Hello everyone…Casharina here!  Today I’m bringing you our post for Focus on the Photos.  I honestly had a difficult time coming up with something that hadn’t already been shared by the one of our talented team members as they have shared some wonderful tips and tricks!  I decided to do a post showing how I fix under eye shadows, or shadows around the face for that matter!

•  To begin have your photo edited to the desired brightness.
• Then you will select the quick mask tool.  It’s the little icon that looks like a square with a circle in the middle, or a “camera.”

• Change your cursor to a brush by either clicking on the brush tool or hitting the B key on the keyboard.
• Ensure that your brush is a soft rounded brush and make the size appropriate to what you are working on.
• If I’m working on shadows under the eye I like my brush fairly small, however if I’m going to adjust shadows on the side of someone’s face I like it to be a little bigger for faster coverage.
• Paint over the area you are fixing.

Tip: it’s fine if you get outside the area that needs fixed, you can always adjust it if needed.

• When you are finished hit the quick mask icon again.
• It will select the OUTSIDE portions of the brushed area, so you will need to invert it, by selecting CTRL+I.
• Now you are ready to adjust that portion of the photo.
• I like to use the Curves adjustments.
• You can adjust the diagonal line to meet your needs.  Moving the line towards the middle makes the photo brighter, while moving it down will make it darker.

• Once your finished you can add merge the layers together and you are finished!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Focus on the Photos post today!

Check back tomorrow for for SP’s project SCRAP July check-in!

CasharinaPhotography, Tips and Tricks, Uncategorized 6 Comments

Hello Shabby Shoppe-rs!  It’s Beckie here with you today to bring you this week’s LOTW!  I must say that browsing through the gallery was just what I needed as inspiration to get back into scrapbooking after my little hiatus.  It was awesome catching up on the work of the veteran posters in the gallery, plus I saw several new faces, too!  And, as always, I saw SO many lovely layouts that caught my eye :)

This week’s selection for LOTW really stood out- it’s loaded with interesting details and ideas that I’m just dying to scrap lift!

Hanging out with Grandma by BessySue581

BessySue581 took her inspiration from this LO by  Kim - but she put her very own unique and creative touches on her design!  I absolutely love the clever addition of the photos across the top – simple flower and ribbon clusters create an instant photo banner!  I love layouts that make great use of space, too – and this one is FILLED with gorgeous details.  Every corner of this LO has something pretty <3.

Congratulations BessySue581 on your LOTW selection!  You’ll be receiving a $10 gift card to the Shoppe in your e-mail sometime later this week (PLEASE NOTE that due to technical difficulties that SP and Kylie are having…it might be a few days before they can email it to you – VERY SORRY for the inconvenience, but rest assured that they will send it over just as soon as they can – THANKS)!

Hope your week starts off wonderfully :)

BeckieLayout of the Week, Uncategorized 6 Comments

Hi all…Kylie here!! :o)  It has been quite awhile since I’ve posted a hybrid project…was it around Christmas time? – hmmm, where does the time go!  So…I thought it would be wise to ease back into it, lol!  (Wait until you see what I’ve got in store for next month…it’s a biggin’!!)  Today, on the other hand, is a simple little project that you can whip up in a jiffy and it is the perfect project for those of you in BACK TO SCHOOL mode!  So…what are we making today? – Lunch Box Notecards :o) …cool, huh?!

I think it is a super-cute idea to pop one of these sweet notecards into your child’s lunch box (or lunch bag!)…little notes of love, encouragement and cheery smiles!  A lil’ something to brighten their day…from someone they love.

To make your own cards:

• Create a standard paper size (8.5×11 letter or A4…whatever you normally use) work area in your photo editing software eg. PS/PSE etc
• Decide the size of each card and how many you wish to design.  I went with our Shoppe Piece-A-Cake Badge Album & Fun Flash Cards size of 3.28×2.45 inches and created eight (8) unique designs.  If you are planning to make a bulk amount you may like to consider designing them at a standard business card size and have them printed/trimmed at a photo lab…a little research goes a long way to saving time and money…and printer ink!!!
• use your shape tool to create your card base…tip: use the Fixed Size options on the shape tool bar

• next is all about building your design…clipping your papers, adding your elements and some text

For my cards (soon to be yours, once you download them!!) I used Hopscotch and it’s school additions along with a few little elements from a couple of other Shabby Princess kits.  It’s all about raiding your scrapbooking supply stash…there are so many cute things you can use…and not just standard kit elements, like a flower or two.  Why not search out the little word art sentiments or word stamps - Heartfelt, Gracie, Clementine, Barefoot and Giggle box are my faves.  Don’t forget to look in the miscellaneous and embellishments sections of the Shoppe…lots of goodies to found there – like the calendar doodles…perfect for a small notecards where it’s probably best to keep it simple and fuss free!

Time for your freebie!! :o)  You can click the image below to download the printable 8.5×11 jpeg…OR…simply click HERE!

I hope you enjoy these notecards (and find them useful)!  Thanks for checking in with us today and have a wonderful weekend!!  Monday is LOTW…see u then! xo 

KylieFree (not desktops), Hybrid Projects, Uncategorized 11 Comments

Hi everyone…Beckie here!  It’s been so very long since I’ve been here last, and I’m so happy to be back!  I had to take a bit of a sabbatical from the blog – I had so much going on.  I’m so excited to say that I finished up a master’s program, one that had me traveling and quite busy over the past year.  It’s such a relief having that behind me!  Luckily I’ve been taking tons of pictures still this summer so far, which means I am WAY behind in my scrapping and need to get caught up, LOL.  Anyhow, I’m SUPER excited to be back!!

So – on to today’s topic!  We’ve talked about ways to use Soft Light a few times in the past:  Kylie showed you all the blending modes HERE, and Rosy showed you how to create tone-on-tone papers HERE.  Well I’m back with yet another way that a Soft Light layer can help you with your scrapbooking – by giving your photos the perfect “kick”!

It’s hard to describe what a soft light layer does – but to me it just make a photo “more”…more vibrant, more contrast, more depth.  You can see from the example above that the photo on the right seems crisper, sharper, more “clear” even.  And the only different between these two images is the soft light layer!

So how do you do it?  I’m pleased to say it is SUPER easy, and is possible with PS and PSE :)

Let’s see a few more examples!!

…and how about this one!  you can see the full effects in the amazing after picture!  I left the Soft Light layer at 100% (full strength) in this one!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Kylie’s sharing a fun & easy hybrid project on Friday…along with a cute little giveaway!

BeckieTips and Tricks, Uncategorized 12 Comments

Hello blog readers!  This is Kim here today to share a special Product Spotlight with you.  Why is it special, you ask?  Because in my opinion this collection is one of the most versatile products in the Shoppe.  Today we are spotlighting the Darling Paper Collection!  If you haven’t picked up this one yet, you will want to head on over and get it while it is ON SALE for a limited time for only $4.25!

 So what do I love about the Darling Paper Collection?  To start with, can you say damask and polka dots??  These two patterns are fun to use in many different types of layouts.  There are endless possibilities of how to use them.  And added to that, all the patterns come in ten different colors that coordinate with SP’s other kits.  So when you want to add a little damask or polka dots to a layout, just look to this collection.  You’re sure to find a color that will work.  And SP has even included a solid paper of each color, plus an off-white and neutral.  This collection is a go-to for me over and over again as I’m creating layouts.

And now for the part that I love the most… brand new inspiration from the team!  I’ll start it off with a layout I created.  This one shows the elegant touch that those damask papers can give to a layout.

And when I am looking for something to add a little fun, these polka dot papers are the way to go.  They were quite perfect for this second layout I created!

Want some more inspiration?  How about this layout by Kylie?  I love the way she used the bright polka dot paper as her background.  It’s bold and makes a statement without taking away from the rest of the awesome design and photos.

Jenelle created this soft and relaxing layout with just the right touches from the Darling collection.  The color added by the aqua papers makes me want to jump in the water to cool off on a sunny day!  Don’t you want to just jump into the layout and start enjoying the beach?

Rosy has again captured a sweet and simple moment in the life of her children in this next layout.  The Darling papers are perfect for the patchwork look here.

And one more layout from Kylie will finish up our inspiration today.  I must just say cute cute cute.  (That’s for the cute papers, cute layout and cute baby!)

That’s all for today, but stop back again tomorrow as Beckie is back with us on the blog!  And she has a tips and tricks post to share from her knowledge of editing photos.  I can’t wait to hear her tips!!  Have a great day!

KimProduct Spotlight, Uncategorized 2 Comments