Photo Storify

Photos, Stories and Scrapbooking

That Time When

By

On June 28, 2020

In Photography, Scrapbooking

It’s that time of year when my Happy Days daylilies bloom. While the blooms don’t last long, massed, the display is beautiful with my Rozanne geraniums. The best feature of daylilies is how easy they are to grow. I cut them to the ground in the fall and they return in the spring. Every four or five years, I divide them.

This layout combines layers from two templates, an extraction and some artsy transfers.

Template
Clip Photos to Fotoblendz Mask and Small Frames
  • Clip large photo to template’s mask and stains.
  • Clip detail photos to small frames.
  • Duplicate the small photo on the left. Use the Object Selection tool to extract and mask.
  • Erase parts of extraction to make it appear as if it is tucked inside the frame.
  • Add a small shadow to the extraction.
Fill in Background
  • Move the fotoblendz mask, stains and tissue paper of template 8 from Special One Template Album No. 1 below the layers of template 12.
  • Place title from template 8 in left corner above tissue paper.
  • Clip another photo to the mask and stain layers and adjust photo position.
Artsy Transfers and Splatters

Gnome in My Garden

By

On June 24, 2020

In Photography, Scrapbooking

Kate gave me this gnome for Mother’s Day a couple of two years ago. She used to sit on the porch and play with him. Both of us were sad when he broke. Remember him Kate.

Extractions are part of my style. I use the technique frequently. There are also products I use often to create my style of digital scrapbook pages, for example the Artsy Transfers that Anna Aspnes creates from the paper in her ArtPlay Palettes. This page combines an extraction, a brush and layers from three different transfers available in Artsy Transfers Veranda.

Brush and Extraction
  • Stamp brush 1 from Garden No. 1 on a new blank layer in black. Change the blend mode to Linear Burn at 100%.
  • Place photo and reduce size to fit in front of the brush layer. Extract using the Object Selection Tool which is available in Photoshop CC.
  • Add a custom shadow.
Artsy Transfer 4
Artsy Transfers 1
  • Place the layers of file 1 from Artsy Transfers Veranda below file 1.
  • Arrange, recolor and delete layers as needed. Note I only used 4 of the transfer layers.
Artsy Transfer 3
  • Place the layers of file 3 from Artsy Transfers Veranda.
  • Adjust the position of the layers to create a block of stripes. Delete layers as needed.
Duplicate Layers to Fill White Space

I used elements from ArtPlay Palette Veranda and MultiMedia Flowers No. 1 to create the cluster to the left of my gnome photo.

Happy Place

By

On June 14, 2020

In Photography, Scrapbooking

Siberian iris grew in my garden for several years until I changed my mind. Over the years, I have had a policy that if a plant doesn’t behave for me, I dig it up and plant something else. The irises delivered beautiful blooms for about a week each year, but the heavy plants had to be divided every other year. I replaced them. The blooms in the white pitcher above were from my yard.

FotoBlendz
  • Place Solid Paper 1 from ArtPlay Palette Veranda on a new blank 12×12 document.
  • Place layers of file 1 of Veranda FotoBlendz No. 1 above the paper.
  • Duplicate the fotoblendz layer. Clip the photo to the top layer. Change the opacity of the mask to 50%. Clip a copy to the second mask layer. Change the blend mode of the mask to Darken and opacity to 100%. Both photo copies are Normal at 100%.
  • Clip photo copies to layers below. Recolor the texture layer.
  • To ensure that the handle on the photo shows, extract just the handle on one copy using an inverted layer mask.
Place Paper Overlay 1

After placing the Overlay 1 from ArtPlay Palette Veranda below the psd fotoblendz layers, I worked with the sizing of the photo and placement so that the flowers looked like they were tucked inside the paper envelop.

Build Background
  • Stamp two copies of brush 6 from ArtPlay Palette Veranda on the right side using a black brush. Mask out with a layer mask as desired.
  • Add color with brushes 2, 7, 11 and 16 stamped in a purple on new layers to add color.
  • Place Artsy Paper 1 just above Solid Paper 1. Add an inverted mask to the layer and use a soft round brush to reveal part of the artsy paper.
Embellish
  • Place the layers of file 4 from MultiMedia Flowers No. 9 above the photograph layers.
  • Reduce the size to about 85%. Place over handle of pitcher.
  • Replace the flowers included in the MultiMedia file with the flowers in the ArtPlay Palette. Reduce the size. Add layer masks and use a hard round brush to make them appear that they are tucked inside the ribbon.
  • Place word art from Grow WordART Mix No. 1 on the left.

Now, I occasionally buy the blue iris buds available at the market to photograph at home.

Toilet Paper

By

On May 29, 2020

In Scrapbooking

Do you need any toilet paper? I ask myself that question every time I go to Costco. Thursday, the store finally had my favorite brand. It’s been out of stock since early March. I bought a big package of 36 rolls to add to my store. By my count I now have more than 144+ rolls of toilet paper stored in a closet that used to have empty shelves. If I used a roll every two days, that would last a year.

When I got home from Costco, I texted my daughter, “Do you need any TP?” “No,” she replied with 😂😅🤣, “I’ve still got that package I bought in April.” We both laugh, me knowing that if she runs out, I have plenty.

Normally one wouldn’t think of toilet paper as an inspiration for a layout, but I have to tell you that I smiled to myself and chuckled a lot as I created this page. Actually a paper overlay included in Anna’s new ArtPlay Palette reminded me of the toilet paper rolls I bought on Thursday morning and a little story.

Paper and Transfer
  • Place solid paper 3 from ArtPlay Palette Lost on a new blank 12×12 layout.
  • Above the paper, place Paper Overlay 1.
FotoBlendz
  • Just above the paper place file 1 from FotoBlendz Overlays No. 14.
  • Clip the toilet paper photo to the mask.
  • Rotate and place the photo of toilet paper above the mask.
  • Use the Object Selection Tool to mask exclude any background before clipping the photo to the mask. Adjust both mask and photo as needed.

Note: I used the Warp Tool to adjust the mask to better fit the paper layer. I also used the Warp Tool to align the line in the paper overlay with my photo.

Build Background with Overlay and Splatters
  • Above the photo layer place Edge Overlay 1 from ArtPlay Palette Lost on the left.
  • Then place two copies of Splatter 1 to form a triangle.

Note: The shadow in the paper overlay lines up with the bottom of the toilet paper role.

Embellish
  • Add wooden word from Lost WordART Mix No. 1. Give it a small shadow with
  • Create a text box below the title and write journaling.
  • Add psd MultiMedia file from Bonus available with the full release this week.

Note: I recolored the ribbon with a Hue and Saturation Adjustment.

A silly question, texted to my daughter each week, bonds my daughter and me now. “Do you need any TP?” This text between us has become an ongoing joke, a cause for shared laughter. Is there a hidden significance, something I’m not facing? Probably. Laughter often masks deeper feelings. Sometimes, a good laugh at myself is simply a good thing. At any rate, today I laughed!

Petulance

By

On May 17, 2020

In Scrapbooking

I really wished the garden was open. I miss walking with my camera in a rainbow of color every spring. Instead, I was thinking about an expense we really didn’t want, but the compressor on the heat pump was going out and the furnace was rusted. As I looked out the window at the sunshine beaming down on the new grass, I kept thinking about what I was missing, wanting to be at the garden again with my camera. Instead, I waited and tried to stay away from the installers.

Combine

I often combine layers from different files to create a page. In this case, I knew that I wanted to use the Artsy Transfer and then looked for other pieces to use to tell my story.

Note: I deleted part of the thread and pasted it to a new blank layer so that I could use it separately.

FotoBlendz
  • Place layers of file 5 from Rainbow FotoBlendz No. 1 below the transfer layers.
  • Clip photo to the mask.
  • Turn off color layers as desired.

Note: I used only the green, red and orange.

Elements
  • Place the clover and button face from ArtPlay Palette Rainbow next to the frames.
  • Move the second piece of the thread into place.

In case my journaling didn’t explain Petulance, I’m feeling childishly sulky or bad-tempered, especially after dealing with two young men who didn’t wear masks. I wore one!

Rainbow Possibilities

By

On May 8, 2020

In Scrapbooking

In a time of staggering joblessness, illness and death, I find it hard to focus on the positive. Yet this afternoon, I experienced a few moments of joy working with Anna’s new palette, ArtPlay Palette Rainbow. Maybe it’s the colors or the thoughts of possibilities suggested by a rainbow.

Create a Composite of Photos

To create this page, I combined two photos that I captured at Lauritzen Gardens in 2018.

  • Blend photo of rainbow display and large fish, resizing and masking as needed. Duplicate and change the second copies to Hard Light.
  • Place transfer 4 from ArtPlay Palette Rainbow. Rotate and enlarge about 10%. Use it as a clipping mask for the photos.
  • Duplicate the transfer and change the blend mode to Color.
  • Adjust the blending and positioning of the photos.
  • Make a composite of these layers to use to create the rest of the layout.
Clip Composite to FotoBlendz Mask
  • Open file 2 from Rainbow FotoBlendz No. 1.
  • Place above solid paper 1 from ArtPlay Palette Rainbow.
  • Clip the composite to the fotoblendz mask. Adjust the positioning.
  • Duplicate copies of composite. Change the blend mode of the first copy to Soft Light at 75% and the second copy to Hard Light at 50%.
  • Reposition some of the glows to emphasize the rainbow colors in the photos.
Build Background
Embellish
  • On the right, place word art elements from Bonus Set included with today’s release.
  • On the left, create a cluster with ribbon, small frame, charm included in ArtPlay Palette Rainbow. Clip another photo to the mask. Note: I resized the frame and place it along with the shadow below the mask.

Lettuce

By

On May 3, 2020

In Scrapbooking

Green leaf lettuce is a staple for my meals. No matter what other vegetable, fruit or protein I use, green leaf lettuce is the first layer of every salad bowl. As I learn to shop online for groceries I am also learning to trust someone else to pick out my produce. Today someone else selected my tomatoes. They looked good. Next time, I’m going to ask the store to select my lettuce.

Use Part of a Template
  • Open template 1 from Hipster Plume Template Album No. 5.
  • Place just the frames, splatter, stain, text boxes and plumes.
  • Clip photos to masks.
  • Clip a photo to stains
Mask Screen Shots
  • Place copies of internet screenshots. Mask portions as needed.
  • Place lettuce screenshots in position below the small frames.
  • Add custom shadows as desired.
  • Adjust the position of template layers.
  • Stamp brush 10 from Fare No. 1 to the left on a new blank layer below the frames.
  • Add a splatter from another hipster template on the right.
  • Place just the alphabet beads from Food WordART No. 1 on the thread included in the template.

Learning to shop on line is fun, but challenging too. I didn’t realize until today that there is a box under each item in your cart to make a comment. So many little details to learn about these shopping apps. After the pandemic ends, I may never want to go back to the market.

Zucchini Noodles

By

On April 26, 2020

In Scrapbooking

With the need to stay home now, I’m experimenting more in the kitchen. I made a new recipe for marinara last week. I bought some frozen zucchini noodles and a little box of pasta for Bill. The marinara was very good, but the frozen zoodles were mushy. I probably microwaved them too long. That $4 bag was not even enough for one of us.

It didn’t take a long search online for me to find just the right tool. A young woman at Target brought it right out to my car that afternoon.

My new toy easily cut long noodles. Then I sauteed a T of butter, T of olive oil, shallots, garlic, red pepper, 1/4 cup white wine, 3T lemon juice, cherry tomatoes, shrimp and the zucchini noodles in a skillet. I knew I had a winner when Bill said the zucchini noodles were better than pasta. He wants them again

Template and Photos
  • Open file 3 from Simple FotoBlendz Album No. 4 and place on a new blank 12×12 document.
  • Reduce the size of all layers except the text boxes.
  • Shift the layers to the right.
  • Delete stain layers as desired or clip a photo to the stain. (I deleted one stain, clipped the photo to two and recolored one.
  • Adjust journaling.
  • Clip photos to small frames and FotoBlendz mask.
  • Place button below the thread and add a drop shadow.
Artsy Transfer
  • Open file 3 from Artsy Transfers Delicious.
  • Place below the template layers.
  • Delete and/or mask layers that conflict with the template design.
Embellish
  • Place Transfer 11 from ArtPlay Palette Delicious on the right.
  • Add two copies of Overlay from ArtPlay Palette Delicious, one on the left below the title and the other on the right.
  • Place word art from StoryStarters WordART Mix No. 2.
  • Add a color overlay to the wood word art. Change blend mode to Multiply at 100%. Add a drop shadow.

I’ve got to say there are two new things I’m loving about being home: pick up at Target and this Spiralizer. I bought some butternut squash to try next with my new marinara recipe.

Trust

By

On April 17, 2020

In Photography, Scrapbooking

The snow weighed heavily this morning, making it look like white blooms covered everything. While I’m waiting to get beyond this moment, I’m trusting God. The contrast between the weight of this morning’s snow and the flowers I photographed in March spoke to me about waiting and trusting God.

Frame a Photo
Expand Background with Transfer
Blend Photo into Background
  • Place snow photo below the transfer and to the left of framed photo.
  • Add a layer mask to erase and blend edges. Change the blend mode to Luminosity at 80%.
  • Duplicate the photo layer. Change the blend mode to Soft Light at 80%.
Embellish
  • Open psd file 4 from MultiMedia Flowers No. 8. Place above framed photo. Turn off the flower included with this psd file.
  • Replace the flower and shadow with the flowers from psd file 3. Reduce size and position.
  • Add word art “trust” from Faith WordART Mix No. 1 just below the multimedia flowers.
  • Add journaling.

Flattening the Curve

By

On April 12, 2020

In Scrapbooking

Wide blue tape marks where to stand for check out, barriers funnel people away from one another, black taped lines with arrows indicate one way aisles and special shopping hours for seniors encourage social distancing in an effort to flatten the curve. I try to shop as little as possible and wear a mask when I do go out. I appreciate the efforts that stores are making to protect everyone. However, it feels weird to take photos of signs now when I would like to be out capturing some tulips.

Design with a Brush

I began planning this page with a brush of the virus. It’s large, but right now this pandemic feels large as it consumes my life. Finishing the page was easy.

Color Brush with ArtsyKardz

Use the jpeg versions of ArtsyKardz Disquiet MultiPack to add color to the brush file.

  • Duplicate brush 5 and change the blend mode to Linear Blend. This copy will serve as the pattern for the ArtsyKardz layers.
  • Place jpeg file 1 from ArtsyKardz Disquiet MultiPack just below the top brush copy. Change the blend mode to Multiply with the opacity set to 100%. Use the warp tool to fit it to the shape of the brush.
  • Next, place the jpeg file 2 on the left of the brush.
  • Return to the top copy of the brush and use the Lasso Tool to make a rough copy of the left side of the brush. With the marching ants still active, click the jpeg file 2 layer and then the add a new layer mask. An inverted mask will appear. Leave the blend mode for this layer on Normal.
  • Add a Gaussian blur to the layer, about 20px.
  • Repeat process with another copy of jpeg file 2 for the part of the brush on the right. Change the blend mode to Linear Burn and reduce opacity to 75%.
Add Frames
Experiment

Initially, I thought that I’d use the sold gray paper from ArtPlay Palette Disquiet and only add Artsy Transfers. But after playing I realized that Artsy Paper 4 provided a nice background for my journaling and blended well with the brush.

Open psd file 8 from COVID-19 WordART Mix No. 1.

  • Drag layers just below text boxes.
  • Use the warp tool to fit the thread to the photo grouping.
  • Move the letters back into place on the thread.

Create a visual triangle of color

  • Place layers of file 5 from ArtsyTransfers Disquiet to the right of the title.
  • Reduce the opacity of the paper layer to 50%.

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