Digital images often get a kinda muddy appearance, and this a method to sharpen up your pictures and make them look crisp. Here’s a before/after shot to show you the difference defogging can make.

I first learned about this technique in a photo challenge at SSD a long time ago, but I found this video by Bonnie Creevy that explains how to do it very nicely. (Note: If you use Elements, you will find the Unsharp Mask by following this path: Edit>Unsharp Mask. The settings are the same.)

How to Defog Your Photos

Feel free to adjust the settings to your liking. As Bonnie says in the video, the settings she provides are the most typical settings. But you can adjust them, especially when you’re trying to sharpen up a blurry picture.

And an additional tip from me. I defog as a final step after I’ve completed my entire layout — just so that I don’t question whether or not I already defogged and do it again. So once I’ve done all my shadows and everything, I defog my pictures, save the file, and then save a web-friendly version so I can post my layouts in galleries. (I do all of my photo editing once I’ve started a layout — like cropping and adjusting levels on my pictures — which leaves my originals intact.)

Hope you find this tutorial helpful!

P.S. Tips & Tricks have been officially moved to Thursdays, switching places with the Sneak Peek posts. You still have time to entire the drawings to win one of my new releases this week — check Tuesday’s post.

(Just a minor note … I’m posting the Digi World Wednesday post today, even though it’s Monday … we’ll have a QT spotlight and free template for you on Wednesday. )

Get Well Soon Mailbox created by fabulous hybrid artist Andrea, a member of my CT.
Visit her blog, Playing with Paper — you won’t be disappointed.

Ok, back to the somewhat irregular program! I’m in the process of dabbling into some hybrid projects. This is a somewhat scary venture for me, as the whole reason I do digital is because my paper scrapbooks lack any sort of beauty. So I’m a bit afraid that my hybrid projects may follow the path of my paper scrapbooks. Despite my fear, I am going to push forward and give paper, scissors, & glue an honest try. I have 2 personal projects I’m working on — one is a simple card, and the other is my 10 Things album I didn’t finish (ok, barely even started) for February’s portfolio at SSD. I know I can’t complete it to earn points, but I am determined to complete it for myself. I promise I’ll post both on my blog at some point in the (hopefully near) future — even if they turn out ugly.

I decided that I’m probably not alone in my hybrid fears … and maybe some of you would find some hybrid resources helpful. Or maybe you are AWESOME at hybrid like some of my CT members and have some suggestions for resources. So, here’s a quick list that I’ve compiled. If you know of any more, link me up in the comments and I’ll check them out, and maybe even add them to my Resources page. (All of the links below will be added to my Resources page by the end of the week.)

All About Hybrid

What Is Hybrid? (Jessica Sprague)
Hybrid Scrapbooking 101 (Scrapbook Ideas)
Hybrid Help (The Daily Digi)
Hybrid How-Tos Master List (Sweet Shoppe Designs forum)
Adhesives (Andrea on the Sweet Shoppe Designs blog)

Other Sources of Hybrid Inspiration and Help

Hybrid Chatter (Sweet Shoppe Designs forum)
Hybrid Help blog category (The Daily Digi)

Some Galleries with Hybrid Inspiration:

DigiScrapAddicts
My Scrapbook Art
Scrap Orchard
Sweet Shoppe Designs
The Digi Chick

And with those lists, I will now leave you to (hopefully) finish up a hybrid printable for release this Friday. Please leave me comments with suggestions for future hybrid posts, and of course links to hybrid resources if you have them.

Luck (or some variation) seems to be the word right now — and is most definitely the theme in a lot of digital scrapbook kits hitting the market, including one coming from me this Friday. But catching a leprechaun has nothing to do with luck — it’s about being cleverer than the leprechaun, so you can catch him and make him give you his pot of gold. If leprechauns actually existed, and I was actually clever enough to catch one and get his gold, this is what I would buy with it:

Kinda selfish, I know. But I’ve wanted a truck most of my life … and I’ve wanted a Chevy Silverado for over 10 years. So if I happened to capture a leprechaun and his stash of gold, I know I would use that unexpected cash to buy me one of these.

What about you? If you could catch a leprechaun and use that gold to buy anything you’ve really wanted, what would you buy?

Have a fun Saturday!

Just popping in real quick to let you know you can download this freebie at Log Your Memory:

It’s an add-on to the full kit I created especially for Log Your Memory, which will be available in about a week. Read Today’s Your Lucky Day at Log Your Memory for details on how you can earn downloads to this kit and receive the entire kit for free.

Be sure to join me at the chat tonight at 9 pm Eastern in the Log Your Memory chat room — free template, prizes, and the chance to earn an alpha that coordinates with the add-on and the kit.

And for a chance to win my new release, see the next post!

As promised, I am here to share with you a really cool site: Log Your Memory. I love their tag line … “Log Your Memory … to later jog your memory.” Isn’t that clever? A great description of their community in a nutshell. Here’s what Kristin shared with me to give you a basic overall of what they do: “We are a community that supports real life, everyday scrapping and storytelling through our Memory Logbook, friendly forum, gallery, etc.”

Let’s take a closer look at what this site has to offer you.

Memory Logbooks — Log Your Memory offers a very unique series of products in their store to help you record and “jog” your memories about your life, to help make your scrapbooking not only easier but also more meaningful. The All-in-One Memory Logbook is a scrapbook planner, idea book, journal, and sketchbook — all wrapped up in one book. This book is PACKED with great stuff — monthly & daily calendars; space to document daily memories, jot down ideas, or create lists; a “story list” so you can track the important/pages and stores you haven’t shared yet; weekly pages for sketching layout ideas; weekly challenge questions; inspirational real-life layouts; annual & monthly questionnaires; & monthly worksheets for documenting holidays, birthdays, and other celebrations. If you’re just interested in one particular month, you can buy the monthly version of the logbook. Or, if you just want the challenges (like me), you can buy the Real Life Challenges Logbook. Not sure which one to buy? Try comparing your options.

If you’re interested in purchasing a logbook, please don’t miss the coupon from Log Your Memory at the bottom of my Saturday blog post. (Please note that the coupon is only valid in their on-site store for the download-able versions of their logbooks. If you’d like to purchase a bound, physical copy you can do so through their sister site, but the coupon won’t work.)

Book Club — Once you’ve bought any version of the logbook, you can become a member of the Book Club, which includes special access to exclusive activities and programs. One new program they’ve started, just for Book Club members, is a weekly chat each Monday to help you with the weekly challenges. I definitely need this motivation, and I’m so excited to be the guest designer this month so I can provide you with a FREE template each week. If you can’t make that chat, that’s okay — you’ll be able to access the template for a limited time in the private Book Club forum. Each week, if you complete your layout by Thursday, you’ll receive a free download with pieces to a kit I created for Log Your Memory — so if you participate all 5 weeks, you’ll have the ENTIRE kit, for free!

Blog – Log Your Memory’s main page is their blog. They post new content nearly every day, with a huge focus on real-life scrapbooking. They provide information, challenges, and inspiration, among other things. I’m a big fan of scrapbooking everything about my journey, not just the fun vacations, birthdays, and other major events, but also the nitty-gritty everyday life … and the hard things. And this is what Log Your Memory is all about.

Community Forum & Layout Gallery — This is the place to make friends, share your layouts, and receive encouragement and motivation on your scrapbooking journey. They have a very friendly community, so make yourself at home!

Challenge Chats — I already mentioned the chats for Book Club members, but Log Your Memory also offers chats for all registered members on Thursday nights (registration is free). Here is March’s complete challenge schedule. You may want to make particular note of tomorrow, March 4th, at 9 pm Eastern. I’ll be hosting a template challenge, which of course means a free template. But I’ll have other prizes as well, including a free alpha, so you won’t want to miss it. Hope to see you there!

You may remember that I mentioned the 14 journaling challenges at Log Your Memory a few weeks ago in a blog post. Well, they’ve extended the deadline, so you have until the end of March — which is so great, ’cause I ran out of time to play along last month. I have this obsession with office supplies and I want those pens. You can read more about the deadline extension on their blog, as well as information about the challenge series.

So, if you’re interested in a community to help you scrap your everyday, real-life journey, you should definitely check out Log Your Memory. There’s still time to register for the Book Club and play along in the challenge to receive the first download to a super fun kit from me. And be sure to stop by tomorrow night and chat with me.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

and making the digital shadow look real!

It’s time for a tutorial! Have you ever had a tag element and a loop element, and wanted to make the tag look like it was hanging from the loop? Or how about threading an element on a string? And maybe you figured out how to make it look that way, only to have your shadow layer point out your illusion? Then this tutorial is for you. I used PSCS4 for this tutorial, but most of the steps will be similar in PSE.

I always leave threading/looping until close to the end, when I’m sure I have everything on my layout the way I want it. But for the sake of simplicity, I’ve just put a background paper and my two elements on the layout. (Everything is from my Journey 365 Jumbo.) I’m using a tag and a loop of string in this example, but you can use this technique with just about anything you want to thread onto a string or something similar.

Threading an Element on Your Digital Scrapbook Layout

1. Arranged your tag and the loop so that the tag looks like it’s hanging from the loop. Make sure the STRING layer is ABOVE the tag.

2. With the string layer active (highlighted), CTRL+click on the thumbnail of the tag– this will put “marching ants” around your tag. But you want the string layer active, ’cause this is the item we’ll be changing.

3. Choose your Eraser tool, and select a small hard round brush. (I like to zoom in at this point.) Brush over the part of the string you want to erase. (You can go “outside the lines” — the marching ants tell Photoshop to only erase what you brush inside them. If you brush outside them, nothing will happen.)

4. Hit CTRL+D to deselect. Your tag should now look like it’s hanging from the loop of string.

Now for the shadows — if you’re using Photoshop, follow steps 5a- 5c. If you’re using Elements, skip to steps 6a – 6g.

PHOTOSHOP
5a. Add a shadow style to both the string and the tag. The shadows will look a bit funny where we erased, but we’re going to fix that.

5b. Right-click on the fx icon for your string and choose create layer — this will put your shadow on a separate layer.

5c. Make sure your shadow layer is active. Select your Eraser tool and choose a small brush with 0% hardness. Now erase the shadow bits that shouldn’t be showing on the tag. Skip to step 7.

ELEMENTS
6a. Elements doesn’t allow you to put your shadow on its own layer, so we’re going to have to do a couple of tricks. (These screen shots are actually from PSCS4, but the steps are the same in Elements — I haven’t loaded Elements on my new computer yet.) Apply a shadow style to your tag. Make sure you’re string layer is active. Now CTRL+click on the thumbnail of your string so you get marching ants.

6b. Hit “D” on your keyboard so that your foreground/background color chips are set to the Default — black for foreground and white for background. Hold CTRL and click on the new layer icon so that you add a new layer BELOW your string. Now hit ALT+BACKSPACE to fill the selection with black. Hit CTRL+D to deselect and then hide the string layer.

6c. With the “shadow” layer active, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Choose a value between 2 and 5 — with 2 being less blurry and 5 being more blurry. For a string shadow, you’ll want a smaller number. I chose 2 for this string.

6d. Turn the string layer back on — you’ll see that we’re starting to get a shadow, but we need to manipulate the “shadow” layer we created a bit more.

6e. Make sure the “shadow” layer is still active. We’ll use the distort tool to adjust the shadow layer so it looks more real. In Elements, you’ll find this tool by going to Image > Transform > Distort. Then use your cursor to move the edges and corners of the boxes until you like the look of the shadow. Click on the green checkmark to confirm.

6f. Change the blend mode to Linear Burn and adjust the opacity to your liking.

6g. We need to clean up our shadow just a bit so grab your Eraser tool with a small brush and 0% hardness.

7. As a final step, I would link my tag, string, and shadow layer together, just in case I need to move or resize them.

And there you go. You can use this technique to thread simple elements, like I showed you. Or if you want to spend more time and play a bit more with shadows, you can do something like I’ve shown below, wrapping a string in and out of letters of your title, in just a few minutes.

If you use this trick on layouts, link me up! I’d love to see your creations. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I’ll try to answer them. Or contact me using the link in the menu bar above.

Have a happy Tuesday!

Welcome to MARCH! Is it coming in like a lion or a lamb where you live? The wind is calm and the sun is shining where I live, so I’m thinking March decided to come in like a lamb (though if you’d asked me yesterday, I would have bet on a lion, lol).

First, a little announcement — I am the featured designer at Log Your Memory this month! WOOT! I am so excited for all the fun things coming your way. I promise, I’ll post more about this awesome site on Wednesday. For now, let me just say this. Log Your Memory is having several new chats this month — you can find the full schedule in today’s blog post Save These Dates. For members of the Book Club, you can attend a private chat every Monday afternoon at 3 pm Eastern, where you’ll be given a challenge and a template created by me. Attendance at the chat isn’t mandatory — the template will be offered for a limited time in the private forum if you can’t make the chat. Each challenge submission is due on Thursday, and for each challenge you complete you’ll receive part of a kit I created especially for Log Your Memory. So if you participate in all 5 challenges, by the end of the month you will have the ENTIRE KIT! Sweet deal! I plan to be at the chat this afternoon, so I hope to “see” you there. (Not a member of the Book Club? Read Saturday’s post for more details on how to become a member, along with a great coupon from Log Your Memory.)

Okay, back to our regular programming! It’s the first Monday of the month, which means it’s time for a new challenge. This challenge marks the first in a series of challenges to help YOU scrap about YOUR individual journey. I’ll provide a prompt and some instructions, and you have until the end of the month to complete the challenge. EVERYONE who plays in the challenge will receive a 25% off coupon to my store, and one lucky random winner will receive a $10 coupon. And if hybrid is more your style, I’ll provide a twist to the challenge so you can play along too! Are you ready? Here we go!

MARCH CHALLENGE PROMPT

This month we’re challenging you to scrap what makes you happy! Sometimes we need a visual reminder of what makes us smile or giggle or laugh out loud … and years from now it will be fun for us (and our loved ones) to look back and see those things, small and big, that brightened our lives.

Here are your challenge guidelines:

• layout should be about thing(s) and/or person/people that bring you happiness
• include at least 1 photo
• predominantly use colors that make you happy
• put the word happy (or happiness) in the title or journaling
• include at least 10 words of journaling (can be in any form — paragraph, list, etc.)
• use lots of the digital scrapbook element(s) you love to use (i.e., buttons, flowers, stitching)

Hybrid twist:

• Make a card for someone that makes you happy
• Create it in your happy colors
• Include the word happy (or happiness) somewhere on the card

Here’s a layout from me, using Sunshine (my contribution to The Digi Files #12 … the kit will be available for purchase in my store later this month). I chose to scrap about my little boy. My happy colors are orange and yellow, and I used the word happy in my journaling. And I LOVE buttons so used a lot of those on the layout, along with strings and stitching.

You have until March 31st at 11:59 pm Eastern to submit your layout or card. You don’t have to use my designs, but I love it when you do. Be sure to leave us a comment linking us up to your creation. And remember, everyone who participates will receive a 25% off coupon to my store … and one winner will receive a $10 coupon.

Have fun!

{credits}

I’ve only been married (almost) 4 years, but my understanding of love has grown in leaps and bounds in that short time. Mostly due to my wonderful sweet husband. He is so patient, so compassionate, so understanding, so forgiving, so loving … and sometimes I feel so undeserving of his unconditional love. He is the source, direct or indirect, of everything good in my life, and I am so thankful for him. So as we near the end of the month of love, I wanted to share with you some of what I’ve learned.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT LOVE

1. Love is a choice.
2. Love takes work … a lot of work.
3. Love requires commitment.
4. Love is so worth it.

I am happier and my life is more complete when I am motivated by love. What have you learned about love?

Speaking of love — love for my fans and customers — I’m going to share a little tidbit with you that will be important Monday. Something totally fun is coming in March and I don’t want you to miss out … and I couldn’t wait until Monday. If you own one of Log Your Memory’s Logbooks, make sure you are registered for their Book Club.

I promise, I’ll have some more info about Log Your Memory for the Digi World Wednesday post. But in quick summary, the Memory Logbooks help you organize and “log” your memories to help you with your scrapbooking and memory perserving. The All-in-One Memory Logbook is a combination planner, idea book, journal, and sketchbook. The Real Life Challenges Memory Logbook is adapted from the All-in-One and includes journaling prompts to help you scrap real life. (This is the one I own.) You can also choose just the current month of the logbook if that suits your lifestyle better (probably a good option if you only want to buy one month … but you’ll get a sweeter deal if you purchase the All-in-One). Not sure which one? Compare your options.

So, if you don’t own one of their books, you may just want to wander over to Log Your Memory’s store and pick one up. Why? Well, it’s the only way to become a part of the Book Club, and you have to be part of the book club if you don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to maybe, just maybe, get this kit for free:

Kristin of Log Your Memory has been ever so kind and offered this fabulous coupon for you to save 20% off your purchase. (Note: This coupon is only valid at their on-site store, so it’s only valid on their download-able logbooks. If you absolutely prefer to buy the printed version, you can do so through their sister site, but this coupon won’t work there. Just so ya know.)

Now go share some love with someone! (And maybe pick up a logbook and register for the Book Club.) Enjoy your weekend!

If you’re looking for a great place to learn how to digitally scrapbook, or if you’re looking to improve your skills, I think you should check out Scrapper’s Guide.

My mom decided she wanted to try digital scrapbooking, but she’ll be the first to admit that computers are not her forte. When she purchased Photoshop Elements from Costco, it came bundled with Linda Sattgast’s CD on how to digitally scrapbook. My mom was thrilled and found the video tutorials easy to follow. She also loved that she could print out tutorials, which she has in a binder and adds to as she learns new things. Scrapper’s Guide definitely empowered my mom, and it’s so fun to see how much she’s learned, not only about digital scrapbooking but also about computers. If you’ve been frustrated trying to learn digital scrapbooking, you might want to try their Beginner Training CDs. She teaches for both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, and you can buy the CD that matches the software version you have.

If you’re looking to improve your skills, their Premier Membership might be just the thing for you. Every month you get an exclusive kit, a set of quick pages, 4 training videos, a PDF manual for each video, and more! It’s $8.99 per month, so the kit and quick pages alone make it worth the deal … so it’s definitely a steal with all its other features. (If you sign up for 1 year, you get a discount … I think it’s 12 months for the price of 10.)

I love their Tip of the Week, a free little newsletter with a nifty tip for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. I’ve learned some great tricks from these little tidbits. I’d definitely recommend this newsletter.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

I remember when I first started digital scrapbooking that I was SO confused about brushes. Once I figured out that many of the brushes were like “stamps” I decided it was time to overcome my fear of brushes and try using them. Now I use them every day — both in scrapbooking and in designing. I decided that others may also be confused about brushes, so here are some great resources for you.

Photoshop Brushes (TaylorMade Designs)
Brush Basics (Steph at The Daily Digi)
Brushes — Beyond the Basics (Stepha at The Daily Digi)

I love these heart brushes from TaylorMade:

And these paint strokes from Lauren Reid are totally on my wish list:

I just love paint strokes and splatters, so now that I’ve overcome my fear of using brushes, I think it’s probably time for me to create some fun splatter brushes. What do you think?

I’d love to see your layouts using any kind of brushes!