baby blue eyes

Anonymous said...
Just wondering about your lil cuties eyes they are wonderful and I have been shooting my 3 month old a lot and just can't get her eyes to look that good. Oh, and what kind of photoshop do you use? Thanks, Danielle

-Hi Danielle,

Thanks for your question. (I use Photoshop CS3) First, open your photo. Click on the magnetic lasso tool. Lasso around the blue of her eye & click on 'Filter' tab then 'Sharpen' then 'Unsharp mask' & mess around with the settings until it's to your liking. :) I know I am not the greatest at instructions so I found an online tutorial here.

Sharpening those baby blues sure makes them pop. :)

A couple of exciting things:

-There's a new link on my sidebar to Baby Cakes & the owner, Sara, would like to give my blog readers a 15% discount at her adorable online store. Simply enter "Justus" as a promotion code when you are checking out. I'm going to have to order these Baby Legs for sure now.

-Also I am so excited to giveaway free admission to the Scrap Etc event!! It's held in Atlanta, Georgia on April 30th - May 2nd.

I love this year's theme-Wishful Thinking: The art of creating memories. Join us as we embark on our newest adventure. The Event 2009. 6 teachers, 6 projects, 3 days of inspiration. Let go of what you already know, and let this weekend be a weekend of new ideas, fresh inspiration, and creative overload! Incorporating art & creativity into your busy, every day routine... discovering that you DO have an artistic side... giving yourself the confidence and freedom to pursue this, in an approachable way...

Sounds awesome, right?! :) If you would like to be entered to win a free spot-Leave a comment saying your must-have scrap supplies & I'll randomly choose a winner soon.

8 months later

My little Q-bear is 8 months old today! It's hard to comprehend the fact that she's been with us for such a short time, yet, I couldn't picture my life without her now. Well, it would entail lots more sleep but also a big hole in my heart! I love this girl so much!

The amazing Danielle Thompson designed these frames and she shows you how to add a photo to the frame & how to color the frames here. The tutorials are for Photoshop. If you don't have photoshop you can open up Hue/Saturation and slide the hue tab until your liking.

The digital frame is found here.

How do you say...

I love you!

Je t'aime
Ti amo

wǒ ài nǐ

minä rakastan sinua

Te amo

jeg elsker dig

Do you say it with a heart shaped egg or on a call to a friend?


Do you express it in a card or seal it with a kiss?

card from (little brown pen)

Well, this blog wants to say I love you with a couple giveaways from Peachy Cheap. I love a good deal & Peachy Cheap posts scrapbooking/craft supplies daily from 35-99% off. Check them out so you don't miss a smokin' deal.

Two awesome giveaways for two winners all you have to do is leave a comment with something you love (besides your spouse, children or pets) because we all love them, at least most of the time;) or leave a comment with how you say I love you.

You are going to win this time-I can feel it! :)

remain calm

That is what I tell myself when approaching Avery on my scrap desk.

The key to avoiding complete and utter chaos:

Approach her carefully

Don't make any sudden movements

Before attempting to pry the jar of buttons from her determined-to-make-a-mess little fingers say words like: Barney, Coloring, or if you are desperate-Cookies

Slowly remove her without those big boots causing any more damage :)

I guess you could say it's partly my fault that she is perched up on my desk because yesterday we were counting the buttons and putting them back in the jar. Too bad I can't say that it's her fault that my desk is a disaster :)!

Finishing up one of my big projects today... I should post some before and after shots of how I am going to organize... count this photo as the before. :o)

i heart dimples

One of my goals this year is to take better photos & to expand my knowledge of my camera as well as Photoshop. I noticed from the giveaway post that a lot of you share the same desire & have goals along the same lines. If your goal is to take a photo-a-day not only will you have an awesome glimpse of your life by the end of the year but you will in turn become a better photographer. Well, that's what we hope right?

Craft time is one of our favorite times of our day, next to the numerous snack times. This particular afternoon we were painting with watercolors. She loves it and Woody enjoys to sit and watch too! :)

I wasn't loving the shots I was getting so I sat on the kitchen floor. One of my goals to getting better photos is to explore new angles and sitting on the kitchen floor was a great way to mix up the daily shots I capture at our kitchen table.

"Create inspiring, noble & righteous goals that fire your imagination & create excitement in your heart." Joseph B. Wirthlin

In the January CK I share with readers a magnetic board full of goals for this year. I have photos of the basic categories then there's a clip where I've written then hung more of the specific details. I'm not that great at New Year's Resolutions but this way I can switch out my goals if something is completely unattainable and reevaluate each month.

(To see more check out the January Creating Keepsakes.)

Last year was a great one for goals:

Have a baby. check

Sing at the top of my lungs with Coldplay. check

Start a column in CK. check

Eat my weight in cookie dough. double check

I can feel this year will be a great one too!

Wall Decals: Found at Blik

Patterned Paper: American Crafts

Details added to magnets: found here

Lucky you!

The winner for the camera strap give-away is......................

.....Christine (Hicks Happenings)!!!!!!!

Email me your address and your favorite camera strap so we can send it off to you- lucky girl!

and lucky me cause this was my photo-of-the-day yesterday-a delectable stack of chocolate covered pretzels! mmmm! Definitely an indulgence while the kiddos were napping.

Good thing I didn't set any 'eat healthier' resolutions. :) Sorry for those of you who did and I am setting a bad example as well as posting an evil, tempting photo! Forgive me. :)