Just a quick tip about clustering. If you look through the gallery at TLP you will see some beautifully clustery (yes, that is a word) pages. The best advice I can give you when creating your own clusters is to think about the elements. In particular, the "depth" of the element in relationship to the other things on your page. Some people start at the bottom of a cluster and work their way up... for example, starting with the leaves, then flair or flat elements then dimensional flowers. Some add shadows as they go. I do neither of these things. I tend to start at the top, so to speak, and then stick stuff underneath. And I don't add my shadows until the very end. Let me explain. Let's look at this cluster for example. Something is just not quite right about it, right? Well, honestly, it's a red hot mess, LOL, but bear with me as I point out a couple of issues. It just … [Read more...]
August Challenge Spotlight
Hello everyone! It's Polly Karen here bringing you a peek at just a few of my favorite layouts that were created for this month's challenges. This is my favorite post to write because it gives me an excuse to get lost in the gallery for awhile and to just absorb some of the creativity that bursts out! Here are a couple standouts from each of the 7 monthly challenges: 1. One Word Challenge - "This is":by omuli: by SanVHM: 2. Template Challenge:by Meibritt: by louso: 3. Products Challenge - use a kit: by Laura ODonnell: by JenEm: 4. Random Challenge - use photo as your background:by Christine: by rfeewjlj: 5. BYOC Challenge: by hslater: by … [Read more...]
Snappy Sunday: Transformation
So, how many photos have you taken with your camera this week? A few? A ton? And how many of those photos do you love? Is that number is a bit lower than you'd like? Never fear, I'm going to help you improve your odds of loving your Phoneography images today. You can thank me later.First, anyone who is vaguely familiar with Phoneography probably knows about the Camera+ App. I've been testing a few "pro" photography apps this week and although I really like a few of them, this is the one you need to know about.It will really allow you to take the point and shoot ability of your phone to a whole new level. The Camera+ Website can explain better than me, but basically you can improve your photo with a touch of a button... and if you want to go crazy, a few buttons :).Take this picture I snapped today with my native iPhone camera. We were at the lake and I was a good distance … [Read more...]
Stitch it up…stitching on your hybrid projects
Hey all! As a young child I took a 4H sewing class. I instantly fell in love with sewing. Over the years I have done quite a few sewing projects. I must admit my favorite project has to be sewing this Jessie costume for my daughter. Don’t look too close because that thing was a last minute project after having a baby one month earlier. It was a get it done project, not a get it perfect project.Recently though my sewing machine has been gathering a bit of dust in my craft room. I just haven’t sewn as much because I’ve been too busy scrapping! A couple months ago though I decided to dust my machine off and do the unthinkable…. sew on my scrapbook projects. GASP! I know a few sewing diehards just had a heart attack, but stay with me, it will be okay. I have always wanted to do this, but I have been nervous about ruining my machine. Turns out my nervousness was all in vain! … [Read more...]
Hybrid Highlight
OK, scrappers. I have a confession to make. I am not so great with paper, scissors and glue. Honestly, I never have been. Even in Kindergarten, LOL. I was a traditional scrapper, of course, before I went digi, but once I did my first page with my computer, I never looked back. That said, I am in awe of the talented folks who are super handy with their non-digital crafty supplies. So, I wanted to show off a few from The Lilypad gallery. Perhaps it's just what we need for inspiration, right?First of all, cards! They are a staple for the hybrid world and really quite useful in the real world ;). I actually went through a card-making stent and even made my own Baby Announcements for my DD, who is now eight. Sadly, my cards didn't really look like these, but I may just have to try again. Anyway, enough about me... Here are a couple of cards from our gallery that I just … [Read more...]
Poetry of Motion In-Camera
There are a few simple tricks to adding motion to photographs in-camera. When would you want to use these techniques? Well, to give oomph to your shots, and make 'em stand out! Frozen motion is all well and good, but blurred motion (either of the subject or the background) is super!The main technique is panning. Panning is when you move your camera with your subject either while you are standing still OR moving at the same speed as your subject. This causes the background to blur, and some or most of your subject to stay in focus. Here's an example of my son running:(Aged Photo Overlays Vol 1 by Laurie Ann {element pack})This photograph was done at f2.8, 1/25 sec, ISO 200. Many point-and-shoot digital cameras have a "fixed" deep depth of field, same as their old film counterparts. In order to blur the background as your subject is moving lower the aperture number on your camera … [Read more...]
Monday Morning Font Finds (and a Cool Bonus Find)
Good Morning! I hope this Monday morning finds you all well (or whatever time of whatever day you may find yourself in, hehe). I get to show off some of my favorite go-to fonts today. I am totally addicted to fonts and alphas, and I know I'm not alone. Right? Admit it! In fact, I have so many fonts loaded on my hard drive, my PSE often crashes when I try to use the font tool. EEK. I know, I know, I can fix this. I just haven't yet. I kind of like them at my fingertips all the time, LOL.So, here are a few that I use quite a bit. And they are free. Bonus, right? 1. Eight Fifteen 2. My Skinny Jeans 3. Pea Noodle Parlor 4. KG Seven Sixteen 5. Covered by Your Grace 6. CK SketchAnd here are a few that can be found at The Lilypad that I just love and have become favorites as well! And a new fave... OK, so now something really … [Read more...]
Snappy Sunday: Phoneography Apps Just for Fun
Happy Sunday! Today, I want to show you a few apps that are really just for fun :). I spent time this week discovering some new ones, and although I may not use them all the time, it's kind of fun to play with them. Especially when I have a great photo that I want to scrap again *wink* or a not-great photo that I want to edit to the point that it looks "artsy" and not just pathetic. Psst... I have a few of these, especially on my phone.Oh, and full disclosure. I have an iPhone 4S. These apps were all downloaded from iTunes. I know that some are also found for droid, but they may not all be. OK, with that out of the way, here are a few to try on for size. 1. Plastic Bullet / Developer Site ($1.99)So, this app takes the idea of filters and super-sizes it. Now, keep in mind that this is not for the serious photographer. There is no control over these filters. The app just … [Read more...]
The Eyes Have It
Hey Happy Scrappers!Polly Liana here, with some quick tips about getting the most out of your portraits. Do you remember this iconic portrait by Steve McCurry that appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1985?When the world responded to this photo, it was not because of her hair or her outfit. It was of course those eyes that had everyone mesmerized. When you look closely at it, it's clear that technically this is not a difficult portrait to photograph. But McCurry did a fantastic job at capturing the most spellbinding part about this young Afghan girl and it made all the difference in this photograph.That brings me to today's photography tip. When shooting portraits, consider putting your settings on "A" or aperture priority. In short, the aperture refers to the size of the hole in your lens through which the light comes. Among other things, it impacts how much of … [Read more...]
Back 2 School
Polly Anne of Alamo here with the crazed look of a mom with too many children and the wonder of all this time on her hand as they are all in school! How are you other mom's handling the life with their kid's brains being filled during the daytime hours away from your abode? I am loving it! I have organized and done so much laundry it is scary. But I hope if yours haven't gone back, you at least plan the first day of school photo. Every year, we go to the elementary school and all those in school, must pose. You would think I was pulling out their toenails with the photos I clicked. I knew it was gonna be a crazy morning with photos, so I let my youngest three wear their new school clothes Sunday night and had a photo shoot! Oh yes, now I can make a page worthy of ooohs and ahs in the 2013 Yearbook:I love the idea of the night before or just prepping for school pages. I … [Read more...]