Make // Turn Kid's Art into a Card

Have you ever wanted to create a card using your child's artwork? Or perhaps your own? Here's how!

Before I get too far into it, you'll need a scanner (or camera phone, camera with wifi, etc.) and Photoshop or other photo editing software for this project-- I have Photoshop Elements 9.

This project came about when my 5 year old spent some time coloring a picture and wanted to share it with a bunch of people-- grandma, nana, friend, teacher, etc. I tried to persuade him to color more pictures, but he was determined that THIS was his "masterpiece" and nothing could convince him otherwise.

So, with a little help from our scanner/printer and Photoshop, we were able to give all of the peeps on his list a custom, Made by L card. You can add a background or not. Since it's almost VDay, we added a heart background and turned it into a Valentine's Day Card. I also did a couple with a chalkboard background and font.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

Buh-Bye Point & Shoot

I finally did it. After a 5 year delay, I put away my old, trusty point & shoot camera (aka The Crutch), and decided to learn how to use my DSLR. Cold turkey. In manual; Pshht... none of that automatic stuff.  :)

It was a hard thing to do-- especially since I've grown rather attached to the point & shoot that I've been using for the past 7 years. But it was necessary. And by god... It was TIME!  So, with the help of the University of Google and this user-friendly book, I was able to figure out a few basic things. I won't attempt to explain things in detail because, trust me... you don't want that. But I did want to share some of the things I was able to do with my limited knowledge.

If there are any remotely professional photographers out there reading this, you probably want to look away at this point. :)  However, if there are any newbies like me that want to switch it out of automatic into the wild world of manual... Read on! If I can do it, anyone can. I won't say that my photos are magically perfect, but they are so much better than before.

ISO-- aka high ISO = more grain/noise. If you want a straight-up photo and are not going for artistic, try to keep ISO low (100-200). I don't have a great example, but there's one here. BTW, Click it Up a Notch is a great resource for photography novices like myself.

Aperture-- aka, make the subject sharp and the background blurry by using a lens with a large aperture (low f stop). To get a photo where everything is in focus, use a smaller aperture (high f stop). Here's a good layman's description of aperture.

not bad considering the lighting was not very good and i  had the ISO pretty high (800).

aperture: f/1.8

again... bad lighting. actually really bad lighting. i increased the f stop so that the entire bunny is in focus. I tried a lower f stop and the only thing in focus was his face. Could be sharper but.. meh, trial and error folks! 

aperture: f/5

Shutter Speed-- aka, capture fast moving creatures kids by increasing shutter speed. use slower shutter speed to capture movement... good example here.

these were all taken at 1/1000 shutter speed

I know it doesn't seem like much, and I'm not striving to be a professional photographer... But seriously? I'm just amazed and happy that I got the camera to work! 

Camera equipment is expensive and still foreign to me, so I'm thankful that my dad loaned me his zoom lens. It's so much better than the kit lens that came with the camera... or at least it seems that way to this newbie. I also bought a 50 mm f/1.8 lens (a mother's day present to myself), which I  used to photograph the "aperture" shots above. Since I usually shoot my blog project photos indoors, I figure it'll really come in handy. Evidently I need a tripod and probably another lens or two to be fully functional, but I feel so much better that I'm using this camera that was gifted to me so many years ago! It's ridiculous that this awesome tool was gathering dust in our closet.

Obviously I still have a lot to learn, but it's a START! I hope to shoot my next project with the "new" camera. Which, uh,  means, I need to start on my next project... whatever that may be. Wish me luck!

Happy Valentine's Day! // Photoshop Brush Tutorial

Mwah!  You guys are the best!

Do you have Photoshop and want to make your own lip art?

Click "Read more" for a Basic Photoshop Brush Tutorial

[Home] Christmas 2012 Living Room Mantel

We haven't put up our tree yet (saving that for the weekend), but I feel like I'm finally getting into the holiday spirit. This year I decided to decorate our living room mantel.  It's been ignored for too long!  I have something fun and kid-oriented planned for our family room mantel, but I decided that the living room would be for me... When I need a time-out.  :)  

Click "Read more" for the details

Cinemagr.am

I should be cleaning my house, but instead I'm playing with cinemagr.am...

If you're like me and love GIFs (aka animated photos), then this is the App for you!  This is my first try, so don't judge... I think if I shot this in natural light, it would've turned out much better.  But I love the amazed, dumbfounded look on Happy Vee's face.  And, as you can see by the state of my family room, I really need to get back to cleaning!  

Many more creative GIFs here.

Happy Wednesday!

[Party] Space... The Invitation

It's that time of year again!  How did that happen so fast??  My big little guy is turning 6 next month (sigh).  His fifth year was full of big milestones-- learning how to read & write, playing sports, increased maturity, lots of deep questions about the world around him... Five was an incredible year and I'm looking forward to year six!

This year, Smarty Pant's decided he wanted a Space Party.  Cool!  I'm so glad he didn't say Star Wars or some other theme that involves a lot of little people running around shooting and slashing at each other.  I don't like to intentionally give myself a headache, ya know?

Anyhow, here's how the invitation turned out--

I took the astronaut photo years ago at the Museum of Flight in Seattle and, with a little photo shop magic, added a  current picture of Smarty Pants.

If you're interested in using the astronaut for your own Space Party, I created a downloadable file. Just click the File tab and select Download to save it on your computer.

Also, here are the free fonts that I used for the invitation-- red rocket, rocket script, astronaut

So invitations are out... Let the party planning begin!

[Make] Personalized Super Hero Pops

Last year when I saw an awesome super hero Valentine's lollipop from zakka life, I bookmarked the free download that she graciously offered.

via zakka life

Since then, these "super" pops have been everywhere! I've seen them on a ton of blogs and if you read FamilyFun magazine you've probably seen them there too.

BTW, if you foresee a Super Hero birthday party in your future, she also offers up a free Non-Valentine's version.

So I made a few super hero pops using the cute mask, and also made some "personalized" ones for Happy Vee's preschool class.  With a little photoshop magic, it was an easy project.

Click "Read more" for the details

Rasterized Wall Art Tutorial



As promised, here's the step-by-step guide for creating your own Rasterized Wall Art.  It's really a pretty simple project.  For me, the hardest part was finding the right photo... and then finding the time to hang the artwork up.  But really, it's pretty simple and a huge bang for the buck!

Step 1

Find a photo that you love.
An image with decent contrast probably makes the biggest impact. And if you're going big, make sure your photo is high resolution.

Here's my original photo:

as you can tell, I photoshopped it a bit to give it a pop-art feel

Step 2 

Rasterize the image using The Rasterbator website.
There are two options-- online or download (I chose the online version).

Step 3

Get past the name "rasterbator" ;)

Step 4 

Using Rasterbator, crop or size your image (I found size to be easier);

Choose paper size & paper direction (I used US Letter in horizontal);

Choose Dot size (I chose 7mm) and Color mode (I chose Multi-color). 

That's it!  Let Rasterbator do the rest.

Step 5

Save the PDF file to your computer and print.

Step 6

There will be a border around each print.  Cut out each print... I know, I know...
(I cut mine out as I was mindlessly watching American Idol).

Step 7

Arrange your artwork and label the back with a pencil 
(it's easy to confuse the sheets when they're in rasterized form)

I used letters (A,B,C,D) for each row and numbers for each column (1-5)

Step 8

 Protect the art.
I chose to use these Self-Adhesive Laminating Sheets.  If you have access to a laminating machine, even better.  Modified page protectors, shop ticket holders , cheap frames (Ikea), and overhead transparencies will also work.

Step 9 

Measure and mask your wall with painter's tape.

This probably was the most "intricate" part of the project for me.

In your measurements, you'll also want to include the spacing between each sheet of paper.

If you have "crooked eyes" like moi, you may want to use a level before tacking things up.

Step 10

Using the masked-off rectangle as a guide, temporarily hang up your art using painters tape. 

(sorry for the poor quality of the photos.  Smarty Pants has black-out shades, so the lighting is all or nothing).

I did the bottom row first...

Followed by the left column...

Until all the sheets were tacked up...

there's a 1-inch space between each sheet

Step 11

Secure the art to the wall. 

To (hopefully) protect the paint, I used Command Poster Strips (Home Depot sells the value pack, 12 strips, for under $2).  If you use command strips, make sure to follow the instructions for easy application & removal.

Step 12

Remove painter's tape and "wah-lah", you're done!

I already had the self-laminating sheets, but the total cost for this project... $31

laminating sheets ($17) + 7 packs of command poster strips ($14) = $31

Not bad!

Here are some other Rasterized Wall Art displays that inspire:

via apartment therapy

black & white is so dramatic with the right contrast

 via apartment therapy
love the "window panes" effect.
apparently there's another site called blockposters that does the same thing (much more tame, but not as memorable of a name)

via apartment therapy

what fisherman wouldn't love this?

via design scouting

i'm thinking of doing something similar for Happy Vee's "around the world" room.

Happy Rasterbating!  :)

linked to:
all things inspired
sew much ado
someday crafts
paisley passions
somewhat simple
the shabby nest
just a girl

Car-inspired Room - Wall Art

I mentioned earlier how we accidentally "grounded" ourselves and missed out on our much anticipated dinner and a movie pre-valentine's date.  Very bummed since I was really looking forward to seeing "The King's Speech" and a nice, calm dinner would've been just what our frazzled minds needed.  But since it wasn't to be, I decided to be productive.  After months of planning, here's Smarty Pant's new Car Wall Art--

to give some perspective, it measures just over 5 feet wide and is 3 feet tall

and i spent less than $20



Since Smarty Pants is just 4 years old (going on 14), I decided to keep it young by keeping the colorful car lamp and the car frame that I made last year.  The Backyardigans add a nice punch of color too! If you're interested in making your own pixelated art, stop by later this week when I share the full tutorial.

linked to:

coastal charm

It's Just a Number... 40th Birthday Card

At least, that's what I keep telling The Mister.

(poor guy's been having a hard time with the big 4-Oh no!)

Getting older sure gets harder once you pass... 39. 

Of course that'll change once 50 rolls around.

Then 40 will seem so, so, so... Junior!

The fun "40" photos are courtesy of Leo Reynolds on Flickr.  Along with other original photographs, he has an amazing array of photographic typography that he allows the public to share and remix for their own personal use.

Here are a few designs that you may have already seen...

 via under the table and dreaming

via my 3 monsters

This originally caught my eye several years ago. I even started taking my own "found" letters, but quickly pooped out.  

via uncommon goods
$175??? No thanks, I'll just make my own!

Not *exactly* the same look, but I think it might be fun (and cheaper) to replicate with Leo Reynold's letters or perhaps, with a little patience, search through the Flickr Photo Stream... many cool letters there.

So, do you know someone who is turning 40?
or is having a 40th anniversary?
or just likes the number 40?

Feel free to copy and print this 40's photo montage for your own personal use.

Please be aware of the photographer's restrictions.

 

Ahem, did you notice that there are forty #40's? It's all about the details, folks! ☺

I printed this out to an 8x12 size,

then cut it out and folded it in half to make a card...

who knew that 40 could be so fun!

linked to:

someday crafts
paisley passions

Bloggy Update

I did it...

I finally updated the blog with a new layout and header.  Woo hoo! 

{insert happy dance}

It probably took me longer than the average bear (I'd like to personally thank Blogger and Photoshop for giving me a few more gray hairs), but in the wee hours of the morning, it finally came together!  Phew!

The fun image is courtesy of pugly pixel.  She generously offers many adorable clipart, overlay and stock photo downloads that are FREE... and many, many more if you are a Premium Member.  Adorable isn't even the right word to describe her work...  If you haven't checked out her site, run over there right now! 

I have a few more tweeks to make... but that'll be a project for another late night.

Hope you're having a great day!

Life's a Picnik

I blogged about this awhile ago, but since I've been working on Happy Vee's

Wall Gallery

Yes, you heard me...
I actually put nail to wall this weekend! 
Miracle??
I know!

and there are a lot of empty frames...

I thought I'd revisit the photo editing awesomeness that is Picnik.

It's time to create some "frame-worthy" photos that reflect my little boy and his "Around the World" themed room 

For Happy Vee's Travel Inspired Room

I decided to mix a few travel photos with photos of the boys having fun TOGETHER.

 Because those are the memories that I want to highlight...
Er... certainly not the ones where one is crying and one is smiling with glee...

You know what I'm talking about??

Boys.

Anyhow, as Happy Vee gets older and we travel more, I'll switch out the photos to ones that are more personal to him.  Sorry these are small, click on the photos to enlarge--

Other photos that I had fun playing around with:

When we visited the Santa Monica Pier on Labor Day, I took a few (amateur-ish) shots and fixed them up with Picnik--

Ew... now that I look at it, I should've cropped out that black rectangle (digital screen?) in the middle of the ferris wheel... Something like this--

And check out this butterfly photo (taken at Pismo Beach)--

So the software is fun and mostly free.  I say "mostly" because you can pay for "premium" which has more editing capabilities... but for many people, the basic and FREE plan is all they need since it has most of the more popular editing options. 

And no, I don't work for Picnik or know anyone that works for them... it's just a fun photo editing tool!