Ideas

Basic Photo Editing

I promise I will start getting back into scrapbooking ideas... once I start scrapbooking again *sigh*

But for now here's a few basic photo editing tips that I use on almost every photo that I take. Now I am no Pioneer Woman or Karen Russell or any other pro for that matter, and I have no idea how to explain the technical how's or why's of these edits or why they are necessary, but I use them anyway.

Now I use Photoshop CS2 but any version of Photoshop or Elements will work with these commands. And Heaven forbid you don't own Photoshop, PUT IT ON YOUR CHRISTMAS LIST. The changes it can make with your photos are priceless. If you have another photo editing program, look in your help menu for commands similar to the ones I will explain below, these are very basic and every program can do them.

First off: Lightening your photos with Levels.

This is the original, straight out of camera (SOOC) picture of my girl on a horse. Very dark, very dreary. So I opened it up in Photoshop and immediately hit Ctrl-L.

A histogram will pop up with three sliders on the bottom and a big black mountain somewhere in the middle (I use big, scientific terms here, can you keep up? ;) Here is mine for the above photo:

Very dark. Not good.

The slider furthest on the left controls the "darks" in your photo, and this should always touch just the base of the left side of the mountain. If it's not there, move it (in my case the photo was way too dark so there really was no "base" to the mountain on the left)

The slider on the right controls the "lights" in your photo and it should just touch the base of the right side of the moutain. Move it if necessary.

The one in the middle is the one that makes the big difference, it controls your mid-tones. If your photo is too dark like mine, move it to the left until you get tone that you like (I tend to go just a little light because I will pop the colors back up again in the next step) Likewise, if you photo is too light (or "blown") move it to the right. Here's what mine looked like after I moved the sliders:

And here's what it did to the photo:

Better, but still blah. As with most digital cameras, the photo lacks any "pop", the saturation of the colors is way down and it has this lovely gray cast to it.

Next step: Saturation adjustment with Hues and Saturation. Hit Ctrl-U and the Hues and Saturation box will pop up. This one is simple, all I do is adjust the "Master" saturation (the default that will pop up) by anywhere from +10 to +20 (the number depends largely on how bright you want you photo, I did 20 on mine) This will not only pop the colors in your photo, but it will also help improve the skin tones so that gray look will go away.

One minute of editing and the picture goes from one that would have been thrown away to a picture that is good enough to be scrapbooked.

What other photo tips/tricks/techniques would you like explained? Like I said I'm no pro but I know the basics and I know where to find what I don't know how to explain!

Happy photo taking and happy scrapbooking!

Photo Ideas

I don't know about you, but my children have some of the most expressive faces I have ever seen. From the full on pout with the bottom lip stuck out and pleading eyes, to the smile that makes all your troubles go away, to the look of pure innocence as they sleep.

There are so many priceless expressions and looks that we all have that can often go un-documented as we try to "catch up" on holidays, birthdays, and travels. We get so busy trying to document every picture taken at Jimmy's fifth birthday party that we forget how he looked when he was pouting at two. So take a few minutes of time, grab your camera, and set up a mini photo shoot with your kids.

Here's what I did with my girl a few days ago: I snatched her from pestering her brother and bribed her with a piece of Halloween candy and plopped her in front of a window with good light, then told her to make faces. I said "show me happy, show me sad, show me silly...etc" and this is what I got:

This was happy.

This was sad. 

And I think this one was scared.

... Ok so she didn't cooperate at first. My requests were so bizarre that it sent her into a fit of giggles (and I'm sure the Halloween candy came into play somewhere)

But pretty soon she gave me these:

And if those three images don't sum up my girl at four years old, nothing will.

Good pictures, good memories, good fun. Give it a try with your kiddos, you won't regret it. 

Titles, Journaling, and Music

Most of us have a pretty good grasp on our "style" of scrapbooking. Putting the page together isn't a major stumbling block once we get our groove going. But we all get hung up from time to time on titles and journaling.

After all that work assembling that beautiful layout, what do you call it? What words can you possibly put down to convey your thoughts? While certain pictures evoke vivid memories and clear, descriptive journaling, others just kind of leave you stumped.

My favorite solution? Look to your playlist on iTunes, or pull out your favorite CD, or just browse the Billboard charts for a minute. Check out the song titles and you'll be surprised how many will pop out at you as layout ideas.

Song titles are meant to sum up the entire song in a few words, to draw your interest and make you want to hear how the rest of the tune plays out. It's the same thing for layouts, you want the title to be catchy enough to catch your attention but not so descriptive that it tells the whole story.

Once in a while you'll get lucky and find a song with both a good title and great lyrics and you can work both into your layout. Songs like "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts and "I Hope You Dance" by Leann Womack have found their way onto countless layouts because of their beautifully written lyrics.

So next time you're stumped on a layout, turn on the radio. Look at your playlists. Think of your favorite songs. Here are just a few off of my playlist that caught my eye this morning:

"Not That Different" by Collin Raye: I can totally see this on a layout to a teenager from a frustrated parent. I've got a few years before my kids get to that stage but it wasn't that long ago that I was the wayward teenager feeling like my parents and I had nothing in common and had nothing to say to each other. The chorus to this song, while written for a romantic couple, can really make an impact on a page about trying to connect to someone.

"Like It's a Bad Thing" by Gary Allan: Another one good for teenagers, or pretty much anyone that's living their life to the fullest. I have some good skydiving pictures of my husband (NOT ME!!) that I may use with this title and lyrics.

"Poker Face" by Lady Gaga: I think all kids have "that face", the one that they put on when they're trying so hard to look innocent but know that they're failing miserably. The one that gives them away for doing something wrong before you even know that the crime happened. The lyrics to this song probably won't fit many scrapbook pages but the title can sure go far.

"Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae: Great song for a little girl page. Not all of the lyrics may apply but hey, it's your layout, change them as you need to.

"You Look So Good In Love" by George Strait: How awesome would this title be in a wedding album? That first dance, where the bride is looking up at her new husband with that beautiful, peaceful, and adoring glance? Yeah... this title would work wonders. Another example of the lyrics not working so well on a layout though.

"Don't Think I Don't Think About It" by Darius Rucker: LOL, this one brings up all kinds of layout ideas. From the picture of the dog looking longingly at the cat that he would just love to pounce on, to the kids staring at the bowl of halloween candy meant for trick-or-treaters, to the pictures from your past that make you wonder "what if". For me it was "what if" I had gotten that scholarship and was able to study abroad in Australia... I wouldn't have met my husband, wouldn't have my children. I wouldn't trade them for the world, nor would I want to go back and change the outcome, but don't think I don't think about it and what my life would have been like.

Those are just a few ideas from my personal playlist that caught my eye as I was writing this up this morning. If nothing in your own CD collection catches your eye, look online at the billboard charts or even other people's playlists on their blogs. And even if you're not a country music fan, don't dis-credit their lyrics. Country songs are notorious for being sappy, emotional (if twangy) love songs. Country songwriters know what they're doing. Remember, you don't have to include all (if any) of the lyrics on your page, and if you do, the music doesn't carry over with them. Don't worry if you don't like the song, just take notice of the words. 

-Crys

Mini Album

First off, in response to the thoughts running through your head, yes I was late to my own wedding and yes I will probably be late to my own funeral.

That said, WE HAVE A PROJECT IDEA FOR YOU!!!!

Have you noticed how a lot of manufacturers are coming out with double-sided papers that have 4 6x6 patterns on one side? Curious what to do with those? Well I was playing around with the new We R Memory Keepers halloween collection last night and came up with a cutie album in no time. Just a few sheets of paper like this:

a sheet of flocked paper that looked like this:

and one of these great little albums from SEI:

and I made this:

Cute, huh? It's as simple as cutting down the 6x6 block to 4x6 pieces to fit inside the album, then decorating the pages with the leftover scraps. The paper is double sided so if you play your cards right (no brads or anything that goes through the paper) then you can get two "pages" (one double-sided) out of one little square.

To attach the paper on the cover of the album, I used a combination of Kokuyo Permanent adhesive and Zip Dry. I applied the dry (dot) adhesive just to the edges of the paper, then spread a little Zip Dry in the middle for extra support. That way the wet glue doesn't ooze out around the edges of the paper, and the edges don't lift up from lack of adhesive. Use a medium-sized corner rounder on the outer edges and add a quick title (also supported with Zip Dry, that stuff works!!) and your cover is done!

To jazz up the interior pages I cut up a sheet of scalloped black cardstock as well as a LOT of black ink (it's impossible to over ink this paper, trust me) and some pen-stitching with a ruler and black journaling pen.

Design Tip: Remember when working with bright, bold patterns, you need to give the eyes a place to rest. Tone on tone patterns work well (like the orange dot or green striped used below) as well as a solid cardstock in a neutral color (like the black I used)

Here's a few pictures of the interior pages to give you some design ideas:

The entire album was done in less than two hours (and most of that time was spent inking... *sigh*) Quick, easy, and DONE before Halloween even gets here! All I'll need to do later is print out some wallet-sized pictures (did you notice scrapbookpictures.com is having a sale this week??) and attach them!

If you'd like to create an album similar to this one, here's a quick supply list of what you'll need:

• 4 sheets of 12x12 paper with 6x6 grids on one side.
• 2 sheets of 12x12 paper with a tone-on-tone pattern
• 1 sheet cardstock (scallops optional)
• Paper trimmer or scissors
• Matching ink
• SEI 4x6 Preservation album
• Black Pen
• Ruler
• Wet and Dry adhesive
• Optional: Letter stickers for the title page and cover

Now go create something fabulous!

Coming Soon!

Weekly updates!! I'm obviously failing miserably keeping this darn section up to date on my own, so I'm bribing asking the whole team to pitch in and share their fabulous ideas with all of us.

Beginning Monday, October 20th, you can expect weekly updates from all of us at SBA!

Idea!

Hey! Remember this long-lost portion of our website?! I promise I will try to be better about updating you guys with some great ideas and techniques... I've just been going through a slump for a few months, ever been through one of those? Yeah, no fun. Anyway my scrappin' mojo has been slowly coming back and I thought I would share a fun little technique with you:

Now you've all seen these in the store, right?

   

They're from Dream Street and we love them to pieces. Not only can you buy coordinating pre-cut chipboard sheets to make some adorable mini albums, but they are fun fun fun to use on layouts as well. Here's where I got creative with them, I used them on a layout to create an interactive piece that hid my journaling and an extra photo (who doesn't need more room for photos?!)

 

Now I've been reading way too much Pioneer Woman lately so I'm going to take a page out of her book and walk you through this with photos (her's are much better than mine... then again she doesn't do crazy one-handed things like this at 4am either... *sigh*)

Start by picking out a square of Dream Street die cuts (or any roughly 6x6 square of double-sided paper will do, you'll just need to punch a few extra holes) Ink the edges if desired and score a line using a scoring blade, bone folder, or the side of a ball point pen like me (I won't tell) about 1.25" from side with holes in it.

Next, put the photo that you want facing the layout on the paper and mark where the holes will be need to be punched (note: Dream Street die cuts are not exactly 6x6 inches, I trimmed my photos down to about 3.75 x 5.5") Use a Slick Writer to prevent your pen from slipping around and putting unwanted marks on your photo.

Using your Crop-a-Dile, hole punch, paper piercer, or whatever sharp object you have lying around, punch holes in your picture where your markings were. Line up with holes in paper and attach with brads (tip: put a little adhesive on paper flap first to help keep photo from sliding around) Make sure the brad prongs are vertical and don't extend beyond the edge of the photo.

Next, put adhesive on the back of your photo (I used mini Glu Dots on top of the brads to help keep that edge secure) and attach second photo directly onto it (covering up the back side of brads)

Journal on the inside flap (or attach yet another photo) and attach to page! To make things a little more streamlined, if you are using the Dream Street squares I would recommend rounding the corners on your photos (the EK Success Medium is perfect)

Other fun ideas for this technique:

• Use the 6x12 Dream Street die cuts to make a similar flap with enlarged photos or even multiple 4x6s.
• Turn it sideways and make a horizontal flap.
• Instead of brads, secure pictures with buttons, ribbon, eyelets, or other fasters!
• Even try using this idea to make cards! Wouldn't these make fun birthday invitations with a picture of the birthday boy or girl on the cover and details inside?

Now go play, and please send me pictures of your finished projects so we can show them off! If the scrapping mojo continues, I promise to have more ideas for you soon. If not, please send some my way... And if you have a great idea that you would like us to share, PLEASE send it in!

Idea of the week - Jenni Bowlin mini book!

This project is cute, cheap, and so fast! Just follow the directions. Love it!!! Took less than 30 minutes!

 

 

Cool Idea!

We're all head over heels crazy about the die cut papers out there. Scalloped edges were a huge hit when Karen Russell came out with her Narratives collection. Making Memories made headlines again when Noteworthy came out with postage stamp and fancy framed edges. Sassafras Lass debuted some new 12x13" papers at CHA with a 1" border edge that people can't stop talking about. Fancy edges are huge!

But what about papers already in our stash? We all love companies like Basic Grey and Scenic Route, but so far they haven't come out with anything "fancy". Still want that fun edge? Take a peek below:

That's Scenic Route paper. And how fun is that border?? Want to know what I did? I took some of these...

... and traced around the big one. Then I grabbed my handy little scissors and cut away. Voila, instant fancy paper, no extra money spent for someone else to do the cutting. I get the fun edges I want with the papers I want to use.

Technique Tuesday makes all kinds of fun designs with chipboard. These are their FUNdamental Swanky Frames. In each package you get two sheets (shown here) for only $8.99! That gives you a TON of possibilities for using these handy little things as templates for cutting your own custom paper. And when you've had enough of that, use the frame for what it was meant for :)

They have chipboard circles, postage frames, scalloped borders, and so much more!

For other ideas and how-to's, be sure to check out Technique Tuesday's New Blog

Have you noticed the newest feature to our store? Check out the recipe board next time you stop by and get some great ideas for fun projects!

Each week we change the project; from a layout to mini book, cards to altered items. On the board you'll find a list of 'ingredients' which will give you all you'll need to complete the project. Nearby are the supplies used, from papers to adhesive and more.

Whether you create the same thing we did or just get some fun ideas, we're sure you will fall in love with the recipe board!

This week's project: Mini Album using Bo Bunny Word Album by Sheri!

Technique Tuesday!!

It's no secret that we favor Technique Tuesday's clear stamps here at SBA. So how cool is this? Two of Technique Tuesday's Design Team members are employees right here at SBA! That's right, our very own Sam and Crys help make the fabulous layouts you see gracing the pages of TT's idea books. So here's your opportunity to learn a little more about them and how they make it all possible with a little ink and a few sheets of stamps:

Click Here to be taken to the Technique Tuesday idea gallery and learn about what stamps were used on what LOs in the idea book.

Sam -

1. How long have you worked with TT and how did you get started? I have know Bev for years and met her through some scrapbook friends - maybe seven years ago? SBA was the very first store she sold her stamps at. Eileen brought me onto the design team.

2. What is your favorite set and why? Right now, the Broadway set is my fav. It's so versitile, great artwork, and an amazing value for my customers who want a great starter set!

3. What is your favorite technique? I love using my glazes over my stamped images. I don't enjoy heat embossing so this is a great way to fake it. Like I always say, "cheat instead of heat!"

4. Favorite layouts and why? My fav layout is when it all comes together easily, and w/little time spent. I really like Built by Love on page 118 of the TT catalog. The majority of the stamping is in the title. It is very descriptive to our activity and creates the mood of the page that I was trying to convey.

Tip: When creating alternative letters from images stamps use your Ranger dry foam. Cut a piece into a pie piece shape so you have a point at one end. Ink up your image. Remove ink by wiping away the strategic part of the stamp you are creating with. You can create one of a kind letters by just wiping some ink off the stamp.

5. What is your advice to beginner stampers? My advice is to start by experimenting and take a class! Classes offer all of the learning curve info that will save you time and money. There is an endless amount of creativity offered by stamping. Use the versatility to the advantage of you pocket book too. RECYCLE and REUSE, it makes so much sense. Invest in Versamagic and Brilliance inks to maximize you impression success!

Crys -

1. How long have you worked with TT and how did you get started? I'm a newbie - I just started in October! Before then - honestly - I had hardly stamped a thing. Not that that stopped me from buying plenty of stamps, I was just scared and unsure how to use them. I got a call from Eileen mid-October to do a 4x4 Challenge for their monthly newletter. Apparently she had seen my work at SBA and thought I could do well with stamps. So I did it, and a few days later I was contracted to do 15+ layouts for the Winter catalog! It just shows, it never hurts to put your work out there. Don't be scared to bring in some of your favorite layouts to SBA and let us put them on display, you never know who's eye you might catch :)

2. What is your favorite set and why? Tough to choose. I LOVE Two Steppin' in the Garden just because it's gorgeous, the artwork is absolute perfection. I love Big Timber Dots just because I have a weakness for polka dots. I'd have to say the one I use the most is Borderline: Straight and Narrow just because it's a great way to add that little "something" to a page without it being overstated. Sometimes you just need a strategic line of dots somewhere.

3. What is your favorite technique? Being so new to this I haven't learned many. I'm always studying the catalog and other people's work (hi Sam!) to learn new ways to use these great products. I loved discovering the "masking" technique.

On my Perfect Together LO on page 39 I was stamping away with Two Steppin' but found that I wanted to carry the flowers a little lower on the page, but the title was in the way. So I stamped a "C" on a scrap piece of paper, roughly cut it out and adhered it over the "C" in my title. Then I could stamp over it with the flowers and just remove the scrap when I was done!

4. Favorite layout and why? More, page 107. Probably my favorite just because of how long it took me to come up with the dang thing :) I sat on the two Paisley sets that I was assigned for weeks before the idea finally came to me. I was having trouble stamping on the paper and getting the colors that I wanted. Then trying to go over the picture - forget about it. That's when the idea came to me. (tip alert!) Stamp on a transparency! The colors will stay true and if (heaven forbid) you do mess up, you don't ruin your entire layout. And the other reason's I love it should be obvious - my adorable boy and from the heart journaling :)

5. What is your advice to beginner stampers? Don't be afraid to just try it! Get one set (it doesn't have to be a huge set, start small or even with a Starter set) and see how many ways you can use it. You'll find the possibilities are endless. Change up the colors with different inks or types of inks (hello Brilliance!) (side thought: ever wonder why we only carry the small ink pads? So you can have a huge selection and still have money leftover in your wallet!) Use Glaze Pens or Stickles. Change the shape of your stamps (did you know they're flexible?). Like I said, endless possibilities. Just try one and I guarantee you won't go back :)

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So there you have it! A pro and a trainee, at your service. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to leave them below, email us, or just come in and ask. We'll be more than happy to help!