The Road Less Traveled

After a Dry Spell

Finally scrapbooked a page after a very long dry spell! Now to find some more photos to make another page--I have tons, but need to choose some to scrapbook. My kids don't cooperate any more for photos, so I usually scrap my niece and nephew now. I think I will search through my photos for some decent pictures of my kids to make some pages.

Photoshop Fun!

I have been playing with Photoshop 7-trying to learn more and more. Both for developing my product lines, but more recently to improve my photos. The other day I bought Computer Tricks 2 by Creating Keepsakes. I am loving the tips and tutorials in this magazine! I learned how to take a dark photo and brighten it, how to make the colors in the photo pop, how to make a vignette and so much more! Here are  few before and after photos.

This one is done using the burn tool and a soft edged round brush to create the vignette.

Here is another where I created the vignette, made the color of her t-shirt pop and then added a frame.

This is one of my favorite photos of my niece--but it was a little dark. So, I lightened it, created a very soft vignette and then add a few little feminine swirls.

Getting a bit more creative with frames here. I lightened this one a whole bunch, made the color pop and then added the frame behind the photo.

Here is another dark photo. I am so glad that I learned this technique of lightening the photos with levels. Go to Images>Adjustments>Levels, then use the sliders to make your adjustments. When you are happy with the way your photo looks, click OK. The finished product to me looks like it could be a post card! I lightened the photo, popped the colors, vignetted around the focal point, sharpened the image, added a grungy frame and then added text.

Pick up Computer Tricks 2 by Creating Keepsakes if you have not already. It is loaded with so many ways to use your computer to liven up your scrapbooking and photos!

Looking for a Woman Who Emailed Me

I am looking for a woman who emailed me about her daughters first year birthday album. This woman asked me to make a card or something using my product and a photo to include in her book. I was very touched a honored that I was asked to do this. I looked at the email at work and thought I saved it until I got home. When I got home, the email was gone. It must have gotten deleted by accident. Please email me again so I can get back to you--I hope you read my blog.

Allison

More On New Orleans

I have been working on a slide show (power point) of my photos with touching music and all...but, I have not been able to upload it to my blog. So, I will share a few more pictures. I also want to thank Creative Imaginations for helping me to go on this trip. CI and one of it's owners (Jack Behlmer), donated money to help fund my trip. Other fees were raised through a fund raiser at my church and by making & selling a ton of custom ordered invitations.

The photos below are mostly from the 9th lower ward--a pretty devastated area. Not many people have come back here yet, and many of these homes are not cleaned up yet--2 1/2 years later. Can you imagine?

Well, that is it for today...I will post more photos another day. I am so blessed with what I have...may I never take it for granted.

Peace,

Allison