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"Special Friends" by Jennifer McCabe
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I love the scribbled word art in Innocence Collection Biggie, but that alpha is not included in the collection, and none of the words were the right words for my layout, so I used Brush Set: Kids Art Alpha Biggie to make my own word art to match the collection. I placed the letters for the word SPECIAL on a transparent document in PSE. I selected the outline of each letter with the Magic Wand Tool and then used the Paint Bucket Tool to fill each one with matching colors from the collection. Then, I used one of the tags from the collection that looked liked notebook paper, placed it behind each letter, erased the extra, and merged the two layers together to make my own matching word art. I moved it over to my layout, and then I had the perfect title!
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0
Name of challenge: Create a layout using three or more styles.
Journaling: You spotted this tree frog on the bricks on the side of the house. You were determined to catch him. After several attempts and hours of looking for him again, you finally caught him with your butterfly net. You were so proud. You told me, "I've been waiting and waiting for a frog like this!" I was so proud of your persistence! You named him Leafy and kept him until the end of the day. You were definitely special friends! Betsy Grace and Leafy. May 2010
"Sand and Sunshine" by Joann Brown
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
To make the grunged scrap on the bottom left-hand corner of the photo, I used Brush Set: Grungy Fragments. It is a layered brush set, so in order to create this effect, you need to create two separate layers. On the first layer, I created the solid portion of the brush (keep the brush opacity at 100%). After stamping my brush, I applied ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Happy Grunge 5101 Biggie. The text is another brush, using a color that allows the text to show up. It is placed on its own layer, directly above my solid brush layer. I adjusted the opacity to further enhance the grungy effect (lowering the opacity allows the grungy layer to show through).
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a layout using at least three styles.
Other Ingredients:
"Maia Grace" by Kara Swanson
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
The trend in digital scrapbooking seems to be on small photos and highly-embellished layouts. I love the way these type of layouts look, and I do enjoy scrapping in this style. But I think it's also refreshing to really focus on the photo itself - to make it big and embellish minimally so as not to draw the viewer's eye away from the photo. That's what I've done here, and I love the results!
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0
Name of challenge: Create a layout using three or more styles.
"Movin' Up" by Charlene Crowder
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
As I was choosing a paper to use for my background, I decided to make some adjustments to get the look I wanted. I wound up using three papers with various Blending Modes and Opacity levels to achieve the colorful paper I used. I used one from Altered Art Collection Biggie, Fiona Collection Mini, and ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Antiquities 3.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0
Name of challenge: Create a layout using at least three styles.
Journaling: Loft beds! You guys were excited to know that we ordered loft beds. We needed to move you into your playroom, and it would have been so crowded with the beds you had been using. These cool beds get you UP off the floor so that you have that space to play. Now, you have a cool room that you love... and your baby brother has his room almost ready for his arrival. It's all coming together! May 2010
"C is for..." by Jo Corne
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
To create my background photo, first I laid down a paper from ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Studio 2 Biggie, giving it a color layer style of very light brown. Then, I placed my photo twice on two separate layers. The first photo's Blending Mode was untouched, the second photo's Blending Mode was set to "Luminosity" at 50%. Then, I gave each photo its own layer mask and erased the areas of the photo I did not want to be seen. On the bottom photo layer, I erased all the area except for the carousel pods so that their full color was seen brightly in front of the washed-out background.
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Studio 2 Biggie, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Mixed Media Edges 2, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Scattered Pearls 5101 Biggie, ScrapSimple Alpha Templates: Pearl Edge Monograms, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Fabric Arts, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Photo Effects 5101, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Antique Paper 5101 Super Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Old Metal 5101 Super Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Unique 5104 Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Basic Shadows 6501, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Instant Photo and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Punch Out 5401 are also available. |
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a layout using three or more styles.
Other Ingredients:
"First Popsicle" by Janine Buckles
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
To make the cream background paper look like fabric with frayed edges, I chose my Eraser Tool, set it to Brush and chose Dynamic Brush Set: Frayed Edges. The Eraser Tool has one limitation that needs to be worked around - you can't rotate it - but what you can do is rotate the layer and that's exactly what I did to get all four sides to look frayed. Just be careful to rotate only the layer and not the entire layout. You'll get the same results, but it just takes a lot longer for the program to rotate all the layers rather than just one... and we all want to save time, don't we?
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0
Name of challenge: Create a layout using at least three styles.
Other Ingredients:
Journaling: Your very first popsicle was made from watered-down fruit juice. You loved every drop of it, and from then on, I made sure I always had some ready!
"Grandma's Doll" by Amy Flanagan
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
For my background, I layered two paper templates, one over the other. I didn't add any color to them at all. The bottom layer was a paper from ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Antiquities 2 Biggie, and the top layer was a paper from ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Fabric Arts. I set the top paper template layer to the Blending Mode of "Overlay." Then, I overlaid the large photo of the doll on both of them. The pattern from the Fabric Arts paper was a little too much under the doll (setting the doll photo to "Overlay" allows the pattern beneath it to show through), but I really liked the pattern everywhere else on the layout. To fix that, I placed a layer mask on the ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Fabric Arts layer and painted away the portions that were distracting from the doll.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a layout using at least three styles.
"Silly Faces" by Armi Custodio
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
To create sticker-like embellishments, I applied ScrapSimple Tools Styles: Borders 5101 to the stars and arrow. This gives my layout a fun, playful feel.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a layout using at least three styles.
Other Ingredients:
Journaling: Ali, you are such a goofball, always making silly faces when I bring out the camera!
"Barefoot in Spring" by Becca Hauck
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
The green floral background paper from the Pretty Little Spring Collection Mini was a bit too vibrant for the muted colors in my photo. I placed a paper from ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Fabric Arts as my lowest layer and then changed the Opacity of the green floral paper to 75%. This small change gave my background paper more texture and desaturated its colors just enough to compliment my photo.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS3
Name of challenge: Create a layout using at least three styles.
Other Ingredients:
Journaling: The perfect end to a warm day is dancing barefoot in the grass.
"For the Love of a Girl" by Kelly Favor-Chronister
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I used the green paper from Fleur Moderne Solids Paper Mini and clipped it to one of the 12-inch masks from ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Mixed Media. The look was nice, but it was kind of flat. It didn't stand out enough for me, so I added one of the styles from ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Distressed 4901. I liked the texture of the style, but the lines seemed a little busy for my taste. To adjust this, I went to Layer> Layer Style> Scale Effects. This gave me a pop-up window where I could change the scaling of the style to make it either smaller or larger. I adjusted the Scale to 210%. This gave me a much bolder look and helped the mask stand apart from the background paper.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.0, Adobe Lightroom, and Apple iPhoto
Name of challenge: Create a layout using at least three styles.
Other Ingredients:
Journaling: During our last trip to Littlefield, I walked into the living room to find Margot sitting with Pop. This is not uncommon. However, I left the room and when I came back Pop was literally COVERED in baby dolls - not a sight I thought I would ever see.
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