Ninja Swap

This week on a very special episode of The Pink Ninjas (can't you just hear the "Blossom" music in the background?) the DT all swapped pictures and scrapped for each other.  What an awesome and fun challenge.  It's so cool to see other people's perspectives on subjects you scrap all the time. 

My swap buddy is Lynnette.  How lucky was I? 

Here's the photo she gave me.  It's a magazine ad that her baby brother "Bubba" appears in.  (As she puts it, he's the one with the huge afro poof, LOL.) 

He's been modeling for a surf brand clothing company, B-ware.   So I did a little research about the company and came across this video of one of their shoots and it's so cool to be able to see Bubba in a few of the shots doing backflips.  (And, damn, Lynnette...I just gotta say...your little bro is a cutie-patootie!!!  There I go all dirty-ol'-lady again!!!)  

So anyway, for such a dynamic picture I felt like I needed to make a really dynamic layout.  So I whipped out my Picnik first and went to town on the filters and effects.  My kids thought these two were the coolest.

Also, I've just started taking an online Claudine Hellmuth techniques class and thought it'd be fun to incorporate the first technique we learned into this layout - gesso transfer. 

Basically it's transferring a picture into the gesso (paint base).  So I pilfered a couple of the B-ware logos from pics online and used those.  It's hard to tell in the pictures but it looks really cool IRL.  The logos look like they are painted on the layout, not just laying on top like rub-ons or stamps would look. 

And here's the final result...

It's made on a piece of cardboard.  Lots of paint and mist.  Went a little industrial with some staples, screw-head eyelets, and punched some holes in the cardboard itself. 

I've got a few more pictures of the kids queued up to make canvases using this technique.  I will definitely share them when they're finished. 

And, as I said, this was a swap so I am the lucky recipient of an authentic Lynnette Davis original layout of my kids!!!! 

I can't wait to see this puppy IRL!!!!  Isn't it just dreamy and beautiful?  I love that we both went the picture editing route. 

Be sure to stop by the Ninjas blog to check out all the other swaps.  Seriously, they're fabulous.  Amazing.  As I said, it's so cool to see someone else's perspective.   And we'd love to have you play along with us.  Swap pics with a friend and let us see what you make for each other!!!

The forecast for today is 108, 110 tomorrow, with humidity steadily creeping up by Saturday.  I'm thinking a nice, cool movie theatre or the new aquarium sound like good options today.  I hope everyone is finding ways to stay cool and having a great summer so far!!!

Heidi

Sketchy Favorites

March 2011 issue

I love EVERYTHING about this layout. 

I know, I know...it's pretty simple.  But it encompasses some of my favorite things right now...

I LOVE this Sketchy Thursdays sketch by Diana (who happens to be one of my favorite people):

OK, so I knocked it on it's side...but that's what's so awesome about this sketch - it's great from any angle!

I love the subject of the layout, my favorite shoes.  Again, simple.  I was motivated to commemorate these shoes by the These Are a Few of My Favorite Things blog run by another one of my favorite people, Julie!  They're giving away TWENTY-EIGHT (28) prizes for the "These Are My Favorite Shoes" prompt which runs through the 14th!!!!!  Why???  Because the site is being featured in an article in Scrap Street Magazine!!  Woohoo!!!!  Congrats!!!!!

And the colors on this layout are one of my fave combos - green, white, & yellow.  It just makes me happy.  And guess what???  Every single thing on this layout is made from the June Ninja Addicts kit "Sing For the Moment". 

I had such a hard time narrowing down exactly which embellies to use because they're all perfect.  I'm pretty sure they made this kit especially for me.  ;oD 

OK, everything on the layout is from the kit except this one little pin:

There are even some other fave things in my picture.  The view of the tree from my scrap table which is home to the crankiest starling ever - he's so much fun to watch, my clean scrap table (!), my yummy green iPod, and a completed layout (it's always nice to have finished ones, eh?).   Oh, and I think by now you know how much I love picnik.com.  The picture was edited and the text added using picnik.  So simple!!

So, there you have it.  Lots o' my faves all wrapped up in one neat little layout. 

I would love to see you come play along with us over on Sketchy Thursdays.  And check out what our DT made for your inspiration.  I love how varied we all are in our styles and interpretations. 

And don't miss out on playing along with TAAFOMFT!! 

Have a great day!

Heidi

Game On

Wow!  Is it already Thursday?  I've been so focused this week on organizing the scrap room (yes, it's taken that long because it was that bad...you saw the pictures!) and my son's Kindergarten Celebration last night.

I'm happy to report that the scrap room should be almost completely done today.  AND I made it through the K Celebration with only minor, quiet tears.  I don't think I made that much of an ass of myself.  Waterproof mascara ROCKS!

I don't think my kids have ever watched any "Professional" wrestling but one day they decided to put on their best wrestling get ups and show us how it's done. 

October/November 2010 issue

This week's Sketchy Thursdays challenge is being sponsored by one of my favorite sites, Picnik.com!!!!  They're giving the winner a 6 month subscription!!!  That's awesome.  Because while there are many processes you can perform for free, there are lots of super cool ones that require you have a subscription.  So, besides all the normal cropping and minor touch-ups, my layout is FULL of examples of some fun Picnik processes.

Here I've used color boost, an Orton filter, and vingette:

This one has color boost, the Orton filter, and focal zoom:

On both of these I've used cloning to remove distracting background items, the cross-process filter, and stickers.  (Notice the "tattoos" on the boy??  LOL!!  Tough!)

And I also used Picnik to make collages so I could easily print 4x6 pics with smaller pictures instead of having to mess with the Kodak kiosk to do that.

Yeah, overall this is a pretty simple layout but my mind's been a bit preoccupied. 

Of course, the layout is based on this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch:

Can you tell this is another one of my sketches? 

Be sure to check out what the Design Team made for your inspiration.  I think everyone played along this week!!  And check out Picnik.com.  As I said, there are lots of processes that you can play with for free.  Check it out!  I guarantee you will love it.

Off to the boy's classroom for undoubtedly another day of stapling, copying, and cutting.  I love it!!!!  :o)

Heidi

Ballerina

This week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch is a 2-pager!

I had taken lots of pics of my daughter at her Fairytale Ballet class so the extra area aloud me to get quite a few different shots in as well as an artistically edited close up of her adorable ballet shoes.

Oct/Nov 2010 issue - "Ballerina", animal prints call

 

{insert full sized left & right side pics here}

I used the Ninja Addicts "Carousel" kit for most of the layout. 

It's really hard to see but each flower petal is actually a stamped image of ballet shoes.  (Maybe if you click on the pic and zoom you can see it better.)  Isn't that bottlecap center adorable?!!  It's in the "Carousel" kit.

Thank goodness for the Stamp-a-ma-jig.  This quote is a stamp and with the help of the Stamp-a-ma-jig I was able to stamp each individual line perfectly on the lines on the journaling spot. 

A close up of the artistically edited ballet shoes shot.  (Thanks again, Picnik!)  I might have to blow this up and hang it in her room on its own!

Check out what the rest of the Sketchy Thursdays DT made for your inspiration.  There is even an example of breaking the sketch down for a one-page layout!

Back to tending to a sick little boy, a curiously clingy dog (not sure what's up with that), and an extremely jealous but otherwise healthy girl (she's just not getting all the attention, darn it all!). 

Heidi

Random Quotation "Marks" & Superfluous Apostrophe's

**  Update - This layout can be currently seen in its entirety in the July 2010 Scrapbook News and Review issue!!!!!  **

The newest prompt on The Pink Ninjas is Randomness.  You're also to include a paper clip and the pink twist is to use embroidery floss.

I'm driven to distraction by random quotation marks and superfluous apostrophes.  I mean, seriously,

?

Had lots of fun with paperclips.

There are even paperclips in my picture of my daughter's doll as Super Apostrophe Woman lounging by our pool.  She's randomly quotation marked by the same giant ones hanging from the same paperclip chain as in the above pic.  Can you see the paperclips in the picture?  I know it's a bit hard because of the zoom I put on the picture.  (Yea, Picnik.com!)

You can click on the pic for a close up.

Check out what the rest of the Pink Ninjas made for your inspiration.  Lots of awesome randomness!!!!

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with as their random idea. 

Heidi

Orange You Glad It's Monday?

It's Monday which means it's time for your next scrumptious installment of the Design Dollies's color challenge. 

Orange, brown, and a neutral (black, white, ivory, kraft, etc.)

So I went punny on you:

This is probably the first (and possibly still only) knock knock joke my kids know in its entirety. 

Please excuse the wrinkle-i-ness of the layout...it's very thin patterned paper and all the Dymo labels are trying to make it curl up.   (And we're going to pretend either the black labels are brown or the words and monkey are light orange since technically I have TWO neutrals on here...)

More Picnik.com fun.  Focal black & white plus "panography" (which makes it look like several different pics overlaid on one another).  I ~heart~ Picnik in case you hadn't caught that yet.  LOL. 

Hop on over to the Design Dollies site to see what the DT made for your inspiration and play along with us!!  You could win this:

 The Dollies have the BEST prizes!!!

It's been raining here all weekend so I'm in a baking mood.  Hmmmmm, I'm inspired to make banana bread. 

- Heidi

Details:  Recollections paper, Dymo labels, Jolie's sticker, Provo Craft gromlets, picnik.com photo editing.