tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15873956250748457252024-03-13T23:33:29.158-07:00A Shades Column - Captured MomentsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587395625074845725.post-46979344247809791132009-09-13T01:33:00.000-07:002009-09-13T01:33:00.144-07:00September 13<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s1600-h/Jasia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s400/Jasia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258136327403020322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">C<span style="font-size:85%;">APTURED</span> M<span style="font-size:85%;">OMENTS</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">B<span style="font-size:85%;">Y</span> J<span style="font-size:85%;">ASIA</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >A Monthly - </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69); font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > <span>Weekend With <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shades -</span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SqwydCYY3xI/AAAAAAAAF18/XRrnF-GVHeg/s1600-h/Title-Sept13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 106px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SqwydCYY3xI/AAAAAAAAF18/XRrnF-GVHeg/s400/Title-Sept13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380731129237659410" border="0" /></a><br />Heirlooms are wonderful. We all enjoy having a piece of the family history to hold in our hands. But not all of our ancestors were of a mind to save something of themselves to pass along to all their offspring. Many of our ancestors only saved one or two things to be passed down among a handful of children and many, many grandchildren. It seems like there are always the lucky few and the wishful many when it comes to inheriting heirlooms.<br /><br />Creating a digital scrapbook page of a treasured heirloom can be a next-best-thing solution to the problem. If the person who inherited the heirloom photographed it and created a digital scrapbook page with journaling to explain the history behind the piece it could be printed an infinite number of times for all of the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren to enjoy. It's not the same as having the genuine article, but for those who have a real interest in their family history it can be the next thing.<br /><br />So where do you start in creating an heirloom page? You start with a photo of the item, or perhaps multiple views of the item. If you have related items, it's a good idea to include photos of those too. Once you have your photo(s) you can choose a background color, or a paper if you to prefer to work with kits. Make sure to leave plenty of room for journaling.<br /><br />You'll want to write as much as you can about the item including how old it is, what it's made of, who previously owned it, and share a personal story related to the item if you know one. You might want to describe the texture or any noticeable wear marks or signatures as well. The person reading the journaling will not be able to touch the real item or look closely at it to notice fine details. So think about being the eyes and hands for them.<br /><br />If you use related items on the page, be sure to mention them in your journaling as well. Be careful to avoid using kit elements if possible. They may be wrongly assumed to be heirloom items as well when in fact they are not real at all. Less is more, so don't feel the need to fill the page with doo-dads just to pretty it up. Let the photos of the heirloom items be your focal point and add as much journaling as necessary to share the significance of these items in your family history.<br /><br />For a really personal touch, consider adding a photo of the person who was the original owner of the item. It will tie the items on the page together beautifully.<br /><br />Here is a digi-scrap page I created about the clothing my mother made.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SqwxvS0wa7I/AAAAAAAAF10/uQYLA05Pqfc/s1600-h/LucyClothing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SqwxvS0wa7I/AAAAAAAAF10/uQYLA05Pqfc/s400/LucyClothing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380730343377628082" border="0" /></a><br />There are too many color pallets to make this page coordinate really well, but it was important to me to have all of these items included on the page. The background papers are from the kit "Fitting Room" created by Susan Darter of Raspberry Road Designs <http: com=""> .<br /><br />Have you inherited a family heirloom? Perhaps you would be kind enough to photograph it and digi-scrap it to share with other family members who would appreciate having a piece of their family history.<br /><br />Happy Digi-Scrapping!</http:>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587395625074845725.post-70598776188262884392009-08-09T01:33:00.000-07:002009-08-09T01:33:00.174-07:00August 9<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s1600-h/Jasia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s400/Jasia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258136327403020322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">C<span style="font-size:85%;">APTURED</span> M<span style="font-size:85%;">OMENTS</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">B<span style="font-size:85%;">Y</span> J<span style="font-size:85%;">ASIA</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >A Monthly - </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69); font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > <span>Weekend With <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shades -</span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sn40wCe9OgI/AAAAAAAAFrQ/qrc2t11Pg4w/s1600-h/Title-Aug9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 106px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sn40wCe9OgI/AAAAAAAAFrQ/qrc2t11Pg4w/s400/Title-Aug9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367785805777287682" border="0" /></a><br />Here it is August and back to school time again. This is the perfect time to put together some digi-scrap pages of your school days. Pull out your class pictures, yearly portrait pictures, and those stick-figure drawings your mom kept from your early years. And while you're at it, why not include an old report card, photos of your school building, and maybe pictures of a good friend or two. All of these things will make for very interesting scrap pages of your school days!<br /><br />If you want to scrap your high school years, there are even more ephemera items to consider: tickets to prom, playbill from a play you were in, the cover of your yearbook, athletic roster, school icon/emblem, class ring, varsity jacket, etc. You'll need to photograph or scan your items of course.<br /><br />Once you have all your photos and ephemera gathered, look through them to see what you can put together. Do you have a class picture and a report card from the same year? Or maybe your 4th grade photo and the Valentine you made for your dad that year? What's that you say? Your mom wasn't a pack rat and didn't keep all your report cards and handmade greeting cards? Not a problem. Use a photo of your school building, even a current one will do. Or use whichever of your ephemera is most suitable.<br /><br />Did your school have official colors? You may want to create your background papers with your school colors in mind. Or you can always just add a ribbon or banner in your school colors. The key is to make it is as personal and memorable as possible.<br /><br />Since the school years covered the majority of your youth, it's always a great idea to do a few pages to show how you grew and changed over those years. If you don't have enough photos and ephemera to create several pages you can always show a progression of your youth all on one page.<br /><br />Don't forget to journal (text) some of your favorite memories on your scrapbook pages too. Pictures can tell quite a story but journaling can fill in the details.<br /><br />Your children and grandchildren will make wonderful subjects for back to school digi-scrap projects too. If you know a youngster starting school soon, be sure and get a picture of them at the bus stop on the first day of school, with their new teacher, and meeting up with their best friend(s). Don't miss out on a golden opportunity to get those pictures!<br /><br />If you're like me and you need some inspiration to get yourself in the mood to think about school days during the heat of summer, check out the <a href="http://blogtrainblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-blog-train-blog-is-here.html">Back 2 School </a><http:><a href="http://blogtrainblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-blog-train-blog-is-here.html"> blog train</a>. Once again a very talented group of digi-scrap designers have put together a terrific collection of free kits. Lots of wonderful background papers and school-themed elements are available to make your digi-scrap pages more fun. Head on over and download some now and in no time you'll be whistling, "School days, school days, good old golden rule days. Reading and writing and 'rithmetic...", and the scrapbook pages will practically put themselves together!<br /><br />Here's a digi-scrap page I put together using pieces from kits I downloaded from the <a href="http://blogtrainblog.blogspot.com/">Back 2 School blog train</a>. <http:><br /><br /></http:></http:><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sn4sl38IHSI/AAAAAAAAFrI/cwz7q4LxNJ4/s1600-h/Back2School.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sn4sl38IHSI/AAAAAAAAFrI/cwz7q4LxNJ4/s400/Back2School.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367776835055131938" border="0" /></a><br /><http:><http:></http:></http:></div><http:><http:>I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer and can find some time to digi-scrap your back to school memories!<br /><br /><br /></http:></http:>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587395625074845725.post-85577599726768017902009-07-12T01:33:00.000-07:002009-07-12T01:33:00.707-07:00July 12<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s1600-h/Jasia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s400/Jasia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258136327403020322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">C<span style="font-size:85%;">APTURED</span> M<span style="font-size:85%;">OMENTS</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">B<span style="font-size:85%;">Y</span> J<span style="font-size:85%;">ASIA</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >A Monthly - </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69); font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > <span>Weekend With <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shades -</span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SllPITk42XI/AAAAAAAAFig/qj_pJDbXTCo/s1600-h/July12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 305px; height: 113px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SllPITk42XI/AAAAAAAAFig/qj_pJDbXTCo/s400/July12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357400235846457714" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Digi-scrapbooking is the perfect way to capture your favorite memories of an event or place especially when they're not the obvious ones. Here's an example of what I mean.<br /><br />Here's a page I created of my favorite memory from this past Father's Day.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SllLimU5YAI/AAAAAAAAFiY/VvU5Ng1Oaeo/s1600-h/MDBeach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SllLimU5YAI/AAAAAAAAFiY/VvU5Ng1Oaeo/s400/MDBeach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357396289509744642" border="0" /></a></div><br />Notice anything odd about this page? Here's a hint: there are no fathers on this Father's Day page. That's because my favorite memory of Father's Day was the time we spent down at the beach with my nephews.<br /><br />This was an odd (for us) Father's Day. It was the first one since my father in law died last December (Typically the whole family would have celebrated with him). Only one of our kids could come over to celebrate the day with us (I think that's a first too). So we invited my husband's brother, his wife, their 2 kids, and my mother in law over to the condo for the day. We did lots of things together that day and took lots of pictures, including the requisite family-standing-together-posed picture. But of all the things we did that day my favorite memory had nothing to do with the dads present. It was all about the kids. So I made the page that captured the best memory and that's the one I'll keep.<br /><br />One of the best things about digi-scrapping is the ability to put together the memory you want to keep. It's about capturing the moment. You'll find that the best photos for capturing a moment are often the candid ones, not the posed ones. These are the photos that usually show action and often times the subject is unaware of being photographed. They're natural. They're a moment in time.<br /><br />Taking good candid photos is an art in itself but it's one worth mastering for digi-scrapbooking. They make for some of the best memory pages of all. Here are a few articles on how to take good candid shots.<br /><br />-- 11 Tips for <a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/11-tips-for-better-candid-photography">Better Candid Photography</a><br /><http:>-- <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Better-Candid-Photos">How to Take Better Candid Photos</a><br />--<a href="http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Candid-photography-4788"> Candid Photography</a><br /><br />From personal experience, I can tell you that my best candid shots are the result of luck not skill. It's a lot about being in the right place at the right time, with a camera in hand of course! So here's my challenge to you. Take your camera with you to your next family event and try your hand at taking candid shots. Then create a scrapbook page telling the story and post it to your blog or web site. Leave a link to it here in the comments section. I'd love to see what moments YOU capture!</http:>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587395625074845725.post-43223424277000511462008-10-17T07:57:00.000-07:002008-10-17T08:02:53.859-07:00October 17<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s1600-h/Jasia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s400/Jasia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258136327403020322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">C<span style="font-size:85%;">APTURED</span> M<span style="font-size:85%;">OMENTS</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">B<span style="font-size:85%;">Y</span> J<span style="font-size:85%;">ASIA</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >A Monthly - </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69); font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > <span>Weekend With <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shades -</span></span> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >Column</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">Meet "Captured Moments"</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Every picture tells a story, but it's not always the complete story. A themed scrapbook page allows the creator to record the story, the setting, the time, and confirm the identity of the subject(s), in a given photo or series of photos. They are a true treasure for family historians because they can convey so much more than a photo alone can.<br /><br />Captured Moments will cover tips and tricks for creating keepsake scrapbook pages that you can be proud of and future generations will thank you for.<br /><br /></div></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">Read Captured Moments' Inaugural Column<br />November 16 </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587395625074845725.post-4235146226065947832008-10-15T11:17:00.000-07:002008-12-20T11:52:01.311-08:00December 21<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s1600-h/Jasia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s400/Jasia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258136327403020322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">C<span style="font-size:85%;">APTURED</span> M<span style="font-size:85%;">OMENTS</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">B<span style="font-size:85%;">Y</span> J<span style="font-size:85%;">ASIA</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >A Monthly - </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69); font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > <span>Weekend With <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shades -</span></span> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >Column</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SU1HADaV8EI/AAAAAAAAEAc/6cDV2YXY7ps/s1600-h/title.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 363px; height: 148px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SU1HADaV8EI/AAAAAAAAEAc/6cDV2YXY7ps/s400/title.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281956004216827970" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The Christmas and Hanukkah holidays are right around the corner. This is a great time to plan your holiday digi-scrapping projects. The key to a great scrapbooking page is the photos and elements you use. So as you go through the holiday season, be sure to take lots of pictures and collect some ephemera when you can too. Here are some tips for you to keep in mind.<br /><br /><ul><li>If you go out to dinner with friends/family, wear something festive and take your camera along. If the restaurant has souvenir menus, be sure to bring one home. You can scan it and include it as a page element. If they don't, snap a picture of the menu with your camera. It will work just as well and is probably less work than scanning! While you're at it, take a picture of the entrance to the place and at least 2 photos of you and your friends/family (in case someone has their eyes closed). For a really scrumptious looking scrapbook page, take pictures of the food before you dig in!</li><br /><br /><li>If you go to a concert or play, take pictures of the playbill and the entrance to the theater. Some theaters will allow you to take non-flash photos of the production. If you don't know how to set your camera for use in theatrically lit settings, now is the time to pull out the instruction manual and look it up. You don't want to be fumbling with the settings on your camera in a dark theater!</li><br /><br /><li>Don't forget your pets this holiday season... or the pets of friends and family you visit. Take your camera along and snap a few pictures of the furry friends. Their pictures will make a great side element to a scrapbook page about your visit or make a fun page all by themselves. You don't need to fuss with trying to make them pose in front of the Christmas tree. Just snap some candid shots and put them on a page with lots of holiday theme and you'll love the outcome!</li><br /><br /><li>If you have a favorite scrapbooking kit you can adapt it for the holidays with a few branches of evergreens, some holiday treats, or some borrowed items from a holiday theme kit. Scan or photograph items you have around the house (such as a favorite ornament, candy canes, or Christmas cookies). Or, if you're pressed for time like me, buy a kit that has what you'd like to add. Jazz up your page with these festive items and it will still match any other pages you make with the kit.</li><br /><br /><li>A clever way to include old photos of ancestors in your holiday scrapbook page is to put them in a snow globe or clear ornament. <a href="http://www.dwphotoshop.com/photoshop/SnowGlobeTut.php">Here's a tutorial for creating a snow globe</a><http:>. You can use the same principle to create a clear ornament... just add a bow and ribbon to the top of the sphere. You can create your own in an illustration program, photograph these items and cut out the backgrounds, or if you're short on time like me you can just buy a kit that has them.</http:></li><br /><br /><li>If you have Photoshop Elements on your Christmas list and Santa doesn't bring it to you, don't despair! You can always download the free software programs, <a href="http://paint.net/">Paint.net</a> <http:> or <a href="http://www.gimp.org/">GIMP</a> <http:> (open source for Windows or Mac... very cool!). They allow you to work in layers to create your digi-scrapping masterpieces. They may not be as robust as Photoshop Elements but you can still get creative with them!</http:></http:></li></ul><br /><br />Here's an example of how I used some of these tips to create a festive scrapbook page.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SU1FiJgFxRI/AAAAAAAAEAU/5JlcbaSRk0g/s1600-h/Traditions.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SU1FiJgFxRI/AAAAAAAAEAU/5JlcbaSRk0g/s400/Traditions.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281954390943843602" border="0" /></a><br /><http:><http:><http:></http:></http:></http:></div><http:><http:><http:>To start with, I used a background paper, edging, and corners, from the <a href="http://www.stoneaccentsstudioforum.com/gallery/search.php?searchid=9593">Golden Haze kit</a> <http: searchid="9593"> (freebie) which was featured in <a href="http://cm-shadesofthedeparted.blogspot.com/2008/11/november-16.html">last month's article</a> <http:> . This will insure that the page will coordinate with any others I've created with this kit (<a href="http://cm-shadesofthedeparted.blogspot.com/2008/11/november-16.html">see November</a><http:>). I selected a Christmas photo of my kids taken back when they were little and added a festive frame. Then I used several evergreen boughs around the frame as well as a candy cane and Christmas cookie from the kit, <a href="http://shop.scrapbookgraphics.com/product.php?productid=22763&cat=0&page=1">Holiday Shimmer</a><http: productid="22763&cat=0&page=1">, to decorate it up. The kit also has the lovely gold alpha letters I used to spell "Traditions". I used an old photo of my kids' great grandparents taken the Christmas of 1951 "inside" a snow globe to bring a "then and now" sort of theme to the page. The snow globe came from a kit that was a freebie last year at <a href="http://creativevictorian.blogspot.com/">Creative Victorian</a><http:>. Unfortunately it is no longer available. I finished it up with some journaling text and voila! I have a lovely holiday page to add to the heritage album I'm creating. I'll talk more about heritage albums next month but until then... happy holidays and happy digi-scrapping!<br /></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587395625074845725.post-64775899117840967552008-10-14T16:32:00.000-07:002008-11-14T17:28:04.377-08:00November 16<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s1600-h/Jasia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s400/Jasia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258136327403020322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">C<span style="font-size:85%;">APTURED</span> M<span style="font-size:85%;">OMENTS</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">B<span style="font-size:85%;">Y</span> J<span style="font-size:85%;">ASIA</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >A Monthly - </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69); font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > <span>Weekend With <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shades -</span></span> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >Column</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SR4RCBFpEdI/AAAAAAAADCQ/weIMAyQWQ_8/s1600-h/Title.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 363px; height: 148px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SR4RCBFpEdI/AAAAAAAADCQ/weIMAyQWQ_8/s400/Title.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268667340419568082" border="0" /></a></div><br /><a name="start">Creating</a> a great scrapbook page is like so many other things in life... you get out of it what you put into it. If you take your time, think before you start, and put some planning into it, you're almost certain to come up with a better page than one haphazardly thrown together in a few minutes. However, over thinking the project may seriously curtail your creativity. You should leave some things to be decided on the fly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SR4XRJwUC3I/AAAAAAAADCg/o9EhFeXQ_eA/s1600-h/Pull-Quote.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 174px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SR4XRJwUC3I/AAAAAAAADCg/o9EhFeXQ_eA/s400/Pull-Quote.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268674197513833330" border="0" /></a>I'm a strong advocate for using pre-designed digital scrapbooking kits. If you've got the time and talent to start from scratch every time you want to put a page together, go for it. For many of us though, using a kit with coordinating colors and elements allows us to get more pages made in a set amount of time. I want my pages to look good but I need to use my time efficiently too. There are a myriad of talented designers out there whose kits allow me to accomplish both.<br /><br />Where to start? Photo, kit, or theme first? There's no right answer here. You can end up with a nice scrapbook page any which way you start. Sometimes I'll see a picture and it will inspire me to create a page for it. Other times, like when I'm writing for the <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_346.html">Carnival of Genealogy</a> <http: com="" bc="" html=""> and I want a companion piece to go with my article, I'll start with a theme and then go looking for a photo and kit to suit my purposes. And then there are times when I create a scrapbook page just because I see a pretty kit that gets my creative juices flowing. It truly doesn't matter where you start.<br /><br />Planning is important. Regardless of whether you start with a photo, a kit, or a theme, you need a plan to begin with. It may be no more than a list of elements you want to include, but even that much planning will keep you from forgetting an important element on your page. What else should you think about? Here are 10 elements to consider when planning your scrapbook page.<br /><br />10 Elements of a well designed scrapbook page for genea-historians:<br /><br /><ol><br /><li><span style="color: rgb(126, 108, 84); font-weight: bold;">Photographs</span> - You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Touch up or restore any photos you intend to use on a scrapbook page before you start decorating them up with frames, flowers, etc. It's all well and good to use vintage photos, but that crease across grandma's face has got to go! Same thing with soft and faded photos... add a little contrast and sharpen those old photos. Make them look as good as possible. You honor your ancestors by showing them in the best possible way.</li><br /><br /><li><span style="color: rgb(126, 108, 84); font-weight: bold;">Journaling</span> - Write in short sentences using words that convey emotions where applicable. Whether you're sharing a memory, describing an event, recording your own thoughts, or simply including a poem, make sure your journaling compliments your photo or ephemera and doesn't steal the show. You want your photos and/or ephemera to be the focus of your page. </li><br /><br /><li><span style="color: rgb(126, 108, 84); font-weight: bold;">Ephemera</span> - What is it? It's another word for memorabilia. Match books, menus, prayer cards, programs, jewelry, newspaper clippings, dried flowers, postcards, greeting cards, etc. If you've got keepsakes, you should create a scrapbook to display pictures of them. They really add dimension to a page!</li><br /><br /><li><span style="color: rgb(126, 108, 84); font-weight: bold;">Emotion</span> - One of the best parts of creating scrapbook pages is being able to convey emotion. Somber colors and images can convey sadness, bright colors happiness or excitement, soft colors thoughtfulness. Make sure the emotion you convey is consistent with the photos or event you are featuring.</li><br /><br /><li><span style="color: rgb(126, 108, 84); font-weight: bold;">Colors</span> - Be careful not to overwhelm your photos with strong colors and busy patterns that draw the eye away from them. This is especially important with black and white or sepia tone photos. They will show better on softer shaded backgrounds. If you're creating a scrapbook page using color photos, make sure the other colors you use on the page don't clash. </li><br /><br /><li><span style="color: rgb(126, 108, 84); font-weight: bold;">Theme</span> - Think carefully about using themes. If the photo already has a theme (i.e. it has a Christmas tree or Easter basket in it) you can use more subtle theme elements. If your photo has no defining elements (i.e. it's just a portrait) you can have fun with a more obvious theme without it seeming over done.</li><br /><br /><li><span style="color: rgb(126, 108, 84); font-weight: bold;">Make it personal</span> - Scrapbooks are personal. So when you create a scrapbook page, make sure it's personal. This is especially important for genea-historians who are recording history. Use journaling to explain that the photo of the Statue of Liberty on your page was taken on a family vacation in 1964. List everyone who went on the vacation, and the dates of the trip too. But don't forget to write a line or two about your feelings or thoughts when you first saw the grand lady in New York harbor. That's the part that will really touch people. </li><br /><br /><li><span style="color: rgb(126, 108, 84); font-weight: bold;">Don't over do it, less is more!</span> - Trying to put too many images/elements on a page is the most common mistake that beginners make. If you really want to use a series of photos, make them small so that the group of them becomes one larger element for the eye to take in. </li><br /><br /><li><span style="color: rgb(126, 108, 84); font-weight: bold;">Subtlety can be very effective</span> - You know the old saying, "If you want to get someone's attention, whisper?" Same works well when it comes to scrapbook pages. If you fade some of your text or elements creating more of a hint or a suggestion than an outright statement you'll have people studying your pages longer to take in the message you are visually whispering. </li><br /><br /><li><span style="color: rgb(126, 108, 84); font-weight: bold;">Use what you've got, find what you need</span> - If you have your grandmother's graduation photo and her class ring use them both on a page, don't limit yourself to just using the photo of her (obviously you'll need to photograph the ring too ;-). If you don't have a photo of her high school, go on the internet and find one, then use it "faded" as a background element. Create a "setting" for your photos and elements whenever possible. </li></ol><br /><br />Let's take a look at how some of these elements come together in this page I created.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SR4Jl7HtKfI/AAAAAAAADCI/AG4AHE5ZMBs/s1600-h/RememberingLtExample.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SR4Jl7HtKfI/AAAAAAAADCI/AG4AHE5ZMBs/s400/RememberingLtExample.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268659161199880690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Elements Of A Scrapbook Page</span><br /><http: com="" bc="" html=""></http:></div><http: com="" bc="" html=""><br /><ol><li>Since I'm writing this in the month of November I thought it would be an appropriate theme. The significant elements I used on this page all tie in to the month of November. I included the text, "All Souls Day" and "Thanksgiving" so that anyone looking at it would know why I didn't include people born or married in November. This page is about remembering the souls of two dearly departed individuals who died in November, and, in conjunction with Thanksgiving I'm also expressing my thanks for what they meant to me.</li><br /><br /><li>The graphic element of a tree ties in with my family tree and the barrenness of it is typical of a tree in November after its leaves have fallen.</li><br /><br /><li>I looked though my photos for people who died in November. I chose these two because the images worked well together and both men had the name Stanley in common.</li><br /><br /><li>The soft earthy colored background is good for thoughtful presentations and is in keeping with autumn, and the quietness of death.</li><br /><br /><li>I included the holy cards from their funerals. The cards are both a reminder of their deaths but also give basic information about their lives. By using these I won't have to include this information in my journaling.</li><br /><br /><li>I used the frame as a design element. The color is consistent with the others on the page and it has a vintage look to it. The playing cards go along with the text on my tag, "a pair of Stanleys."</li><br /><br /><li>I used a plain font, white on brown for easy reading. This journaling includes my personal memories of my Uncle Stanley and what I appreciate most about my Grand Uncle Stanley.</li></ol><br /><br />How many of these things did you recognize when you first looked at the scrapbook page? Did you come away with some understanding of what November means to me? I hope so!<br /><br />The digi-scrapping kit I used is called "Golden Haze". It was created by the very talented duo of <a href="http://scrapfiends.blogspot.com/">Lucy and Faith</a><http: com="">. Thank you ladies! Isn't it just beautiful!?! You can download it for free <a href="http://www.stoneaccentsstudioforum.com/gallery/search.php?searchid=9593">here</a> <http: com="" gallery="" searchid="9593"> and <a href="http://scrapfiends.blogspot.com/2008/09/interested-in-genealogy-and-in-freebies.html">here</a><http: com="" 2008="" 09="" html="">. It's a great (huge!) basic kit for genealogists with many elements specific to family history. I'll be using it again next month when I show you how to dress it up for your Christmas holiday scrapping.<br /><br />Now it's your turn. Show me what November means to you!<br /><br />Happy Scrapping!</http:></http:></http:></http:></http:>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587395625074845725.post-33766387855366822242008-10-14T16:07:00.000-07:002009-01-17T17:13:49.397-08:00January 18<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s1600-h/Jasia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s400/Jasia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258136327403020322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">C<span style="font-size:85%;">APTURED</span> M<span style="font-size:85%;">OMENTS</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">B<span style="font-size:85%;">Y</span> J<span style="font-size:85%;">ASIA</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >A Monthly - </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69); font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > <span>Weekend With <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shades -</span></span> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >Column</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SXJ8HIxyA2I/AAAAAAAAEKY/-QjRRLzfrCg/s1600-h/title.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 363px; height: 148px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SXJ8HIxyA2I/AAAAAAAAEKY/-QjRRLzfrCg/s400/title.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292428974170964834" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" ><br />One of the most popular scrapbooking projects family historians like to tackle is creating a heritage album. A heritage album consists of a collection of scrapbook pages that tell the story of your heritage in photos and journaling. The collection may include bios of individuals on your family tree, treasured family recipes, topical pages such as graduations, vacations, or holidays, the family home(s), weddings, pets, reunions, etc. These are a lot of fun to do but like any big project they take some planning.<br /><br />To begin with, it's a good idea to think about how many pages you want your book to be and look at publishing options. You can print your pages yourself or send them out for printing. (I've used <a href="http://costco.com/">Costco.com</a> for printing 12"x12" scrapbook pages and they look terrific!) Once they're printed you can buy plastic sleeves to slip them into for inclusion in a binder or a 12"x12" scrapbook album. You can also upload your completed pages to one of the many online commercial printers who will create a bound book for you. (Online printers that I have used and can recommend are <a href="http://mypublisher.com/">MyPublisher.com</a> and <a href="http://shutterfly.com/">Shutterfly.com</a>) Any way you go, it's a good idea to plan your pages ahead of time.<br /><br />Look over your photos and take some notes about which ones you would like to use. Make a generous list here and expect to cull some along the way.<br /><br />Next, think about themes for your pages and how you might group the photos together. Keep an open mind when you're doing this. Once you get started putting pages together you may find that one picture you really wanted to use just doesn't work the way you thought it would. A bit of advice... don't try to fit a square peg in a round hole. If you do, you will waste a lot of time on it, and in the end you'll probably never be happy with it. Instead, try putting the photo on another themed page or give it a page of its own.<br /><br />For a professional look, pick a color scheme or style and stick with it throughout your book. Nothing says "amateur" more than inconsistency of style, color, fonts, etc. This doesn't mean you have to create all of your pictures on the same exact background. But it does mean if you start with pastels, stick with pastels and don't create a bold red and green page just because you're featuring Christmas pictures. If you like the grunge look, go for it. But then don't create a "cartoony" page of kid's pictures. Most people find a fairly monochromatic color scheme and a fairly traditional style offer the most versatility.<br /><br />You also might want to look for "heritage kits" created by professional designers. They do all the hard work for you, matching colors with elements for a polished look. (The pages I created below were done with the kit, Family History, by Julie O<http: com="" store="" main_page="product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=174">.) Most kits run in the $5-$15 range but you can find some awfully nice freebie kits if you keep your eye out for them. Here are a few designer studios where you can find heritage kits:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.stoneaccentsstudio.com/">Stone Accent Studios</a><br /><a href="http://www.heritagescrap.com/">Heritage Scrap</a><br /><a href="http://www.blushbutter.com/">BlushButter Digital Scrapbooking</a><br /><a href="http://www.scrapbookgraphics.com/">Studio Girls Scrapbook Graphics</a><br /><br />Here are some pages I created for a heritage album I'm working on. You can see that each page is a little different but the color scheme and fonts remain consistent.<br /><br /></http:></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" ><http: com=""><http: com="" shop="" photo_books="" product_c18000=""><http: com="" store="" main_page="product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=174"><http: com="" store=""><http: com=""><http: com="" store=""><http: com="" mode="search&page=1"></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SXJ-Fz_9J-I/AAAAAAAAELA/2v-NQub5Ys4/s1600-h/001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SXJ-Fz_9J-I/AAAAAAAAELA/2v-NQub5Ys4/s400/001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292431150436657122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dating</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" ><http: com=""><http: com="" shop="" photo_books="" product_c18000=""><http: com="" store="" main_page="product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=174"><http: com="" store=""><http: com=""><http: com="" store=""><http: com="" mode="search&page=1"></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" ><http: com=""><http: com="" shop="" photo_books="" product_c18000=""><http: com="" store="" main_page="product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=174"><http: com="" store=""><http: com=""><http: com="" store=""><http: com="" mode="search&page=1"><br /></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" ><http: com=""><http: com="" shop="" photo_books="" product_c18000=""><http: com="" store="" main_page="product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=174"><http: com="" store=""><http: com=""><http: com="" store=""><http: com="" mode="search&page=1"></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SXJ9v_K1csI/AAAAAAAAEK4/Zj4otxcXMho/s1600-h/002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SXJ9v_K1csI/AAAAAAAAEK4/Zj4otxcXMho/s400/002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292430775477957314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Engagement</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" ><http: com=""><http: com="" shop="" photo_books="" product_c18000=""><http: com="" store="" main_page="product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=174"><http: com="" store=""><http: com=""><http: com="" store=""><http: com="" mode="search&page=1"></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" ><http: com=""><http: com="" shop="" photo_books="" product_c18000=""><http: com="" store="" main_page="product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=174"><http: com="" store=""><http: com=""><http: com="" store=""><http: com="" mode="search&page=1"><br /></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SXJ9Wi7SqjI/AAAAAAAAEKw/tqqGusyPmpc/s1600-h/003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SXJ9Wi7SqjI/AAAAAAAAEKw/tqqGusyPmpc/s400/003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292430338399840818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Wedding</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" ><http: com=""><http: com="" shop="" photo_books="" product_c18000=""><http: com="" store="" main_page="product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=174"><http: com="" store=""><http: com=""><http: com="" store=""><http: com="" mode="search&page=1"></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" ><http: com=""><http: com="" shop="" photo_books="" product_c18000=""><http: com="" store="" main_page="product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=174"><http: com="" store=""><http: com=""><http: com="" store=""><http: com="" mode="search&page=1"><br /></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SXJ87KrN5XI/AAAAAAAAEKo/8h_asLVhcfo/s1600-h/004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SXJ87KrN5XI/AAAAAAAAEKo/8h_asLVhcfo/s400/004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292429868033500530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Honeymoon</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" ><http: com=""><http: com="" shop="" photo_books="" product_c18000=""><http: com="" store="" main_page="product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=174"><http: com="" store=""><http: com=""><http: com="" store=""><http: com="" mode="search&page=1"></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" ><http: com=""><http: com="" shop="" photo_books="" product_c18000=""><http: com="" store="" main_page="product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=174"><http: com="" store=""><http: com=""><http: com="" store=""><http: com="" mode="search&page=1"><br /></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SXJ8hZU_pUI/AAAAAAAAEKg/S4pzncQbekM/s1600-h/005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SXJ8hZU_pUI/AAAAAAAAEKg/S4pzncQbekM/s400/005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292429425290224962" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Baptism</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" ><http: com=""><http: com="" shop="" photo_books="" product_c18000=""><http: com="" store="" main_page="product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=174"><http: com="" store=""><http: com=""><http: com="" store=""><http: com="" mode="search&page=1"></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" ><http: com=""><http: com="" shop="" photo_books="" product_c18000=""><http: com="" store="" main_page="product_info&cPath=13_25&products_id=174"><http: com="" store=""><http: com=""><http: com="" store=""><http: com="" mode="search&page=1"><br />With January being the beginning of a new year, you may want to start creating 1 or 2 pages a month now to have an album ready for next Christmas' gift giving :-) The holiday will be here before you know it!<br /><br />Happy Digiscrapping!<br /><br />Jasia<br /><br /></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587395625074845725.post-19509222094652385242008-10-13T19:27:00.000-07:002009-02-14T20:58:29.969-08:00February 15<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s1600-h/Jasia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s400/Jasia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258136327403020322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">C<span style="font-size:85%;">APTURED</span> M<span style="font-size:85%;">OMENTS</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">B<span style="font-size:85%;">Y</span> J<span style="font-size:85%;">ASIA</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >A Monthly - </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69); font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > <span>Weekend With <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shades -</span></span> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >Column</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SZec1ft4WsI/AAAAAAAAEdE/fn_2YpRuo_w/s1600-h/DigiTitle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 69px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SZec1ft4WsI/AAAAAAAAEdE/fn_2YpRuo_w/s400/DigiTitle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302879529112984258" border="0" /></a>It's February, the month of St. Valentine's Day, and a month commonly associated with love. This is a wonderful time to create some scrapbook pages that show the love in your family. The great thing about scrapping with Valentine's Day themed kits is that your photo doesn't have to show obvious affection between two people. You can use just about any photo of people with a heart symbol or two and voila! You've just communicated love and affection!<br /><br />Here are some ideas to get your creative motor running...<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Photo of a mother and baby:</span> Place your photo on a pale pink or pale blue background to instantly communicate that the baby is a boy or a girl. Add a bit of ribbon and two small hearts and you have a great basic page. If you'd like to add some lace or flowers, go for it. But don't feel that you have to get "fussy" to have a nice page that shows a mother's love for her baby. Add your journaling and you're all set!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Photo of a bride and groom: </span>Place your photo on a white background with a pair of intertwined rings and a heart. Because weddings tend to be formal occasions you might like to dress up the page with white lace and a black bow tie. If you want to have a little fun with your page, add a lady's high heeled shoe, a glass of champagne, and a garter. Add the names of the bride and groom and the wedding date and location and you've got artwork ready to frame or add to your digi-scrapping album!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Photo of Grandparents and grandchildren: </span>Place your photo on an aged/weathered background paper to suggest the passage of time. Add a few timeless elements like hearts and flowers. Finish with journaling done in a "kiddie" script and written from a child's viewpoint.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Portrait:</span> Place your photo on a background paper that's the same color as the eyes of the person in your portrait. That should be a very pleasing color combination. If the photo is black and white, you have lots more choices for your background color. Do watch out for patterns though. If they're too busy your photo will get lost in the pattern. You want your photo to be the focal point of the page. Add as many or as few hearts as you'd like to convey your love and affection. If the subject has a favorite quote you might want to add that too!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">A Pet:</span> Take your cues from your pet on this one. A pink background for a German Shepard will come off as just plain silly unless you're a really talented artist. Then again, if silly is what you're going for... no problem! Generally speaking, any small to medium sized dogs (and all cats) that you could attribute the word "cute" to can have pale, feminine, background colors. Large breed dogs, or a smaller dog that has a more stoic look, would be better placed on the backgrounds of the more dramatic and passionate colors of red or purple. Add a heart and a dedication and you're all set!<br /><br />Of course you can also create some traditional Valentine pages in pink and red with word art such as, "be mine", "forever love", or "I adore you". Valentine's Day is all about love and whimsy so there's no reason why you can't go frilly with loads of hearts and flowers and antique lace. Tis the season for love!<br /><br />You can find some fabulous Valentine's Day themed kits at the <a href="http://blogtrainblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/february-blog-train-collab-forever-mine.html">February Blog Train Collab: Forever Mine</a><http: com="" 2009="" 02="" html="">. There's plenty there to suit even the most discriminating digi-scrapper. Head on over and get some free kits for yourself. Don't forget to thank the designers for sharing all their talent and efforts!<br /><br />Happy Digi-Scrapping!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">***************************</span><br /><br />Cześć!<br /><br />Jasia</http:>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587395625074845725.post-3246160651723264202008-10-12T15:31:00.000-07:002009-03-07T16:08:36.102-08:00March 8<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s1600-h/Jasia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s400/Jasia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258136327403020322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">C<span style="font-size:85%;">APTURED</span> M<span style="font-size:85%;">OMENTS</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">B<span style="font-size:85%;">Y</span> J<span style="font-size:85%;">ASIA</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >A Monthly - </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69); font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > <span>Weekend With <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shades -</span></span> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >Column</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SbMKNiUj-sI/AAAAAAAAEms/P-ZqzPlU-dw/s1600-h/Jasia-8Mar-Title.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 76px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SbMKNiUj-sI/AAAAAAAAEms/P-ZqzPlU-dw/s400/Jasia-8Mar-Title.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310599613267573442" border="0" /></a>Birthdays are events often celebrated with family. Your photo albums are probably filled with pictures of birthday celebrations! All those birthday photos would make great scrapbook pages. And there are many ways to create beautiful and memorable pages with them.<br /><br />One of my favorite ways to create a scrapbook page for a child's birthday is to use their school picture along with photos from a birthday party. When creating this type of page I will usually select my photos first and then pick a digi scrapping kit that has colors which appear in the photos.<br /><br />I like to start with a neutral background, lay my photos out, and then add frames and elements that will draw the eye around the page. Here is an example of a page I created this way. I used a large but subtle numeral which leaves no doubt which birthday we were celebrating. Creating a page like this for each of the first 18 years of a child's life would make a lovely and memorable scrapbook!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SbME51g_lWI/AAAAAAAAEmc/W5WB7su0wIE/s1600-h/01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SbME51g_lWI/AAAAAAAAEmc/W5WB7su0wIE/s400/01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310593777264465250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The first 18 years of a child's life</span></span><br /><br /></div>(Digi-scrapping kit used was "Sassy Lass" by Susan Darter of <a href="http://raspberryroaddesigns.blogspot.com/">Raspberry Road Designs</a>. I also used an overlay created by <a href="http://adeyeo.blogspot.com/">Adeyeo</a>.<br /><br />If you have a birthday photo that tells a story such as posing with a birthday cake or something that makes it obvious that it's a birthday photo, you can use that photo by itself for a lovely scrapbook page. All you need to do is write some journaling, perhaps with a memory of that special day, add some elements to suggest joy, and voila! You've got your self a great page! It doesn't have to be any more complicated than this.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SbME6F4A9LI/AAAAAAAAEmk/JZGxeekB2pg/s1600-h/02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SbME6F4A9LI/AAAAAAAAEmk/JZGxeekB2pg/s400/02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310593781655991474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">(Digi-scrapping kit used was <a href="http://addictedtopictures.blogspot.com/">"Bold Summer" by Renae</a>.)</span></span><br /></div><http: com=""><http: com=""><http: com=""><br />Here are some ideas for other ways to create birthday scrapbook pages:<br /><br />• if there are two or more members of your family who share the same birthdate create a page emphasizing the date and add photos of the people.<br /><br />• create a page using the birthday person's zodiac sign for the main theme. Add their birthdate and photo and you've got a page suitable for framing!<br /><br />• create a page using the birthday person's birthstone as the theme. Pick a complementary color for the background, add the birthday person's picture, and decorate with that gemstone.<br /><br />• create a page using the season of the birthday person's birth date for a theme. You can't go wrong with this idea!<br /><br />March is a "tween" month, straddling winter and spring. There's not enough snow for snowmen, and it's too early to be out in the garden picking flowers. That makes it a great time to dig out those birthday photos and start creating some memorable scrapbook pages.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday! and Happy Digi-Scrapping!</div></http:></http:></http:>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587395625074845725.post-58476151328700164402008-10-11T20:36:00.000-07:002009-06-20T21:14:38.470-07:00June 21<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s1600-h/Jasia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s400/Jasia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258136327403020322" border="0"></a><br /><br /><font style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">C<font size="2">APTURED</font> M<font size="2">OMENTS</font> </font><br /><font style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">B<font size="2">Y</font> J<font size="2">ASIA</font> </font><br /><font style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);" size="2">A Monthly - </font><font style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69); font-style: italic;" size="2"> <font>Weekend With <font style="font-weight: bold;">Shades -</font></font></font><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sj2zUV8w5CI/AAAAAAAAFaE/eZSRKDUjJiU/s1600-h/Title-Jasia-June21.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 383px; height: 91px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sj2zUV8w5CI/AAAAAAAAFaE/eZSRKDUjJiU/s400/Title-Jasia-June21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349629094456779810" border="0"></a>Taking photos during your vacation is a good way to capture memories. Creating scrapbook pages with those photos is an even greater way to preserve them. June is here and that means it's summer vacation time. Of course you know that you need to take your camera along with you on vacation. And if you've been following the articles in this column for the past few months you know you should remember to take some snapshots of memorabilia while you're off exploring new destinations (post cards, match books, menus, etc.). You'll be happy you did when it comes time to create a scrapbook page of your memories.<br /><br />Here's another thing to consider when you're on a travel vacation. Think about "setting". Some of the best pictures you'll take will not have a defining background to remind you of where you were. Stick a photo in a frame and 2 years from now you'll probably be a little fuzzy on just what beach you were at or where you caught "the big one". Five years from now you'll have to resort to taking the picture out of the frame to look at the caption because you'll be more than a little fuzzy on where it was taken.<br /><br />So what's the solution? Create a scrapbook page with a defining background, a setting for the picture(s). Add a quick narrative and you're all set. Here's what I mean. Here are three photos I took of some guys fishing in St Joseph, Michigan.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sj2swtfDxkI/AAAAAAAAFZc/6kmA-sOUCwo/s1600-h/pic1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sj2swtfDxkI/AAAAAAAAFZc/6kmA-sOUCwo/s400/pic1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349621885229581890" border="0"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sj2sw8EBQII/AAAAAAAAFZk/IKvqq5vt_To/s1600-h/pic2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sj2sw8EBQII/AAAAAAAAFZk/IKvqq5vt_To/s400/pic2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349621889142702210" border="0"></a></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sj2sw9X_GBI/AAAAAAAAFZs/QHbYecnjd-g/s1600-h/pic3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sj2sw9X_GBI/AAAAAAAAFZs/QHbYecnjd-g/s400/pic3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349621889494882322" border="0"></a><br />If I were showing you these pictures of my vacation and said, "Here are three photos I took of some guys fishing. They were on a pier that juts out into Lake Michigan", it would fall a little short of interesting.<br /><br />But if I showed you this...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sj2sxNrzUkI/AAAAAAAAFZ0/379zaMWEAk4/s1600-h/pic4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sj2sxNrzUkI/AAAAAAAAFZ0/379zaMWEAk4/s400/pic4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349621893872964162" border="0"></a><br />You'd get a sense of where on Lake Michigan the pictures were taken from the contextual map and you'd get the essence of the excitement from reading the short narrative. Doesn't this make for more interesting vacation photos?<br /><br />Here's another example. This time I've used an overlay of another photo taken in the same area, this one showing the "pier that juts out into Lake Michigan". Once again you get more emotion from the "setting". The background sets a mood, defines the space. The narrative tells the complete story (details you'll likely forget in 5 years time).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sj2sxTaLD4I/AAAAAAAAFZ8/JenUlfd7IW4/s1600-h/pic5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/Sj2sxTaLD4I/AAAAAAAAFZ8/JenUlfd7IW4/s400/pic5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349621895409635202" border="0"></a><br />As you're planning your vacation and making your packing list, make yourself a picture-taking list as well. Here are 10 tips to remember:<br /><br />1. Remember the camera!<br /><br />2. Remember to pack lens cleaning cloths, additional lenses and filters if you have them, additional memory cards (or extra film if you're still doing things that way ;-), a tripod, and the camera instruction manual!<br /><br />3. Take pictures of menus, matchbooks, postcards, pens, etc. Stop by one of those "tacky" souvenir shops and take a few pictures of items that have the name of your destination on them.<br /><br />4. Don't take all scenery pictures!!! Unless you're taking pictures for framing and hanging as art, put yourself and/or your loved ones in the pictures. You'll be happier to have those pictures 5 or 10 years down the line than you will just a picture of that mountain top.<br /><br />5. Be sure to take <font style="font-style: italic;">some</font> scenery pictures!!! Even if you don't plan to frame and hang your photography you'll be happy you took some scenery pictures to use as defining backgrounds.<br /><br />6. Learn from your mistakes. Take a look back at photos you've taken on previous vacations and ask yourself which pictures you like and why, which pictures you don't like and why. Keep this in mind when you're taking this year's vacation photos.<br /><br />7. Download the pictures from your camera first chance you get. Then upload them for storing or printing ASAP! You'll lessen the chance of accidentally deleting the images or losing them if your camera happens to get lost or stolen.<br /><br />8. Take some candid photos. They're a bit tricky to get right but they look more natural than posed pictures.<br /><br />9. Don't forget to pack extra batteries and/or your battery charger. It may be quite inconvenient to find a store that sells replacements.<br /><br />10. Remember, every picture tells a story, but will it tell the true story on it's own if you don't remember the details that go along with it? Take notes, keep a diary! When you're back from your vacation, be sure to caption and date your photos before you forget.<br /><br />Once you have that nice collection of vacation photos, put together some scrapbook pages of your memories. You'll be glad you did!<br /><br />Happy vacationing! Happy digi-scrapping!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587395625074845725.post-80433820615796195402008-10-11T12:42:00.000-07:002009-04-18T13:12:26.939-07:00April 19<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s1600-h/Jasia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s400/Jasia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258136327403020322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">C<span style="font-size:85%;">APTURED</span> M<span style="font-size:85%;">OMENTS</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">B<span style="font-size:85%;">Y</span> J<span style="font-size:85%;">ASIA</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >A Monthly - </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69); font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > <span>Weekend With <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shades -</span></span> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >Column</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SeozgZfk3aI/AAAAAAAAE7c/JNipWWJemlU/s1600-h/Title-SpringIs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 76px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SeozgZfk3aI/AAAAAAAAE7c/JNipWWJemlU/s400/Title-SpringIs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326126141011189154" border="0" /></a><br />Spring is here!<br /><br />What a wonderful season for digi-scrapping! There are so many great photo opportunities in spring. From photos of flower gardens to birds building nests and children hunting Easter eggs to teens vacationing on spring break. There are the religious holidays of Easter and Passover... have you documented how your family celebrates these special spring holidays? What about First Holy Communion, Mother's Day, and that other rite of spring... opening day at the ball park? At the tail end of spring will come kid's end-of-the-school-year picnics, proms, and graduation ceremonies. And then there are all the spring weddings... and anniversaries too! What are you waiting for? Start clicking the shutter and creating scrapbook pages to remember!<br /><br />Enough with the blues, grays, and whites of winter. It's time to leave the dark jewel tones behind too! Creating scrapbook pages for spring means a color pallet of fresh pastels and bright nature colors. We're talking the many shades of green that burst forth as new leaves sprout on the trees, the pinks and pale purples of hyacinths, the bright yellows and reds of tulips and daffodils, and the peach and blues of iris'. These are the colors that define spring for scrapbook pages.<br /><br />You will also want to use the common elements of spring in your layouts such as bulb flowers... tulips, daffodils, and iris. Baby animals such as bunnies, chicks, and squirrels, are always popular. And then there are the weather elements including rain, umbrellas, and rainbows. Putting these colors and elements together will give you beautiful pages in keeping with the season.<br /><br />Here's an example of a page I just created. I used pastel pinks and greens for my primary colors and chose a most adorable photo of my cousin Frances taken back in 1923. Isn't she just the cutest thing with her little parasol? When I first saw this photo, which was shared with me by my wonderful and generous cousin M.E., it shouted out, "digi-scrap me!" I knew right then and there it would be my first digi-scrap page of the spring season. I incorporated a few images commonly associated with spring; new growth in the form of budding branches, pastel flowers, and a strip of ivory lace (common in First Communion, prom, and wedding dresses). The result is a page suitable for framing :-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SeoxFWxUD8I/AAAAAAAAE7U/7CSzZFoNh4Q/s1600-h/LittleFrances.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SeoxFWxUD8I/AAAAAAAAE7U/7CSzZFoNh4Q/s400/LittleFrances.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326123477400555458" border="0" /></a><br />Need some background papers and spring elements to work with? You're in luck! The April Blog Train <http: com=""> theme is "spring blossoms" and it features kits from 91 designers. There are over 300 background papers and over 500 elements and they are all free! The papers and elements I used to create the page above all came from the <a href="http://www.blogtrainblog.blogspot.com">April Blog Train</a>.<br /><br />Go ahead and capture all that spring has to offer in photographs and then enhance them on your own digi-scrap pages. You'll love the result!<br /><br />Happy Spring! Happy Digi-scrapping!</http:>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587395625074845725.post-40950214912774918912008-10-10T17:00:00.000-07:002009-05-23T17:25:00.126-07:00May 24<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s1600-h/Jasia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/SPinIYdvICI/AAAAAAAACsw/wbEbIr00v18/s400/Jasia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258136327403020322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">C<span style="font-size:85%;">APTURED</span> M<span style="font-size:85%;">OMENTS</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);">B<span style="font-size:85%;">Y</span> J<span style="font-size:85%;">ASIA</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >A Monthly - </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69); font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > <span>Weekend With <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shades -</span></span> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 37, 69);font-size:85%;" >Column</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiTkwOHzfI/AAAAAAAAFME/Ki4SGqVJra0/s1600-h/Title-May-24.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 100px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiTkwOHzfI/AAAAAAAAFME/Ki4SGqVJra0/s400/Title-May-24.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339179617876430322" border="0" /></a></div><br />In keeping with May being the month of Mother's Day, I'm going to show you how I created a scrapbook page in honor of my own dear mother. To begin with, I made a list of ideas/items I wanted to incorporate in my page. This page honors my mom so of course I wanted to feature a photo of her. I also wanted to use a yellow-based color scheme since yellow was her favorite color. It always reminds me of her. My mom was very proud of her Polish heritage and Catholic faith so I wanted to find way to incorporate symbols of these in the page. She was an excellent cook and baker and no scrapbook page would properly honor her without some reference to these as well. And then there was her green thumb... she grew wonderful fruits and vegetables in her backyard and boy could she coax roses to bloom! Last but not least, she loved to dance the Polka!<br /><br />Whew! That's quite a list of items to incorporate in one page! The key will be to keep them small but significant. Think of one or two items that convey a image of each thing. Here we go, in Photoshop Elements (PSE)...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiP9Gx5WTI/AAAAAAAAFK0/vZkWChk8NQk/s1600-h/bkgrdpapers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 397px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiP9Gx5WTI/AAAAAAAAFK0/vZkWChk8NQk/s400/bkgrdpapers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339175638202407218" border="0" /></a><br />I started with two papers, one with flowers (roses) that remind me of her gardening, and one that is predominantly yellow (her favorite color). I scaled the yellow paper slightly and rotated it so that you can see bits of the rose patterned paper behind it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiQIXrqBsI/AAAAAAAAFK8/ANzvUs1hDNo/s1600-h/colorcorrect.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiQIXrqBsI/AAAAAAAAFK8/ANzvUs1hDNo/s400/colorcorrect.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339175831718201026" border="0" /></a><br />Then I chose a photo of my mom to use on the page. I wanted to use a portrait of her and I only had a couple to choose from. This particular photo is close in tonal range to the yellow-orange roses in the background paper but the color is off just a touch. So using PSE "Color Curves", I made a slight color correction to warm the portrait up a bit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiQVTEhJPI/AAAAAAAAFLE/NxUcijPMiYw/s1600-h/colorcorrect2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiQVTEhJPI/AAAAAAAAFLE/NxUcijPMiYw/s400/colorcorrect2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339176053818598642" border="0" /></a><br />Here you can see the original portrait and the color enhanced picture against the background papers. The color enhanced picture is just warm enough to coordinate well with the background colors.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiQfj2LMuI/AAAAAAAAFLM/_E63LFZCArg/s1600-h/adjustframe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiQfj2LMuI/AAAAAAAAFLM/_E63LFZCArg/s400/adjustframe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339176230120534754" border="0" /></a><br />Next, I chose a frame for my mom's portrait. I wanted a frame that would pop off the page without looking too obvious. I chose a green scallop frame but the color needed to be brought up a bit. I wanted it to be close in color to the stems of the roses on the background paper. Using "Color Variations", I made the frame a couple shades darker than the original.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiQrjQi6xI/AAAAAAAAFLU/MMNDBaZXZCU/s1600-h/pullingelements.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 352px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiQrjQi6xI/AAAAAAAAFLU/MMNDBaZXZCU/s400/pullingelements.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339176436121135890" border="0" /></a><br />Once I had the portrait and the main color scheme in place I began sorting through my photos and digi scrap kits looking for symbols of my other ideas. There was no method to my madness here. I just pulled a bunch of elements together with an eye to my color scheme. I couldn't find a religious symbol that I liked so I took a picture of the gold pendant of Mary that my mom always wore.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiQ4JNP0RI/AAAAAAAAFLc/sBo2VunCpXA/s1600-h/mary.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiQ4JNP0RI/AAAAAAAAFLc/sBo2VunCpXA/s400/mary.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339176652466278674" border="0" /></a><br />I selected the pendant (separate from the background) and copied it to scrapbook page. Then I decided to do the same thing with the amber necklace sent to my mom from her cousins in Poland. The amber color works perfectly and is a wonderful symbol of her Polish heritage. I also pulled in a handwritten copy of her pumpkin pie recipe that I'd previously scanned.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiREvIpPVI/AAAAAAAAFLk/72YhItkNCMU/s1600-h/allelements.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 354px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiREvIpPVI/AAAAAAAAFLk/72YhItkNCMU/s400/allelements.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339176868805950802" border="0" /></a><br /><br />At this point I had a whole bunch of elements scattered around the page. Some were more significant than others, so at this point I dropped those elements that weren't serving a purpose or were redundant.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiRQ_BDXwI/AAAAAAAAFLs/3IdJR1oKrBg/s1600-h/elements+in+place.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 396px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiRQ_BDXwI/AAAAAAAAFLs/3IdJR1oKrBg/s400/elements+in+place.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339177079227506434" border="0" /></a><br />Then I moved the elements around, resizing when necessary, until I had a design I liked. The next step was to add drop shadows to give the items on the page some depth.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiRc8y7NeI/AAAAAAAAFL0/uLZEYg64vw4/s1600-h/addshadows.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 221px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiRc8y7NeI/AAAAAAAAFL0/uLZEYg64vw4/s400/addshadows.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339177284789810658" border="0" /></a><br />I added my shadows working from the lowest shadowed layer (the yellow angled background paper) to the topmost layer. When working primarily with pastels, I like to use a colored shadow rather than the more common black/gray shadow. You can see the color I chose (brown/tan) in the little square on the right side of the "Style Settings" box.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiRol5oPcI/AAAAAAAAFL8/3woHmIY3lj0/s1600-h/LucyPortrait.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6klksNlnOz0/ShiRol5oPcI/AAAAAAAAFL8/3woHmIY3lj0/s400/LucyPortrait.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339177484802342338" border="0" /></a><br />Once I added the drop shadows, all that was left was to decide if I wanted to include some sort of text on the page. I had a cute idea using a recipe card and went with it. This is the finished digi scrapbook page of my mom. It sums her up to a T!<br /><br />Yellow was Mom's favorite color and the primary color on the page. The roses symbolize her gardening, the pendant of Mary symbolizes her Catholic faith, and the amber necklace symbolizes her Polish heritage. I used the rolling pin and pumpkin pie recipe to stand for her baking and the dish towel and recipe card to stand for her cooking. I tucked a treble clef sign in to symbolized her Polka dancing.<br /><br />There is no more personal work of art than this to honor my mom. It has visual appeal, the elements used are symbols with real meaning, ...it totally captures the woman she was. It took me about 3 hours to put it together including taking a couple pictures, cutting out the backgrounds, and making the screen shots for this article. All that's left to do is to print it (CostCo.com), frame it, and hang it in my home!<br /><br />You can create a digi scrapbook page of someone you love too. May isn't over yet... you still have time to honor your mom.If you don't know where to start, follow my basic steps. With a little time and planning you'll come up with a page you'll be proud to display!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5