::ANNA::

May 20, 2013

Print Heaven

It was a socially busy weekend but I did find the time to open and marvel at the stack of prints I recently ordered at Persnickety Prints during their recent INSD sale. It's quite a process organizing the prints chronologically and then placing them in the appropriate albums.

I'd do myself a favor if I didn't wait so long to order. I'm usually able to make it happen about every 6 months and I'm always happy when I do make that effort. It's one thing so see your pages on a screen, but completely different to hold them as a tangible keepsake in your hand. It's also quite a feeling of accomplishment to see all your pages collectively as body at work.

Looking through the pages always makes me smile as I relive some of the moments from the past 6 months, some ordinary and some momentous, but most would be forgotten a few years from now if I didn't make the effort to take snapshots of our lives and assume the role of being the story teller for our family. I have no doubt, that these pages will be the treasure of my old age.

This time it was fun to see both my Tandem Scrapbooking and FotoInspired/Project Life style layouts in print.

It is also fun to compare the FotoInspired Layouts from last year when I switched from a one page collage to a double-page more artsy approach.

Every time I doubt whether I should print my layouts, I'm reminded just how accessible and important that hard copy is, both now and for generations to come. Technology will continue to advance, but sharing a book or album with an upcoming generation of new story tellers will never go out of fashion.

Persnickety Prints did a fabulous job as always with not a single element out of place. While I undertake the task of creating the pages, they have the more important job of bringing those pages to to life. I'm very grateful for the superior service and quality they consistently provide.

Posted at 09:00 AM in My Process | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

May 17, 2013

AnnaRelease 17 May 2013

NewART is now available in the aA store. Each of the 5 individual digital products is discounted by 20% or available as a collection at 37% off through Friday May 24, 2013 at 9am EST.

I used this release to create the following layout. Make sure you're signed up for AnnaNews to receive the Layout Deconstruction tomorrow morning.

Posted at 07:11 AM in Digital Layouts, Digital Products | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

May 16, 2013

Project 365/Life | Week 19

I'm back on track with my Tandem Scrapbooking 2005 project, and used the same Project 365/Life design with slight modification to complete my pages. Specifically, I switched out a couple of the masks to accommodate more photos.

Click on the images for complete supply list and better view of the pages.

FotoInspired Week 19 came together by creating a layout from the FotoInspired No. 2 series products as well as a number of custom masks and frames. This template design is now available as FotoInspired DoubleTemplate No. 13 in the aA store.

Repetition. You will notice a repetition of techniques as we progress through this project. Each layout has a solid background with a painted EdgeTransfer with a variety of photos and mini-artworks combining photos and ArtsyKardz. The pages may or may not include thematic or script-style brushes and transfers but they always include a few UrbanStitchez as well as a selection of ArtPlay Palette elements.

Duplication of techniques takes the guess-work out of my weekly FotoInspired layouts. I have a *loose plan* to follow which makes the process simple and much quicker that if I had to start from scratch each week. Why re-invent the wheel when you don't have to. Find what you like and then repeat.

Solid Background Tip. One notable technique that came to light as I was working on my layouts pertains the backgrounds I use for my FotoInspired pages. I typically lean toward solid neutral backgrounds in light and dark shades, though I'm not opposed to deviating from this tendency. You will notice that this week's layout uses a pale blue background which supports the colors in my photos. I often avoid bold patterned papers as these often compete with my images and create a page that's just too busy for my preference.

Most of the solid backgrounds included with the ArtPlay Palettes are uniform in that they are the same throughout the canvas. A small number include anomalies such as creases or distressed areas. When using these particular papers in a double-page spread I like the place the paper on the first paper, duplicate and then rotate 90 degrees clock-wise for a more natural look.

It's hard to believe we're hurtling toward the midway point of this project. I'm loving how it's coming together.

Layouts from the AnnaTeam. More Project 365/Life/52 inspiration from some members of the aA team. Click on the layouts for complete supply lists and to learn more about their process.

Week 19 | Heather

Ears | Amber

Week 17 | Ulina

Week 16 | Chris

Week 17 | Chris

Week 20 | ValeJules

Posted at 09:41 AM in Project 365 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 15, 2013

Midweek Release + Artsale

MidWeek Release. 6 NewART digital products are now available in the aAStore. These products are 20% off until Wednesday May 22, 2013 at 9am EST.

ArtsyKardz. 4 New sets of ArtsyKardz to coordinate with ArtPlay Palette Natural Instinct delivered in .jpg and the popular layered .psd format for use in digital and traditional scrapbooking as well as Project Life. I'm using these into my own Project 365 this year.

Please note that the 12 X 12 ArtsyKardz are essentially artsy backgrounds in layered .psd format. You won't necessarily use these in your Project 365/Life pages but they make great launch pad for all your other artsy pages.

Instructions and inspiration for using both the .jpg and .psd version of these Kardz can also be found in the following posts:

Product previews below are linked to the respective products in the aA store.

New EdgeTemplates for your FotoInspired pages.

A new FotoInspired Double Template.

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ArtSale. There will be 15 hand-selected AnnaProducts featured in the on sale category of the aA store discounted by 30% through Friday May 17, 2013, 9am EST.

Posted at 08:00 AM in Digital Products | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 14, 2013

10 Ways To Use A Clipping Mask (Part 2 of 2)

Members of the aA Team share more ways to use clipping masks in this sequel post. Click on the images below for complete supply lists and more information on the layout creation process. Read the first post here .

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6. Recolor A Mask. Eszter likes to recolor masks for use in her pages. In this particular page she converted the mask to pink (Layer > Layer Style > Color Overlay), sampling the shade directly from her photo, to create a subtle foundation for her design. Eszter also clipped an image to another mask and applied the Darken blending mode to allow the underlying book texture to show through the light areas of the image.

Everyday Stories | Eszter Baranyi

7. Crop A Mask. Crop a mask and use just part of a FotoBlendz file. Chris clipped a photo to a transfer mask from ArtPlay Palette Mint Blizzard and set blending mode of the transfer layer to Luminocity in the Layers palette. These two layers were then duplicated and and the copy transfer mask was set to Pin Light mode. The scrolled edge of the transfer mask was achieved by cropping the edge of a FotoMask taken from Artsy Layered Template No. 76 before adding it to the mask/photo layers.

Misty Morning | Chris Asbury

8. Clip Photo To A Mask. Simply clip a photo to a painted of FotoBlendz mask for instant artsy appeal. See the free Instructions for Use eBooklet for step-by-step instructions on using the clipping mask function in Photoshop and Elements.

Wise Owl | Anna Aspnes

9. Duplicate and Rotate a Mask. Marnie says, "I filled the top half of the FotoBlendz mask with a candid, 100 year-old photo of my maternal grandmother (right) with her youngest sister on the front porch of their northern Missouri farm house. Then, I needed to fill the bottom portion of the layout so I decided to flip/rotate the photo vertically and place it in the empty portion of the mask. Doesn't it kind of look like an old, damaged film negative? It's not unlike our family stories if we don't pass them on to future generations with as much clarity as possible."

Sisters | Marnie Morgan

10. Clip Paper or ArtsyKardz to a Mask | Use a paper or an ArtsyKardz with the clipping mask function, instead of a photo, to create a blended artsy transfer.

Song Of Solomon | Vivre

Posted at 07:00 AM in Inspiration, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 13, 2013

Mothering Sunday Photos

That's what we call Mother's Day in the UK, which takes palce earlier in the year. It's kind of nice to be recognized twice per year.

I was up early with the dogs, phoned my Mum, enjoyed brunch Downtown Denver with my peops at Linger, hit the garden center, worked a little, biked the reservoir, did 3 loads of laundry, cleaned up the house and then cooked dinner, took the dogs out again to the park before hitting the computer again in an attempt to beat the Monday morning rush.

Life is always jammed packed and there is little downtime, even on Mother's Day, but as I was just telling a friend, this chaotic lifestyle I lead is short term. All too soon E and L will be leaving home and I won't know what to do with my time. In the meantime, I just have to embrace the madness.

A few snapshots of our day....

I made him dress up a little.

And the girls wore matching neon shoes.

Brunch looked like this.

With a dessert of snuggles.

With my crew.

And Eric who is totally into his yard at this time of year.

Posted at 08:08 AM in Family | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 10, 2013

AnnaRelease 10 May 2013

NewART is now available in the aA store. Each of the 5 individual digital products is discounted by 20% or available as a collection at 37% off through Friday May 17, 2013 at 9am EST.

Posted at 07:17 AM in Digital Products | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 09, 2013

Project 365/Life | Week 18

A few crazy happenings around here, to include a certain little dog digging out of the yard into the coyote- ridden open, a possible move for us overseas and 4th grade field trip, forced me to can my Tandem Scrapbooking layout for this week. The photos are selected and ready to go so I be pressing on with Year 2005 next week.

FotoInspired layout Week 18 was created using digital products from the FotoInspired No. 2 series. This template design is now available as FotoInspired DoubleTemplate No. 12 in the aA store and supports up to 14 photos.

Ratio of Photos to Art. This week's spread includes fewer photos than previous weeks. This is partly due to having fewer photos for last week but I also want to make that conscious effort of introducing variety into my pages by including different numbers of photos each week.

A smaller number of photos allows me to use more art in my pages, and by art I mean photos blended with ArtsyKardz, brush and other element layers to create mini works of art. See this post for more information on using ArtsyKardz and creating mini works of art.

It's always a fine balance between keeping the spread interesting, but not having so much going on, that the layout becomes distracting. Too make mini-works of art creates visual chaos and so you need a good mix of both to create the perfect harmony.

As a general rule of the thumb the more photos you have to work with the less art you need to inclue and vice versa. Try alternating color and black and white photos with the mini-works of art to create an artsy but balance page

Fewer photos also means that each photo can occupy a larger area on your canvas providing more room for play.

Layouts from the AnnaTeam. More Project 365/Life/52 inspiration from some members of the aA team. Click on the layouts for complete supply lists and to learn more about their process.

Week 16 | Ulina

Week 17 | Ulina

Week 14 | Chris

Week 15 | Chris

Week 19 | Valerie

Week 18 | Heather

Posted at 10:35 AM in Project 365 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 08, 2013

Midweek Release + Artsale

MidWeek Release. 7 NewART digital products are now available in the aAStore. These products are 20% off until Wednesday May 15, 2013 at 9am EST.

ArtsyKardz. 4 New sets of ArtsyKardz to coordinate with ArtPlay Palette Inflorescence delivered in .jpg and the popular layered .psd format for use in digital and traditional scrapbooking as well as Project Life. I'm using these into my own Project 365 this year.

Instructions and inspiration for using both the .jpg and .psd version of these Kardz can also be found in the following posts:

Product previews below are linked to the respective products in the aA store.

A new Fotoinspired Double Template that supports up to 14 photos.

A farm animal-themed BrushSet inspired by my recent trip to the farm.

Another set of FineEdge Frames, because I personally love them so much.

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ArtSale. There will be 15 hand-selected AnnaProducts featured in the on sale category of the aA store discounted by 30% through Friday may 10, 2013, 9am EST.

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Special Offer Reminder. Just a quick reminder that the current special offer ends on Friday May 10, 2013.

Posted at 07:08 AM in Digital Products | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

May 07, 2013

10 Ways To Use A Clipping Mask ( Part 1 of 2)

Members of the aA Team share their favorite ways to use Clipping Masks in this 2-part blog post. Click on the images below for complete supply lists and more information on the layout creation process.

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1. Create a Matte | Clip an artsy paper to a mask to create a quick and easy matte for a collectiong of elements and/or photos.

Amber clipped a paper from Artplay Palette Jardinier to the full-page fotoblendz from the Gift of You Template Album to create a colorful and interesting matte behind the cluster of stacked photos.

Blessings | Amber Ries

2. Journaling Block | Masks make great journaling blocks when recolored or clipped with solid papers.

Donna recolored the clipping masks from LabelTransfer Clipping Masks No. 1 to addd visual interest and a fun chalk-like feel to the white background and lined them up to create a dedicated area for her journaling.

Don't Wanna... | Donna Goar

3. Partial Usage | Create an interesting composition, and change the look of a mask, by placing one or more masks *off the edge of a page*, so that the masks are only partially visible.

Heather began with the swirly paper from ArtPlay Palette Sweet Christmas, before adding a paper from ArtPlay Palette No. 12 with the Multiply blending mode applied. A paper from ArtPlay Palette Mini Palette Mint Winter with the the Multiply blend mode was added, and the Eraser tool with a large brush was used to erase most of the paper leaving just the upper right side visible. A solid pink paper was clipped to the Striped Edge Overlay with a Hard Light blending mode.

2 masks from Christmas FotoBlendz No. 2 were positioned at the top left and bottom areas of the page overlapping the edges of the page to which she clipped her photos. She then embellished her page with brushes and elements.

Snow Play | Heather

4. Embellish with Elements | You can create an interesting transfer-style element by clipping brush, transfer and overlay layers to masks.

Deb created the following card by clipping a paper from ArtPlay Palette Hummingbird to a mask from FotoBlendz Overlays No. 2 to her card along with 2 transfers and the circle overlay from the same Palette. She adjusted the blending modes of these layers to Divide, Normal and Overlay to create a custom matte for her focal image.

Hummingbird | Deb Rymer

5. ArtsyKardz | One or more layers from the the .psd format versions of the ArtsyKardz can be clipped to a mask for instant artsy appeal. ViVre frequently uses ArtsyKardz to add flair to her pages and you can learn the techniques she uses here.