Sunday, December 6, 2009



As the year is coming to an end we are busy planning for next year. In 2010 we are going back to the basics of leaving a legacy of faith. This years challenges are all focused on YOU and your lifetime story. When you join us in this challenge you will be creating a mini-autobiography. We are counting down the days till January 6th because we are so stinkin' excited about the My Lifetime Story challenges!!!

Wouldn't you love to know what your grandma's favorite toy was as a child, how she felt when she met your grandpa, her favorite scripture and the song that expressed her heart? Your children and grandchildren will have that treasure when you join us in this challenge!

We will start out with your family roots in January and move into your childhood in February. We will continue throughout the year with your teen and adult years as well. The last challenge of the year will be a letter to your future generations or anyone who reads your book.

Each of our stories is important. This is a book that everyone should create about themselves. It will be the most treasured album of your family. As you create this album about your lifetime story you will be leaving YOUR LEGACY OF FAITH. This is an album that can make an impact in your life as you create it, but it will also create a major impact in the lives of your family both now and in future generations. As your children read your story in this scrapbook that YOU created, they will take your stories to heart. Your stories may have more impact on them than even Bible stories, because they are personal and from someone they know and love . When friends and neighbors pick up your storybook and look through it you will be witnessing without even saying a word. They will read your lifetime history and discover your love of Jesus, and His forgiveness and faithfulness in your life!

The My Lifetime story challenges will begin the first Wednesday in January. A new challenge will be posted each Wednesday all throughout 2010. The last challenge will be posted the last Wednesday of December. Just because the challenge series ends at the end of 2010 doesn't mean your lifetime story album is finished. We will continue to offer periodic challenges to continue your autobiography and keep it current.

Please join us in this year long challenge! Some of these challenges may be layouts you have already completed. That is ok! We need to get these all compiled in your lifetime storybook. Everyone deserves to be the star of their own book, including and most importantly YOU! If you don't put some time aside to create your My Lifetime Story album now, you may never find the time. If something were to happen to you, would your legacy of faith be lost forever? Take action now, join us as we create our lifetime storybooks for the next generation to see the glorious work the Lord can do in the life of a woman that loves God!

I am excited to be a new member of the FaithSisters Storytelling ct. I can't wait to share my faith and family with everyone. I hope that you will join in!!!!

Friday, July 3, 2009

My live and scrap love contest


Can you feel the love?Come join us for the My Life and Scrap Layout Love Contest from July 1-31, 2009!
Everyone is welcome!The My Life and Scrap gallery is bursting with wonderful layouts, and everyone loves to receive meaningful comments!
Come join us to see just how much love you can spread during the month of July, and you might win one of three fabulous prizes!
Here’s the scoop:You MUST sign up over at My Life and Scrap to let us know that you are going to participate. You can sign up beginning June 29. The official contest period is from July 1–31, 2009. There is no deadline for signing up to participate, but your comments in the My Life and Scrap gallery will not count until you have signed up. So the sooner you sign up, the better!Prizes will be awarded to the three participants who have left the most comments in the MLAS gallery during the contest period. We are looking for meaningful comments. If you just go through the gallery and say things like “Great layout” or “Nice job” you will not be eligible to win.
The three lucky winners will receive:1st prize = over $60 in coupons from participating MLAS designers2nd prize = over $45 in coupons from participating MLAS designers3rd prize = over $30 in coupons from participating MLAS designersYou can find more contest details at My Life and Scrap!
This is my new favorite site and home. I love the designers here and have met many wonderful scrappers here. Everyone is friendly and excited to see new members.

Monday, June 22, 2009

To stock or not to stock

Well, what do you think? Is stock photography a no-no in the digital world? I am unsure!!!! I don’t have small children in my home, so childhood kits are purchased and relegated to linger in my hard drive forever….. But I do have tons of photos of nature and my cat, Sunshine. Family and friends are egar to provide me with pictures of their children but sometimes you just need that one perfect photo to make a layout pop!!!!

So what’s a scrapper to do?

I decided to take a few minutes to google stock photography. And came back with nearly 41,000,000 sites. Ok… I am not gonna go look at all of them but I did look at the major sites that were one the top.

1. IStockphoto:

Huge selection of photography available! But WOW is it expensive to buy stock photos. Subscriptions begin at $979.00 for 3 months with daily downloads at 30. You can buy individual credits minimum of 12 for $18.00 . But most photos would require 6 credits to get a decent photo…..expensive but has the stock for every occasion.

2. Shutterstock

Not as many photos as the above site, but the site is very user friendly and easy. Subscriptions begin at $249 per month with 25 downloads per day. Individual credits begin at 12 downloads for $49. Not much else to say about this one except easy to use.

3. Canstock photo

Has one million photos and by far the cheapest stock company I have found. Very good quality of photos!!!! And 300dpi photos are still only one credit WOW!!!! There are even a few free photos available. Subscriptions begin at $35.95 for one week with 10 downloads per day or one month at $99.95. Individual credits start at $18.00 for 9 photos. Sooo Best Value and easy to use by far my favorite.

I hope that you have learned something about what is avialable in the stock photo world. But as far as the decision to use or not to use????? That remains to be seen!!!!!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Studio Berena is have a sale!!!!! A huge sale on her eye love you products!!!! They are adorable.

So go to my Studio Berna @ SBG:

http://shop.scrapbookgraphics.com/ma...ufacturerid=28



(Oh, and by the way, you can still download the Mother's day freebie from my blog (just these few 48 hrs!!!!) that's this one (this one is really the 20th kit, but it's only temporary downloadable and totally free!):


NOTE: Please know that from Saturday morning the 13th until Saturday morning the 20th 2009 my ' Eye Love You' products will be available all for 25% off!!!!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Ok-so it is nearly lunch time here in the burbs of KC and I am up and ready for a Monday at work. (Not really!!!!! But dh found red bull cola and my is it tasty…)

I had a boring little lecture on the theory of triangular spacing and layout composition, but instead I decided to share with you the coolest site for playing with your landscape photos. If you read DST over the weekend you probably know what I am taking about, but if not let me introduce you to the mini maker…… TILTSHIFT

This photo site turns any photo into a miniature scale. It is so difficult to describe what it does so let me show you. But my best reference is think movie set miniatures that they make for sci-fi movies.

kcskyline

This is my home town of Kansas city. This is actually an aerial shot of the downtown metro. Now once you upload to tiltshift and they doe their magic I am given this.

kcskyline-tiltshift

A miniature scale model of my home town….how cool is that? Even better? IT’S FREE!!!!

Now the rules: The photo action really works best on landscapes and those that have some depth of field. To make the miniaturization more pronounced. Not really for those portrait shots.

Go have fun…….show me some of your home town shots miniaturized!!!!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Inspiration in 3 parts.....coffee, chocolate and a picture

This week I wanted to look at my favorite rule from photography class that I think works really well in the digital scrapbooking. I love this rule and really need to remember to use it more often. But it is difficult to use in scrapbooking when we often don't know where a page is going to end up going. I don't always have a clear vision of the entire layout when I start scrapping.....
So let me introduce ( or remind) you to the Rule of Thirds....

The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts of equal distance and shape. As you’re creating a new layout, take into account the entire image you are trying to create in your mind. With this grid in mind the rule of thirds’ now identifies four important parts of the image that you should consider placing points of interest in as you create your layout. Not only this - but it also gives you four ‘lines’ that are also useful positions for elements in your layout.



The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your layout becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. Studies have shown that when viewing images people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points most naturally rather than the center. Using the rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image rather than working against it.





Using the Rule of Thirds comes naturally to some photographers and for some digital scrapbookers, but for many of us takes a little time and practice for it to become second nature.
In learning how to use the rule of thirds (and then to break it) the most important questions to be asking of yourself are:



* What are the points of interest in this layout?


* Where am I intentionally directing the viewer's eye?



Once again - remember that breaking the rule can result in some striking art - so once you’ve learnt it- experiment with purposely breaking it to see what you discover.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Color theory and something to think about.......







Color theory has long been the goal of the artist. The color wheel allows the artist to visualize the color combinations that would work well together or appear harmonious. The color wheel has been adopted as a tool for defining basic color harmony. The color wheel can suggest useful color combinations in art, but much also depends on the tastes, lifestyle and cultural norms of the artist. Color combinations are most stunning because of the contrast between warm and cool hues (in this instance meaning hues on the opposite sides of the color whee).



Some theorists and artists believe combining complementary colors to produce a strong contrast or tension, because they annihilate each other when mixed is the key to stunning art. Others believe in combining complementary colors to produce harmonious color interactions. Colors next to each other on the color wheel are called analogous colors.

A triadic color scheme, the basic adaptation used by artists, adopts any three colors approximately equidistant around the hue circle.

Use of gradations in black and white and a single color refers to the effect known as a monochromatic color scheme.

In the 20 th century color theory attempted to link colors to particular emotional or subjective associations: red is an arousing, sensual, feminine color; blue is a contemplative, serene, masculine color, and so on. This has actually not influenced the artist due to the fact that an artist's subject matter frequently dictates the color combinations presented.


OK- so much for the clinical and description information on the color wheel. (Information was compiled from Wikipedia and realcolorwheel.com) This information is just being provided to get the regular scrapper to remember that there is soooo much more to scrapping than just preserving memories. (although that is a huge part of the equation.) You are creating Art. The papers and elements created by designers follow the rules of the color wheel. Next time you look at a kit...really look at the colors chosen. Are they complementing each other or do they actually contrast. And even the selection done by you, the artist, is dictated by harmonious or contrasting color combinations. Do you love certain combinations of colors like pink/brown? (Really just gradients of contrasting Red/blue mixtures.) I am by no means says color will dictate your life, but the color combinations we do choose do express mood, emotion, and provide an additional hidden element of expression on the layout.

Hmmmmmm think about that for awhile......



Friday, April 17, 2009

Day 2 at mgl scraps ct blog

DAY 2: 3 pictures, any 3 will do….find a good family picture or even the natural world will do.

mglmaddnessday2

Keep on trying…it’s only gonna get harder…….

Thursday, April 16, 2009

I am hosting MGL SCRAPS layout challenge this week

OK ladies-
One week is all it is gonna cost you. One week is all it is gonna take to create the madness layout. Everyday you will be required to come visit us. (hahahaha)

Come to the blog on a daily basis and see what new goodies you are allowed to add to your layout. You are only allowed to add exactly what we specify in the daily madness. No cheating!!!! Once you put it on the layout it must stay exactly there…no moving or replacing is allowed. See why it is maddening….you never know what is next….

You must link all 6 of the previous layouts in the credits of the final layout in order to qualify for the prize. Of course, you get extra kudos for using at least 75% mgl Scraps products. We will be playing on your honor that you are actually playing every day!!!!!

Final layout due date is April 30!!!!!

The prize for the winner will be a $10 GC to mgl Scrap’s store!!!!!!

Day 1: Pick out your 4 favorite papers: 2 pattern and two solid paper. Layer them, cut them into shapes I don’t care but there must be 4 and only 4 papers.

mglmadnessday1

See ya tomorrow for DAY 2.


Monday, March 30, 2009

Monday inspiration at mgl Scraps ct blog.

Well once again, I must forget the coffee and go for Mt. Dew. Its actually afternoon, so no coffee.

I hope that you all got a chance to catch the sale yesterday….it was huge!!!!! If you didn’t- sorry maybe next time :)

I am actually gonna show off a freebie site today for photo effects. The art of photography is very complicated. And no matter how hard I try, it is often difficult to get that perfect shot. Kids don’t always cooperate, neither does the weather. So like me, I am sure you have photos that you love, but they just aren’t perfect. Well free photo effects are now available at PanoFx.com.

Why not try the comic book effect. Turn your photo into a comic style drawing, or add a rubix cube to put your pictures on. You can even display pictures on a watch or plasma tv. ALL FOR FREE. There are some amazing free effects for both PS and PSE. Let me show you my favorites….

oob2

Out of bounds- simplifies the coolest photo effect I have seen in the digital world. Extractions are tough and this one mouse click does it all for you. Can you say THANK YOU!!!!!!!

rainyday_1

Rainy day….make your photos come alive with the image of ran on the camera lens without the mess of standing in the actual rain. Belch!!!! I hate getting wet. Just gonna show off one more effect. Spiral binding. I love the look of creating a book on the page and this way you never have to try to make bindings again.

spiral

Ok now it’s your turn to check them out for yourself. I hope you enjoy them. P.S. if you join the site they have more exclusive freebies too. Now there are products for sale of this site too. You never know when you might just get the urge to design for yourself.

I hope this inspires you to try something different with a page. Have an amazing week.


Monday, March 16, 2009

my mgl Ct blog post for inspirational mondays

Well since it is nearly 5pm there will be no coffee today. How about a margarita?

Are you ever lacking mojo or inspiration? I know that I have days where I can stare at my blank PSE page for a very looonnngg time. But where do I go when I need inspiration?

Sometimes I hunt out some free vector art.......

According to Wikipedia a vector is

Computer displays are made up from small dots called pixels. The picture is built up from these dots. The smaller and closer the dots are together, the better the quality of the image, but the bigger the file needed to store the data. If the image is magnified, it becomes grainy, as the resolution of the eye enables it to pick out individual pixels. Vector graphics files store the lines, shapes and colours that make up an image as mathematical formulae.

A vector graphics program uses the mathematical formulae to construct the screen image, building the best quality image possible, given the screen resolution. The mathematical formulae determine where the dots that make up the image should be placed for the best results when displaying the image. Since these formulae can produce an image scalable to any size and detail the quality of the image is only determined by the resolution of the display, and the file size of vector data generating the image stays the same. Printing the image to paper will usually give a sharper, higher resolution output than printing it to the screen but can use exactly the same vector data file.

WAKE UP!!!!!!!! No snoring in my borning lecture......let me show you some vector art and maybe that will help you understand it visually...

usedes3

Now both of these are different vector images. I could use them as a brush or a stamp on my layout. I might try making my own background paper. The ideas are unlimited. Sometimes it is just nice to play around and see what you can do with a vector that you love. Both of these vectors came from this site. All of the products are free and who can pass up a good freebie.

Try something new this week and inspire yourself.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Polka dot plum



Have you seen these amazing designers around? I have been in love with PDP since I first found them at the Sunshine Studio Scraps store. Then like all good designers they had a call.....well the rest is history and now you get to see me give you a special valentine. I hope that you have been keeping up with the blog train. There are 14 fabulous quick pages up for grabs all from the new PDP creative team members. I am in the middle of the list but relax there will be a master list of a train members soon. But let me tell you who is next on the goodie train that would be the amazing Jenny. You can check her out here. I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's day and a great weekend.

Sunday, December 6, 2009



As the year is coming to an end we are busy planning for next year. In 2010 we are going back to the basics of leaving a legacy of faith. This years challenges are all focused on YOU and your lifetime story. When you join us in this challenge you will be creating a mini-autobiography. We are counting down the days till January 6th because we are so stinkin' excited about the My Lifetime Story challenges!!!

Wouldn't you love to know what your grandma's favorite toy was as a child, how she felt when she met your grandpa, her favorite scripture and the song that expressed her heart? Your children and grandchildren will have that treasure when you join us in this challenge!

We will start out with your family roots in January and move into your childhood in February. We will continue throughout the year with your teen and adult years as well. The last challenge of the year will be a letter to your future generations or anyone who reads your book.

Each of our stories is important. This is a book that everyone should create about themselves. It will be the most treasured album of your family. As you create this album about your lifetime story you will be leaving YOUR LEGACY OF FAITH. This is an album that can make an impact in your life as you create it, but it will also create a major impact in the lives of your family both now and in future generations. As your children read your story in this scrapbook that YOU created, they will take your stories to heart. Your stories may have more impact on them than even Bible stories, because they are personal and from someone they know and love . When friends and neighbors pick up your storybook and look through it you will be witnessing without even saying a word. They will read your lifetime history and discover your love of Jesus, and His forgiveness and faithfulness in your life!

The My Lifetime story challenges will begin the first Wednesday in January. A new challenge will be posted each Wednesday all throughout 2010. The last challenge will be posted the last Wednesday of December. Just because the challenge series ends at the end of 2010 doesn't mean your lifetime story album is finished. We will continue to offer periodic challenges to continue your autobiography and keep it current.

Please join us in this year long challenge! Some of these challenges may be layouts you have already completed. That is ok! We need to get these all compiled in your lifetime storybook. Everyone deserves to be the star of their own book, including and most importantly YOU! If you don't put some time aside to create your My Lifetime Story album now, you may never find the time. If something were to happen to you, would your legacy of faith be lost forever? Take action now, join us as we create our lifetime storybooks for the next generation to see the glorious work the Lord can do in the life of a woman that loves God!

I am excited to be a new member of the FaithSisters Storytelling ct. I can't wait to share my faith and family with everyone. I hope that you will join in!!!!

Friday, July 3, 2009

My live and scrap love contest


Can you feel the love?Come join us for the My Life and Scrap Layout Love Contest from July 1-31, 2009!
Everyone is welcome!The My Life and Scrap gallery is bursting with wonderful layouts, and everyone loves to receive meaningful comments!
Come join us to see just how much love you can spread during the month of July, and you might win one of three fabulous prizes!
Here’s the scoop:You MUST sign up over at My Life and Scrap to let us know that you are going to participate. You can sign up beginning June 29. The official contest period is from July 1–31, 2009. There is no deadline for signing up to participate, but your comments in the My Life and Scrap gallery will not count until you have signed up. So the sooner you sign up, the better!Prizes will be awarded to the three participants who have left the most comments in the MLAS gallery during the contest period. We are looking for meaningful comments. If you just go through the gallery and say things like “Great layout” or “Nice job” you will not be eligible to win.
The three lucky winners will receive:1st prize = over $60 in coupons from participating MLAS designers2nd prize = over $45 in coupons from participating MLAS designers3rd prize = over $30 in coupons from participating MLAS designersYou can find more contest details at My Life and Scrap!
This is my new favorite site and home. I love the designers here and have met many wonderful scrappers here. Everyone is friendly and excited to see new members.

Monday, June 22, 2009

To stock or not to stock

Well, what do you think? Is stock photography a no-no in the digital world? I am unsure!!!! I don’t have small children in my home, so childhood kits are purchased and relegated to linger in my hard drive forever….. But I do have tons of photos of nature and my cat, Sunshine. Family and friends are egar to provide me with pictures of their children but sometimes you just need that one perfect photo to make a layout pop!!!!

So what’s a scrapper to do?

I decided to take a few minutes to google stock photography. And came back with nearly 41,000,000 sites. Ok… I am not gonna go look at all of them but I did look at the major sites that were one the top.

1. IStockphoto:

Huge selection of photography available! But WOW is it expensive to buy stock photos. Subscriptions begin at $979.00 for 3 months with daily downloads at 30. You can buy individual credits minimum of 12 for $18.00 . But most photos would require 6 credits to get a decent photo…..expensive but has the stock for every occasion.

2. Shutterstock

Not as many photos as the above site, but the site is very user friendly and easy. Subscriptions begin at $249 per month with 25 downloads per day. Individual credits begin at 12 downloads for $49. Not much else to say about this one except easy to use.

3. Canstock photo

Has one million photos and by far the cheapest stock company I have found. Very good quality of photos!!!! And 300dpi photos are still only one credit WOW!!!! There are even a few free photos available. Subscriptions begin at $35.95 for one week with 10 downloads per day or one month at $99.95. Individual credits start at $18.00 for 9 photos. Sooo Best Value and easy to use by far my favorite.

I hope that you have learned something about what is avialable in the stock photo world. But as far as the decision to use or not to use????? That remains to be seen!!!!!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Studio Berena is have a sale!!!!! A huge sale on her eye love you products!!!! They are adorable.

So go to my Studio Berna @ SBG:

http://shop.scrapbookgraphics.com/ma...ufacturerid=28



(Oh, and by the way, you can still download the Mother's day freebie from my blog (just these few 48 hrs!!!!) that's this one (this one is really the 20th kit, but it's only temporary downloadable and totally free!):


NOTE: Please know that from Saturday morning the 13th until Saturday morning the 20th 2009 my ' Eye Love You' products will be available all for 25% off!!!!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Ok-so it is nearly lunch time here in the burbs of KC and I am up and ready for a Monday at work. (Not really!!!!! But dh found red bull cola and my is it tasty…)

I had a boring little lecture on the theory of triangular spacing and layout composition, but instead I decided to share with you the coolest site for playing with your landscape photos. If you read DST over the weekend you probably know what I am taking about, but if not let me introduce you to the mini maker…… TILTSHIFT

This photo site turns any photo into a miniature scale. It is so difficult to describe what it does so let me show you. But my best reference is think movie set miniatures that they make for sci-fi movies.

kcskyline

This is my home town of Kansas city. This is actually an aerial shot of the downtown metro. Now once you upload to tiltshift and they doe their magic I am given this.

kcskyline-tiltshift

A miniature scale model of my home town….how cool is that? Even better? IT’S FREE!!!!

Now the rules: The photo action really works best on landscapes and those that have some depth of field. To make the miniaturization more pronounced. Not really for those portrait shots.

Go have fun…….show me some of your home town shots miniaturized!!!!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Inspiration in 3 parts.....coffee, chocolate and a picture

This week I wanted to look at my favorite rule from photography class that I think works really well in the digital scrapbooking. I love this rule and really need to remember to use it more often. But it is difficult to use in scrapbooking when we often don't know where a page is going to end up going. I don't always have a clear vision of the entire layout when I start scrapping.....
So let me introduce ( or remind) you to the Rule of Thirds....

The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts of equal distance and shape. As you’re creating a new layout, take into account the entire image you are trying to create in your mind. With this grid in mind the rule of thirds’ now identifies four important parts of the image that you should consider placing points of interest in as you create your layout. Not only this - but it also gives you four ‘lines’ that are also useful positions for elements in your layout.



The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your layout becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. Studies have shown that when viewing images people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points most naturally rather than the center. Using the rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image rather than working against it.





Using the Rule of Thirds comes naturally to some photographers and for some digital scrapbookers, but for many of us takes a little time and practice for it to become second nature.
In learning how to use the rule of thirds (and then to break it) the most important questions to be asking of yourself are:



* What are the points of interest in this layout?


* Where am I intentionally directing the viewer's eye?



Once again - remember that breaking the rule can result in some striking art - so once you’ve learnt it- experiment with purposely breaking it to see what you discover.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Color theory and something to think about.......







Color theory has long been the goal of the artist. The color wheel allows the artist to visualize the color combinations that would work well together or appear harmonious. The color wheel has been adopted as a tool for defining basic color harmony. The color wheel can suggest useful color combinations in art, but much also depends on the tastes, lifestyle and cultural norms of the artist. Color combinations are most stunning because of the contrast between warm and cool hues (in this instance meaning hues on the opposite sides of the color whee).



Some theorists and artists believe combining complementary colors to produce a strong contrast or tension, because they annihilate each other when mixed is the key to stunning art. Others believe in combining complementary colors to produce harmonious color interactions. Colors next to each other on the color wheel are called analogous colors.

A triadic color scheme, the basic adaptation used by artists, adopts any three colors approximately equidistant around the hue circle.

Use of gradations in black and white and a single color refers to the effect known as a monochromatic color scheme.

In the 20 th century color theory attempted to link colors to particular emotional or subjective associations: red is an arousing, sensual, feminine color; blue is a contemplative, serene, masculine color, and so on. This has actually not influenced the artist due to the fact that an artist's subject matter frequently dictates the color combinations presented.


OK- so much for the clinical and description information on the color wheel. (Information was compiled from Wikipedia and realcolorwheel.com) This information is just being provided to get the regular scrapper to remember that there is soooo much more to scrapping than just preserving memories. (although that is a huge part of the equation.) You are creating Art. The papers and elements created by designers follow the rules of the color wheel. Next time you look at a kit...really look at the colors chosen. Are they complementing each other or do they actually contrast. And even the selection done by you, the artist, is dictated by harmonious or contrasting color combinations. Do you love certain combinations of colors like pink/brown? (Really just gradients of contrasting Red/blue mixtures.) I am by no means says color will dictate your life, but the color combinations we do choose do express mood, emotion, and provide an additional hidden element of expression on the layout.

Hmmmmmm think about that for awhile......



Friday, April 17, 2009

Day 2 at mgl scraps ct blog

DAY 2: 3 pictures, any 3 will do….find a good family picture or even the natural world will do.

mglmaddnessday2

Keep on trying…it’s only gonna get harder…….

Thursday, April 16, 2009

I am hosting MGL SCRAPS layout challenge this week

OK ladies-
One week is all it is gonna cost you. One week is all it is gonna take to create the madness layout. Everyday you will be required to come visit us. (hahahaha)

Come to the blog on a daily basis and see what new goodies you are allowed to add to your layout. You are only allowed to add exactly what we specify in the daily madness. No cheating!!!! Once you put it on the layout it must stay exactly there…no moving or replacing is allowed. See why it is maddening….you never know what is next….

You must link all 6 of the previous layouts in the credits of the final layout in order to qualify for the prize. Of course, you get extra kudos for using at least 75% mgl Scraps products. We will be playing on your honor that you are actually playing every day!!!!!

Final layout due date is April 30!!!!!

The prize for the winner will be a $10 GC to mgl Scrap’s store!!!!!!

Day 1: Pick out your 4 favorite papers: 2 pattern and two solid paper. Layer them, cut them into shapes I don’t care but there must be 4 and only 4 papers.

mglmadnessday1

See ya tomorrow for DAY 2.


Monday, March 30, 2009

Monday inspiration at mgl Scraps ct blog.

Well once again, I must forget the coffee and go for Mt. Dew. Its actually afternoon, so no coffee.

I hope that you all got a chance to catch the sale yesterday….it was huge!!!!! If you didn’t- sorry maybe next time :)

I am actually gonna show off a freebie site today for photo effects. The art of photography is very complicated. And no matter how hard I try, it is often difficult to get that perfect shot. Kids don’t always cooperate, neither does the weather. So like me, I am sure you have photos that you love, but they just aren’t perfect. Well free photo effects are now available at PanoFx.com.

Why not try the comic book effect. Turn your photo into a comic style drawing, or add a rubix cube to put your pictures on. You can even display pictures on a watch or plasma tv. ALL FOR FREE. There are some amazing free effects for both PS and PSE. Let me show you my favorites….

oob2

Out of bounds- simplifies the coolest photo effect I have seen in the digital world. Extractions are tough and this one mouse click does it all for you. Can you say THANK YOU!!!!!!!

rainyday_1

Rainy day….make your photos come alive with the image of ran on the camera lens without the mess of standing in the actual rain. Belch!!!! I hate getting wet. Just gonna show off one more effect. Spiral binding. I love the look of creating a book on the page and this way you never have to try to make bindings again.

spiral

Ok now it’s your turn to check them out for yourself. I hope you enjoy them. P.S. if you join the site they have more exclusive freebies too. Now there are products for sale of this site too. You never know when you might just get the urge to design for yourself.

I hope this inspires you to try something different with a page. Have an amazing week.


Monday, March 16, 2009

my mgl Ct blog post for inspirational mondays

Well since it is nearly 5pm there will be no coffee today. How about a margarita?

Are you ever lacking mojo or inspiration? I know that I have days where I can stare at my blank PSE page for a very looonnngg time. But where do I go when I need inspiration?

Sometimes I hunt out some free vector art.......

According to Wikipedia a vector is

Computer displays are made up from small dots called pixels. The picture is built up from these dots. The smaller and closer the dots are together, the better the quality of the image, but the bigger the file needed to store the data. If the image is magnified, it becomes grainy, as the resolution of the eye enables it to pick out individual pixels. Vector graphics files store the lines, shapes and colours that make up an image as mathematical formulae.

A vector graphics program uses the mathematical formulae to construct the screen image, building the best quality image possible, given the screen resolution. The mathematical formulae determine where the dots that make up the image should be placed for the best results when displaying the image. Since these formulae can produce an image scalable to any size and detail the quality of the image is only determined by the resolution of the display, and the file size of vector data generating the image stays the same. Printing the image to paper will usually give a sharper, higher resolution output than printing it to the screen but can use exactly the same vector data file.

WAKE UP!!!!!!!! No snoring in my borning lecture......let me show you some vector art and maybe that will help you understand it visually...

usedes3

Now both of these are different vector images. I could use them as a brush or a stamp on my layout. I might try making my own background paper. The ideas are unlimited. Sometimes it is just nice to play around and see what you can do with a vector that you love. Both of these vectors came from this site. All of the products are free and who can pass up a good freebie.

Try something new this week and inspire yourself.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Polka dot plum



Have you seen these amazing designers around? I have been in love with PDP since I first found them at the Sunshine Studio Scraps store. Then like all good designers they had a call.....well the rest is history and now you get to see me give you a special valentine. I hope that you have been keeping up with the blog train. There are 14 fabulous quick pages up for grabs all from the new PDP creative team members. I am in the middle of the list but relax there will be a master list of a train members soon. But let me tell you who is next on the goodie train that would be the amazing Jenny. You can check her out here. I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's day and a great weekend.