It's Fix-It Friday #42 at i heart faces!!Here is my entry to the fix...I opened the Photo in Photoshop CS4. Used Totally Rad Actions, Oh Snap action, then tweaked the photo in Lucis Art 3 enhance detail at 75 and Mix With Original Photo at 48 then flattened photo. Then I overlayed it with JCarson texture Winter Overlay in normal at 75% opacity. Used TRA"Warm It Up, Chris," Flattened, Sharpened slightly in Portraiture, done.Go check out the original at I heart Faces.

I Heart Faces Textures Contest

Week 4 - “Texture” Photo Challenge!
So this week at I Heart Faces the challenge is Textures..You all know how much I love using textures in my photos. So I took this photo of my friend Christina on her wedding day. I added 2 different textures, brushed in the butterfly wings and used Bleeding Cowboy text for the journaling. I also used a vintage action for the color and softened it up a bit using Portraiture and added a slight diffuse glow. Shana Rae is guest judge!! She owns Florabella and has the best textures out there...One day I hope to own her entire collection!! I love my Photoshop!!!

Heartfelt Message...

I just received a beautiful letter from a fellow scrapper. Someone who I only know through forums. But her letter made me a little ...putting it mildly, angry..Not anything she said, but what was said to her that kind of hurt her feelings. I wont post what she wrote, but what she wanted to know was how I felt about other scrappers and photographers asking me if I wouldnt mind telling them how I created something or on my technique when doing something. Because she had approached a scrap artist on a forum and asked if that person would graciously divulge her secret on a specific technique that made that artists pages so unique. The answer she got was, if she divulged her secret that made her unique, then she wouldn't be unique anymore and flat out said No, I wouldn't tell my own mother how I do it...I was astounded. Well I got to thinking, and these are my thoughts...

My creative mind works in mysterious ways especially when I am teaching a class. I have to first formulate my ideas in my head, and then try to convey them to the students I am teaching. In the end my creative mind as a scrapbook artist gets recharged. And although many photographers and scrapbook artists, jealously covet their techniques and creative secrets, I am not one of them...

I often think to myself, "that brilliant creative new idea that I thought I had, has no doubt been already done by some other artist". I just have to stretch my imagination and make it better.

I have heard the buzz in chatrooms and forums to the tune of "ooh, look, she copied so and so and tried to make it her own", or "ooh, look, she did it because so and so did it".I myself am delightfully flattered when I am " scraplifted". Most of us get inspiration from somewhere...Some of us take that inspiration and fly with it.. Few of us ARE the inspiration.

Those are the artists with creative gifts. They don't have to "try", they just "do." I myself use to envy some of those artists and wonder why on earth some of them would not share their creative secrets.

I vowed that I would learn to hone my craft, and Pay it Forward. To Pay it Forward is not a new concept..One good deed deserves another...That is what my parents taught me at a young age.

So my philosophy is this:
Michaelangelo could come down from the heavens and divulge all of his artistic techniques and secrets on how he managed to paint the Sistine Chapel. He would show me every minute detail of his work from technique to lighting to brushstroke. In the end, I will never be Michelangelo. There is only one...But it may make me a better artist with all of the insight that he taught me. And I may see things in a different way.

I will only be just me...
Star Sailor Scrapper
Mother, sister, daughter, wife, friend, scrapbook artist...
And I will graciously share with all of you everything I learn...And I hope that one day, you will Pay it Forward too...

So Thank you to the Krissy's, the Robins, The Irenes, the Beggahunas, the Gabriellep's, the Toni's, the Bonnies, the Sandy's, the Tims, (he is sooo cute) and all the other artists out there who generously devote their time and effort to teach others the fine art of this craft called Scrapbooking...I applaud you...

Lisa

I have had some requests on how to make roses. I first saw The Grunge Paper Roses at CHA in Orlando last year, at the Ranger Booth. They were made out of Grunge board paper. Then Bonnie made some for a couple of her projects. Most tutorials require a 6 petal punch. When Tim Holtz started his 12 Tags Of Christmas, I learned so many new techniques. One being the grunge paper Rose he did. I got to thinking, you could use different dies, (he used Sizzix #5 flower layers). I have seen variations using punches. So over at Swirlydoos, I decided to do a tutorial on the different variations using 5, 6, or 7 petal flower punches and dies. You could even use your Cricut or electronic die cutting machines, and if you are a SCAL follower, your flower arsenal would be endless!! They all work well. So stop on over at Swirlydoos real soon where there will be a tutorial posted sometime this week. And don't forget to keep watching for new tutorials on awesome techniques!!

Ok, I am always trying to save a buck so that I can add to my arsenal of scrap booking goodness. So I have been looking for the Tim Holtz (Ranger) Ink Blending Tool. I have the Alcohol blending felts, but not the foam. But I cant seem to find the packages of the foams. So my dear friend Paulien Vandenbocsh had this wonderful idea to add to her own collection by creating her own. That sparked my creative juices to create the cutest ink blending tools!! With the help of my dear talented husband and my scrappy creative brain, I did it. I went to Home Depot, with a list of what my husband told me to get, came home, handed him the supplies, he went into his work shop and came out with the prototype!!! I was tickled!! I then took it into my scrap room and proceeded to give it it's own personality!! And this is what I came up with...So for about $20.00 (the retail cost of 2 Ranger Ink Blending Tools) I have 20 of them!!! And they will all have different designs!! Sweet!! So go visit Swirlydoos and check out the forums for tips and tricks, because in the near future I will be giving away a few of these cute blending tools!! Here are the before and after photos.

WINTER WONDERLAND

The Swirlydoos January kit is out..."Winter Wonderland". Can you say Wonderful???? Beautiful???? So much fun to work with??? It is all that and more. With this past holiday filled with cooking, cleaning, and preparing for me, I only managed to complete 3 LO's for reveal day. I have 2 more almost done on my desk right now. And plenty more supplies to create even more!! But go check out what my design team mates have done with the kit..You are sure to be inspired. And OH YEA, Bonnie Wellink (LaBonita) has joined our design team!!In my humble opinion, Our Design Team is one of the best out there and I am so proud to work along side each and every one of them!! The Christmas rush is behind me. My party was absolutely a huge success as always. So much fun to spend time with friends and family!! But now it's time to scrap again. The Christmas tree can wait a little longer to be taken down...I'm spending the 1st day of the New Year here in my scrap studio, working...no, playing...with all my Winter Wonderland "STUFF"!!!!
So here is to Us my blogging friends!!!! And a new year of creativity!! I am so loving chatting it up with all of you here in Blogville. I am hoping this year will bring everyone a fresh start, more blogging friends, and the BEST year yet!!!!!! Thank you everyone for all of your inspiration, for sharing your tips and tricks, for your visions and dreams...Keep up the great art work, and like Tim says...ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!!!!

Love and Best Wishes for the New Year!!! 2010...We are ready for you!!!!