Greetings, Pad Scrappers! Polly Liana here with a first look at our M3 collection for August. For those of you new to the concept, M3 stands for Mixed Media Monthly. Mid-month, four of our very talented designers collaborate on a collection of products for our fans of mixed media. They design using a common palette and are inspired by three key words. The words for August are OUTDOOR/WILDERNESS/EXPLORE. This month's designers are Paula Kesselring, Lynne-Marie, Little Butterfly Wings and Dawn Inskip. They have designed this beautiful main kit, perfect for scrapping all the outdoor activities in August: But wait, there's MORE. After designing the main kit, each designer releases a few add-on kits that coordinate with the main kit but allow the designer to explore her more specific interests and talents. As a result, the add-on kits are more specific, like a mini kit of … [Read more...]
Find Your Groove
About 1,000 years ago, I wrote my first book. It was both a huge challenge and an absolute hoot at the same time! I learned a great deal during the process - - but, since it didn't make Oprah's Book Club or the NY Times Best Seller list, I think you can now find it on Amazon for under $2. I kid you not. Time marches on and many things have changed since then, including my last name. :) What hasn't changed is my love of seeing all the different scrapbooking styles in our gallery. Want some inspiration? Then hop on over to this forum thread - for the August challenge August Challenge Thread and August Style Challenge thread I loved it and I hope to see you jump in! Keep scrapping until you get your groove back! … [Read more...]
Summer Treats
Summer is slowly starting to come to an end here in the States. I must admit that I am not sad to see the beginning of the end of hot, humid, sticky days - but I will miss some of my favorite summer foods. At the top of that list is my favorite summer cheesecake recipe. It is a lighter, fluffier version of the traditionally heavier New York style cheesecake and, when paired with my favorite summer fruit (strawberries) - it is a truly delicious treat. If you care to try it - here is my recipe: I love the mixture of lemon and strawberry flavors, but you can use the jello flavor and fresh fruit combo of choice. :) Until next time ~ Judie Save … [Read more...]
Tips for Photographing Children at Play
Hi Pad Scrappers! Polly Liana here with some tips about how to best capture great images of children while they're playing. Whether it's summer or winter where you are, there are lots of opportunities to take photos of kids in their most natural environment: at play. It's the environment that, for most kids, provides the most natural joy and the best chance to capture that joy. As a kindergarten teacher for 24 years, I know that if you want to get really genuine, lovely shots of a child's real spirit, stop telling them to pose and let them play. The black and white image above is one of my favorites of my two girls. The younger one (Phoebe) was standing in front of a full baby pool and the older one (Morgan) took a running start like she was going to push her little sister in. Suddenly, Morgan stopped short and did a very tiny little push on her tummy which made Phoebe giggle. … [Read more...]
3 Tips for Mastering Clustering
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about Clustering vs. Layering. I was amazed at the response to the article! So many people sharing which they prefer to do, and tips for each, it was truly awesome. One thing that I heard loud and clear is that some people wanted some tips on how to cluster. Today, I'm going to share with you the top three tips I use when I am clustering. Clusters work when they are anchored to something on the page - Clusters are often more effective when they are touching some other part of the page, maybe the photo, or even the edges of the layout. When the cluster is anchored, it appears to have more purpose on the page. On this page, you can see that my cluster is anchored to both the edge of the page and to one of the photos. Rule of Threes - The Rule of Threes is so prevalent in all design. When you are clustering, the rule of threes means that … [Read more...]
It’s a Class Act: Create Crate Monthly is Here!
It's that time of the month again! Create Crate Monthly is here! This month, the focus is Back to School (a topic near and dear to my heart!) with the main kit Class Act! Check it out. This is just the main kit! There are a bunch of great Add-Ons by the designers to check out too! The main kit is $11.99 this weekend, and all Add-Ons are 20% off. If you decide to SUBSCRIBE to Create Crate Monthly, the cost of the kit is $8.99 and Add-Ons are 35% off! That sounds like a bargain to me! Of course, I grabbed this kit right away and knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. Here is a layout I put together to honor my new backpack: Still not sold? Let’s check out some layouts using the main kit and the Add-Ons. All those awesome layouts! Head to the store and SUBSCRIBE to Create Crate Monthly now!! … [Read more...]
7 Productivity Tools I’m Loving Right Now
I have many friends who have expressed interest in scrapbooking, but are hesitant because they don't feel as if they have the time to dedicate to it. I can't tell you how often I've had friends marvel that I am able to "find" time to scrapbook. They often will say something like, "I just don't have that kind of time. I don't know how you do it all." I get it life is busy, but it's no less busy for me or, I would venture to guess, you either. But we find time to scrapbook our precious memories because it is important to us. I am a huge believer in the fact that we will always make time for the things that are important to us. With that being said, I want to share with you some productivity tools that I am using and loving right now that is helping me to accomplish a little more, stay a bit more organized, and thus find MORE time for the things I love the most, like … [Read more...]
Melted Wax Effects
Hello everyone and Happy August! I'm just popping in today with a quick and super cool trick to make stamped elements look like they are made from melted wax. Take a look at the School Rules title on this page: Those alphas did not come with the kit I used on this page - I made them with a stamped alpha set and a quick bevel adjustment which can be done in either Photoshop or PSE. (BTW - the kit I used is Favorite Teacher from Etc. by Danyale and is in today's SOSN sale for 50% off.) I followed these steps to make the melted wax effect: 1. Place or stamp the alphas to arrange your title. Once you have it aligned to your liking, merge all the letters together onto one layer by selecting them all in the layers palette, right clicking and choosing "merge layers" in the pop up menu. Repeat this step for each word in your … [Read more...]
Outdoor Summer Photography
Summertime means more sunlight, more outdoor activity and more memories to preserve. Let me share a few tips to help you take the best outdoor summer photos you can, regardless of whichever camera you use. I love the summer sun, the longer days, and getting outdoors to enjoy it. It can sometimes be tricky to get outdoor photos when the sun is high in the sky, casting harsh shadows. I have a few tricks to help you capture some wonderful shots. Lens Flare, as described by cambridgeincolour.com website: Lens flare is created when non-image forming light enters the lens and subsequently hits the camera's film or digital sensor. This often appears as a characteristic polygonal shape, with sides which depend on the shape of the lens diaphragm. It can lower the overall contrast of a photograph significantly and is often an undesired artifact, however some types of flare may actually … [Read more...]
I Know a Shortcut!
If you are like me, you work with Photoshop a lot. One way I have learned to save myself a few extra minutes while I am working is to really put some Photoshop shortcuts to use. I will admit, I don’t use all of them, and I really don’t have any need for some of them. The ones I do use, however, make working on layouts a quicker process. I went into my bookmarks and came up with these resources for you to explore, in hopes that you’ll find some shortcuts to use on your own. 60 Photoshop Shortcuts to Speed Up Your Workflow Adobe Photoshop CC Keyboard Shortcuts Reference 20 Brush and Painting Tool Shortcuts in Photoshop CC The one shortcut that I have really taken and worked with in Photoshop CC isn't one listed on these resources though. As I was scrapping, I started to notice that there were actions that I was using again and again. Some were purchased and some were ones … [Read more...]
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