Get Inspired

Do you ever read your magazines backwards?

It never fails, the first thing I turn to when I get an issue of Paper Crafts Magazine is the last page which happens to be the 'Get Inspired' column. It's perfect; a quick read and always fun to see the designer's creative interpretation.

A year ago, I got this very assignment for the Feb. 2008 issue and was matched up with a Hall of Fame (Creating Keepsakes) winning layout. The other day I was looking through my computer files and came upon my work in progress for this column. I remembered how much fun I had working on this and wanted to share with you the process. I did something I had never done before, which, for me, is often the best way to learn.

I really wanted to use this picture of Savannah (my youngest daughter, isnt' she Schweeet!), but also wanted to stay true to the color combo Sheri Reguly had created...love the pink, green and red! The challenge was the photo didn't have the visual impact I wanted, mainly because her dress was a small print (first photo) that was somewhat drab.

Using photoshop, I was able to select her dress and change the color to coordinate with my papercrafting elements. I'd love to re-create this tutorial for you, but wow, I don't have several hours to spare right now! But I will point you in the right direction.

I used the magnetic Lasso Tool and painsakingly selected just her dress. Once that was done, the rest was pretty easy. In fact, it was fun. This is where you can play around and explore your image adjustments either replacing colors or enhancing them.

The same thing can be done in Photoshop Elements and many other photo editing software programs. So, when you have some spare time; play around, get creative (I've even whitened teeth before!) and customize your photos to your supplies instead of the other way around.

~ Sue