieces when first starting out.  They can add alot of punch.  These patterns should complement your smaller scale patterns.

3. Mixing it Up Patterns look great as solo acts but mixing them can add a huge wow factor.  Keep in mind the scale and color when mixing.  A green and red stripe is going to clash with blue and brown dots.  Same color families will go together (e.g. blues, browns, pinks, etc.).  If the thought of multiple patterns scares you start out with some softer patterns (i.e. tone on tone flowers/dots, small polka dots or stripes) and then match a wilder pattern with it!

4. Stick to the Rule of Three When working with pattern less is more.  Stick to 3 patterned papers to avoid overwhelming the page.  You could do 4 if one of your patterns is subtle.  More than 4 and your page may start to look clutter.

5.  Have fun and stick with your style. Go with what works for you and have fun!  Patterns are not supposed to break you down into tears.  If you are a minimalistic scrapper, pick patterns that are more subdued.  If you like going crazy, pick some bright multi-colored patterns and really mix it up.  It is up to you to decide how crazy the page gets.

The challenge is to scrap a layout using 3-4 patterned papers on it.

Here is my page:

Using Spot of Tea by Erica Zane and Denise Beatty Originals

And here is some from the CT ladies:

From Courtney:

Great subtle use of patterns.  Adds a pop of color!

From Jen:

There is alot going on this page but because the patterns are just small pieces it totally works!

From Jenn:

She used not only patterned papers but patterned elements as well!  Check out the striped swirl and checked ribbon!

The Rules:
The papers must be visible (no hiding them completely but a hint of sliver is okay, I just need to be able to see them.) Post your LO to the Saturday Special gallery and post it in the thread in the forum before the end of January.  You’ll receive one point towards your January total. If you use a New Release, PLEASE NOTE IT IN BOTH YOUR CREDITS IN THE GALLERY AND YOUR POST TO THE THREAD in order to receive your extra point.  At the end of the month, I will pick a random winner, who will receive a bonus point on February’s total.  Have fun and I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

The Design Girl now at ScrapMatters

Wow!!! January is an extremely busy month here at ScrapMatters.  We have a new designer Danielle, aka The Design Girl.  She has a fabulous style we’re sure you will enjoy.

Check out some of these goodies from her shop.

SM also has three fabulous guest designers this month–Kaye Winiecki, Connie Prince and By Becca.  Go peek at the goodies they have in the store too.

A new year has begun, and it’s time for a new hybrid challenge for you!
This month, we’ll focus on how hybrid can help us get more organized. There are many possibilities, and I have some gorgeous creations to show and inspire you.

Let’s start with Jaime’s home reference binder, using the Let’s Get Organized: Home Reference Center by Simply J Studio:

Now, in addition to being great for organization, doesn’t that look just wonderfully pretty too?? 
Next off, check out these classy basket organizing tags:

They really make everything look tidy, and so much easier to find!
And look how cute these toy bin labels (using Toy Sheriff and Paper Shapers by Britt-ish Designs) are, with the pictures of the toys:

You can also use hybrid to pretty up a box, like Jaime did for this box using D is for Dog by wm [squared] designs:

And here’s another lovely project, using Let’s Get Organized: Weekly Calendars (click on the image to see a picture of the inside pages

Julie decorated this adorable bucket to hold dress up clothes:

Finally, a little project from me. I must say I really am not much of an organized person  but I loved making this keepsake to hold our Christmas cards and keep them together:

So, for this month’s challenge, you need to create a hybrid project that helps you get organized. Post a picture in the hybrid challenge galleryand leave a link here by Jan. 31, and you’ll receive 1 point. If you use a product that was released in the previous 7 days and you mention it when you post in the thread in the forum, you’ll receive an extra point.
At the end of the month, one entry will be chosen for a bonus point.

Let me point you to a few products in the shop that can be useful for getting organized:

Hey everyone! This is JenD and for the first Grand Theft layout of the new year we will be lifting TanyaH666. I just love all the fun colors she uses in all her layouts! And she always has the perfect picture to go with each kit she uses!!! Check out her GALLERY and see what inspires you.

I decided to lift this Little Big Kids:

And here is my Ticket 2 Ride using Ticket to Ride and Building Blocks v.1 by Chelle’s Creations,

We’re Just Dating v.2 by Britt-ish Designs, and JH_Suzanne Font by Jeni Hopewell

And here are some lifts from the amazing SM CT girls:

Becca lifted Let It Snow:

and created 9 Months using Material Instinct collab kit by Mickey B Designs and Krystal Hartley

Courtney lifted Thankful for You: 

 and created Grandkids…a Christmas Tradition using Season of Giving by Sahlin Studio, So Grateful collab kit by Sahlin Studio and Sugarplum Paperie,

and Simply You collab kit by Sahlin Studio and Jennifer Barrette Designs

Sarah lifted I’m Thankful For…:

and created Adentures in Reading using Land of Fantasy collab kit by Britt-ish Designs and Sahlin Studio

Kathleen lifted Best Trip Ever!:

and created First Pic of 2010 using It’s Going to be a Happy New Year collab kit by WM[squared] Designs and Jennifer Barrette

The rules: You will have until the end of January to complete this challenge. Upload it to the GTL gallery and leave your LO image, Tanya’s LO image and both links in the GTL 01/06/09 thread in the GTL sub forum. You don’t have to use SM products in this challenge, but we LOVE it when you do!

You will receive one point for completing the challenge. You can earn an additional point for using a NEW product from the SM store! (Please indicate that you used something new with your LO/link in the forum.) And, one lucky winner (random) will receive an ADDITIONAL point!

Remember no double dipping…you must make a layout specifically for this challenge! Looking forward to seeing what inspires you!

It’s Tuesday!!  And you know what that means… Tuesday Template time!  It’s Cyndi and here’s your template for this week.  No specials rules.  Just have some fun. 

Download Here

Take a look at what your CT created…

from Jill

using the “Game for Anything” ScrapMatters Collab kit

from Stefanie

using “U-Da Bomb” by Stolen Moments & Digi-Designs by Nicole

from Jami

using “Bumps & Blahs” by Kaye Winiecki

from Jenn

using “Wishes” by Becca Designs

and from Melanie

using “Technotronic” by Jennifer Barrette Designs

Don’t you just LOVE the variety here?  Now it’s your turn.  Use the template and upload your LO to the TUESDAY TEMPLATE GALLERY.  Also, be sure to post in THIS THREAD to let us know you are playing.  You’ll receive 1 point for your submitted LO, another for using a newly released (within the last week) product from the ScrapMatters’ store, and one random winner will receive another bonus point… just because.   Be sure to mention in the forum if you used a new SM product.  Your layout must be exclusive to this challenge.  No double dipping, sorry. 

Have fun and I can’t wait to see your layouts!!

Hello Henriette here with this months photo challenge and as promised this months challenge is a technical one again: How to Photograph Silhouettes!

Normally the importance of using a flash when taking shots into the sun to give sufficient light to add features to your subject is high lighted but there are also times when making your subject featureless apart from their outline against a bright background can be most effective – or when in other words silhouette is a worth exploring.

Silhouettes are a wonderful way to convey drama, mystery, emotion and mood to the viewers of your photos and often stand out in an album because of the combination of their simplicity but also the story that they convey. I love them because they don’t give the viewer of a clear picture of everything but leave part of the image up to their imagination to wonder about.

The basic strategy you’ll need to employ in taking silhouette shots is to place your subject (the shape you want to be blacked out) in front of some source of light and to force your camera to set its exposure based upon the brightest part of your picture (the background) and not the subject of your image.
In doing this your subject will be under exposed (and very dark, if not black).

There are a lot of very technical descriptions going around on how to take great silhouette shots that you might want to look up but let me attempt to run through some basic steps that should get you the results you’re after. In essence what we’re trying to do is make your camera think that it’s the bright parts of the picture you are most interested in.
Here’s how to do it:

1. Choose a Strong Subject
Almost any object can be made into a silhouette, however some are better than others. Choose something with a strong and recognizable shape that will be interesting enough in its two dimensional form to hold the interest of those viewing your image. Silhouettes can’t draw on the colors, textures and tones of subjects to make them appealing – so the shape needs to be distinct.

2. Turn off your Flash
If you have your camera in automatic mode your camera will probably want to use its flash which will ruin the silhouette. Basically you want as little light on the front of your subject as possible – so the flash has to go (basic – but I’ve seen a few attempted silhouette shots with the flash firing).

3. Get Your Light Right
When it comes to lighting your subject you’ll need to throw out a lot of what you’ve learnt about normal photography and think a little backwards. Instead of lighting the front of your subject, in silhouettes you need to ensure that there is more light shining from the background than the foreground of your shot – or to put it another way – you want to light the back of your subject rather than the front. The perfect light for this is placing your subject in front of a sunset or sunrise – but really any bright light will be able to do the trick.

4. Frame your image
Frame your shot so you are shooting with your subject in front of a nice plain, but bright background. Usually the best backgrounds will be a bright cloudless sky with the sun setting. You want to position the brightest light source behind your subject (either so that they hide it or so that its in the background somewhere).

5. Make silhouetted shapes distinct and uncluttered
If there is more than one shape or object in the image that you’re attempting to silhouette, try to keep them separated. ie if you are silhouetting a tree and a person don’t have the person stand in front of the tree or even leaning on it as it will merge them into one shape and as a result your viewers could be confused about what the shape is.

Also when framing you’ll probably want to photograph silhouetted people as profiles rather than looking straight on. This means that more of their features (nose, mouth, eyes) are outlined and they are more likely to be recognized.

6. In Auto Mode
Most modern digital cameras have automatic metering which are pretty good at sensing how to expose a photograph so that everything is well lit. The problem with this is that most cameras are so smart that they will light up your subject instead of underexposing it to get a silhouette so you need to trick it. Most cameras work out the exposure levels in auto mode when you push your shutter half way down (at the same time that they focus). So point your camera at the brightest part of your picture and then press the shutter halfway down (don’t let go). Then move your camera back to frame your shot with the subject where you want it and then finish taking the shot. With most digital cameras this will result in a silhouetted subject. In effect what you’re doing is tricking your camera into thinking that the bright part of the image is the mid tone of it so that anything darker than it will be exposed as a nice dark shadow.
Some digital cameras also have ’spot’ or ‘centered’ metering modes that you can switch on which helps with the above technique as they will set the metering on the central spot of your frame rather than multiple spots. This means you can accurately tell your camera exactly which bit of the bright background you want it to set the exposure on.

7. Manual Mode
If this technique doesn’t work and your camera has controls to allow manual exposure or exposure compensation you might like to try some of your own settings. The beauty of digital is that you can experiment to your hearts content until you get the result you’re after.

A simple way to start using manual mode is to look at the shutter speed and aperture that it suggests in automatic mode and to start from there. If in auto mode your subject is too light (ie you need to make it darker) stop down the shutter speed a stop or two and see what impact that has. Use the ‘bracketing’ technique that I described in my previous tip on sunrises and sunsets to get a variety of shots at slightly different exposures.

8. Focusing
In most cases you’ll want the subject which is silhouetted to be the thing that is in focus most crisply. This can mean that the process described in point 4 can be a little tricky as pushing your shutter half way down to get the metering right also means that you’ll focus on that spot in the background. To get around this you can use two strategies. Firstly if your camera has manual focusing you might want to try that. Pre focus your shot before you meter your shot.

The other strategy is to use Aperture to maximize your depth of field (the amount of your image that is in focus). Set a small aperture (ie a larger number) to increase the depth of field – this means you’re more likely to have a sharper foreground and background in your shots.

One last tip on Silhouettes – while a total silhouette with a nice crisp and black subject can be a powerful shot, also consider the partial silhouette where some detail of your subject is left. Sometimes a touch of light on them makes them slightly more three dimensional and ‘real’. This is the beauty of bracketing your shots as it will leave you with total and partial silhouettes to choose form

From an artikel written by Darren Rowse (Digital Photography School)

Here is my go on the topic, it didn’t really work out the way I wanted (the focus is way off) but I do like the result and no my son was not hurt in any way, it looks rather dramatic I know!

And here is Li’s gorgeous silhouette photo, of her uncle and his fiance, and her also beautiful lay out:

Using: Resolutionary by Stolen Moments

And this wonderful silhouette from a tree is made by Silvia and I just love the sky too!

Please read the posting rules too, especially about posting in the right gallery, thank you!!

1. Upload your photo (and LO if you have one) to the appropriate gallery, then please link it back to the challenge in the forum
2. Just one entry per person will be eligible for a point, one extra point can be earned for doing a LO with the picture and if you win the challenge you also gain one extra point
3. The pictures must be especially made for this months challenge
4. No double dipping with other challenges please

The other night I was relaxing in a bubble bath, browsing through the December issue of Scrapbook TRENDS magazine.  The front cover features a layout with an adorable little girl obviously thrilled about Christmas.  The journaling reads something like “You are a believer.  I love to see the delight in your big brown eyes.”   I really didn’t take much note of it until I turned to page 12.  A page titled “Cover Story” where Stephanie Howell, the author of the cover layout had written:

“This past Christmas will be one I will remember for a long time for several reasons.  My husband was in Afghanistan and I was bound and determined to make the holiday very special for my girls.  Harper, being two, was really old enough to enjoy and anticipate Christmas.  She brought tears to my eyes on several different occasions during the holiday season.  The first time was when she saw Santa Claus and ran through the mall screaming “Santa!  It’s me!  Harper!  I love you!”  The second time was when I had the joy of witnessing her big brown eyes grow wide as she saw the Christmas tree at my parents’ home for the first time.  That is when I snapped these photos.  Watching her, I longed for the days when I believed. (I do still believe in the meaning of Christmas, but being an adult can be complicated.)  Oh to be two, and to purely believe with all of your heart – to feel the magic and the joy and to feel it with abandon.”

That is what matters.  The story. The story that should be part of that layout.

A while back, Kate shared this quote with us:

If you don’t journal, then you aren’t scrapbooking, you’re just showcasing a photo

Hmm….maybe I have a few too many “showcase a photo” layouts.

Shortly after I was married, my mother-in-law asked me to help her organize her photos. As we sorted through photos, I discovered a hospital newborn portrait. I could tell it was one of her two youngest sons, but when I asked her which one, she couldn’t tell either. In photos where the children were older, it was obvious. However, when we got to the photos of her husband’s aunts as young women, once again we couldn’t tell who was who. Remember you won’t always be around to show off your scrapbooks. Recording those stories, those details, is almost more important than preserving the photos.  Recording the stories is what matters.

If journaling on your layouts is intimidating, here are a couple of tips:

Check out this WMM blog post from Jen.  She has a short list of ideas to jump start your journaling.

Tell Me More (a journaling class) is starting today at ScrapMatters.  It’s not too late to join us.  You get this fabulous mega kit, 20 daily lessons, weekly freebies, access to a private class forum, and encouragement and support to make journaling a habit in your scrapbooking.  Sign up here. Oh,  and use this code to get $5 off: tellmemore_5

Remember to record the story.  It’s what matters.

–Chelle