hey guys :o)  SP here again…and…you’re stuck with me for the next three days, lol!  I’ll be back tomorrow with a super-sized product spotlight…and then on wednesday with a new monthly feature that i’m excited to bring you!  But, today is all about the LAYOUT OF THE WEEK!  I know you know what i am going to say next…YES – it was sooooo HARD to choose, lol!  truly, truly, truly….it was!  This was the first week that i have really gotten to enjoy the gallery again…so I spent lots of time looking at layouts and loving them all!  It is impossible not to see all of the amazing creativity and talent!  But, alas…in the end - I did choose only one!  even though it might look like two, lolol!

So, technically – the layout i chose is the one on the right…titled, YOU MAKE ME MELT!  it is part of a two page spread (the left side was posted the week before and i love them both equally) and i could not show you one without the other, lol!  so…here is the MELT page by itself…

both pages are by the super talented CREATIVESPARKMOMMY!  Her gorgeous gallery is a MUST-SEE…so be sure to check it out!  I loved every single thing about this page…it is simple – but at the same time, so interesting and creative!  I really enjoyed seeing how she combined so many kits together…seamlessly and flawlessly :o)  Most of all though – it’s about that adorable little man in his baseball cap…just being a KID!  thanks soooo much for sharing your layouts and talent with us, creativesparkmommy!  You should have received a $10 gift card to the Shoppe via email!  have fun shoppe-ing!

Thanks again to EVERYONE who posts in our little gallery :o)  It is a total joy and highlight for me and the entire team!  See ya back here tomorrow…same time, same place, lol!  Happy Monday!

Shabby PrincessLayout of the Week, Uncategorized 4 Comments

hey guys :o)  SP here again!  Friday’s are generally reserved for FOOD or HYBRID posts…and I guess i’m kinda combining the two today, lol!  You might know that we just released a new CONFECTION COLLECTION at the Shoppe…and I’d thought I’d show you that you can easily use it for more than just confections and treats!  They certainly work perfectly for just about any kind of treat or candy you can think of…but they can do so much more, too!

So…I am a SCENT person – I LOOOOOVE things that smell good!  Well, that smell good to me, at least, lol!  We’re all different when it comes to that.  Personally – I am not a fan of flowery or perfumey scents (they tend to give me  a headache), but LOVE anything that smells like FOOD, lol!  In the shower…I use food scented soaps and gels and shampoos (TMI?  lol)…thank Goodness the smell doesn’t linger too long as I’m not sure anyone wants to leave the house smelling like candy corn, lol – but I like it when I’m in the shower!  And, when it comes to candles – it’s always a food scent for me…especially love anything that makes my house smell like I just baked fresh cookies :o)  Alright – I’m getting a little off topic here (and a little hungry, too lol)…so back to the subject at hand :o)

Our confection collections (we have them for just about every holiday/season) are super versatile!  Just about all of them inclue tags (generally round and ‘luggage’ style)…and they are truly the most versatile of all!  As you can see in the photo above, I worked with them in different ways!  I really enjoy giving gifts that are not wrapped (hey, why not save the trees and some money at the same time?  lol) in paper or bags (though, obviously…there are times when that is necessary…but even then – our tags are the perfect to/from or gift tag).  But, just because you do not fully wrap something, doesn’t mean that it can’t look pretty and special and personalized.  Our tags are basically ready-to-print.  Some will offer space for text – and you can either add that in your graphics program…or just handwrite it after printing!

Alright…so, back to my love for food smells in the shower, lol!  PHILOSOPHY’S I Love Candy Corn is one of my favorite shower gels to use!  I try to stock up on it when I can as I know that after the fall/autumn season – I won’t be able to find it again, lol!  What’s funny is that I cannot stand ‘real’ candy corn…but YUM on the gel :o)  Anyway, the gel is a fun gift to give during the fall and at Thanksgiving…and you can make it super cute just by tying a ribbon the bottle…along with a gift tag!  Of course, you could take it one step further and put it in a gift basket along with some real candy corn, or anything else you can think of!

 And candles…I do not know of many who do not like a nice candle or some sort of candle product.  Personally, I do not ‘burn’ candles…but I use these  candle lamps (I have several of the ‘signature’ style in both black and bronze – love ‘em…and I give them as gifts all the time, too).  They melt the wax inside of a jar candle and provide a beautiful little lamp glow (not to mention, the candle and the scent lasts longer…and I do not have to worry about a flame)!  So, I guess if you were putting together a huge (and expensive) gift…you could always go for a candle lamp along with a large, jar candle!  I generally opt for Yankee Candle brand and love their Christmas Cookie (year round, lol), Cinnamon Buns and Vanilla Cupcake scents the most!  My mom’s favorite is Sage and Citrus…and my hubby prefers Pineapple Cilantro (weird combination, huh?  but it works, lol) in his office.  Alright…so it’s more like I insist that I put some of the electric plug-ins in his office and so he has to choose a scent (or I will go with Vanilla cupcake, lol)…so that’s what he opts for…and doesn’t grumble about it too much…which to me, translates to I LIKE IT, lolol!  Anyway – again…just like with the shower gel – simply tie a pretty ribbon around the jar candle and add a tag.  This would also be a great housewarming or friend gift, anytime of year!

Of course, you can also get the adorable little TARTS from Yankee Candle!  And…our round tags are PERFECT for these – you literally just cut out a round tag and adhere it to the top of the tart!  So, if you need to get inexpensive gifts for co-workers or teachers, etc…how great is this?  Just purchase a bunch of the tarts and personalize them with a round tag.  It really does not get any easier!  And, while I was working on the confection collection this past week…I also discovered that the tarts fit perfectly into our new Matchbook Treat Wrappers (included in the Falloween Confection Collection).  They are also super simple to put together – you’ll just want to secure the tart to the bottom of the wrapper with your favorite adhesive (so it doesn’t slip out)!  And another fun idea…if you need a ‘larger’ gift – you could always buy an adorable tart warmer (that’s how you melt the tarts, lol) along with a handful of tarts for a gift basket.  Coordinate the tags and other items from the collection to make a truly custom and personalized gift :o)

So really, I just wanted to get you thinking ‘out of the box’ when it comes to some of these fun products!  There is so much you can do beyond treats and these are just a couple of ideas!  You could adapt them to just about any gift you could ever want to give :o)  So have fun being CREATIVE…and GIVING (two of my favorite things to do!)!

Finally…I thought I’d show you the new confection collection as well as the other two new products we just added to the Shoppe!  Since I’m not going into a lot of detail about them here…be sure to view the huge NEWSLETTER for lots of pics and information :o)  And, keep in mind that these new products are on sale until October 25th!

Alright, girls – that’s it for today :o)  I hope you all have a beautiful and blessed weekend!  We’ll see you back here on Monday with our next LOTW!

Shabby PrincessFood Stuff, Inspiration, Uncategorized 20 Comments

Hi guys, SP here!  So happy to be ‘back’ after calendars :o)  They just take sooooo much time and energy that during ‘calendar season’ - I do not get to participate much in the blog/gallery, etc…and I am slowly getting back and I love it :o)  thanks for being so patient with me!  And, I get to have fun, too!  I really enjoy sharing new templates for our blog challenges and that is just what I am doing here today!

 This gorgeous template (and piece-a-cake page) was designed by our wonderful Nicole :o)  You will have several weeks to scrap with our template and post a comment back :o)  We will announce the template challenge winner on November 20th (layouts and comments MUST be posted by the 17th, please)!  The ‘winner’ of the challenge will receive a $25 gift card to the Shabby Shoppe!  Please note that for our template challenge…we select the ‘winner’ randomly – so everyone has a great chance to win!

In order to be entered into the template challenge – you must post your layout in the Shabby Shoppe’s gallery (in the SHOPPE BLOG CHALLENGES gallery) and then post a comment HERE at our blog (on this post only) with a link to your layout in our gallery.  This will enter you into the challenge :o)  Please keep in mind that all layouts must contain at least 75% SP product (purchased or free).  And, to be eligible for the challenge – you must scrap with the easy-as-pie template (the layered template)…and not the piece-a-cake page (quick page).  Although – we would still LOVE to see your layouts with the piece-a-cake page, too!

We also have several fun ways for you to obtain ‘extra’ entries to the challenge (please note that in order to qualify for any EXTRA entries – you must first complete a layout with our easy-as-pie template and submit that to our gallery and blog) :o)

• For an extra entry, leave a SEPARATE comment letting us know that you have one of our blinkies (available by clicking on the blinkies link in the sidebar) either on your blog or in all of your forum signatures (be sure to include a link to your blog or signature in your post).
• For an extra entry, leave a SEPARATE comment letting us know that you have facebooked or twittered about our template challenge (don’t forget to include the link in your post).
• For an extra entry, leave a SEPARATE comment letting us know that you have blogged about our template challenge (again, be sure to add your blog link to your post).

You have the possibility of entering the challenge up to 4 times! Just be sure each entry is a separate comment, as we will be using a random number generator to choose the winner.  Be sure to get your entries in by MIDNIGHT (eastern time) on November 17th, and the winner will be announced the morning of November 20th!

But, that’s not all! We are also sharing the layout that Nicole designed with the template. The Piece-A-Cake page will be included in the download of the template, so no extra steps are required to obtain it. It is just our little way of saying thank you for participating in our challenge.  Here’s the layout that Nicole created with it:

 Also, I created a quick and simple tutorial on how to use our Easy-As-Pie templates in PSE and PS. You can find it HERE. We tried to cover the basics, but if you have any questions, please let us know and one of the Shabby Team Members will do their best to answer it.

Here’s your newest Easy-As-Pie Layered Template! <–click this to download OR click the preview image at the top of this post :o)

Your download includes:

–Layered psd template with drop shadows (you can opt to turn them off or use your own)
–Layered TIFF template with drop shadows
–Piece-A-Cake Quick Page (.png file)

Now, how about some more inspiration from the girls (visit the Shabby Artist Gallery for more information about each layout)?

 I have to tell you that I sooooo enjoyed working with this template!  I thought it might be a ‘challenge’ to create a BOY layout…but I love how it turned out!  and Kylie’s page…seriously?!  It is sooooo perfect and adorable!  I love the way our layouts, side-by-side, illustrate how a template can be so versatile!  You can’t get much more different than the two of these, lol!

 and, Anna’s layout just totally blew me away!  The colors, the photos, the combination of papers and elements – ALL of it…just LOVE :o)  Trish’s page is so stinkin’ cute – just look at our adorable little ‘belly’ in her precious tutu…

Denise’s ‘tea and fashion show’ photos were perfect for this template (and the Sprout collection was a beautiful match, too!) and I love how she creatively rotated the template!  Lu’s page is just plain fun and happy and makes me smile (also love her modifications and how she adapted it to a rectangle)…

finally, how adorable is sweet Mariquita’s WOODY layout?  She also adapted the template to a rectangle and created such a sweet page…just look at those pics :o)

So, now you have seen the template and some of our ideas…we can’t wait to see YOURS :o)  I hope you enjoy the template – Happy Scrapping!!
{Remember to link up to this post only to enter the challenge}

Shabby PrincessFree (not desktops), Template Challenges, Uncategorized 97 Comments

Hi Everyone! This is Karen bringing you a tutorial on converting your photos to black and white using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.  I know that actions are a quick and easy way, but sometimes they just don’t work for the photo you’d like to use.  I hardly ever use an action anymore since learning how to convert using a gradient map and levels.  Once you get the hang of it, it’s really quick and easy – so let’s get started :o)

Here are my steps:

1.  Open a photo.  We will be using the adjustments pallet circled in red.

2. Click on the Gradient Map icon (second from the right on the bottom).  Then, click on the long bar with the arrow.  It may be black.

3.  A box will pop up.  Click on the third preset from the left.  That should turn your image black and white

4.  Next, click on the LEVELS icon to add a levels layer.  Use the sliders to get the exact exposure that you want.  I’ve circled the middle one below which allows you to adjust the mid tones.  I play with that one the most.

5.  In this image, the sleeve on the right is too bright, so let’s make a levels adjustment for just that area.  Click on the levels icon again.  Use the middle slider to darken the whole image.

6.  Press Control (command on a mac) and the “I” key.  That will invert the levels layer, which hides the adjustments that you just made.

7.  Next, I use a soft white brush around 30% opacity and paint on the sleeve.  This will add the darkness on to just the area that you paint.  Keep painting until it looks right.

8.  I also add a contrast/brightness layer (looks like the little sun) and adjust with the sliders.

9.  Now, all you have to do is flatten your image and save it as a jpeg!

Using the gradient map and levels gives you lots of control over your conversions - so you can get them just right.

Join us tomorrow, as SP announces Blog Template Challenge {SIX}!

KarenTips and Tricks, Uncategorized 5 Comments

Every time I (Anna) see a layout made with this kit, I fall in love all over again!

Have you used it yet?

If you do not have this one in your stash, IT IS A MUST!!!

It is my favorite kit for scrapping birthday photos. In fact, one of my favorite birthday layouts of all time was created by Georgeinci with “an affair to remember” and it was our LOTW HERE.  Incredible – right?

And look at the lovely layouts by our team:

Go pick up “an affair to remember” on sale in The Shoppe this week for $5.96!

Make sure you stop by tomorrow for Karen’s photography tips on making a black and white conversion.

AnnaProduct Spotlight, Uncategorized 6 Comments