Creative Inspiration

Where do you find your scrapbook layout inspiration?
Is it a pre-made template?
Is it the photos you take?
Is it a kit you want to use?
Is it the media?

Inspiration can come from many different sources....

I recently (last night!) saw Shania Twain in concert... it was amazing to say the least! The last time I saw her in concert was in 2004, I used 3 rolls of film (yes film!) in my camera... last night, I took pictures with my cell phone - wow, times sure have changed!

So, I wanted to share a few photo highlights on my social networking pages and decided it would be fun to do as scrapbook pages instead of just posting the photos. But, there aren't too many scrapbook kits that would work with a music concert.... sooo, I went to Google and found this promo image for her concert.

This would be my starting point and inspiration.  
I added it to a page in my 2015 album, cut the black triangle and placed in the corner. I then 'sampled' the red (and adjusted it a bit to match the photos) to make the background, added a rectangle at the bottom and filled it with the browny (is that a word?) colour. The background is now complete!

In Historian (photo management/editing software) I gave all the photos I liked a 4 star rating, then went through those photos and gave the best ones a 5 star rating. I edited the 5 stars and imported them into Artisan (album making software) with just 2 clicks! I added them to the page, gave them a 3pt black matte and a 2pt relief and a heavy shadow. Then cropped them to fit the page where I liked them.

Now to add the date and an embellishment.... I really liked the ST logo she had in this photo...

I tried to use it but it didn't work so I made my own!

And this is the final result....

The design is nice and simple with clean lines, it highlights the photos and the theme of the concert.

My other option was to use photos from the concert as backgrounds...

Which do you like BEST? The Colour Block or the Photo background?

Happy Scrapbooking!

Tammy :)

PS.... just in-case your wondering... here's a photo of me with SHANIA!!!!

(Well, the closest I was going to get!)

Photo Editing Software: Click Here

Digital Scrapbooking Software: Click Here
Artwork: Click Here

There were CARS at the Car Show... REALLY????

So, this is why I love digital scrapbooking - almost immediate gratification... meaning that I can go to an event, take some photos, then come home and put them all together to tell the story and make something meaningful.

Today we went to the car show. Cars really aren't my 'thing', even with a hubby who has worked on race cars for 18 years and who works with cars for a living... I really know nothing about them, I just take photos... until....

The Fleetwood Country Cruizin' Car Show... and THE DUKES OF HAZZARD were there!!!!  

I can remember watching the show as a young girl and I was so 'in-love' with Bo Duke (and who wasn't at the time - I was 10!) TODAY was my lucky day -  I was going to meet my childhood 'crush'... only 30 years later and Hubby was a good sport about it all... he paid the fees and took the pictures (and rolled his eyes several - no, more than several - times) It was all in good fun!

We met John Schneider (Bo) and Sonny Shroyer (Deputy Enos) and they were both very nice. Sonny chatted with us for a while, asking us where we were from and how we were liking the show. He mentioned how thankful he was that Mr. Plunkett brought them here and what a nice guy he was. We told him that Steven was just at the estate a few weeks ago training the horses to get used to the bagpipes and he was very impressed and talked with Steven for a bit about that. He also apologized for not hearing us very well, the battery in his hearing aid was running low! The line up to see John Schneider was the longest, but really not too long, and they got us through very quickly. He joked about the wind blowing in the right direction now that the 'bathrooms' have been empty! He commented on how nice I looked, said he was having a great time at the show and happy to see the fans.

Tom Wopat (Luke Duke) and Rick Hurst (Cletus) were there too but we didn't have the opportunity to see them too. (meaning $ for photo/autograph) 

So.... what does all this have to do with getting your photos into albums? 
Everything! I took the photos (like we all do at these events), now what am I going to do with them? Leave them on my memory card, transfer them to my laptop, share them on facebook? Those are all things we do with our photos, then what? Is that it? The moment's over, move on to the next one? What happens years from now when I want that photo, will I be able to find it?

Here's what I do, and it only took a few quick edits to brighten the photos (the AutoFix in Historian works miracles!), then I moved them into Artisan to begin creating the pages to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime event. 

Then I ran into a PROBLEM - what digital artwork goes with these photos? In the wealth of artwork I have, I didn't have anything that quite suited what I needed.... so I made the background myself! I used the flag on the top of the General Lee (that's the CAR for those of you who aren't fans) as inspiration for the background, then kept it simple and just matted the photos.... DONE! 

Now I can post this all over social media, add to my 2015 Photo Storybook to be printed at the end of the year - Memory Saved- yay! Any a very special thank you to my hubby for putting up with me today

The final Result:

What I started with:

Oh, and guess what - there were CARS at the show too! 
Here are a few shots of the cars I got.... they are edited and ready to scrapbook.

Hubby took special interest in this Indy car (he had to tell me the kind of car it was)

Hey, are you ready to go BACK TO 1985?

Not a car - but they did have helicopter rides (we didn't go on one though)

Steve Plunkett's private collection

Steve Plunkett's private collection

One of the hundreds of cars outside on the grounds

That's it for today... what memories do you want to save?
I can help!
T.

My Neighbour's Garden - Tips in Nature Photography

If you new me, you would know that I am a terrible gardener! When we moved into our house 13 years ago, we had at least 5 gardens, now we have ONE and it's very small! I do however, enjoy my neighbour's gardens and I love taking photos of flowers.

So, here's a few quick tips on how to find the beauty in your own backyard (or anywhere really)

This is the fence that separates us from our neighbour behind us. It's really not that nice to look at, just a plain chain-link-rusted-old-fence with some overgrown flowers (and maybe some weeds). The photo was taken in the harsh light of early afternoon.

Now, this is where my neighbours think I'm nuts... I waited until later in the evening, about an hour before dusk when the natural light is softer. I sat down on the ground beside the fence, and shot the following images.

The natural lines of the fence lead your eye into the picture.

 This photo would follow the 'rule of thirds' placing the flower just off center

This photo has perfect balance or symmetry

Filling the frame with the subject

Getting in even closer to show contrast

Closer yet

Now to put it all together.... would you believe they are the same location? I was simply finding the beauty poking through the fence.

It's really all in the way you look at the world. Maybe that's why I love nature photography so much... hmmmm....

Happy Snappin'!
T.

Photo Editing Software: Click Here
Digital Scrapbooking Software: Click Here
Artwork: Summer Blush by Laura Burger

Composition Tips from Steve McCurry

Do you ever wonder why some people just have a natural ability to take AMAZING photos? Is it natural or is it learned? Maybe it's a bit of both. 

If you have a creative soul, I think it most likely comes natural - you see things creatively and thus take beautiful pictures as the camera lens is an extension of how you see the world. 

I think I'm a bit of both! I can envision how I would like a photo to look, I take the shot (or in my case many, many shots). Then rely on my editing abilities to bring the image to life. In the editing room, it's easy to move your photo around to create the lines and symmetry you need for an eye-pleasing photo, it only takes a few minutes and you'll be glad you did!

If you don't have a creative bone in your body, or need a gentle reminder, I found this video with some simple tips from Steve McCurry that will help you to take AMAZING photos! 

Video: Watch NOW

Composition Tips with Award Winning Photographer Steve McCurry

The 10 tips he outlined are pictured below so you can check back on this post for reference. 

#1 Rule of Thirds

Photograph by Steve McCurry

#2 Leading Lines

use natural lines to lead the eye

Photograph by Steve McCurry

#3 Diagonals

Photograph by Steve McCurry

#4 Framing

use natural frames like windows and doors

Photograph by Steve McCurry

#5 Figure to Ground

Find contrast between subject and background

Photograph by Steve McCurry

#6 Fill the Frame

get close to your subjects

Photograph by Steve McCurry

#7 Center Dominant Eye

It gives the impression the eyes follow you

Photograph by Steve McCurry

#8 Patterns and Repetition

Patterns are aesthetically pleasing but look best when interrupted

Photograph by Steve McCurry

#9 Symmetry

always pleasing to the eye

Photograph by Steve McCurry

#10 Rules were meant to be broken.
Enjoy yourself and photograph in you own way and style.

Steve McCurry

2015 in 2015 Challenge

I'm always looking for a way to keep active, and I find it very hard to keep motivated. When I stumbled across this challenge on Run the Edge Facebook page just after Christmas, I immediately checked it out and wanted to take part! 




The challenge is simple; 5 miles a day, every day for the year which totals 2015 miles! You could do it yourself or as part of a team, you could walk or run or a combination of both. I asked two of my friends to join me so we could combine our walking to reach the 2015 miles (3242 KMS) together! 

We named our team "FITCHICKS" as we are going to use our FitBits to keep track of our daily steps and KMS. And because we are using our FitBits to help keep tracking easy, we have each challenged ourselves to walk 2015KMS in 2015 (1252 miles each) in total steps! As this is a US based challenge, totals are entered in miles, so we'll have to do the conversions when entering our results.

As an avid scrapbooker, I have kept myself motivated by taking pictures along the way. It's been amazing to see the transformations of the creek at Kiwanis Park throughout the first part of the year, it seems to be different every time I walk by. Sometimes, just knowing I am making an album to track this journey, helps me to get out for my walk.

If you are interested in a challenge like this... you can start anytime, simply register at the Run The Edge sign up page and start walking/running! You don't have to complete 2015 kms/miles - choose your own goal - 5KMS a day from June 1 - Dec 31 is 1070KMS and completely doable! 

Take the pledge, get moving and why not take some photos along the way to celebrate your accomplishment and to help keep you motivated... it's fun and you'll feel happy you did!

Happy Scrappin' & Walkin'!
T.

Did you know 10,000 steps...
is about 1.5 hours of walking
a distance of 7 KMS  or 4.35Miles
burns 405 Calories

Check out some of the photos and album pages I've completed so-far....

Digital Scrapbooking Kits Used:

Pieces of My Day

Irish Autumn

Make the SWITCH to Panstoria!

It's easy to make the switch!

Please use the links in the blog to purchase your software so that it will be linked to my account and contact me should you have any questions or require a consultation.

Ordering your Memory Manager / Storybook

1. Go to www.photos2albums@blogspot.ca and click on the program you want

2. Order the program, you will be asked to create an account with Panstoria

3. Once ordered, you can immediately download the program

4. Follow download instructions on the screen

5. Open the program

6. Insert Activation Code

7. You're Done – yay!!

On a computer WITH existing Memory Manager / Storybook, your programs will open and operate just as they did before! (You may have to direct the programs to ‘find’ the files on your computer (usually located in Documents) see below for instructions.

On a NEW computer WITHOUT existing programs

You have just got a NEW laptop/computer and want to install and transfer your current content, projects & vaults. Now this is a bit trickier, as you are switching computers and there is more involved with making sure you save Vaults, Projects, Content & Activation Codes. Here is a step-by-step guide.

Click to Order

  Memory Manager to Historian

1. SAVE your Memory Vaults to your NEW Computer - this can be done two ways:

    a) SAVE the vaults to an external hard drive or USB (locate the file on your computer - usually in documents - right click to copy and then paste onto the device/new location) then copy from the device to the NEW computer (this give you a backup on your device)

    b) Have the file transferred to your new computer (this is sometimes done for free or for a small fee when you purchase a computer)

2. Follow steps 1 - 7 above to order the Software.

3. Go to the Welcome Page and click on "Open another Vault" 

4. Go to where you store your vaults on your computer or external hard drive

5. Open the vault

6. Everything is there the EXACT way it was in Memory Manager!

Click to order

For Storybook / Artisan:

First, SAVE your Activation Codes

1. Open Storybook

2. Go to Manage Content

3. Click Activation Codes

4. Click 'Make a Backup Copy"

5. Save the copy to your desktop

6. Close the program

Next SAVE your Content and Project Files

7. Locate where you store your content & projects on your OLD computer

8. Copy them to the NEW computer or to an external hard drive or USB then to new computer

9. Order & Download program as in Steps 1 - 7 on previous page

10. Open the program

To IMPORT CONTENT into your NEW Artisan

11. Go to 'Manage Content'

12. Click 'Add folder to library'

13. Locate where you saved your content on your computer

14. Click OK to import

15. Open the file you saved with all the codes.

16. Go to the Activation Codes

17. Click on Add New Code

18. Paste the copied codes, click okay

To import your PROJECTS into your NEW Artisan

19. Go to the Welcome Page

20. Click Open Project

21. Locate where you saved your projects file on your computer or external hard drive

22. Click OK to import 

Download and Consultation Service:

To help you make the switch, I offer a one-on-one download service. I will come to your home and help you with this process. This usually takes 1 hour for downloading onto an existing computer and 2-3 hours onto a NEW computer depending on the file sizes and time it takes to save and import vaults, content etc.

I also offer a photo album design service to complete albums for you!

Fee is $25 per hour.

Please use the links on the website below to purchase your software so that it will be linked to my account and subscribe to the blog for ideas, inspiration and updates.

2 MORE Done - YAY!

I have sooooo many projects on the go! Does that sound familiar? Family albums, trip albums, school albums, sports albums; and oh, so many more.... it can be overwhelming to get your album projects completed!

You need to set a Goal or a Challenge for yourself!

My goal is to complete two - 2 page layouts of my Vegas Digital book IN ADDITION to my regular scrapbooking. And let me tell you, even as an avid and experienced scrapbooker, it's not easy! But sometimes, simply just knowing that I must complete those pages has me editing photos or importing content here and there during my 'spare time' (does anyone really have that anymore???) to help me get those pages done on the weekend.

So, here is this weekend's completed page layouts! Remember, I like clean lines and little embellishments on MY pages - I like to focus on the photos and story. I do like the new way of layering and layering of embellishments, but I simply 'can't' do it in my albums - lol.

Enjoy,
T. :)

Want to create your own digital scrapbooks?
Historian Photo Organizer and Editing Software: Order Now
Artisan Digital Scrapbooking Software: Order Now
Digital Scrapbooking Papers, Templates & Embellishments: Order Now

The Pool

the Corridors 

(still thinking of the proper word for 'corridor' in a hotel, it will come to me before the book is printed, but for now - this is the title!)