Right at Home Scrapbooking

Fun Titles

Hey scrappers, Donna here.  I thought it would be fun to share a few fun ways to create titles for your layouts with you, so here we go. 

Its easy to make a title more fun and interesting by using different alphabets and breaking it up a bit.  In the following example, my title was long, so I broke it up a bit by using a large leather font and then a smaller, smooth font to finish it.  The smaller font also serves to highlight the “she” in the title.

  

Remember, you don’t have to pop out that middle of the “o”, “p” or “g” letter stickers.   Leaving those middles in can create a great contrast.  And outlining your letter stickers with a fine detail pen will add some dimension.

Or how about creating your title from pieces of patterned paper and then applying  a little dimensional glaze?  Here, after cutting out my letters, I added dimensional glaze and once it dried, adhered the title to the layout with dimensional dots.  Note too, that even though I had more than enough room to place my one word title across the layout, I broke it up into two lines, which can really add extra interest to your layout.

And let’s not forget all of that chipboard – chipboard alphabets, chipboard words, chipboard shapes - that offers so many ways to “shake it up”!   In the following example, I mixed a chipboard alphabet with a chipboard word, and then really made it “pop” by using smaller letter stickers for the third word in the title.

 

Always remember too, that you can incorporate  those chipboard letter “negatives” - that might not only make your title more interesting, but can sure come in handy when you’ve run out of letters!

So, I hope I’ve given you a few new fun ideas or two to try on your next layout title.  And don’t forget, we would love to see your creations so don’t forget to get them posted in the gallery!

Have a great day!

Fun Flowers

Love flowers?  Me, too!  I especially love homemade flowers on my scrapbook pages.  I made the flowers on this page using the new Making Memories, Just Chillin' line.  I cut different sized circles by hand.  No need to make them perfectly round.  I then spritzed them with water, folded them , and then crinkled them in my hand.  Open the circle and let them air dry.  When they are dry, arrange them on top of each other and adhere with a fun brad:)  The result is fun and unique!

Supplies used:
Bazzill cardstock
Making Memories, Just Chillin'

Can you spot the difference?

Head on over to AMuse's Blog and post your answer.  The final countdown is on...Friday, July 10th is the day.  Pop back here tomorrow when we'll have more information about our Friday night Par-tay! 

As the number of days until A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA gets smaller and smaller we've got one more game we hope you'll play with us: Can You Spot the Difference?

There are a number of differences in the two photos below!  Can you spot them all?

Photo 1 ...
        

Photo 2 ...
 

To play, simply leave a comment on this post listing every difference you spot!  A winner will be selected randomly from the entries listing the most correct answers!

Good luck!
      

As the number of days until A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA gets smaller and smaller we've got one more game we hope you'll play with us: Can You Spot the Difference?

There are a number of differences in the two photos below!  Can you spot them all?

Photo 1 ...
        

Photo 2 ...
 

To play, simply leave a comment on this post listing every difference you spot!  A winner will be selected randomly from the entries listing the most correct answers!

Good luck!
      

Summer Sketch!!

HELLO JULY!!  Can you believe it?  I don't know about you, but because the trees are blooming, the sun is shining, and the weather is beautiful, I seem to take twice as many pictures in the summer than in the winter.  Well, if you have taken 200 photos since July, I have a sketch to help you knock out some of those summer pics.  Take a look...

Cute huh?  Well. I can't just give ya a sketch without showing you how to use it...right?  Here is my take on the sketch and I am trying to unload some of my summer pics.

"Need to Swing"

  

 

Lisa has once again out done herself with the fabulous products that she sent me.  This month I am working with Fancy Pants Summer Soiree and let me tell ya, it is a must have for some summer layouts!  I only used a tiny bit of it on this layout, but check back on July 7th where I will be revealing 2 more of my layouts.  Anyhoo, I basically stuck to the sketch.  I decided to make my layout embellishment heavy on the circles at the top of the sketch.  The frosty lace cardstock is by KI Memories and to me in big chunks it is hard to handle.  So, I cut it up and used it like it was an additional piece of patterned paper.  Did ya see those flowers?  I know, you can't miss them.  Those are called Pebbles Chips.  They come in a bag just like a bag of chips...the bag even has Nutrition Facts on the back (I am a sucker for packaging)!  There are 70 shapes per bag.  They are fabulous.  To add more color to the flowers, I took some of Aphra's advice and added seed beads to the insides of my flowers.  Oh, I can not forget the Thickers...Chit Chat is a summer must have!

Hope you are enjoying your summer and see ya again on the 7th...and remember to head on over to our Gallery to upload your layout created with my sketch, and you'll be entered into our July drawing - go over and check it out.
 

Let Freedom Ring!

    Happy 4^th of July to everyone!   This is one of my family’s favorite holidays.  Every year, we attend the Chatham, MA parade.  It’s one of the best parades around.  There are bagpipes, Minutemen, marching bands, fighting pirates and even a group of marching dogs!  Afterwards we attend a cookout with my parent’s neighbors.  It’s wonderful to celebrate with friends!

    Needless to say, I was very excited to find Scenic Route’s Liberty line in my bag of goodies this month.  I adore all of Scenic Route’s papers.   They are great to layer, mix and match.  In addition the Liberty line can be used for many different layouts, not just for the 4^th.  Below, I used them to highlight another patriotic holiday, Memorial Day.

 

 

    I just loved this picture.  It shows my daughter and her two friends watching the annual Town of Medway Memorial Day parade.  I caught them just as the flag floated by.  It was a very simple layout to put together.  I used Bazzill’s Dot Swiss cardstock for my background.  I love the texture it brings to my layout.  Next I layered a piece of Grant Street from Scenic Route’s Liberty collection.  I love the red circles!  I mounted my picture on some cardstock, and then onto a piece of Franklin Street.  The doodle look of the stars is perfect! I inked the edges in Navy to tie it all in.  I finished the layout with some scallops, ribbons, the buttons I made from ShrinkyDinks and some stickers from the Liberty line.  It was a fun layout to put together.

    After you’ve developed all of those pictures from your 4^th of July celebration, head to Right at Home Scrapbooking to pick up some papers from Scenic Route’s Liberty Line.  You’ll love how they highlight your pictures.

Happy Birthday America Sale

   We think the birth of our nation is a fabulous reason to celebrate, don't you?  Of course if we are going to celebrate we will need to do it "Right at Home" style....

    Come on in on Sunday, July 5th and pull a star out of our hat ......We will have stars worth 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and even one worth 50%!!!  In addition we are going to automatically add 4% to the percent you draw. (10% will become 14%, 20 will become 24%, and so on) Anyone shopping on their Summer Stroll or Passport will receive 24% automatically!

    In addition we're planning to have some in store specials that you're bound to love. 

• Buy 4 Making Memories Slice Design cartridges (at 10% off) and you can purchase the machine for $105.99 thats a $44.00 savings!
• Making Memories Slice Design cartridges on sale at 10% off - Of course we will add the 4%.
• Making Memories Just Chillin' line - 24% off .
• Buy a Bind It All for $75.00 and receive a free project worth $20.00.
• Copic Markers on sale at 10% off (yup, you guessed it - we will add the 4% discount as well).
• Sign up for our next Friday night crop on July 10th and bring a friend for free!

 

Come in wearing Red, White and Blue and get a special gift from us! (while supplies last.)

    Come on in on Sunday, July 5th and pull a star out of our hat ......We will have stars worth 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and even one worth 50%!!!  In addition we are going to automatically add 4% to the percent you draw. (10% will become 14%, 20 will become 24%, and so on) Anyone shopping on their Summer Stroll or Passport will receive 24% automatically!

    In addition we're planning to have some in store specials that you're bound to love. 

• Buy 4 Making Memories Slice Design cartridges (at 10% off) and you can purchase the machine for $105.99 thats a $44.00 savings!
• Making Memories Slice Design cartridges on sale at 10% off - Of course we will add the 4%.
• Making Memories Just Chillin' line - 24% off .
• Buy a Bind It All for $75.00 and receive a free project worth $20.00.
• Copic Markers on sale at 10% off (yup, you guessed it - we will add the 4% discount as well).
• Sign up for our next Friday night crop on July 10th and bring a friend for free!

 

Come in wearing Red, White and Blue and get a special gift from us! (while supplies last.)

Photoshop is Fun!

I cannot scrapbook without editing my photos.  It has become such a problem that I now have to cart a little photo printer with me whenever I go to a crop!  (Or I have to do some serious pre-planning.  But, I probably spend between two and twenty minutes per photo).  I do all the usual things, like cropping and resizing.  But, I also like to play with the curves, levels, colors, etc.

Here are some examples of what you can do in Photoshop:

Here's a simple change from color to black and white.  Just use the "desaturate" feature.

You can see in this example that I blurred the background to bring the focus to the couple in the photo.  There are many ways to do this, but I like to select the background (using the magnetic lasso tool) and then use the "Gaussian Blur" filter to create the blur.

Here, I've used a "Cooling Filter" - found under "Photo Filters" - and it gives the photo a crisp, clear edge.

On the other end of the spectrum is this "Warming Filter."  I think it gives the photo a nostalgic, vintage feel.  Almost a little bit sepia.

By far my most used photo editing choice is "Curves."  I like to blow out the photo a bit (it's a look I like and is usually flattering to the subjects) and create some contrast.

You can also monkey with the photo using the "Exposure" settings.  It really helps boost the color in the photo and strengthen the contrast.

This one is subtle.  I've changed the background to black and white and left the couple in color.  If you'd like to try this one out, I've got an ancient tutorial (one of the first I ever made) right here.

In this final example, I've gone super Photoshop with the woman's face and neck.  Look back and forth between the two photos.  I got rid of her wrinkles and blemishes, evened out her skin tone, whitened her teeth, and even added some makeup to her face.

From quick and easy changes to super detailed re-dos, Photoshop is a great resource for making the most of your photos!  My favorite of these edits is #6: Exposure.  How about you?

xxoo Julie

Where's Eddie? Another fun A*Muse*A*Palooza Game...

Okay, once again a really fun game over at the AMuse blog to celebrate the countdown of...A*Muse*A*Palooza!...this is a copy below, you must click over there to enter though...so comments here won't work.  AMuse also has a challenge which you can find by clicking the links below...now, go have fun!

Where's Eddie game and Twilight Challenge

Everyone's favorite vampire, Eddie, has left the overcast skies of Washington state behind in search of adventure!  But you know how popular those vampire boys are these days ... everyone's on the lookout for 'em!  Which means his adoring fans are snapping photos wherever he goes!  One of those fans shared this shot with us and written on the back was this ...

 

"In the Pacific Northwest, majestic and tall, I spotted the vampire near this waterfall!"

Do YOU know where Eddie is?

For your chance to win, simply enter your guess by leaving a comment on this post (one entry per person per game post please).  Each day this week we'll show you another photo from one of Eddie's fans and one winner will be chosen at random from all correct guesses on Saturday July 4th!

But wait ... are YOU one of the lucky fans to have spotted him?!  Share your Eddie sightings with us by uploading them to your blog or public gallery (like Splitcoast Stampers or Two Peas in a Bucket), taking care to include the keyword AP09EDDIE and then leaving us a link in a comment!  For sharing your photos with us, you'll receive an extra entry in the prize drawing!

Everyone's favorite vampire, Eddie, has left the overcast skies of Washington state behind in search of adventure!  But you know how popular those vampire boys are these days ... everyone's on the lookout for 'em!  Which means his adoring fans are snapping photos wherever he goes!  One of those fans shared this shot with us and written on the back was this ...

 

"In the Pacific Northwest, majestic and tall, I spotted the vampire near this waterfall!"

Do YOU know where Eddie is?

For your chance to win, simply enter your guess by leaving a comment on this post (one entry per person per game post please).  Each day this week we'll show you another photo from one of Eddie's fans and one winner will be chosen at random from all correct guesses on Saturday July 4th!

But wait ... are YOU one of the lucky fans to have spotted him?!  Share your Eddie sightings with us by uploading them to your blog or public gallery (like Splitcoast Stampers or Two Peas in a Bucket), taking care to include the keyword AP09EDDIE and then leaving us a link in a comment!  For sharing your photos with us, you'll receive an extra entry in the prize drawing!

Happy Birthday America Sale

  

  We think the birth of our nation is a fabulous reason to celebrate, don't you?  Of course if we are going to celebrate we will need to do it "Right at Home" style....

    Come on in on Sunday, July 5th and pull a star out of our hat ......We will have stars worth 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and even one worth 50%!!!  In addition we are going to automatically add 4% to the percent you draw. (10% will become 14%, 20 will become 24%, and so on) Anyone shopping on their Summer Stroll or Passport will receive 24% automatically!

    In addition we're planning to have some in store specials that you're bound to love. 

• Buy 4 Making Memories Slice Design cartridges (at 10% off) and you can purchase the machine for $105.99 thats a $44.00 savings!
• Making Memories Slice Design cartridges on sale at 10% off - Of course we will add the 4%.
• Making Memories Just Chillin' line - 24% off .
• Buy a Bind It All for $75.00 and receive a free project worth $20.00.
• Copic Markers on sale at 10% off (yup, you guessed it - we will add the 4% discount as well).
• Sign up for our next Friday night crop on July 10th and bring a friend for free!

 

Come in wearing Red, White and Blue and get a special gift from us! (while supplies last.)

  

Buttons, Buttons Everywhere!

Hi everyone, my name is Kathy and for my first post I’m going to show you how to make your own buttons out of an old childhood favorite, ShrinkyDinks!!  This is a great project to do when you want that perfect embellishment to finish your project. 

First you’ll need to gather your supplies.  You’ll need shrink film, shape punches (should be at least 1” in size), markers, colored pencils, hole punch and your oven. 

Step 1

Cut shapes from your shrink wrap using your shape makers, or you can also use a die cutting machine.  Make sure the shapes are not too small, remember, they shrink when cooked. 

Step 2

Color the rough side of your shapes using markers or colored pencils.  You can stamp images on your shape as well.  Don’t get too detailed, remember everything will be smaller when you’re done.

 

Step 3

Using your hole punch, punch the button holes.  Make sure you do this before baking, otherwise you won’t have a button, you’ll have a cute plastic embellishment!  Don’t make the holes too small, they shrink and you’ll have a hard time getting a needle and thread through them.  This step can be done before coloring as well.

Step 4

Place your completed shapes rough side (the colored side) up on a piece of foil on a cooking sheet.  Bake them according to the directions on your shrink film.  (My directions were 325ºF for 1-5 minutes)  DO NOT WALK AWAY!  Keep an eye on them, they cook fast.  They will curl up, don’t panic they do flatten out.  After they flatten, leave them in for 10 – 15 more seconds.  Remove the buttons & let them cool.

 

That’s it!  Now you have the perfect embellishments to complete your project!

 

Here’s one layout I created with some of my button creations.  It also includes papers from Scenic Route’s Liberty line.  Have fun making buttons and stop on over to our Gallery to share your creations.