The latter part of August is one of the biggest times for family vacations. It is like taking time out one last time to relax or visit relatives before the kids are back in school. We take lots of photos but often they do not turn out good enough to put them into a scrapbook. Here are a few tips to help you take better pictures.

Several factors need to be considered when deciding if a photo is a good one. Lighting is one of the most important things. I have taken many photos myself where the background is so bright that the subjects in the foreground are too dark. The camera adjusts to the bright background by limiting the amount of light entering the camera. The foreground is then too dark. Some cameras have a setting for bright light so check to see if your camera does. When you are choosing a location for taking someone's picture consider the light available. If the subject is standing in the shade, you may need to use the fill flash feature of your camera. If the subject is standing with their back to the sun so they aren't squinting, be careful to shield the lens of your camera so you don't have glare from the sun on the lens. If you are taking a picture inside using a flash, be sure the flash won't reflect in a window or mirror behind the subject.

The composition of the photo also needs to be considered. What do you want your focal point to be? Are you taking a picture of a mountain in the distance or is the mountain in the distance a backdrop for a picture of your children? If you want the mountain to be the focal point, have your children stand off center. Having them still in the picture is a good idea because it helps to place the photo in time and gives perspective to the photo. Many of my pictures from summer vacations have just scenery in the photo. After a few years, those pictures are still beautiful but tend to blur as to their significance since the people associated with that trip are not included in the photo.

So often,it seems, I take pictures of everyone that is at an event lining up for a group photo. While this is nice and good to do, your scrapbook pages will be much more interesting if you also take candid shots of people and especially action shots.

Finally, remember to document the occasion, the place, and the people that are in the pictures you take as soon as possible after taking the pictures. I have a box full of heritage photos from my family. Unfortunately, they aren't labeled so I have no idea who those people are. Always document your photos!

I hope these tips are helpful when you take your photos. Thanks for visiting my blog and do come back again.

Happy Scrapping,

Sue

Yes…there is even a Tell a Joke Day and why not? Laughter is healthy for your body so let's begin the fun. I'll tell you a joke, then you post a joke in the comments section. But….let's keep the jokes clean! Please?

I read this joke in the Reader's Digest:

Steve, a lonely bachelor, wants some company, so he buys a centipede and a small box for it to live in. That evening he decides to go out.

"Want to grab a drink?" he asks the centipede. But there's no answer from the box. A few minutes later, he aska again–still no reply. Finally, he hollers, "Hey! Do you want to get a drink?"

"I hear you the first time!" says a small, irritated voice. "I'm putting on my shoes!"

Now it is your turn! Post a joke in the comments. Let's see how many we can collect.

Blessings,

Sue

Occasionally I will post non-stamping related things on my blog and today is one of those times. I have been challenged to write about a book that has really inspired me in honor of Book Lover's Day. There are two books that have inspired me as being 'right on'! They are Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson. Greg Mortenson is a renown mountain climber who was attempting to climb Mount Everest when he and his Sherpa guide took the time to carry a sick mountain climber back down to the base camp. This effort took all the strength Greg and his guide had so they aborted their attempt to reach the summit. On the way back down off the mountain, Greg's guide had gone on ahead to set up camp and Greg took a wrong path and eventually ended up in an isolated village in the mountainous region of Northern Pakistan. Greg stayed with those villagers for three months while he recuperated enough to return to America.

While in the village, Greg asked to see their school. He was led to a small flat spot where the students were scratching their letters in the dirt. They had no walls, no desks, no books, and a teacher who only came from a distant neighboring village two days a week. Before he left the village, Greg promised to build them a school. That was the beginning of a journey.

Greg raises money and builds schools in remote villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan. He believes the best way to combat terrorism is to educate the people, especially the girls. The Taliban have built schools to educate only the boys and to indoctrinate them in extremist religious principles. Generally, before a young man can attend these schools, he has to have the consent of his mother. By educating the girls and women, they are less likely to give approval. Greg's goal is to have a ring of schools for girls circling the stronghold area of the Taliban thus weakening their control of the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

I highly recommend these two books. They narrate the challenges and successes of Greg Mortenson and his organization and publicize his cause.

Blessings,

Sue

This awesome 3D Explosion box was my contribution in a Utah Diva International 3D swap at convention. I used the tutorials by Valita and Sharri to make this box. While it takes time to complete the project, it is so worth the effort.

I finished the bottom of the rose by adhering the largest flower of the Boho Blossoms Punch punched from Certainly Celery card stock. You have to scrunch it around the base of the rose. I used Old Olive satin ribbon in place of leaves. The pink and green panels are made from the brocade patterned sheets of the Presto Patterns Specialty paper. I used Pirouette Pink and Certainly Celery ink pads directly to the paper.

A very big thanks to Valita and Sharri for so generously providing their tutorials. Click here to order supplies to make this project.

Thanks for visiting today. Please leave a comment so I know you were here.

Blessings,

Sue

Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Regal Rose, So Saffron

Inks: Pirouette Pink, Certainly Celery, So Saffron

Other: 2" x 1 3/8" Oval Punch (119859), Fancy Flower Punch (118073), Boho Blossoms Punch (119858), Presto Patterns Specialty Paper (117175), Old Olive Satin Ribbon (117292), Dazzling Diamonds (102023), Crystal Effects (101055), 2-way Glue (100245),Supplies: Sticky Strip (104294)

Research has shown…and indeed we have experienced it ourselves…that color plays an important part in the mood of our feelings. A person who is depressed is said to have the 'blues' while a person who is cheerful is said to have a sunny disposition. Since the sun is yellow, we associate yellow with cheerfulness.

When creating cards or scrapbook pages, the mood we want to portray should be considered when choosing the colors used on the card or scrapbook page. As an example, let's consider scrapbook pages for two different weddings. One wedding was an elegant affair with the bridal party wearing formal dresses and tuxedos. Most likely, the bride chose sophisticated colors like purple or burgundy or even gray or black for the bridesmaid dresses. The men would definitely be wearing black tuxes. The colors on this scrapbook page would be the colors from Stampin' Up!'s Regal collection such as Elegant Eggplant, Not Quite Navy, Always Artichoke, or Bravo Burgundy, and a touch of neutral color such as Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Basic Grey or Sahara Sand.

If the wedding is an informal garden wedding, the colors would be entirely different. Here the mood is gay and cheerful. The bride might choose a sunny yellow or turquoise or shade of pink for the bridesmaid dresses and her bouquet. This scrapbook page would use colors from Stampin' Up!'s Bold Brights collection such as Melon Mambo, Daffodil Yellow, Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point, or Tangerine Tango with Whisper White accents.

The same considerations can be taken for cards. A card to cheer up a sick friend would use bright yellows, oranges, and blues. I recently saw a card posted online that used Whisper White, Daffodil Yellow, and Pacific Point. This card made me feel so cheerful. The colors were sunny and crisp. A sympathy card would be more subdued. I love to use the Stampin' Up! Soft Subtle Collection for sympathy cards. The colors are calming but not depressing.

Stampin' Up!'s new color coach (#121620 for $14.95) is a great tool to help you with color selection. Click here to purchase it.

What is your favorite color combination and how does it make you feel? Please share it with us in a comment.

Thanks for visiting my blog and do come back to visit often.

Blessings,

Sue

Tomorrow is the last day of convention and I will be a little sad to have to say goodbye to my online friends whose company I have enjoyed in person the last three days. We have stamped, talked, stamped, talked…you get the idea. It is good for the soul to connect with them in person once a year at least. One of the great benefits of being a demonstrator is the opportunity to go to convention each year. Once in a while I feel I should stay home from convention and save the money but my husband tells me I NEED to go to keep my connections with other demonstrators. You gotta love a man like that!

So how about you? Would you like to be able to come to convention for the excitement, the opportunity to learn new business and stamping ideas, and to meet people? Then contact me for more information about the many benefits of owning your own stamping business.

Here is a picture of some of my convention stamping buddies and roommates having dinner at Acme Burgers in Salt Lake City.

Thanks for stopping by to visit. Please leave a comment so I know you have been here.

Blessings,

Sue

I needed to make some more birthday cards so I used the same Stamping 411 challenge sketch. You can see the sketch in my previous post. For this card, I painted Frost White Shimmer paint on Melon Mambo card stock. When it was dry, I punched out butterflies using the Beautiful Wings Sizzlit embossing die. I then layered them on butterflies that were punched out of Shimmery White cardstock using the Sizzix Beautiful Butterflies die. Although the sketch is the same, using different colors and focal image totally changes the feel of the card. My card yesterday was soft and sweet. I feel this card is simply elegant! Thanks for visiting.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Set: On Your Birthday

Ink: Early Espresso

Card Stock: Certainly Celery, Early Espresso, Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Shimmery White

Other: Sizzix Beautiful Butterflies die, Sizzix Beautiful Wings Embossing die, Frost White Shimmer paint

    A great-granddaughter…wow….that makes me sound sooo very old!…turns 2 the first part of July. For once, I will get a card made for her before her birthday! I decided to use this weekend's Stamping 411 challenge sketch for her card. I used some of Stampin' Up!'s retiring card stock and designer paper as well as a color that is in the new color renovation and the Forest Friends stamp set which I am happy to say is in the new catalog. (I hadn't used it much and would have been sad to see it go after only one year.) Back to the challenge….here is the sketch……………and here is my interpretation.

Stamp Sets: Forest Friends, On Your Birthday

Card Stock: Barely Banana, Orchid Opulence, Old Olive, Whisper White

Ink: Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Daffodil Delight

Other: Chocolate Chip and Always Artichoke Stampin' Write markers, scallop circle punch, small heart punch, sponge, Cottage Wall and Rich Razzleberry Designer Series papers

I love putting bows and ribbon on cards but put the heart I punched out of Rich Razzleberry Designer Series Paper in place of the bow. The post office in Ketchikan is so picky that if they can even feel a bump inside the envelope, they will send the card back to Craig for extra postage. This is so frustrating because the envelopes usually will easily fit through the slot they use to see if a letter can go for regular postage. It really puts a crimp in my style! Thanks for stopping by to visit. I do hope you will leave a comment so I know you came to visit.

Blessings,

Sue

I am starting on my Stampin' Up! convention swap cards and this is going to be one of my favorites. I used the Up and Over technique published in the newest edition of the Technique Junkies Newsletter. Since Stampin' Up! isn't going to carry metallic inks next year, I had to tweak the technique slightly but I don't see any difference in the end result. After I put the layers of the card together, I stamped one of the vine images from the Vintage Vogue stamp set using Versamark ink. Then I heat embossed it using gold embossing powder. Before cutting the butterflies out using my Big Shot and Beautiful Wings embosslit, I painted Pretty in Pink card stock with Frost White Shimmer Paint. Photos never do justice to the shimmer but it is gorgeous! Thanks for visiting today and do leave a comment so I know you have been here.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Set: Vintage Vogue

Ink: Versamark

Card Stock: Pear Pizzazz, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink

Other:Gold embossing powder, Frost White Shimmer Paint, Big Shot, Beautiful Wings embosslit

I want to tease you with some of the exciting new products you can order July 1 but I also want to use some of the products that will be retiring the end of June. Therefore, I am continuing on the theme of something Old, Something New for a few more posts. If there are stamp sets or favorite accessories that you need and haven't purchased yet, don't procrastinate any longer. Many of the accessories have already sold out and the retiring stamp sets will only be available on the secondary market come July 1. Click here to order them now! Since the Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog is my storefront, I will give you one for free. All you have to do is pay $5.00 for shipping. Email me with your name and address and I will mail one to you as soon as I receive your money. Now for the card– I stamped the image with Versamark ink on Very Vanilla paper using an Element of Style stamp. Then I burnished the image with chalks. I love the soft effect the chalks give to this image. Thanks for stopping by and as always, I'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment so I know you have visited.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Set: Elements of Style, On Your Birthday

Ink: Versamark, Always Artichoke

Card Stock: Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla, Regal Rose

Other: Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, Garden Green, Cameo Coral and Regal Rose Stampin' Pastels; Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Scallop trim border punch, and Scallop Trim corner punch

June is the month of great excitement at Stampin' Up! We have just received the lists of items that will be retiring (scroll down to an earlier post for links to the lists) and we are busy creating sample projects with some of the stamps that will be in the new catalog available July 1. This card has something old and something new in it. See if you can tell which is which. Thanks for visiting today. I'd love for you to leave a comment. Also, I am starting a monthly newsletter. The sign up form is to the left. This newsletter will have a monthly project, articles about stamping, and tips to help you.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Sets:Because I Care, On Your Birthday

Inks: Always Artichoke Classic Ink Pad; Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Pink Passion, and Pixie Pink Stampin' Write markers

Card Stock: Sage Shadow, Very Vanilla, Pink Passion

Other: Perfect Polka Dots Stampin' Up! embossing folder, Scallop Trim border punch, Scallop Trim corner punch, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, gold Smooch Spritz

    The word 'hybrid' is fast becoming a catch word in the English language. The automotive industry is finally starting to build hybrid cars in an effort to economize on oil consumption. I submit this card as my part of 'hybridization'…LOL! I used My Digital Studio to create the background using the new Travel Journal Designer Paper download and the Sentimental Journey stamp brush which is also a new download available from Stampin' Up! The greeting is hand-stamped on Crumb Cake cardstock using the On Your Birthday stamp set. I printed the background without the car and also with the car. Then I cut out the car and layered it on the background for a lumpy feel. Then I layered everything on a layer of Crumb Cake and a layer of Soft Suede card stock. Finally I sprayed it with gold Smooch Spritz. The beauty of using My Digital Studio for this card is that I don't physically own the Travel Journal Designer Paper or the Sentimental Journey stamp set. Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I invite you to leave a comment if you like this card and to sign up in the box at the left to receive my newsletter.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Set: On Your Birthday

Digital Stamp Brush: Sentimental Journey

Inks: Night of Navy

Paper: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake. digital Travel Journal Designer Paper

Other: Curly Label punch, gold Smooch Spritz

What would you do with extra money? With the economy being slow to recover, budgets are straining to meet just the bills and money for extras is hard to come by. Just think what you could do with the extra money! This is the best time for you to start your own stamping business because Stampin' Up! is offering a special mini starter kit for only $99.

The advantages of being a Stampin' Up! independent demonstrator are:

• Set your own working hours and how much you want to earn
• • Schedule your time to coordinate with family responsibilities
  • Work as many hours a day as you want to achieve your desired goals                                  

• Meet new people, create great relationships
• Share your love of stamping with others
• Enjoy the benefits of being part of a supportive, well-established company
• Gain satisfaction by controlling your own future

As a member of my team of demonstrators I will offer you sound training, great creative ideas, and solid support in building your business. The mini starter kit special only lasts through the end of June so don't delay. Contact me for more information. I have posted the details of the starter kit below. Now is the time to begin an exciting new future for you!

Blessings,

Sue

Are your digital photos just dumped into a single file on your computer? How do you organize them so you can find them at a later time? There are several ways you can do this.

    First, you can just leave them under the download date suggested by your camera. I must admit that most of my photos are stored just this way. However, it does take me time to sort through them to find the ones I want to use for a particular project. Sometimes I can remember the download date but that usually occurs after I have scrolled through them several times.

    Another way is to organize them by the event and either label each one with the event or move them into a separate file with the event label.

    A third way is to file your photos by the person in the photo. This works well when you have just one subject in the photo but you would have to multiple copies of the photo if you have multiple subjects.

    Figure out a system that works best for you and then work it! Take the time when you download a photo to give it a descriptive name rather than leaving it labeled DSC041 as an example. I'd love for you to leave a comment and share your photo organization if you have one.

    Happy scrapping,

    Sue

Our granddaughter is traveling to Las Vegas for a Little League tournament this coming weekend and I needed a quick card to send along with some spending money. I used the retiring Just Baseball stamp set and the retired 2010 Sale-a-bration stamp set Vintage Labels. The card was cut with the Sizzix Movers and Shapers die. The cut out card base was sitting on my stamp table so starting from that point, the card took me about 10 minutes to finish. Thanks for stopping by to visit.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Sets: Just Baseball, Vintage Labels (retired)

Inks: Basic Black

Card Stock: Summer Sun, Naturals White

Other: Sizzix Movers and Shapers, Curly Label Punch, Black Gingham Ribbon