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Picklemama Report
by
Annette (fazzbech)
Social networking - aren't they just the buzz words at the moment! It is easy to dismiss it, to close your eyes and pretend that the multitude of social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and even blogging aren't really all that, and it is equally as easy to get sucked right into them! But let's think about them for a minute...we seem to be becoming 'busier' in our lives, more fast-paced. For many, gone are the days where we had time to become involved in our favourite online communities, and it isn't that we don't want to. The addition of these social networking tools, however, let us connect to many of our favourite websites in a much less time-consuming way, but still stay up-to-date with the latest goings on.
So if you fit the category of 'not enough hours in the day', but want to stay connected with your *ahem* favourite digital scrapbooking site (that would be us, right?), then please feel free to click on any of the below buttons (for our Facebook group, Twitter, or our blog's RSS feed) and join us!
Connect with us:
Pop Deals!
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on the images to grab a bargain!
For two days only, as a special newsletter
promotion, the following items are on sale at 25% off!
Clever ideas for preserving kid's artwork
by Annette (fazzbech)
Do you have children who love to create at home and/or go to pre-school or school where they bring a lot of artwork home with them? It soon collects into quite a pile once it has been admired on the fridge or wall, but what do you do with it after that? Is it too precious to throw away? Here is a small collection of ideas from the team at Pickleberrypop!
1. Let it pile up!
And then every quarter or half year, lay it all out on the floor, place your child in the middle, and take some photos! You could then scrap a layout or two with the end result!
2. Take your favourite pieces, photograph or scan them, and scrap some pages, not forgetting the story behind the art if there is one!
By Nee
By Mother Bear
3. Scan or photograph the art, then print it all out in tiny little squares, mount it all nicely in the form of a collage, and frame it... such a nifty way to show a heap of your kids art in a really appealing way! Or have this done for you, with LOVE!
4. Scan or photograph the art and then have it made into a photobook! Click on this link or the image below to see an amazing kid's artwork photobook!!
5. Bring your child's craft to life! Why not digitise and embroider drawings on tea towels, or make a stuffed animal which was inspired by your child's drawing as shown on this craft blog!
6. If you really want to get carried away (I may just do this one myself!), photograph every piece of art each day, and then every now and then publish it online in a special artwork blog, or on Facebook or Flickr! Or have it made into a DVD slideshow to music - now that doesn't take up much storage space!
Do you have any other great ideas? Come and share them with us!
Short tips to unleash your creativity!
by Annette (fazzbech) Contributions by the PBP Team
I have a friend who recently start digi scrapping and she mentioned that she could use some tips to help her be more creative. I asked the team at PBP, and here are a few things we thought might help!
- Browse the gallery at PBP, add any layouts that catch your eye to your favourites, and then have a go at scraplifting them! Ads and magazines are great inspiration too - look out for the ways they use text and headings as design elements.
- Try using templates, they are a great help with the overall design of your page, and let's you concentrate more on the content. Over time, you will learn to create the design yourself too. PBP has a fortnightly template challenge where you can download a free template with each challenge!
- If the colours in your photo are too harsh, or don't match the kit you want to use, convert it to black and white and it will work with any colour scheme or kit! If you don't know how, try Virtual Photographer, a free plug-in for Photoshop. The same link will also give you the option to download a new stand-alone program called Virtual Studio, for those who don't use Photoshop.
- This is more a Photoshop-specific tip: To give your photos a little 'boost', duplicate the photo and change the layer mode of the dupicated layer to 'soft light'. If the colours are a little much, just reduce the opacity of this layer until you get the intensity you desire.
- Don't hesitate to scrap your less-than-perfect photos - often they tell a different story to what you expect. In fact, we think this is such a great tip that we currently have an Imperfect photo challenge going on in the forum!
- Experiment with different styles (scraplifting helps here too)
- Try repeating the same photo a few times on the one page for a more dramatic effect, either the same size, or try using the same photo but in different sizes.
- Blend photos into the background for a lovely, soft effect. The easiest way to do this is to place the photo into position (above the background paper), and reduce the opacity. You might find that the edges of the photo look a bit harsh, so just erase them with a soft brush, reducing the opacity of the brush as you go, to 'feather' the edges into the background.
- Play with different fonts and alphas in different sizes for cool page titles, or use ready-made wordart
- Try to use elements in a way that they weren't really designed for, ie. think outside the square!
- For a more realistic look, add drop shadows to your page elements, but rather than make them the default black which can be a bit harsh, make them a darker shade of whatever the element is sitting on. For example, if a leaf is on a pink background, make the drop shadow on the leaf a darker pink colour.
- Blend two or more papers together for a unique look - layer modes can be handy for this!
- Blend elements into your background paper for a subtle eye-catcher (for example, I like to take elements and either use the 'Overlay' layer mode, or just lower the opacity of the element until you achieve the desired effect).
- Apply photo filters to your photo to tint them the same tone as your page, or just to play around with different looks
- Take the time to learn your photo editing program... shortcuts are your best friend!
- Never be afraid to ask if you need assistance or if you want to learn a new technique
- And finally...save often! This tip isn't so much creativity-related, but it kills your creativity if you lose what you have been working on for hours!
Gallery Standouts!
Check
out the gallery for more inspiration!
Have you seen the amazing work that is popping up all over the PBP gallery of late? Here are just a few layouts that really caught our eye over the last few weeks!
Keep on scrapping and uploading to the gallery, you never know when your layout might be featured here!
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In
This Issue :
Picklemama
Report
Pop Deals!
Article - Preserving Kid's Artwork
Short Tips to Unleash your Creativity
Gallery Standouts
Challenges!
Pickle Baby Alert!
Welcome Design by Anita
Pickle
Pick of the Month
Free Desktop Wallpaper!
Photography Corner
15 Ways to be Annoying
Quick Tio - Wordle
Fan blinkie
Challenges!
PBP $$ to be won! Come and try our challenges! Something fun and fresh to get your creativity flowing!
Scrap your imperfect photos with Kaye this month. Just the motivation you need to scrap those captured moments regardless of the photo!
Post your layout and/or link in the forum BEFORE the challenge closing date, to be eligible for the gift certificate prize.
Scraplift Janao with Teresnlilly this month! SO much beautiful inspiration for this challenge!
Post your layout and/or link in the forum BEFORE the challenge closing date, to be eligible for the gift certificate prize.
Get out the camera and take some photos for this month's Photography Challenge!
Amandac has challenged us to photograph something starting with B! (Above photos 1. Banana Cake 2. Classic Bicycles 3. Buckets via flickr).
Pat's famous Pickle Jar Challenge is sure to help you find your mojo! For the last challenge we neded to include the following on our layouts: 2 alphas, large title, favourite, red and stitching!! A new challenge is about to be posted so check out the forums for the latest!
And finally, take the template challenge with Kirstiegai and get a head start on your next page with the free template.
Pickle Baby Alert!
We are excited to announce that Lara's Digi World had a baby boy named Jakub on the 26th June! Pickleberrypop would like to congratulate the new family, and wishes them many happy times and snuggles ahead, though we are still waiting to see photos!
Welcome Design by Anita!
Pickleberrypop welcomes Design by Anita to the shop. Check out all her beautifully elegant work in store now!
Pickle Pick of the Month!
This amazing page Sweet Sleeper by my3hens is July's Layout of the Month. The page this month was definitely an “awwwww” page! From the perfectly sweet little photo to the intricate layering of elements around it, this layout has it all. The journaling is heartfelt and the font suits it beautifully. A marvellous page.
Congratulations my3hens! Please PM fazzbech via the forums to
receive a special gift certificate for your next order in the pop shop!
Free Desktop Wallpaper!
This wonderful desktop wallpaper was created by et designs using her kit - Full Moon Party - available now in store!
You can grab the desktop from
>>HERE<<, no coupon required.
Photography Corner
Photography by morguefile.com
Fantastic short tips to help you take some amazing and creative photos!
Considering we have been focusing on kid's artwork this issue, I thought a timely reminder about photographing or scanning any kind of artwork was in order! Create it, capture it, remember it!!
15 Ways to be Annoying
By the very annoying Amanda!
1) Spend all day at a fast food restaurant, seeing how long it will take until your free refills cost money.
2) If paged, wait until midnight to answer the call.
3) Construct an elaborate display of ropes in your backyard and tell your neighbours that you're a "spider person."
4) When attending a movie you've already seen, yell out: "Don't let him in! He's the killer!"
5) When buying a goldfish at a pet shop, ask the salesperson how often you should walk it.
6) When in a crowded elevator, say loudly: "I hope I fixed it this time."
7) Look around suspiciously in public and tell onlookers about the "little men."
8) Insist on making inanimate objects "dance"
9) Occasionally talk into your hand in public.
10) When stopped at a traffic light during peak hour, claw desperately at the roof of the car.
11) Insist that someone accompany you to the public toilet because of Henry, the toilet monster.
12) Insist that life is "one big musical," then try to prove your theory by randomly breaking out into song in public.
Quick Tip - Wordle!
Have you been over to Wordle lately??? If you haven't then you should pop in and check out some of the fabulous new options they have. Now with 32 very cool fonts , and a variety of formats and colours Wordle is a very entertaining way to spend a few hours on a rainy afternoon!
Check out this Word Cloud that our very own Picklemama made to say goodbye to her dear old blog - isn't it cool??!
Are you a fan?
Feel free to snag and sport the Pickleberrypop blinkie!
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