Digiscrap: Spring Break~

I'm still rockin' over at Jessica Sprague and her playground of digital fun! The techniques she has outlined are terrific & really impact the emotion of photos that would have otherwise been good but not GREAT.

This particular photo was selected for the *Photo Burn* technique which gives photos that hand developed look by darkening edges and pulling the central focal point forward. I wanted to highlight Mason {of course}, the beautiful reflection of the water, as well as the fishing rod & line. So, I pulled the black off these items by doing the technique.

We also touched on *Typography* which can add emotion & sentiment too! I decided to use Spring Break, but was toying around with Spider Creek. I preferred the two-part sentiment of Springtime & Springbreak, and taking a fishing "break". People can get so crafty & creative with their phrasing. It's as interesting as the photos themselves. I've enjoyed peering through the Gallery and peeking at what my online classmates are doing.

Additionally, I added the rounded frame and a texture. I could have gone with a heavier texture but liked the photo as is & went a bit more simple with this.

Texas is hot as fire right now. A cold front of 80s or low-90s would be nice! Hope you all are stayin' *cool* ...

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap: Daddio~

This layout revolves around a photo of my natural father given to me by my newly-found step sister, Nicky. He and I saw each other very rarely during my childhood and, regrettably, never had a conversation in my adult life. Interestingly, in a phone conversation with her earlier this year, we learned that we both coined him *DADDIO*.

Out of love & respect for my Dad, the wonderful man who raised me, I didn't feel comfortable calling my natural father "dad", nor have I ever been comfortable calling him by his name, "Al". Just saying the words "natural father" are awkward when speaking of him to friends & family. His name, "Al", invokes a negative vibe because my mom's family was not too happy about his relationship with her. But one afternoon, while waiting in line at McDonald's, I shouted out a little prayer to him, like "Daddio?! I could use a little help down here!" {It was a stressful day!} That evening, she and I were talking & I told her about this. She burst out laughing & said, "That's what I call him too!" It stuck. It seemed right - for him. He even looks like a Daddio!

To be quite honest, in case you didn't catch the vibe in his photo, he was a bit of a hell raiser. He was loyal to his friends, didn't take flack from anyone & liked liquor. My mother has always told me that he enjoyed dressing up. Remember the 60s, the days of Frank Sinatra? Top coats & hats were big time. It wasn't uncommon for his friends to call him up in the middle of the night, when they needed back-up at the local pub, to help them take care of a squabble. He'd clean house, basically. Pretty much with little help from his buddies. So, yea, he was rough. There's still so much more I need to learn & understand about him. Since I am never one to back down from conflict & have always been outspoken, I have a general understanding about his tough side. Other aspects of his life, I don't agree with or feel comfortable about. But inside of him, I know there was a soft, compassionate heart protected by a firey, compulsive personality. An Irish rogue of sorts, a tough guy ... Someone who was very strong physically, yet battled his personal weaknesses. I want to journal something on this page but I've left it open because I need to understand more about him.

Nicky will be visiting us soon & I cannot wait to see her. We have a lot in common, especially emotionally. We speak the same language and had an instant understanding of each other. This is special because having a deep understanding of someone can sometimes be elusive, even after years of friendship or a relationship. We both enjoy writing & gardening. She has a masters in Education which I am so proud of her for. There's much more but I'll save it for later.

All I know is that *DADDIO* is getting a kick out of her and I getting to know each other. I can imagine him laughing - take a look at his photo - can't you?

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap - Jessi~

Jessica Sprague had us work on Textures in this tutorial. Looks like Jessi could be on the cover of a country western CD! Jessi isn't fond of this photo because she was seriously upset with me making her get dressed up for a photo session. Anyone who knows Jessi can tell that she is miffed at me! So, I added a bit of a smile to offset her smirk! Regardless, I thought the textured background and head shot would be a good subject for this tutorial.

The textured backgrounds and frames *JS* provides are really awesome! She has great sources and wonderful ideas. Her class will definitely change the way I think and orchestrate photography & digital layouts.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap - D&J Kiss~

Hi Everyone!

Day 3 & 4 of Jessica Sprague's Photo Editing: Frame-ups & Special Effects focused on Hand-Tinting and Photo Masks. I am so loving this workshop and all the tutorials. Very simple, yes. That's what I *luv* about *JS*! She has a way of teaching so precisely that it is easy to grasp the concepts. I've watched other tutorials on You Tube, etc. & I can say that, for whatever reason, I get her - totally & find it easy to follow her pace. That's not to say that I never hit rewind or stop the video clip to refocus on menus, menu options & document/work space set-ups, I do! She just has a way of taking a very complex software program & can guide you to quick-n-easy results! Hmm ... testimonial here?! Yeah, she's *GUD*.

Now, in her tutorial she opted to put rosey cheeks on her little angel. I wanted to play up Jacqueline's eyes in her photo. You can see pure joy & happiness illuminating out of them! And their clothing was perfect for a sepia-toned project. I could have pulled her eye color {green} in better and know there are other methods of bring the eyes out. But I have not perfected using the magic lasso or quick selection tools. Additionally, I wanted to pull out the greenery a touch more in the background. So, you can see that these small steps push you forward to think and want to learn more techniques in touching up your photographs. A good tip is to use color in 3's - whether decorating or doing scrapbook layouts. In this case: her eyes, the ornamental object & trees.

The purpose what to create a sepia toned photograph with a hand-tinted look. The photo is supposed to have a very subtle effect from the hand tinting. I didn't want her eyes to appear like they were glowing green but to have them be the touch of color accent in this.

The 4th tutorial touched on photo masks. This particular mask {see the tattered edges of the photo} can be used on so many types of photos. It's a bit grungy but doesn't overwhelm the photo.

And, naturally, since I love the antique look, I used a *Brush* {kinda like using stamps} that I found through one of the websites *JS* suggested at Brusheezy! This ornamental with a center oval is perfect in the corner. I *brushed* only a portion of the ornamental to give it a bit of an edgy look. Colored it in an earthy green, then added a few effects to it. Then, to top off that area, added *D & J* to personalize it in Gothic 57 font.

I cannot wait to show Jacqueline! I know she'll love it! One of her best friend's is engaged and needs help with her wedding. I mentioned to Jacq that I'd help her a bit. So, these tutorials will really come in handy for wedding photos! I'll find out what she needs help with & will post more here. I told Jacq that we'll have to grab some wedding mags, blogs & HGTV shows to get some awesome ideas.

Also, as a side note - Mason shot under par again and placed 2nd @ 69! We thought for sure that he had it in the bag at 1st place but he was robbed! The golfer beat him by one stroke 68 and also won the tourny. It was difficult for Mason to miss 1st place when everything went so flawlessly in his round. The player that beat him is an exceptional golfer and I wouldn't be surprised if he winds up playing professionally. I haven't seen this particular player play golf yet and I'd like to compare their styles. Just wondering how long he's played. Mason's only played for 2 years. Based on his interaction with Mason yesterday, I have a feeling that he is underestimating Mas. And I'm not saying that as a mom, I'm saying that as a *retired athlete*. {SMILE} I read the body language as they spoke after the match. I saw a hint of dismissal in his posture after Mas told him he had a bad round in San Antonio. Interesting that kids at the age of 16 are already sizing each other up like that. That's life! And the interaction with other parents is VERY interesting as well ... It's like high school all over again! W-O-W. No wonder I'm not planning on attending my 30th! Such the renegade I am!

Okay! Hope you are having a great week and enjoying these photos of the Summer!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap - Energy~

Day 2 of Jessica Sprague's {*JS*}Photo Editing: Frame-ups and Special Effects was about *Brushes*. Brushes are not one-dimensional; they also come in the form of stamps like the frame around the sentiment *Energy*. For Mason's photo, I started out with a subtle black and sand color scheme. On the WordArt, options for drop shadow & outer glow were chosen. I think it's cool how the shadowing effects play off of his own shadow in the sand!

To contrast a bit more, I took the same project cropping out the greenery in the corner & brightening the theme with a black border and salmon sentiment. Very different feeling from the 1st version. If you'd like, cast your vote & let me know which one you prefer. I could see adding on other effects as well. But for now, I'm just following the game plan!

By the way, Mason shot under par for the 1st time today & placed as 3rd Medalist for one of NTPGA Jr. Golf tournys! He & I were just talking about his desire to play under par the other night, after a dissapointing few rounds. I told him he had the natural ability, he was learning technique & concepts about golf and it would take a little time for it all to start merging together. "Be patient, Mason. It will happen..." AND IT DID! I am so happy for him! Chect out his expression in this this photo as he is jumping into the sand trap! The sentiment *ENERGY* is definitely what Mason is all about.

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap - Sassy Cousins~

My 1st online class @ Jessica Sprague {*JS*} was this morning! So informative and easy to follow. You should be a little familar with Photoshop CS. Her tutorials are self-paced, so you can take these courses whenever it's convenient for you. This particular class was a *Freebie*, but you have to watch her website to sign-up in time for them.

Don't you love the overlay and sentiment?! This collection is called House of 3. One of the class members changed up the colors of the frame and wordArt to red, black & white. Her photo was of her and 2 friends clothed in those tones. The effect was Perfecto! Very crisp & fun! Another favorite! Obviously, she's using advanced techniques!

This is the layout I did for Editing: Framing and Effects. I learned about the importance of sizing your photos prior to ordering. Additionally, setting the resolution on photographs to 300 pixels/inch. Most .png files {like wordArt, frames, etc...} are set at this which reduces and eliminates having to resize photos when working with them.

The photo I chose is a little dark, but the *Spirit* of these two *Sassy Cousins* is clear! Jessica has a magical way with kids. They adore her! Outside of Jenna's little crush on Mason, I do believe that Jessica is her favorite! I peeked at the *JS* gallery afterwards and came across a lot of ideas for photography. Much of capturing an emotion is the background of the photo. One example, an Autumn photo of 3 family members laying on the ground with their heads touching! The mom {photographer} took the photo from a ladder! Ultra-cool... She embarassed her entire family doing this but I am sure that they loved the end result - a professional-grade photo with a lovely sentiment. *AUTUMN* That was my favorite pick of the day!

Very anxious to see what *JS* has in store for us tomorrow!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap - Brittany and Mason @ Waterview~

Okay, enough of the cutesy layouts {I can only take that for so long!!!} and in with a classically elegant layout in rich tones of brown, blue, beige and red! The patterned background could be a gorgeous accent fabric which is why I am drawn to it! These patterns are from Jessica Sprague, Echos of Asia kit in her *FREEBIES* section! So, if you love it, go get it!!!

The patterned overlay on top of the photo is kinda funky-cool. Then, I let the primary pattern come through the photo mat a touch to add additional interest. If you look hard enough, you can see the pattern peeking through. I cannot wait to learn more about layering. I'm taking a Jessica Craig tutorial starting tomorrow about Photo Editing: Frame-ups and Special Effects.

"...In our class, we'll talk about taking a photo - any photo - and making it better using cool Photoshop techniques such as brushes, masks, frames, and special effects with layers to give them that special EXTRA touch. See that photo of me off to the left there? That's a really cool digital frame that looks amazing on a blog, in an email, in a digital scrapbook page, or even printed out all on its own. And guess what! It's SO EASY to add. ..."

This is a photo of Mason and his new girlfriend, Brittany! Aren't they darling together?! I took this photo of them after one of his NTPGA Junior Golf Tournaments @ Waterview Golf Course, in Rowlett, Texas. He shot a 74 and came in as 2nd Medalist! We are all so proud of him. Brittany has attended a few of his tournaments with me which entails leaving around 7:00 am. She is a sweetheart and we've had great times following Mason around the golf course while she and I chat. She loves driving the cart while I hold the umbrella shielding us from the intense sun.

When his Uncle Tim watched him at the driving range, he even noticed Mason's smooth, graceful swing! He challenged Mason to land balls in specific areas while he practiced. Tim took cover under the shade of a tree! We are still having some drastic temperatures here. 90s is considered a *cool front* here now!

Hope you enjoy this layout!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap - Whitney Texas Open~

I used a Jessica Sprague template for this layout of Whitney and added the digital papers & embellishments from The Shabby Shoppe, Yours Truly kit to continue the *Serendipity* theme. I also found out through a source that Costco will print out 12x12s at a reasonable price. A smaller version of a 6x6 mini-photo album would be cute for friends & family.

This action photo of Whit is pretty cool - click on it to get a closer look! My sister says my photos are as good as the pros! ;) They aren't but we'll let her think that! I am working on technique and found out that the quality of these digital photos could have been improved, if I had selected "AF" on the back panel of my Canon Rebel XTi EOS. Prior to doing this, I used the *AUTOMATIC* setting and noticed the quality wasn't sharp. I am pretty sure it's better to chose "AF" with my zoom lense because even the preview photos look sharper. We'll see ...

Hope you are having a great 4th! I'm home relaxing and went for a swim today.

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap - A Little Birdie Told Me~

Another fun-loving digiscrap layout to add to the Serendipity 2009 summer album! This photo is a closeup of my beautiful & high-spirited niece, Whit! She placed 2nd at the tennis tournament this week! We are so proud of her achievements! She works extremely hard to improve her skills & also added a workout regimen with weight training. The last time I visited, she was getting up earlier than the rooster crows to work out! She makes playing tennis look effortless, however, I know better. I played a little for a few years, and my trainer used to love running me cross court for cardio. He'd lament me for the french fries I had eaten for lunch! The difference, I played to lose a few {a lotta} pounds, Whit will be playing soon at the collegiate level. GO WHIT!!!

NOTE TO SELF: No more french fries, cokes or chocolate chip cookies. Start playing tennis again

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap - Random Acts of Silliness~

So, the plan here is to do a Summer mini-photo album for my family. This series of photos continues at the tennis court! I started snapping random photos because we were literally penned-in behind fencing at the game. How can you photograph your kids playing tennis like that? And there was a gate but it was closed ... And, yes, I was contemplating opening it so I could get some good photographs of Whit, but, unfortunately, I minded my manners and started photographing the gallery of fans!

My sister, Cheri, loves hamming it up & started *casually posing*, as I started snapping pics. She always looks so lithe and graceful in her photos without trying! Keep in mind there were about 5 other people in this 12x12 area that we did not know. This consisted of Whit's competitor's mom, dad and brother and the next court's family members. Cheri non-challantely acted silly and everyone was unaware, except our family of course, who started giggling at her!

Saturday she wore the COOLEST t-shirt and I gently hinted {told her I was gonna steal it} that I wanted one like it!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap - Tennis Fans~

I've been having all sorts of fun with this digital scrapbook kit from The Shabby Shoppe!

It's perfect for a Summertime theme - relaxed, whimsical & friendly...

Now, on the tennis court, my bro-in-law, Tim, is pretty serious! I love this photo of him and my brother, Don. They look related! LOL! Must be that common thread - *Competitive Spirit* - that ties them here. Tim is a very talented tennis coach who has received awards in his region as top dog. His passion for the sport and drive for achievement are touchstones in his life. He has a large Catholic family who have great love for each other. Tim's father passed away all too recently and left a legacy of *Brotherhood* for his sons. They had rings made for each brother with the family insignia engraved on it. It's very cool! Their family {men only} go on a fishing trip each year, as tradition calls for. It's great to see that kind of comradery a large family can bring.

I remember one year, when the kids were quite young - let's see - back in 2000, we went to Banff, Canada for a weeks snow ski trip. Tim was sporting his signature goatee and I joked with him about it. There was a very passionate soap opera on the tele we were all watching and I started acting like I was the femme fatale and he was the smouldering love interest. The whole scene revolved around how much I *laahvvet* {loved} his goatee. Ya had to be there for sure! We were rolling as another of my alter-ego personalities came out! Growing up, I always watched "I Love Lucy", "Carol Burnett", & "Sony & Cher" it rubbed off...

Tim's also Irish {me too, & some French, German, & Slovac} - occasionally I'll talk to him in a thick Irish brogue. "Timmy-Me-Boy! Pass Me Tha Brrread" <--- roll tongue as you read this...

He has a wonderful way of bringing a family gathering to life! He makes everyone feel special and is constantly making jokes about everything & everyone! He has the warmest, most compassionate heart of all the men in our family. I wish our lives were not so busy with our kids sports, so we could all get together more often. I have a feeling he sometimes avoids our family holidays because we have a terrible habit of communicating EXACTLY how we feel. It can be a bit nerve racking at times! Unless you have the mental tenacity of someone like my husband, Marty, who just kinda goes with the flow. Marty will look at my Dad and quip, "Well ... they made it through 24 hours ..." That's what you get with three type-A female personalities who all have major anxiety! =:-O

Thanks for stopping by and hope you are having a wonderful week!

{Hugs}

Juls~