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.

Mel took the time to answer some of my questions:

1. Your screen name? KSCroppyChick
2. Are you married/have children/pets? I have been married to Tod for almost 14 years, we have 3 kids; 10 yo Quentin, 7 yo Tyler, and 4 yo Teanna. We also have a shih tzu named Nitro
3. Where is home for you? A small town outside of Wichita, Kansas; now, though thanks to my husband’s job; there have been several little Kansas towns that have been home in the last 14 years.
4. Snacks…Salty or Sweet? Depends on my mood, activity, or cravings, usually chocolate, gummy bears, pretzels, or dill pickle sunflower seeds when scrapping!
5. Beverage of choice? Diet Pepsi with Vanilla, Diet, Dr. Pepper, or Iced Tea usually, sometimes I am boring and go for water!!
6. PC or Mac? PC, I want to be a Mac Girl, but compromise means I am a PC Girl!
7. How long have you been digi-scrapping? I started digi scrapping about 5 years ago. After keeping scrapbooks all my life, and loving playing with paper; I swore that I wouldn’t go digi, I resisted it for a while, but here I am.
8. How did you get in to digi-scrapping? I was on the design team of a paper scrapping site, and during an event at the site, we had a digi challenge. I created my first layout then. I wasn’t very  impressed and didn’t do another layout for months. About a year later, my mother in law asked me to create a gift album for her mom, I decided that with the time constraints I had, it would make more sense to do it digitally. 5 years later, I do more digital layouts than paper layouts.
9. What is your favorite Suzy Q Scraps kit? I can’t really say that I have a favorite kit; if I had to pick, I would say that it would be the Journey 365 because of the versatility. Of the themed kits, I would probably say Roughin’ It since my family spends many summer hours at the lake!
10. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)? When I am not scrapping (either digitally or paper), I enjoy cooking and baking, reading, photography, camping, hanging out with friends, spending time with my family. Most of the activities still have some scrapping thoughts attached since I am always taking pictures!
11. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you? Stopping and going to bed at night! I scrap throughout the day when time and kids allow, but in the evening I scrap while Tod watches TV and I don’t usually want to stop, I tend to stay up WAY too late!!
12. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? I am not a huge TV and movie watcher, but my can’t miss TV includes True Blood and American Idol. My favorite movies are mostly older than me; Gone With The Wind, The Wizard Of Oz, and Grease are among my favorites. I also enjoy a good chick flick, or 80’s flick when the movie mood strikes!
13. What is something unique about you? Honestly I can’t think of anything, how sad is that? I was raised hanging out on my grandparent’s dairy farm and at their bait shop and fish ponds. Girly girl that I am, I can clean a fish and milk a cow with the best of them!

Here are some of Mel’s layouts.  Aren’t they amazing?  Click each image to see layout credits.

In honor of Mel’s awesome layouts, Suzy has created a free template inspired by her So Sweet layout.  Click the image or link below to download!

DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE FREEBIE

The possibilities are endless with this template, as shown by the QT’s!

Have fun with your new template everyone, and thank you for the inspiration, Mel!

Don’t forget when these hit the store on Friday, they are 20% off. Most important, let us see who is lucky!!! I want you to leave a comment on something lucky that has happened to you!!! You’ll be entered into a drawing to win one of this week’s new releases from SuzyQ Scraps. Want more chances to win? Share this post on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter, then come back here and leave another comment letting us know where you shared it. (Comments must be posted by 9 pm Eastern Thursday night.) SuzyQ Scraps will be drawing a winner for each kit!!! Good luck. I hope you’re lucky!!!

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.

Take a look at these layouts created by Suzy and the QTs that show you how easy it is to incorporate quotes into a layout.

Now that you’ve had some visual inspiration I have a challenge for you!  Create a layout using a quote and 100% SuzyQ Scraps’ designs, then come back and link us up to your layout before Saturday, Mar. 13th at 11:59 pm Eastern and earn a 25% off coupon to use in SuzyQ Scraps’ store.  That’s not all!  One participant will be randomly chosen to win a $5.00 gift certificate to Suzy’s store!

Don’t have any of SuzyQ’s designs?  Still want to play along?  I know of a way you can get a SuzyQ freebie to use!  Suzy has an add-on freebie available at Log Your Memory, where she’s the guest designer this month.

To make it even easier I am going to give you 10 of my favorite quotes.  You don’t have to use one of these quotes for the challenge but we can always use more inspiration!

Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn’t music.  ~William Stafford

Boy, n.: a noise with dirt on it. ~Not Your Average Dictionary

The only thing worth stealing is a kiss from a sleeping child. ~Joe Houldsworth

Love unlocks doors and opens windows that weren’t even there before. ~Mignon McLaughlin

To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world. ~Author Unknown

Families are like fudge — mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown

You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

Remember, if you’re headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns! ~Allison Gappa Bottke

Giving up doesn’t always mean you are weak. Sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go. ~Author Unknown

Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending. ~Author Unknown

I can’t wait to see what you come up with! Until next time — Happy Scrapping!

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!

That’s right – buy the kit between now and March 11th & not only do you get 20% off, but you also get the quickpages for free!!!

And if you take a visit over to Kristin’s blog you can pick up a FREE quickpage! Click on the image below to go pick it up

And now for some inspiration from the fabulous QTs…

And the lucky lady that has won a free copy of Vroom Zoom Chugga Choo by leaving a comment on here yesterday is….

KRISTINA!!! Congratulations Kristina – please email suzyqscraps AT gmail DOT com to claim your prize!!

I also have news of a small freebie for you! As you may know SuzyQ Scraps is this month’s sponsor at Log Your Memory. Last night she hosted a chat and gave away a freebie template! The template is still available for you to snag in the Log Your Memory forum and if you complete the challenge by Friday night, you’ll get a free alpha!! Here’s the template – click on the image to go to the thread at LYM

Well that’s all the news I have for you this week, I’ll write again next Friday!

Happy scrapping,

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!

Check out some beautiful inspiration from the creative team!

Now to the really fun part!  Do you want a chance to win this kit?  That’s right, you can win Suzy’s newest kit simply by leaving a comment on this post, sharing your favorite way to travel with us.  Is it by plane or by car?  Or maybe you’re a bike person.  We’d love to hear from you!

Want more chances to win? Share this post on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter, then come back here and leave another comment letting us know where you shared it.  All comments must be posted by 9 pm Eastern tonight!

Even if you’re not today’s lucky winner, remember to stop by Suzy’s store tomorrow to pick up this new release for 20% off.

Enjoy!

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!