Toothless Grin

I whipped up this page using a freebie template from Shelley Moore! You can check it out at her blog. I really like this one! She did a great job! I'm LOVING these templates. They rock!!

Click image for credits.

Improvement, I think!

I just finished re-doing the Popsicle layout (created in Memory Mixer) I posted a couple days ago, in PSE using drop shadows. I think it looks much better!! I'm just using the default 'Low' shadow, but would like to figure out how to do custom shadows as I think I'd prefer a grayer shadow instead of the black on this page.


I'm liking PSE more and more!

1st PSE template

Well, it's definitely not my favorite layout (I think the papers I used are a little too busy), but I created my first layout in Photoshop Elements using a template. These things rock! I can see my digital library expanding soon!!!

Credits:

Kit - Gidget by Dani Mogstad

Template - 8x8 TripTych Layout #1 by Bree Clarkson from Sweet Shoppe Designs

CT Guest Member!

Woo hoo! I found out yesterday that I was one of the lucky ones picked to be a guest Creative Team member for Krystal Hartley. Woo hoo! I'm so excited! Of course, most of the people reading this blog probably know all about her 'awesomeness', but if you don't go check her out!!

Well, yesterday I took the plunge. I started working on some Photoshop Element Tutorials. I didn't like the way my Popsicle Page below turned out because the kit doesn't have drop shadows on the elements and in Memory Mixer it didn't add shadows correctly to the elements in this kit (it looks like a box instead of following the lines of the element.) So I decided it was time to give PSE a whirl!

I found a great site with TONS of tutorials - both written and video - Hummie's World. I liked this because it started at the basics and then goes into more detailed topics. Plus the written tutorials are much faster to go through, but if there is a topic that's confusing it's nice to be able to see the video and exactly how she's doing something. She also has them broken up so you can skip around some of the more advanced topics and pick and choose what you want to do. You have to register to access the tutorials (free registration). I think all the written ones are free, but to access the video tutorials it's $5.50 a month. She even has several video 'previews' you can watch as a sample before you pay.

** Update ** Krystal send me a couple links to some other great sites for tutorials. I've looked at a few on Misty Cato's site and these are great too!

Misty Cato
http://www.mistycatodesigns.blogspot.com/

Jessica Sprague
http://spraguelab.squarespace.com/

I spent about 3 hours last night and got through a lot of the basics. I learned how to add the drop shadows, cut paper (like select a shape or text and then 'cut' that selection out of patterned paper - I've been wanting to know how to do this forever!!), use a template, etc...

I'm still struggling with some of the selection tool stuff, but I think more practice will help! I'm going to try to re-create that Popsicle Page below with shadows. At this point I'm not ready to switch over from MM to PSE for every page, since I'm soooooo slow, but there are so many more artistic things you can do in Photoshop!!

Off to go get the kids off the couch and out for a bike ride before it gets too hot!!

Oh - I did find out that I didn't make Eva Kipler's CT team, she said she had 150 people register. Yikes!! I should have requested a guest spot instead of perm and maybe that would have helped. But oh well, I can focus on Krystal's designs this way!! LOL!

Summer fun - Swimmin' and Scrappin'

We had a nice family weekend. Tom had off on Friday so we spent the day at the Hawaiian Falls Waterpark. We got lucky and with a $5 raffle ticket won a free cabana for the day, and pizza and drinks. It was awesome! I was so bummed I hadn't brought my camera. I even checked out their little shop and they didn't sell waterproof cameras. Bummer! Jake was a total daredevil!

Saturday we just vegged most of the day and then went to the city pool for an evening swim sponsored by the kids' elem school. It was fun seeing everyone from the school.

Today I cleaned out the garage with the kids helping (supposedly!) and then we made up water balloons for a backyard water balloon fight. Nice lazy day! Tom's going in on Thursday for a steroid shot to help out his back so he can't take any muscle relaxers now so he wasn't up for cleaning the garage. I sooooo hope that this shot helps him. He's been in pain for so long.

I've also spent some time scrapbooking this weekend. I decided to try out for a couple creative teams (crossing my fingers!) - Krystal's and Eva Kipler. In order to do this I created a gallery on Digital Shop Talk. I'm totally psyched about this site now. Love all the layouts...they are great inspiration and I love the fact you can save layouts to your 'Faves'. It's really a great site! Thanks for getting me going on this Krystal!!!

For you DST'ers out there - a couple questions -

1. Is there an easy way to add a hyperlink in the comments section when you upload your photo?

2. Where do you add a photo of yourself to your profile (that shows up on your posts)?

** Update - never mind - figured this one out! **

Here are some of my recent pages (plus a few older ones I've never uploaded) -

New pages...

Created a few new pages tonight I thought I'd share...Click for details on kits.

I've noticed I've been scrapping so many more pages of Paige than Jake. I think it's because I like all the girly kits better! Time to work on some sports pages next I guess!!

Summer Fun

Wow! With the kids getting out of school 2 weeks later than normal, this summer is already flying by! Last week we spent a few days at my parents house in Oklahoma. We all had a great time. We went to my cousin's wedding (which was beautiful), to the circus in OKC, and swam in my sister's pool. The kids had such a great time with their cousins.

I am so thankful that I'm able to enjoy this time being home with them. I can't imagine if I was still working full time. I think it's going to be a great summer! This week Jake's in basketball camp (which he is loving) and both kids are going to a 2 hour camp at the elem school. I think it will really help Paige be more confident when Kindergarten starts in the fall. They are both loving it too. Jake even said today that he wished he had been able to go last week too instead of going to Nana and Papa's. Paige replied, "Not me, this is fun, but Nana and Papa's is fun, fun!!"

We had a nice Father's Day weekend. We went to the air show on Saturday with the Fultz's and then took Tom out to eat at Pappasito's on Sunday. YUM!! We went over the the Fultz's afterwards and taught Donna and Howard how to play Mahjongg. Donna was the big winner!

Time to scrap!

I've been enjoying some extra free time now that summer is here and have been scrapping! Yay! Here are a few pages I did recently. I've been using lots of the LifeTimez quick pages, but aren't displaying those since all I did was insert my photos!

Little Bake Shop kit from Sweet Shoppe Designs

Layout inspired by Krystal Hartley's Happy layout

Nitwit Collections - Breath of fresh air kit

I still have a hard time only scrapping a few photos from an event. Which is why it's going to cost me a FORTUNE whenever I finally start printing my pages!! LOL!

Layout inspired by Laura Ping - love her kits at polka dot potato