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2/29/16

Join Me In InstaEdits!

Happy Monday! I have a BRAND NEW class up at Big Picture Classes today called InstaEdits and I hope you will join me!!  This class is all about my favorite editing apps and how to make your photos pop! 

In the class, I'll walk you through my process for editing with the Pic.Tap.Go app, A Color Story app and Photoshop Express app! These three are my go-to when editing with my phone and I love the ending result! 


I'm also sharing a few of my favorite ways to get those photos OFF of your phone and onto your walls and albums!  It's going to be an awesome time and I hope you will pop on over into class and join me!  


Hope to see you there!
xoxo

2/28/16

Project 52: 9/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016."
Anna: weekend smiles! Canon 6D, 35mm, f2.2 ISO 400
Drew: there are no words for this guy... Canon 6D, 50mm, f1.4, ISO 100

2/26/16

Handmade Embellishments


Is your workspace covered in scraps, papers and embellishments?? Then grab your punches and create your own unique handmade pretties! It only takes a few simple steps to create these lovely embellishments and it's probably likely that you have all of these supplies just sitting around waiting to be used!  

To get started, you will need: punches (I like pinked circles, various sizes of round circles and scalloped circles for my bases and then smaller shapes, like butterflies and hearts for the top), scissors, glue (or a sewing machine) and a few small extras (think sequins, tiny buttons, small wood veneer pieces).
To create these handmade embellishments, you will basically just layer your shapes onto one another, adhere and then voila, you have pretty embellishments!

Let's get started!
  1. Start by punching your base shape! I like to use my circle punches for this step!
  2. Next, use your scissors (or small punches) to create a small, thin layer for your base. I like to get creative with this layer and try to bring in some texture and movement by using ribbon, doilies, crepe paper and tissue paper here.
  3. Once you have the first two layers together, start adding on your "top" layer.  Here you can add additional punched shapes, like butterflies and hearts, wood veneer pieces, sequins, brads and more! I find that once I get started, I just can't stop! 
I typically use my sewing machine to really hold everything together, but hot glue or any other strong adhesive would work well here! Just be sure to glue as you go so each layer will stick to the previous layer! 
After you are finished adhering your pieces together, you will have a set of the prettiest handmade embellishments around! I love using my scraps and extras to create these unique embellishments!  Go grab your supplies and makes some for yourself!! 

2/24/16

DIY Art Journal

Sometimes I get an itch to create, but don't want to make a huge layout or complete mini book. That's where this fun little DIY Art Journal comes in. I made this fun "journal" when I was at Be Crafty with Amanda and Maggie using the cover of an old book and some book rings! We spray painted the book gold at the workshop and then I painted the black diagonal part onto the front for a little more character. I hot glued in ribbon at the front and back of the book so it had a cute tie closure! 
The inside pages are a mix of fun goodies, photos, book pages, embellishments and more.  The best part about books like this is that anything goes! You really can add in just about anything - painted pages, watercolored pages, envelopes, etc!  I find that I reach for this book a lot "just because" I want to make something! 

Here's a look at a few of my pages....
Do you keep a random "art journal"? A journal that you can dabble in, put away and pick up days or months later? It's very freeing to have some kind of creative outlet and using a smaller scale like this book is perfect for me!!  

xoxo

2/22/16

January Photo Book: Pinhole Press

I am so excited to share a look at my January photo album today! I love everything photo related and seeing our memories printed out in a bound book makes my heart go pitter-patter.  If you have been following along with me, you probably know that last year, I created a different mini album for every month of the year.  For 2016, my plan is to take a similar, but easier approach and create a bound album for every month of the year.  Taking photos and recording our days is so important to me, and without having a "plan", I most likely would only print a handful of photos throughout the year.  Creating monthly albums holds me accountable for getting my photos off of my computer and phone and into an album we can all enjoy now and for years to come.

For January, I decided to use a company I haven't used before and went with a 8x8 Lay Flat Album from Pinhole Press.  I found the uploading and "building" part of the album to be very user friendly and very easy.  All in all, it took me about two hours to complete my album (I did half of the book about mid-January and then the remaining part at the end of January).  I also love that the lay flat album allows for double spread photos, so I was very excited about the option of doing large photo spreads throughout the book.  Pinhole Press offers a variety of page layouts, as well as the option to add text and stories to your album.  I'm not the best at adding in journaling, so having the ability to include a caption, note or story during the "building" process was a win-win for me!
I finished my album on the 31st of January and as soon as I hit "buy", a few "I wish I would have...." thoughts came flying into my head (I HATE when that happens!).  One of the things I wish I would have done would be to include a collage at the end of the book of our random "phone" photos. I spent a lot of January using my DSLR, so I didn't have too many photos on my phone from this month, but I'm sure I could have created an ending collage of our memories.  I also wish I would have added some type of conclusion or ending to the book - maybe a sentence or two about my project or process, a quote, etc...  And kind of on a similar note, I'm hoping to add more photos of myself and my husband in our future albums! Next month, right???
And because I love making videos and think seeing it "in action" is better than just still photos, below is a quick flip through of my album with some of my thoughts and suggestions for using Pinhole Press! Enjoy!

Have you ever created an album using Pinhole Press?? I definitely recommend checking them out and creating your own Lay Flat Album!  Thanks so much for stopping by today!!
xoxo

2/21/16

Project 52: 8/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016."
Anna: sunset stroll with this beautiful girl. Canon 6D, 50mm, f2.2 ISO 250
Drew: legos, always legos... Canon 6D, 50mm, f1.4, ISO 1600