Studio J®: Photo Editing Tool

Edit your photos right in Studio J, including adjusting brightness; changing color balance and saturation; removing red-eye, blemishes, and wrinkles; and whitening teeth. Find out how easy it is in Studio J, CTMH's online scrapbook design software!

52 Weeks of Wonder

Stamp Stitching Guide

"I have often talked about my father and what an inspiration he has been in my life. He was a pattern maker by trade and could create the most spectacular things from wood. It really was his example that motivated me to start designing patterns for scrapbook layouts and cards—the patterns that ultimately became our entire library of how-to books!

Although stamps are not considered patterns, they can be used as such with the simple addition of a piercing tool, needle and thread. The technique is ideally suited to thin, line stamps—just stamp in a light color (I like Bamboo), and then use the stamped image as a stitching guide. Ta-da! An easy stamped pattern.

Stamp your image using Bamboo ink or using the color of ink you are going to stitch with. A fun tip: create the perfect color of embroidery floss by carefully coloring white or neutral floss using an Exclusive Inks Marker.

Determine how far apart you want the stitches to be, I like somewhere between 3/8” and 1/4” apart. I have found that most of the time it isn’t discernible to the eye if your stitches are slightly larger and smaller, however if you’re a stickler for precision and want very evenly placed holes, pull out a ruler and lay it next to the image that will be stitched. Then, use a piercing tool and mat, pre-hole the artwork prior to stitching.

Start your stitching without knotting the thread but by taping down the end on the back side of your project. This helps reduce the bulkiness of the thread.

Stitch along your pre-holed guidelines. A skip stitch run one way and then back the other direction will help the embroidery floss stay flat and look neat on the back of the project (however, a backstitch may also be used)."
Jeanette Lynton

I LOVE the look of hand-stitching on layouts and cards!  It's well worth the time it takes for that extra WOW it gives any project.  I'm off to scrap lift Jeannette's card shown above.  I have that gorgeous flourish in my stamp collection and never thought to hand-stitch the pattern.

Photography Cheat Sheet

Found this over on the Canon Rebel T2i forums and thought I'd share.  I got a kick out of the old Kodak Instamatic camera icon in the top left-hand corner.

FREE digital prints @ Target

Target has digital prints on sale this week for only 10 cents each (see weekly sales ad).  Plus, there's a coupon for $2.00 off 20 prints ... making them FREE.  I love FREE!

Finding Photo Freedom

Registration for Stacy Julian's re-vamped Library of Memories class, Finding Photo Freedom, is open!  And, I have two valid coupon codes that currently work to get you a 10% discount off the class fee: "paperclipping" through paperclipping.com and "springtrain" through ellapublishing.com.

"You have nice digital camera and you're taking plenty of wonderful pictures to spark happy memories and help you tell personal stories.

You own lots of beautiful papers and decorative embellishments and you've put time and energy into organizing these supplies so that they can inspire your inherent creativity.

You have a strong desire to make good on these investments and yet something is missing. You just can't seem to wrap your brain around the whole process of taking pictures, organizing stuff, finding time, making pages and projects, and feeling productive and satisfied when it comes to scrapbooking. You want to know that all this effort is making a difference, that you're doing it "right" and that what you create will have meaning in the future.

YOU NEED PHOTO FREEDOM.

You're invited to join BPC founder Stacy Julian in the newest iteration of her popular Library of Memories course, so that she can set you free to find what you want to find, when you want to find it, and to create what you feel inspired to create, when you feel inspired to create it. Specifically, Stacy will help you establish a digital workflow to prioritize and organize the thousands of digital images on your computer. She'll give you direction for the boxes of prints at the top of your closet and she'll introduce you to a wonderfully flexible and inviting system of storing and sharing memories that you can adapt to your personal goals and needs. All along the way, Stacy and her experienced team of coaches will encourage you to let go of unrealistic expectations and unnecessary rules, so that you can embrace the future of memory preservation with confidence."

I've registered and can't wait for class to start on June 2nd (the day before my birthday).  Let me know if you'll be joining me in class.

My Acrylix® Dreams Come True Stamp Set

Featuring the My Acrylix® Dreams Come True stamp set, this video is packed with inspiring artwork and creative techniques. Discover how to create a beautiful banner using the My Creations® Mix & Mingle album, learn how to use the embossed resist technique for gorgeous lettering, clip away part of a stamped sentence for a whole new meaning, build a card sentiment like a puzzle, and more!

52 Weeks of Wonder

Watercolor stamping

"Spring is in the air. Can you feel it? Spring brings a softness to the crisp harsh cold of winter. It makes me think of soft flower petals or walking barefoot through nice soft green grass. From time to time I like to pull this same softness into artwork using a technique called watercolor stamping. This technique gives a soft mottled look that lightens the ink color slightly in places and produces a less distinct line to stamped images.

The technique is simple and doesn’t require any extra tools—all you need are stamps, blocks, Exclusive ink and My Acrylic® Spritz Cleaner.

Create the look by:

~ ink your chosen stamp image, already mounted to a clear acrylic block

~ hold My Acrylix Spritz Cleaner 10-12” away from stamp and mist lightly

~ immediately stamp the image

Gorgeous, textured, and easy, isn’t it? Create those vintage, soft, or nature-inspired looks—or discover new twists all your own on the watercolor stamping technique guaranteed to add a little spring “wow” to any piece of artwork this season."

Jeanette Lynton

Isn't Jeanette's My Creations Journal shown above gorgeous!  I've altered a few of these myself and have one in my purse, camera bag, and even in my car for those quick notes or ideas that need to be documented.