October 21, 2011

Name that Paper!!


Can you name the paper packet used in this Studio J layout?  


Stumped? It’s Michief! That’s right…a Halloween themed paper! Would you have ever dreamed of using Halloween paper on a Homecoming layout? That’s one of the benefits of Studio J.  You can play with paper combinations that you wouldn’t normally try! On this Homecoming layout, I simply chose any paper kit mix I wanted. Then I swapped the papers for two of the more traditional papers in the kit. Added some accents that matched the colors in the picture and voila! A surprise layout that does not look “Halloween” at all. So the next time you hop on Studio J, play around with swapping papers and the different looks and combinations that you can get!

October 19, 2011

Making Great Black and White Photos


Halloween is almost here and you’ll be taking those traditional photos of your ghosts, goblins and fairy princesses. A fun way to capture some Halloween spirit is to turn some of your color pictures into black and white.  It is very easy to do using Studio J, just drag and drop your photo into a layout, click on the Filter drop down and you can change it to Black and White or Sepia. Using these filters is a perfect match with the new Mischief paper. Don’t be scared – give it a try!

Here are 5 Tips for your Black and White Photos to come out looking sharp.
Shape and Form - When looking for a good shot, look beyond the colors in a scene and instead focus you attention on the shapes. Try to create an interesting composition.
Contrast - Without differences in color to separate elements in your shot, you must instead introduce contrasting shades. Use contrast to help your main subject stand out – such as a light subject against a dark background.
Pattern - Black and white photography gives you a much better chance of capturing interesting patterns because it focuses the viewer's attention on the shapes formed by the elements in a scene.
Texture - In the same way that patterns can be lost in color photography, textures can be too. With black and white photos, the mind no longer has that color information to work with, so it pays more attention and focuses on the elements such as texture and pattern.
Lighting - Lighting is absolutely key to a good black and white photograph because it affects all of the above elements - shape, contrast, pattern and texture.
Side lighting often produces the most dramatic black and white photos. It picks out the edges of shapes and increases contrast by adding highlights, and the shadows it creates add interest to the scene as well as enhancing textures and patterns.





October 5, 2011

Sleigh Card

Check out this adorable Sleigh Card made by my friend Allison. So simple to make and fun to give! And of course...it uses the October stamp of the month!  Love it!

October 3, 2011

Simple and Sweet



It's that time! Christmas will be upon us before we know it. Wouldn't it be nice to have all our Christmas cards ready before December? This months SOTM is a step in the right direction. When you purchase $50 in product, you can also purchase this cute set for just $5! Then you can enjoy creating sweet and simple projects to make your holiday season festive! Watch for more cute and easy projects using this adorable stamp set each day this week! You will be inspired by simple and sweet holiday creations that you can create in a snap!

By the way, aren't these children in this above layout adorable? They are my nieces and nephew! So stinkin' cute! They were thrilled to be featured in the Close to My Heart Idea book! My nephew even said, "I'm famous now!" I love it. What a cutie.