My name is Shannon "Dabling" hence the title :) I am a mother of 3, stay at home mom, Creative Memories Consultant, and photographer. I have been a consultant twice so far, and have had my home photography studio for 7 years.


My goal for the year 2010 is to "Focus on Photos" and my mission is to help others with the same goal.

I love what I do and have met the most wonderful people through both of my business's. I hope that I can continue helping others.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have any additional questions my email is spdabling@msn.com.


"How did they do that?"

Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - by: Shannon

Tech Tips

Have you seen the new Fall/Winter Catalog? They have beautiful layouts in there! If you want step by step instructions they have them on the Project Center! 

Also check out the freebie section for little embellishments used on some of the layouts

Here are some of my favorite layouts...

 

You are my sunshine - Page 074 Ingredients:

  • StoryBook Creator Plus 3 Software
  • Cottage Garden Digital Kit
  • Digital Freebie Cottage Garden Flower Border (click here to download)
  • Font - Clingy 26 pt.

How to Create:

  1. Create a new 12x12 project.
  2. Add photo to background.
  3. Add second photo to page and use the custom cutter to cut out around the person. Use the blur feature to blur the edges and make them blend with the background photo.
  4. Add ribbon 1 to each edge of the page leaving just the blue scallop edge showing on page.
  5. Add digital freebie Cottage Garden Flower Border to bottom of page.
  6. Add corner 1 to each corner of page.
  7. Create text box and journal.

Cg1_already1 - Page 001 Ingredients:

  • StoryBook Plus Digital Software
  • Cottage Garden Kit
  • Digital Embellishments Cottage Garden
  • Fonts used: Georgia Ref

How to Create:

  1. Create a new 12x12 project.
  2. Add Paper15 to background.
  3. Next add GreenButterflyCard to the background and expand it to it is much wider and stretches across the page as shown. Give it a heavy shadow.
  4. Place two photographs onto the layout, both with a red mat with the width of three next to one another.
  5. Add FlowerPaperClip to the left top corner of the green card as shown. Give it a heavy shadow and using the green circle when you right click on it, tilt it a bit.
  6. Add the EpoxyTag to the page and resize it to 1.79.
  7. Copy and past the tag 6 more times.
  8. Place each tag at the top of the layout with half of the circle off of the page to make a scallop border as shown.
  9. Give each a heavy shadow.
  10. Add FlowerSwirl above photographs. Tilt it so that it is level and give it a heavy shadow.
  11. Add Ribbon1 across the layout just below the photographs as shown. Give it a heavy shadow.
  12. Create a text box inside the ribbon and add journaling.
  13. Add LiveLaughLove embellishment to the right of the photographs. Give it a heavy shadow.
  14. Add flower embellishments to the right bottom corner of the photographs. Give them a heavy shadow and layer them.
  15. Add StitchButterfly1 to the bottom of the layout three times in three different sizes. Give them all a heavy shadow and tilt them so that it looks like they are flying around the flowers.
  16. Add eyelet embellishments to the centers of some of the flowers as shown.
  17. Add Button1 to a couple of the flower middles as shown.
  18. Add Ribbon2 to the bottom of the layout, letting half of the ribbon extend off of the page. Give it a heavy shadow.

6a00e54f77ee1388340120a5910d6b970c-400wi

Ingredients:

  • StoryBook Creator Plus 3 Software
  • Black & White Digital Power Palette
  • Font Used - Mia's Scribblings (dafont.com)

How to Create:
Drop paper #4 in the Background.

Drop in Photo and enlarge.

Under the "Format Photos" Ribbon Apply the Soft Edge (note: be sure to use the drop down menu, there you will locate two options - frames and cutouts.  The Soft Edge is found under "Cutouts".

To further the softness of the photo go to the Format Ribbon and under Filters select the "Soften Edge" filter you can slide it all the way to 100% if you still find you need to soften more go back in to the same filter and apply it for a second time and it will apply even more softness.
(this will allow the background paper to appear as though it is penetrating through the photo!

The next step is to draw portions of the background paper to the forefront...
To achieve this look you will go to the "Cut and Fill Ribbon" and select the background paper.
(be sure to unlock the background paper first or it will not allow you to select it)

Once you have the paper selected and opened the cut and fill ribbon you will select the "Wand Tool"
(you can leave both of the sliders at 50%)
Then start selecting portions of the paper in the white border (if you click on the black it will select too much and it will not work) just keep clicking on the white swirl etc... and then click on "COPY the selected area".

Now you will have a portion of the background paper that you can "overlay on top of the photo"

TIP:  if you happened to select a little too much and it is conflicting with the image in your photo just select the "overlay" you have just created and go BACK to the cut and fill ribbon - click on an Oval or Rectangle shape and cut away the portion that is covering your photo!!  works like a charm!

The bursts were cut out from Paper #1.  I used the wand tool once again... zoomed up on one of the bursts and began wanding it out.  Once you have one burst you can change size, color, copy, paste etc... so all you need is one.  In this case I made one larger and changed the color to white and one black which is small and sits in the center of the white burst.  I have one in the upper right corner and one attatched to the piece of ribbon at the bottom close to the center of the layout.

For the snippet of ribbon I used Ribbon #7 I shrunk it down quite small and applied the Soften Edge Filter to it so that it faded out on both sides (under the "Format Ribbon" you will locate Filters and in that category you will find Soften Edge).

For the title "Beautiful" go to the "Insert Ribbon" and select the "FANCY" text, use your drop down menu, choose "Select a different alpha set" and locate your Black and White Alpha Set!  Then type your title!

To change the size and color of the individual letters just select the title - right click and choose "ungroup".  Now your letters will be individual elements... you can then adjust size, color etc... I adjusted the color to take on a brown/taupe color and the applied a "Cord" surface to them (find "Surfaces" under the Format ribbon next to FIlters.

Tip:  You will NOTICE under SURFACES that YOU NOW HAVE two options "Scale Texture" and "Amplification".  Play with the NEW ampification feature as it will "amplifty" the appearance of the textures quite considerably if you desire!

Beneath the Word "Beautiful" I added the "Black Flower" and then placed a tiny version of the "White Flower" inside and then scattered a few more around. 

The eyelet in the center of the Flowers were created with a small black circle shape filled with a two tone (black and white) gradient (found under the "Cut and Fill Ribbon").

One other embellishment I added that is barely noticeable is the "Black Text Flower" - it is hovering in the bottom left corner beneath the snippet of ribbon and the "Beautiful" Title... on top of the photo.

All I did was add the flower on to the layout, enlarge it quite significantly so that the writing across the flower would appear quite large and then apply the "Soften Edge" Filter to it so that all you are left with is the writing angled across the bottom left hand side of the photo!

Scrap lift challenge - Page 087

Ingredients:

  • StoryBook Creator Plus 3 Software
  • Discover Baby Boy First Year Additions
  • Discover Baby Boy Arrival Additions
  • Black & White Digital Power Palette
  • Digital Freebie - Circle and Flowers overlay (click here to download)
  • Digital Freebie - Wavy Frame (click here to download)
  • Font - Jane Austen 14 pt.

How to Create:

  1. Create a new 12x12 project.
  2. Add paper 3 from Discover Baby Boy First Year Additions to background and enlarge paper so the stars do not show.
  3. Add black digital freebie circle and flowers overlay to page and then add the red overlay on top and align the flowers so they match up.
  4. Add ribbon 8 from Black & White PP to middle of page and enlarge ribbon so it is wide enough to journal on.
  5. Place red digital freebie wavy frame to page and then add your photo on top of the frame. Add white wavy frame on top of the picture and give both frames a heavy shadow.
  6. Add flourish from Discover Baby Boy Arrival to page and use the custom cutter to cut away the stars. Copy and past three times to have a total of four flourishes. Change two to black and two to red and then place two under the upper left corner of the wavy frame and two under the lower right corner of the wavy frame.
  7. Add title "Welcome Baby" from Discover Baby Boy Arrival to the upper right corner and change the color to black.
  8. Add text box on top of the ribbon and journal.

This one is my most favorite!!!

Myfavoritepages - Page 012 

Ingredients:

  • Storybook Creator Plus 3 Software
  • Cottage Garden Digital Kit
  • Digital Embellishments - Cottage Garden
  • Digital Overlays - Discover Youth
  • Digital Emb.- Office Supplies - Gold
  • Swirly Digital Alpha Set
  • Pet Digital Kit
  • Freebies: Scalloped Paper (click here to download)
  • Digital Emb - Sewing Room Stitches
  • Fonts: Aswell, Impact Label

How to Create page 1:

  1. Start with a new 12x12 project.
  2. From the Cottage Garden Kit select Paper18 as background.
  3. Add the freebie Scalloped Paper as shown and fill with paper8, approximately 4.25 inches from left hand side of your page.
  4. Now we need to create a rectangle using the shapes cutter.  This rectangle is 6.45 wide X 8.71 high.  Place on page as shown, approximately 1.5 inches from left hand side of your page.  Change to desired color and add the Block Surface that can be found under the Format tab.
  5. Add Ribbon1 from the Cottage Garden Kit Emb. as shown, approximately 2.25 inches from the top of the page.
  6. From the Digital Emb-Sewing Room Stitches add four 2_StraightStitches as shown on your blue rectangle.
  7. Add DelightYouthOverlay3 from the Digital Overlays-Digital Youth Emb. as shown to your page.  I added extra flowers to my overlay by cutting, copying and pasting some of the flowers from the overlay.
  8. From the Digital Emb-Cottage Garden kit add the yellowflower to the upper right hand corner of your photo.
  9. To the top of the flower you just added also add EpoxyBrad2, this is found in the Cottage Garden Digital Kit Emb.
  10. Using the Swirly Digital Alpha set add your title as shown, flatten the title and fill with Paper11 from the Cottage Garden Kit.
  11. You may also add two black rectangles using your shapes cutter and add text boxes, adding journaling using Impact Label. Place on page as shown.
  12. Now you can add your photo as shown, this photo measures 6.28 wide X 5.62 high.
  13. From the Cottage Garden Embellishments add Corner1 to all four corners of your photo.
  14. Add three SilverBrads to page as shown, these are found in the Cottage Garden Emb.
  15. Lastly add text box and journaling as shown, for the text use Aswell as the font!!

Myfavoritepages - Page 013

How to create page 2:

  1. You can copy and paste most of the elements from page one to page two and arrange as shown.
  2. The top photo is 5.88 wide X 4.41 high.
  3. Add eight GoldStaples to the edges of your first photo.
  4. Add your second photo, 4.26 wide X 3.19 high.
  5. From the Cottage Garden Kit right click on Paper5 and select cut out a new shape.  Using the rectangle cutter cut a piece 4.55 wide X 3.45 high and place behind the second photo you added to your page.
  6. Use four more SilverBrads to the corners of your second photo as shown.
  7. You may add the Crown to your title, this may be found in the Pet Digital Kit.
  8. Lastly add the blueprong from the Digital Emb.-Cottage Garden to the upper right hand corner of your blue box.
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