More freebies ...

Am a firm believer that all good things must be shared!

Was browsing through about.com this evening looking for Adobe Photoshop tutorial on how to remedy blurred photos. (My 'sharpening' of image only makes the photo unsightly grainy ... :P) and guess what i stumbled upon ...

Free digital scrapbooking kits!!

The site is:-http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/digitalscrapbooking/ig/Sweetie-Pie-Kit/index.02.htm

Although I've not reached the stage of being able to manipulate images with software e.g. layering, cropping, pasting and what-nots, the stuff given in the kit (you can pick and choose what you like) could come in handy. Like them tags and flower embellishment. The digital scrapping challenged like me would simply print and cut out and paste. And if desire 3D effect, mount the images with padded double sided tape.

Admittedly the images aren't as fancy as the ones you pay for on dedicated digital scrapbooking sites. But for the geographically aand scrapbook resourced challenged (ok, ok, that excuse of being an hour and a half flight away to the nearest scrapbook store is getting weaker as i write with all the development of online scrapbook shops in the country!)

On the flipside though, digital scrapbooking eliminates this scrapper's down-time of having to waiting for stuff ordered online to arrive (sometimes its real SNAIL MAIL service!!) On most times, one runs the risk of having things go missing in the mail. I had the small misfortune of having my felt fusions swirls nicked by a certain postman - i know not who. Pity ... i really looking forward to being able to HOLD, TOUCH and FEEL 'em instead of admiring how pretty and fancy they look in the pictures.

Those digital scrapbook kit eliminates that probability of things go missing.

Go take a peek. You might just find something you like. :)

Paper Kellys ...

Downloaded these paper Kellys from the Hermes website. You can check them out at (not sure how to do a link on blog yet but address is) http://lesailes.hermes.com/na/en/

Its a template where you can print, cut out and paste. Kinda cool ... then again, possibly a 'geeky' way to spend one's last moments of one's weekend. But we do what we like. And what we like helps us relax ... before another hurly-burly of a week begins.

Lined up are my first (white) attempt, my second (red) attempt, and my final (grey) attempt. I had trouble figuring out the the position of 'buckle'. Finally got it 'spot on' when decided not to follow the instructions so closely and be a little flexible on the buckle flap.

De-mystifiying bits of digital technology ...

I've lamented alot about my photography skills and esp. blaming the lousy photos on camera.

My bad really. The last few days while fiddling with camera, I discovered (lo and behold!) a whole host of features that I hadn't bothered with and relying simply on those 'programmed' or 'automatic' functions that's the easiest to reach.

So taking advantage of the lovely sunny morning (where I discovered makes the best pictures) I set out to explore what my camera can actually do. You know that wanting to achieve the sharp and crisp subject with hazy background ... I *think* I finally figured out how to tweak functions to achieve that effect ... and it obviously doesn't involve the 'multi focus' function ...

Yesterday, I discovered my laptop actually has a memory card slot! :p After FOUR years ... talk about being a 'blur sotong' (calamari)!! And apparently one can create folders camera's memory card and download pictures from different cameras (that's if memory is large enough) ...

Quirkly enough, all this demystifying business would not have taken place had not this determination to figure out Adobe Photoshop ... which lead to fiddling around with camera, which lead to pottering about with computer and discovering potentially useful softwares on computer that didn't know about.

I daresay its an amazing experience to discover that what you need is actually lying in front of nose ... just that one hasn't yet realised nor learnt of its use. Its rather like finally finding the switch to light in room full of useful utitilities and tools!

Woo hoo ...

Gaudy experiments ...

Admitted the colours of paper weren't exactly complementary nor matching (esp. the green!) ... was experimenting with technique rather tha design. So reached out to whatever scrap that was in my box.

An especially pleased with how home-made 3-D 'sakura' flower made out of small cut circles folded and pasted together to form patels. Base patels would have to be made out of thicker paper - of manila card thickness - 120-150gsm (?) mixed with thin pattern paper petals. I imagine the flower would probably turn out even beautifully if those thick designer pattern papers were used. And more petals too, to give it that 'fuller' look.

As for the vines .. they made out of beads an wiring. :) Twirled over pencil to give it that 'twist'.

As for piece with pink flowers and pink bordering - i was experimenting chiefly with layering of papers ... and the use of broad paper ribbons - what were cut up and used as frames.

More lavender cards ...

Since I still have some paper left over from making the last wedding cards thought I'd experiment some more on different layouts and designs.

Personally rather liked the DIY paper flowers accents made out of three types of paper circles - all made easy by the circular cutter tool by EK Success, and matching brads.

Papers are of :-

a) lavender cardstock like hue

b) printed lavender wedding present paper (cut into desired bits)

c) brads

d) lavender coloured flower lace borders

e) lavender buttons

f) complementary light blue butterfly sticker (ran out of those nice sparkly ones ...)

Also made envelope from same present paper. Instead of glueing the flap down, I inserted ribbon to tie flap close.

The ironies of technology ...

Today, I decided to tackle that Adobe Photoshop program which I read alot about in those digital scrapbooking page but have yet mustered the nerve to master all the features. My know-how of photoshop is very rudimentary. To open and close a jpeg. file. Ask me to edit ... sharpen my image, add accents or texts and I'd be bewilderingly and ignorantly LOST!

However, those 'how to' videos on About.com on how to use some of the features on Adobe Photoshop CS2 has since shed some light on that rather intimidating Photoshop program - that's been long occupying space in my hard drive - yet hardly ever used. Admittedly, features are still a little foreign to me ... and alot of what am able to do are more lucky stabs in the dark ... ask me to repeat the steps and I'd be somewhat clueless.

What I've discovered however, all that graphics work on computer slows it down dramatically. I half expect to see my nails grow at th rate those image layers take effect!! In the long run, that can be downright frustrating and that's not something one looks for in any hobby!

Ironically, traditional scrapbooking still affords greater productivity than true blue digital scrapbooking. Instead of WAITING and staring at the bottom of computer willing those images to load and take effect in the quickest time possible or making many uncertain pointing and clicking and undo-ing; traditional/hybrid scrapbooking gives me the freedom of browsing through those precious stash of paper, printing out bits while leisurely flipping through scrapbook magazines, organizing those assortment of embellishments and accents, talk on the phone, check my email, do a facial, bake a cake - all in the same amount of time I use twiddling with Photoshop and its Elements!

I suppose, with my present state of equipment (this cranky 4 year old computer), hybrid and traditional scrapbooking is possibly the most suitable for me, that is. Now with the few local online scrap shops that's sprouted in the country, lamenting about exhorbitant shipping charges no longer applies.

Am not going to give up on mastering Photoshop just yet. I'd probably give it another go now and then. But am not convinced just yet on making that total transition to digital scrapbooking - although I absolutely LOVE the stuff those very talented people on those digital scrapbookig forums have come up with!

Pot Shots ...

An over exposed shot of footprints in the sand ...?

twilight - under exposed ...?

pebbles in twillight - an out of focused shot

sandcastle kit in the afternoon sun ...

Had ample opportunities to practice photography skills over beach weekend. Photos were ... not exactly something to rave on about :p. Objects were off focus inspite of more than ample lighting. Wanted that SLR quality - you know, sharp object and hazy background. Instead i got quite the opposite effect :p And honestly, I haven't much of a clue on how to get my equipment to achieve the desired results ... inspite of the many attempts at tweaking at my already very 'idiot proof' camera ... ! (Maybe a toss in the sea might help ... photographer included)

Found myself wistfully wondering if i were to invest in a camera upgrade would my photos turn out 'better', 'sharper' 'crisper ' (if there's such a word ..). Didn't help when there were more than a few SLR toting photographers taking pictures of their moments in the sand ...

That's just my feeble excuses ... shifting blame on equipment instead of my lack of skills ...
Honestly, at my rate no superly SLR, blur- proof-camera (if any exists) is going to compensate for my rather clumsy attempts at capturing that one (preferably many many) superb picture ...

Now if i could only figure out how to work that mind -oggling Adobe Photoshop, maybe ... just maybe i could turn my out-of-focus, under or over exposed shots into masterpieces ...