I chose this layout by pkdoll. I love all the layers, bits of paint and the black/white photo is stunning.

To leave her some love, you can click the image. =)

She used No Place Like Home by KimB Designs.

Winter Blues

by Trista

We are well into the new year now and for many of us the cold winter weather still lingers. When it’s cold outside we want to stay in and keep warm. These habits can give us a case of the winter blues. If you are not feeling like your usual chipper self there are some ways to shake those winter blues.

Here are a few helpful tips!

Get Some Sun
Lack of sunlight in the winter months contributes to fatigue and mood changes associated with the winter blues. Bundle up and go for a walk on a sunny day. Exposure to the sun helps produce serotonin, a chemical that acts as a natural
antidepressant.

Exercise
Exercise will help keep depression at bay. Exercise increases the level of endorphins in our body, which in turn make us happy.

Eat Healthy
Eating healthy foods is important. Your body requires certain nutrients to give you energy and to function properly. Avoid caffeine and alcohol.

Get Some Sleep
It is essential to get seven to eight hours of sleep each night.

Spoil Yourself
You matter! It’s important to give yourself a little attention. Treat yourself to a manicure/pedicure. Update your look to make yourself feel better.

Declutter
Sort it, give it, or toss it. You are stuck inside. Now is the perfect time for cleaning out the closets, cabinets and drawers.

Spruce Up The Place
Shake off those winter blues with deep cleaning. You will be amazed how much brighter things will look. Revamp a room by rearranging the furniture, or adding a new throw rug.

Bring In The Outdoors
Visit a nursery and pick out a few houseplants. This will provide a fresh, clean look and cleanse the air inside your home too.

On the Go
You may not want to be outside but chances are you probably do want to get out of the house. Visit local museums, an aquarium, or other indoor places that might be near you

Credits:
Better days wordart from Better Days Ahead by Stolen Moments
Sun from Color Me Happy by Jennifer Labre
Rain Rain wordart and bird from Rain or Shine by Stolen Moments
House from My Home Sweet Home by Amy Stoffel
Broom from Spring Cleaning Spree by Wimpychompers Creations

Photo Transformation

By Michelle Bradshaw

According to my husband I should run a series of tutorials using tips to transform or manipulate photos. This one will be about a photo whose perspective is not what is wanted.  Some perspectives are awesome for photography and some are not. In this example, I was not able to get a good angle for either photo.                                                 The original result was less than desirable in my opinion but I least I had the photo. Duplicate the background layer [ctrl [cmd on mac] +j , which not only protects the original locked layer but will allow for transformation and stretch out your work space from the corner of your photo.                           From the menu above: [CS or Photoshop] Edit > transform > and note the options of: scale, rotate, skew, perspective, warp as well as Edit > free transform. Each of these will give handles on the bounding box and allow for a different manipulation. [Photoshop Elements] Image > transform [depending on version] skew, distort, perspective are the options, along with free transform.   Experiment as a means to learn more about your program. Each will produce a different effect on your photo. I often transform using free transform which has the shortcut Ctrl/cmd + t. For me, I feel I am more in control of the photo.   With ctrl/cmd+t selected, one can hold down the ctrl/cmd key, place the mouse cursor at just one of the handles and just manipulate there.                         The pair of tickets presented a slightly different dilemma, since they were photographed together. Using the polygonal lasso tool, L each was selected and moved to its own layer – then transformed.                         My LO after adjusting the photos.                                     Credits: [url=http://shop.scrapmatters.com/season-of-thankfulness-bundle-by-juno-designs.html]Season of Thankfulness Bundle[/url] by Juno Designs Great Escape [Ga state] by WM[squared] Template by Shaynesgirl Font- Century Gothic Photos- Michelle Bradshaw

Monday ONLY!! Select items are 50% off!! Visit the ScrapMatters Shop for more details!!
*Sale runs 12am-11:59pm ET. HURRY! What are you waiting for!?! *

Can you believe it’s the last Saturday of January 2013 already?  Time sure does fly when you’re perusing the ScrapMatters gallery!  There are lots of fabulous layouts in the gallery and many are chosen as Gallery Standouts in the weekly thread.  These are just a few, to see the rest make sure you stop by this week’s forum thread!

“This is awesome! I love the composition – it’s just so powerful to me for some reason.. Your clustering around the title is perfection, too.. Great work!!”, said Amber when she nominated this perfect photoless layout by caits!

If you love clustering, you’ll love this next layout by Mother Bear!  Leandi (Isabel) chose this layout for its wonderful vertical cluster!  I was also drawn to its fun title work and great colors!

Michelle (msbrad) picked this layout by JoyToScrapbook (Dolores) and said, “Ahhh so pretty. The bg paper is awesome and the tabs accent beautifully. Love the cluster with your photo.”  And check out the blend and how the elements rest in the sand!  If you really like the page design, make sure you check out this Tuesday Template challenge.

“This is gorgeous! LOVE the paint, stitches and the little clusters on the black background.”, said Juno when she added this inspirational layout by Karen32 to the GSO thread!  Great goals and fantastic photo-less layout!

Check out the pretty smiles on this gorgeous layout by Fonetta!  Amanda Dawn chose this one for its use of patterned papers and the big photo design!  I like how the heart shows us the special date!

Our last layout today is a wonderfully clustered gem!  Trista said, “Oh my word this is just beautiful! Love all of the pink and all of the layering! JUST WOW!!” when she shared this layout by Ozegirl (Jennifer).

Thanks for stopping by the blog today and spending part of your day with us!  Each layout here is linked to the gallery for credits and for leaving well deserved love!

~Dolores 

This week’s winner is mdel.  I think everyone can relate to the feeling that you could have done more, should have spoken up or wish there had been more time to do both.  This heartfelt layout caught my attention during this month when we make so many New Year’s Resolutions!  It reminds me that letting someone know how much they mean to you is really important and capturing it in a layout is so worthwhile!

To leave her some love, you can click the image. =)

She used Things I Should Have Said by Amy Stoffel.

What a beautiful card made by krystlebear.  The clustering is amazing and the butterfly is such a nice touch.  I love receiving homemade cards and this one is gorgeous!

You can click the image to leave her some love.  She used products from the Mixed Matters Grab Bag #1.

There are three main camera settings that are responsible for a correct exposure: ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. These three settings are inseparable; if you change one of them, it affects the other two. When you are able to understand and use these settings, you have a lot more control over the resulting images. Today’s blog post is the first in a series of posts that will help us understand these three settings better, and will explore how to put them together to create beautiful images.

The first setting we’ll tackle is ISO. Most cameras allow you to adjust your ISO, including point and shoot cameras. The ISO setting determines how sensitive your camera’s sensor is. The higher your ISO number, the more sensitive your camera is to the light coming through the lens. This is particularly helpful in situations where not a lot of light is available, such as inside your house. Another reason you might need to increase your ISO is if you are using a smaller aperture, which means your lens doesn’t open up as wide when it takes the picture, and therefore is not letting as much light in.

In this example, I was in my living room, using only the light from the window, so I had to bump my ISO up to 800.

So why don’t we just keep our ISO as high as possible all the time? When your camera is more sensitive to light, it is also more sensitive to interference or “noise”. This noise will make your images look grainy.

Here you can see the difference between a low ISO (100) and a very high ISO (3200). It is especially visible in the darker areas of the photo, such as the background and the pupils the cat’s eyes.

At this size, it may be hard to tell, so here are the same photos more closely cropped:

A good rule of thumb for setting your ISO is to keep it as low as possible while still getting a correct exposure. One word of caution, though: don’t keep your ISO low at the expense of your exposure! Underexposing your image and then lightening it up in a photo editing program will create more grain than if you just use a higher ISO in camera.

You can see how much grain is added to this picture when I lightened the underexposed image in photoshop.

Again, a closer crop of each so you can really see the difference:

Try experimenting with your ISO settings this month. Once you get the hang of it, you will see a difference in the quality of your photos and possibly the speed at which your camera takes them. Once you’ve mastered ISO this month, we’ll talk a bit about aperture next month!

Hi!  Thanks for stopping by to see this week’s Gallery Standouts!  We sure do have amazing scrappers at ScrapMatters!

First  we have a fun layout chosen by Jaye.  She said, “This page by chelisa grabbed me for the sweet photos and how crisp it looks. Love how the colours pop on that white background yet she softened it with the patterned paper behind.”  I love that she scrapped a fun photo and a serious one to show her daughter’s personality.

Michelle (msbrad) gave a shoutout for this beautiful layout by karen32.  The colors are perfect for the adorable photo!  Michelle said, “Check out this beauty of a page using the Jan 12 – Saturday Special tutorial. Love the combo of papers and the results!”  The Saturday Special tutorials are great for trying new tecniques for awesome layouts like this one!

Amber nominated this layout by Emmy (emmyxlou) and said, “Wow, Emmy – you have totally been rocking this kit! Love the huge title and front and center photo! Way to go!!”  I really like the paper stacking and cropped photo.  When my daughter saw this layout on my computer screen, she said she loves this song and to include this great layout in today’s list!  I have a wise daughter!

I can’t stop smiling when I look at this gorgeous layout and that cute little heart breaker!  Emmy chose this layout by Nonna2Dreja, and said, “I really love everything about this page!! The pocket cluster, the arrow in the hand and of course, he is so adorable!!!”  Absolutely perfect!

Jadelyn (scrappycharmer) treated us to this great layout that was chosen by Linda (lindabglw).  “Wow – this is gorgeous! Love the colors you used, the paint behind the photos, the string/ribbon, and the pretty floral clusters.” Yes, Linda loved it all, and so do I!

Amber brought this fabulous layout by GlitterQueen to our attention.  The layering and monochromatic greens are super with the photo treatment of her cute photos!  Amber said, “This is gorgeous! Love the photos and fun composition!”  For more lovely scrapping, you should see Calm…another GSO by GlitterQueen this week!

Each layout is linked to the gallery to check credits on these masterpieces, so feel free to leave love.  And if you find a GSO in the ScrapMatters gallery, please add it to the GSO thread so we can all ooh and ahh together!  Thanks for spending a little time with us today and I hope you have a nice rest of your weekend!

~Dolores