More Senior Portraits

Just a continuation of the photo shoot I was showing everyone here.

Fun with Photoshop!

Sometimes it's just fun to add some dramatic color to your pictures using gradient maps. All the color in these pictures is the true life color, but when you contrast them against the black and white it really makes the color pop. Playtime!

Happiness is...

My reflector is here! Just in time too, I have three photo shoots this week!



More pictures and examples to come!

A few more pages...

More Scrapbook Pages

Just thought I'd share some more scrapbook pages that I've made over the past week! I loved the scrapbook expo and found some awesome new products that I have been playing with all weekend!

Reflector is on it's way!

I am very excited to say that today I ordered a 40'' 5 in 1 reflector! A whole new photographic world has just opened up to me! I can't wait!

What's in a layout?

A good layout can be reproduced over and over with a completely fresh look every time. If you are busy like I am, you don't have a lot of time to fuss over layouts. I keep a sketchbook of ideas and layouts for both cards and scrapbook pages that I like so when I need a creativity boost, I can refer back to it. Below are two completely different pages created using the same basic layout.


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Photography Glee

I take a lot of portrait shots for friends and family. This is a picture of Alex that I took over the weekend, and it makes me so happy I thought I would share it with all of you. He is the CUTEST little boy on the planet, and has been completely adopted by Will and Ben as their older brother.



It's those big blue eyes, can you stand it?

First Shoes

Today I was feeling a little reminiscent, so I grabbed a picture I took of the boys first pair of shoes. They are all worn out, and it was fun to journal about important events that happened while wearing their shoes. I wanted to keep my layout very simple and clean, so it was really the shoes and the story that stood out.



And because I have twins I simply made a copy for each of them! (Often I like to print out my pictures with a white edging for a built in matting, especially when I am working with a black & white photo.)

Card stock: River Rock & Basic Black (Stampin' Up!)
Thickers: White "Giggles" Foam Letter Stickers (American Crafts)

William's First Page

This is my first official scrapbook page of my son, William! I can tell it's the beginning of a long and happy process, but before I began I gave myself a scrapbook creed to live by.



1. All scrapbooking shall be done at random, by my whims and feelings of the day. One day it might be little newborn pictures of the twins, the next, pictures of my dirty feet. Because I am scrapping what I am in the mood to scrap my feelings will transfer to the page, and it will be a much more cohesive process.

2. I will not scrapbook everything! I simply can't. In one day, on average, I take around 50 pictures. So my fun job is to find pictures that capture the personality and moments of our lives in a special way, and use just those.

3. I will never be caught up, and that's half the fun. There is no end goal in sight, what I do, I do because I love it, not because it's a duty. It's a happy, relaxing, and low-pressure thing!

Happy Scrapping!

(All products are from Stampin' Up! except the patterned dot paper which is from My Mind's Eye.)

Celebration!

True joy is when my hubby called a few minutes ago to tell me our copy just arrived! Can't wait to start playing with it tonight!!!

Flap Card

This is a new card template that seems to be all the rage right now, so I thought I'd try one out. Thanks to the use of patterned paper it comes together quite quickly. All materials are from Stampin' Up! except for the rub-on letters, which are from American Crafts. For a complete tutorial on how to make a flap card of your own click here.

Happy Stamping!



PS- Rather than using a magnet like the tutorial suggested to keep the flap closed, I used some velcro tape.

Photo Tips

Just wanted to let ya'll know. This week my Graphic 45 Blog was on Simple Photography Tips. Check it out here.

The Misunderstood Color

White, in my opinion, is totally underestimated and is often tossed aside or labeled as a boring color (I might agree when it comes to wall paint). However, white has the ability to deliver a fresh and contemporary feel, and I love using it to create a clean, open look in my designs and projects (hence my blog color). Below are a few recent cards I've made using my friend, white.





So go ahead, let white back into your life!

It's coming...

It was just released for the MAC, we have ordered our copy, it's on it's way, and my brain just might explode with excitement while I sit thinking and planning all the things I am going to do with it!!!



Sometimes it pays to be a student. Retail price $89. Student discount price, $69. Ya baby!!!

First Post!

I am so excited to start this new blog! I have a few addictions in my life, which include taking pictures of my family and friends, scrapbooking, cardmaking, and blogging. So it only made sense that I create a blogging forum where I could share all of these things, just because it makes me happy! Hope you all enjoy it!!!