JANUARY 2004….A TIME FOR NEW BEGININGS!

Traditionally January has been a time to reflect on the old year and mark lessons learned as we look forward with new hope and resolutions to the year to come. It is always exciting to look forward to the New Year and the clean slate that it brings.

While scrapbooking is a fun and exciting way to record memories of things we are doing and have done, family history and family traditions, it is important that we take the time and make the time to do things as a family and individually that will create those wonderful memories!

That gentle tug at your knee, that sticky little kiss planted on your cheek, or that little voice calling “Mommmmmeeee” might interrupt the masterpiece of a page you are creating but might lead to masterpieces of memories to be made!

If you are new to scrapbooking and digital crafting I take this opportunity to welcome you to our big club! We are so fortunate to have at our disposal things unheard of only a few short years ago. Not only is it available but also with each year the most amazing technology becomes more and more affordable.

In order to begin your adventure in computer or digital scrapbooking you can have as large an investment or as small an investment as you like. If you have a digital camera and a computer you are well on your way. If you aren’t digital yet, then a scanner is the tool you need or you can use the services of your film processor to put your photos on CD.

The HugWare CD’s are not a stand-alone program but are images that you use within another program. In order to use them you will need a program such as Picture It, Digital Image Pro or Adobe Photoshop Elements, Creatacard, or Printshop just to name a few. You can spend a few dollars and get excellent programs and results. Some programs are for professionals and more advanced users and are more than you need if you are just getting started. Some of the most expensive programs do have less expensive beginner or hobbiest models which offer a lot of the perks of the high end product but just not all.

While I concentrate mostly on the scrapbooking aspect here each month, the HugWare images can be used in unlimited ways. The ladies on our message board share ideas with each other on a multitude of creative uses from checkbook covers to nightlights. Stop by and say hello!

Let’s create some pages now and have some fun!

Project 1: A simple page from a scenic photo

Hubby and I took our cameras to the beach and took some photos. When you have nice scenic photos you can do all manner of fun things. You can use them on a scrapbook page, as a background, as a frame, as a card or even to create a tag for one of these other uses.

1. Ron took this photo with his 35mm camera and had the photo shop put it on disk so that I didn’t even have to scan it.
2. I created a letter size page and added the writing and this page can stand alone. It is ready for an album or a frame on the wall.
   *See how simple getting started can be!
   

Project 2: Take it up a notch!

I can be a bit more creative with my photo if I desire. That is the great thing about digital scrapbooking, you can change it whenever you want and as many times as you want if you save the file in a working format such as png for DIP or mix for Picture it. Each program will have its own version of a working file format.

1. I used the same basic layout and added lines using the add line function.
2. I used the add a shape and created the cross and then filled with color.

Project 3: Create a fun card from an unusual photo -Just Ducky Friendship Card

My hubby went out for a walk with his pocket size camera tucked in his jeans and came back with some cute photos of these little ducks. I thought they would make a cute card.

1. I cropped out the background and left just the ducklings.
2. I used the paint effect to add a bit of color and texture to the photo.
3. I added some words to the front to create the card.

Project 4: San Diego Sailboat Page

Take a photo and try different effects on it. Use the photo to create a calendar page, a decal for a night light, stationary, a cute card or a scrapbook page. I love to use this kind of photo to illustrate a poem or thought.

1. Create a new page 12 x 12 page in your program and try various effects on your photo to find one that really shows off the photo to the best advantage.
2. I changed the photo to black and white and saved it under a new name. Then I clicked “undo” to get the original colored one back. The new version was right there on my last used list and easy to open and pull back onto the screen. I did the same for a painted effect.
3. I added all of the photos to the 12 x 12 page.
   

Project 4: Use the same page to create a card.

Now I am going to can use it again. I pulled the whole 12 x 12 page onto a letter size page to create the front of a friendship card.

1. I created a new page in DIP and the page only filled the top portion. I added the background “warm sand” from the Backgrounds Creatable to finish out the page and then my sentiment.
2. I added a black background under the small photos just for emphasis.

Project 5: For My Online Friends

1. I created a legal size new landscape page in Digital Image Pro.
2. I added a little bear to a poem I had written for my online friends.
   *The bear is from the Busy Busy Bears v 3 Creatable by Carolee Jones.

Project 6: Mom’s Bath Time

Another simple page just for fun about the problems that mom’s have finding time for themselves. Hope you enjoy. The poem is illustrated by another one of Carolee Jones’ Busy Busy Bears.

There you have it! I hope you have had fun looking at some simple ideas that can be done easily and quickly with your computer. Any of the pages can be kicked up a notch by adding your favorite images from HugWare.

And now for your assignments should you decide to accept them:

1. Don’t worry about New Years Resolutions that you know you won’t keep and will forget all about on January 2, 2004, just resolve to be the best you can be by trying your best to be what you know you can be!
2. Don’t worry about what other people have or do, just concentrate on what you have and what you do!
3. Set aside some time just for you and enjoy even a few moments of quiet and just listen to the stillness.
4. Take a picture at midnight even if you are at home on New Years Eve.
5. Scrap the oldest photo that you have in your photo box/drawer/cabinet and the newest one you have taken. Is there a way to combine the two?
6. Scrap a page with some modern day ephemera.
7. Spend an entire day with someone you love doing only fun things and take photos.
8. Hug someone!
9. Tell people that serve you fast food, or at service stations, postoffice, grocery store,
   etc., thank you and with a smile.
10. Determine to make the next grumpy person you see feel better about their day.
11. Meet me back here next week!!

Gentle tip for the month:

Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should. The internet gives us quick and easy access to so many things that are copyrighted and the urge to share with our friends is strong, but please abide by the copyright laws and respect our artists and writers, etc.

Have a wonderful, glorious and joyfilled New Year!!