Layout- Li'l Devils

Here is the little madam and her friend who came over to go trick or treating tonight.
Hannah had much more fun going with a friend!

Feature Friday - Dragonfly Fancies

 This weeks feature kit is DragonFly Fancies


This is a fun and funky kit featuring chipboard elements and wood and " stocking" dragonflies.

This kit coordinates with another page kit Flutterby Fancies


Ive done a couple of layouts featuring Dragonfly and flutterby Fancies



and this one which features both kits




These kits are perfect for girls from baby through to big girls!!

Here are a couple more layouts that might inspire you and give you ideas.

Firstly heres a great layout by Gail0423 who shows that you dont need a photo to great a wonderful layout


she has also used my custom fill chipboard Impact Alphabet  alphabet




Once again Luvzkitties has created a gorgeous layout featuring girls - I love the softly coloured focal photo and the black and white smaller photos really look great with the blue and pink

How cool is this tumber insert created by Betsyfru



Isnt it just gorgeous - and what fantastic dragonfly photos those are too!!!!!!!!!


Honeymoon created this great layout with some photos she had taken of dandelions for a camera class


She used the FUnky  CHip Custom Fill Chipboard Titles for her layout
Finally heres a lovely layout by Sandygb  of her mother and her daughter


I hope these give you some inspiration and ideas on ways to use pieces from this kit

Layouts using Brushed On QuickBits

 Well Ive done 3 layouts tonight already using my New Brushed On Quickbits



This one is a not so great photo I took at very
low light of the Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo in the
South Island of New Zealand -

I used an older kit called Reflections  for this layout - I thought the background worked really well for the chilly feel to the photo



I was really taken with these cute birds when I was at Yosemite. Apparently they are somewhat of a pest though!!

I used My Victorian Whispers Page kit -and Whispered Nothings Page Kit -  and the border around the edge is from brittany blues -



I  used my Favourite kit for Yosemite Photos - Brittany Blues



The easiest way to use these Brushed on Quickbits is to use the clipping method technique that I explained in my Tuesday Technique tutorial last tuesday . It makes it a piece of cake !!!

Brushed on Quick Bits ( Clipping Masks)

Brushed On Quick Bits
by D- Lauren Bavin
	his set of 8 paintstroke images are to be used as " clipping masks" for achieving a painterly look to your photo. Simply " clip" to your photo layer to achieve a look as if you have painted your photo onto your layout. This set includes 8 different paintstroked images in .png format. Software Requirements: These images are similar to quick clicks in that they require the use of a magic wand tool, or clipping mask option in order to work. Software programs that can currently use these templates include - Photoshop 6 or higher, Photoshop Elements 2 or higher, Paint Shop Pro 7 or higher, PhotoImpact recent versions, Digital Image Pro recent versions, Picture It version 7 or higher, and some Corel Paint programs recent versions. Not currently supported - Hewlett Packard Creative Scrapbook Assistant, FotoFusion by Lumapix, or Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Designer Program.

New Product - Willow Wishes

WIllow Wishes
by D- Lauren Bavin
	A little funky and a little elegant, the colours of this kit were inspires thoughts of waterside willows. With unique elements from willow branch wreath to funky string flowers, this kit will be sure to showcase your photos. . . Kit Includes: ~1 willow paisley background ~1 willow green background ~1 painted stripe background ~1 bark brown Background ~1 fabric ribbon strip ~1 old embossed circle frame ~1 stacked pano frame ~1 string and button flower ~1 tiny flowers < br> ~1 twill hanger ~1 willow leaf ~1 willow wreathbr> File Size:15.80MB

New Product -Elaborate News Alpha

Elaborate News Alphabet
by D- Lauren Bavin
	This elegant and unique alphabet is perfect for where you wish to bring emphasis to an initial or monogram. Alphabet comes in Upper Case letters only File

New Product - Victorian Whispers Page Kit

Victorian Whispers Page Kit
by D- Lauren Bavin
	From beautiful landscapes to portraits to heritage photos, this kit will inspire you to create magical layouts . Kit Includes: ~floral news background ~soft blue check background ~stained newspaper Background ~waterlily backgound ~1 blue feather ~1 diamante brad ~1 embossed satin ribbon ~1 old leaf ~1 paper bird ~1 pin with tag ~1 pink flower ~1 elaborate victorian frame

Technique Tuesday - Photomerge in CS3+

This is a very simple almost automatic technique for creating a panorama from several separate photos.

You can download a pdf of this tutorial here

Photomerge in Photoshop CS3+

This short tutorial shows the wonderful results you can get in creating a panorama from several separate photos.

Whilst the best results are always obtained by using a tripod and setting your white balance and exposure before taking your first photo with the examples I am going to use this was not the case.

These photos were taken hand held and in fact were taken inside through glass while I walked around a viewing platform.

The results by using the Photomerge tool are quite astounding as I think you will agree

.

Here are the photos which I want to merge into a panorama

There is a significant overlap in these photos which makes a successful result a little more likely.

To create your panorama choose File – Automate – Photomerge

You can choose at this point to add open files if you already have your files open , or you can choose to browse to find the files .

There are various types of panoramas you can try – Ive used Auto in this instance and let Photoshop decide where to place the photographs but try out some of the other options and see if you get a more desirable result

Photoshop CS4 which is what I am using has more options in the photomerge feature but it works really well in CS3 as well .

I have selected the vignette removal and geometric distortion correction which will reduce the effect of any dark vignetting in each separate image which might have occurred if you had a lens hood on for instance, and the Geometric Distortion correction will reduce any lens distortion that may have occurred.

Photoshop then automatically places all your images in one new file in separate layers.

Its next step is to align the photos based on the photos content. Photoshop will analyse each photo and move and resize each layer to align them into a panorama.

Its next step if you have chosen the Blend option is to blend the photos togeter to give a seamless result.

It does this by masking parts of each photo to show only the part needed

The result can take a few minutes depending on how many photos you have selected and the size of the images.

At this point now you can crop your final image and perform any other final adjustments you wish to make.

For this image I am going to use a perspective transformation to enlarge the left hand edge of the panorama , and a slight rotation to the left to allow me to make my crop as effective as possible.

I do this after merging all the layers.

Here is the result of my finished Panorama, the entire process only took less than 10 minutes and the result is very satisfying.

Gimme More Challenge for Week ending November 1

Where has the year gone - how can it be nearly November already?????????

Here are this weeks bonuses - you can get both of these items free.


To get this alphabet ( which goes with the word art in the Suburban Neurosis Page Kit  all you need do is participate in the Gimme More Chat in the DSP chat room on Thursday Oct 30 at 9pm US Eastern time .
I will send a link to everyone who speaks in the chat .

The posting bonus is this new kit called Urbanesque


To get this kit for free you need to purchase Suburban Neurosis , complete a layout and post it in the Gimme More Gallery by midnight Nov 1st
I will send out links to download this kit after that time.

Layout - Palace of Fine Arts

I used my new quick click Japanese Blossoms for this layout of The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco . I will probably use it again for some photos of the Japanese gardens in SF too!!- it really gives a very unique effect 

New Product - Japanese Blossoms QuickClick

Japanese Blossoms QuickClick
by D- Lauren Bavin
	Create a layout fast with this unique QuickClick! This template includes all the layers to help you build a layout embellished with a japanese inspired blossom branch. CHoose to overlay your branch over the top of your photo and mat , or split it and use a different colour or blendmode for the portion over the photo. What is a QuickClick?! The QuickClick Template system is a wonderful new product that gives you the creative license to make unique layouts by filling in the "blanks (shapes)." The design work is done...you won't have to think about placement of your photos or accent papers because we have carefully designed these "interactive sketches" for you! Scrapbooking just got a turbo boost with this intuitive product and now you can get MORE pages done! QuickClicks include multiple pieces (12x12 PNG files*) which act like an interactive sketch - All you need to do is stack all the numbered layers in order, add in your photos and decorative papers, and fill in the shapes (easy instructions are included) for a layout that is truly yours! This template system is very flexible and can be used many times; just change the photos and papers and, voila!!, a whole new layout in no time at all. For a different look you can choose not to use the any of the

Friday Feature - Poppy Fields Page Kit

This weeks featured kit is Poppy Fields


This kit is full of rich colours that are are a mix of heritage and modern tones and make quite versatile for a variety of layout styles.


Here is a very simple layout I made using this kit


Of course with the poppy theme the first type of layout that comes to mind is a heritage layout featuring lost or returned soldiers from the past
such as this layout below by FormbyGirl

This layout brings the past to life in such a beautiful way

This layout by Dawn in NZ is shows a great techique for highlighting part of a photo by blending the rest into a background


Here is another layout in a similar vein by newbienfr with great photos from the Normandy American Cemetery


This layout by Cathiemarie is the opposite in that it features a current photo



I like how Cathie clustered some poppies around the vine ring.
She also used the PinItial Alphabet  which works in very well with the colours of the page.

I love this layout below by Sandygb - its a great use of a panoramic photo by cutting the frame to fit






I just love this layout by Doda- I Love the layering of the bracket shaped mat and the cluster of poppies and vines in the right corner. This is one layout Im definitely going to scraplift . Doda also used Tinas Circle sayings word art and the quick click from October CLub Digital


This layout below by gram2nic is created with a whole lot of my kits and I just adore the clustering of the elements under the frame . It makes the layout so touchable . For a list of elements used see the layout at DSP here


Yet again Bocca has come up with a divine layout - She is such a talented scrapper and never fails to inspire me with her layouts.
Agains he has cut the inside strips from the frame to make a panorama frame - and the way she has layered the flowers and leaves combined with the blending of the backgrounds is just inspired. This is definitely going to be scraplifted!!!!!!!!!


Luvzkitties chose to scrap some glorious autumn trees with the kit adn I think it works really well with the bright colours in the photo


I love this portrait layout by Paulaoneill too




The layering and recolouring of the bracket shaped mat really makes for a stunning layout

and the layout below also by Paulaoneill is another Im going to scraplift - I love how she used the frame as a stand for the vine to " grow" on.


As always Im completely stunned by the talent of the scrapbookers at DSP who take a kit and turn it into a piece of art.
I hope you are as inspired as me and these layouts give you plenty of ideas for your own layouts.

See more at http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com

Technique Tuesday - Colourising and filling Word art and other shapes using Clipping Groups

Heres a nice simple tutorial this week
You can download a PDF of this tutorial here

Colourising word art using backgrounds and the Clipping Group

Tutorial for Photoshop by Lauren Bavin

This is a really simple technique that is very useful for filling your word art with a background paper or a photo.

Open your word art and a background you wish to fill it with .

Next open your chosen background and drag it into your layout in a layer over the top of your word art.

Press the Alt- Key and hover your mouse right between the 2 layers in the layers palette

Your cursor will turn to the clipping group Icon which looks like 2 dotted circles intersecting.

Click to form the clipping group

As you can see the excess portion of the background paper appears removed from the layer

You can then go and click on the move tool and move the paper around within the text . You can also resize using the transform tool if you desire.

You can use this method with a photo too

You can also add to your clipping group by dragging in more layers over the top of your original group

Here I have created my clipping group with the brown floral paper and reduced the size so it fills only the last two letters

Then using the move tool I drag another background paper over the top of the existing clipping group .

Photoshop automatically “clips” the new layer to the layers below .

I can then move the paper to where I want it to be using the move tool

You can repeat this process as often as you desire

I hope you have fun with this very easy method of filling text and shapes.

As always with photoshop this is only one method of many for achieving any effect. Each has its own virtues and will be useful in different situations.

Date Rings Embellisment Set

Date Rings Embellisment sets
by D- Lauren Bavin
	This set of stackable rings is perfect for showing the date in a unique way. This set includes day date and month in a set of clear acrylic and a white plastic set. It also includes 2 indicator sliders

Gimme More Bonuses for this week

This weeks featured kit is Whispered Nothings.
Here is the bonuses for this weeks Gimme More Challenge



This is the chat bonus - the only way you can get this for free is to come to and participate in the chat on Thursday 23rd at 9pm ( US EST)
I will send out links to everyone who participates in the chat .
If you cant make it to the  chat you can buy it in the store later if you wish





This is the posting bonus - to get this for free you need to purchase Whispered Nothings and do a layout and post it in the gimme more gallery

by Midnight on Saturday Oct 25th and I will send you a link to download this Victorian Whispers kit for free.

See more at http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com

Feature Friday - Portobello Road

This weeks feature kit is Portobello Road




This kit has a matching alphabet  called Marketplace



It also has a partner kit called Contentment




Ive created a couple of layouts using this kit




This one uses a more graphic style but the kit itself really lends itself pretty well to a realistc 3d paper style on the whole




This layout uses a variety of kits but includes quite a few pieces from Portobello Road  and Contentment


There are some great layouts using Portobello Road in the gallery


I love this layout by LynnT. She used the Vintage Dreamy effect that I posted in the Tuesday Technique last week on the photo and I think its given such a lovely result

FormbyGirl also used the Vintage Dreamy action on her photo and created this gorgeous layout





HeatherL used a graphic style on her layout and isnt it just gorgeous - who couldnt resist that face but I love the canvas effect she achieved by blending the photo in with the backgrounds.





Sandygb's layouts are always inspiring and she is very good at giving directions on how she achieved her effects .
Like Heather she created a lovely canvas effect for her photo

Here is how she achieved this great graphic look

" I used the grubby corrugated teal paper in the background.

I placed the apricot paisley paper over it, then placed the apricot
teal linen paper over the paisley - used a Luminosity blend mode and
reduced the opacity to 65%.

I used a multiply blend mode on my photo and reduced the opacity to 71%."


Another layout which features a canvas look to the photo by blending it in with a background is this absolutely gorgeous one by Bocca


its simple yet absolutely delicious!!!




This layout below by Luvzkitties is one of my favourite layouts using Portobello Road


I just love the border she created and the wonderful frame and cluster with that pretty kitty poking his face over the foliage

Here are her comments on how she created this layout

"I used the Portobello Road page kit by Lauren Bavin and Edges Pack Freebie by Lauren Bavin
with a couple of minor changes. The ribbon was recolored slightly to
tone it down and give it a more grass-like appearance, and the wire
border was made by layering and then cropping the wire art piece."



I hope these layouts inspire you and give you some ideas on how to use this kit and others!!-
Have fun and if you create a layout inspired by anything here please do let me know!!- I love nothing more than seeing your creations.

See more at http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com

Next weeks featured kit will be Poppy Fields - Feel free to post your layouts using Poppy Fields in the DSP gallery.
If
you use the DSP keyword code of  9091dsp in the keyword section of the
gallery upload then I will be able to find your layout no matter what
part of the gallery  you put it in.