kimi kreations

Snowflake Paper

2011-12-10T21:52:00.006-06:00

Is there anybody out there?

Hi guys, yep I am still around!! Life just got in the way of my poor neglected blog.
I was looking for a paper to use on our Christmas Cards and couldn't find what I was after, so I made my own.
Then thought.... Let's Share!! :-)

So for everyone that hasn't given up on me, here you go.

Download here
kimi_Snow Paper
Normal Terms Of Use Apply. You May Not Sell It As Your Own.

I miss you all! {hugs}
~kimi~

Art?!

2011-07-18T21:42:00.003-05:00

So everyone has their own interpretation of what ART is.
As photographers, we tend to fall into 2 categories. The minimalist. (a person who tends to stay true to his image)
For the sake of discussion, we will call the other... the "non" minimalist. :0)
Now I will gladly say, I am certainly a "non" minimalist!

I wanted to share one of my latest images with you. It is a picture of my daughter Holly. I saw an image by another photographer and wanted to try and capture something close. I love how the image came out. It truly does represent Holly. She is not the smiley happy kid. At 20 she has grown into her own person, she is deep and focused.

I used a simple Gradient Map to change the image to black and white.
I used the spot healing brush to tidy up her face.
I added a texture that had a brownish tone. I duplicated the texture so I had two layers. On the bottom layer I changed the blend mode to softlight. The layer that was above it was left on normal mode and bits of it were masked away using a layer mask.
I wanted the darker side darker, so one side of her face was darken using the burn tool. I had her leaning against a window frame. Truthfully my shutter was slow and I had to sharpen her face to get the image to work.
So.... go forth and look around. Find an image you like and try master the effect. It will push you to new levels.

I give you Holly as Art?!
You decide.....

{hugs to everyone}
~kimi~

A free textrure for you today!

2011-05-29T16:21:00.007-05:00

Hi Everyone... Yes, I am still here. My creativity is still alive and well!
Not long ago, hubby and I snuck off for a weekend alone. I of course was playing with the camera on my iphone on one of our walks. So today I share with you one of the images I took. A perfectly good texture.
Taken with my Hipstamatic App. :0)

You can download HERE. Enjoy!!
One of the things I have been doing lately with my textures is this. Select a midtone color from the texture with your eye dropper tool. Select a soft brush and reduce the opacity of the texture a bit to see your subject underneath. (do this while you are still in normal mode) Paint directly on the texture with the selected color. This will keep the texture tone but get rid of the grungy bits on your focal point. Raise your opacity back up and finish the brushing. Now change your blend mode to soft light.
Easy Peazy!!

{hugs to everyone}
~kimi~

P. S. I did not include a TOU but you know the drill. Don't sell it as your own.

Pointing you to some freebies

2011-03-24T20:45:00.004-05:00

A couple of wonderful finds that I have come across recently.
I am loving it more than I can say... Coffee Shops Velvet Cream Action.
I find myself using it on almost every image lately. So easy to tweak to your liking!
Dig around on her site. Add her to your Google Reader!! A Must!
Another wonderful share is Jessica Drossin's free Autumn texture.

I have a friend that loaned me his 200mm macro lens yesterday to play with.
Here is one of the first images I have taken with it.

I used the Coffee Shop Velvet Cream Action and added Jessica's texture.
Run and get them now. And... don't forget to leave them a Thank You!

~kimi~

I'm still here!

2011-03-22T21:56:00.007-05:00

Hi everyone!!!
Yes, I am still alive. LOL!!
Don't you just hate it when life gets in the way. I had to take on a second job and my time has been so very limited. Please know... I miss you all. (heart hug)
I had to do something for myself. I was starting to feel so very unhappy. I decided it was up to me to find my bliss. I went searching and Jessica was offering a new class. Just what I needed!! sigh... No, I am still not finished with all of the lessons but I had such a great time and learned so very much. Anyway, I was inspired to create a few papers and of course I had to share.
So I have for you today... 3 damask papers. Here is a sample.

Click here to download. Enjoy!

And since my camera also keeps me sane, I have to share of few of my latest images...

I promise to check back in soon!
~kimi~

Applying textures to your images

2010-09-25T18:57:00.002-05:00

I have had lots of people lately still asking about applying textures to their images.
So I give you a video tutorial. =)

Now, I went pretty fast because I knew it was going to be a large video, so watch it a couple of times if you get lost. All of the textures came from Shadowhouse Creations
They are all free but make sure you leave Jerry a big thank you!
If you have any question, leave them in the comment section and I will try to answer them. If you want to learn about running a sketch technique on one of your images, check over at the Photoshop Creative Elements forum. Lots of sketch techniques have been posted there in the past. (check it out)

{hugs}
~kimi~

Adding a copyright banner to your picture

2010-08-26T13:22:00.008-05:00

Hi Everyone!!!

Well life is getting pretty much back to normal after the wedding.
It took at least a week for my mushy brain to start to return to it's normal functions. LOL!
So, as I look to what my future will be I have a few things in the works.
I have access to a building and I am thinking of opening a Studio. (exciting and scary)
I am also thinking of putting together some Beginner PS Element video classes. I have a site that has agreed to host the classes and it has access to a forum to ask questions and a gallery to post class images. I am just not sure if people would be interested. I would love to know how you learned to edit your images? Are you still learning?
I know, I was lucky enough to find a beginner class when I got my first copy of Elements. If not, I think I would still be fumbling around. I really would love to hear some feedback on this. Opinions, questions, 2 cents???

Now on to the video. I have a friend that sent me an e-mail with a picture attached wanting me to explain to her how to achieve the watermark on the image. So the easiest thing to do was to create a video to explain. I hope you enjoy it!!
EDIT: Rosie was kind enough to share how to make the copyright symbol on a Mac. Option+g

Click on the video to bring you to You-Tube, then look on the bottom right corner, second button over and click on expand. It will make it easier to watch. I thought I recorded bigger than I did. (sorry)

And here are a couple of pictures of Kristen from her Bridal shots.
Photography by Erin Falgout
Thanks so much to everyone for the good wishes!

{hugs}
~kimi~

Before and After Video

2010-07-31T19:15:00.007-05:00

I know, I know.... I have neglected my poor blog sinfully!
But anyone that knows me, knows we are on Wedding Countdown.
2 weeks from today, my daughter Kristen will marry the love of her life. So bear with me guys, my crazy life will get back to normal soon.

I have a video for you today. Yes it has been awhile since I posted a video and watching it back, I think I must have said the word "um" at least 100 times. LOL!!!
In the groove, I am not. I know I tend to go too fast and use shortcuts without saying what they are. So if you have questions about something I did. Just post a comment and I will gladly answer. =)

Here is the before shot.

Here is the After image.

Here is the video of the steps I took.

EDIT: I had to change the upload to YouTube, it was too long for Photobucket to handle. It think it plays all the way through now. Let me know if you still have problems.

I miss you guys and hope everyone is well.
Thanks again for being a subscriber!
{{Big Hug}}
~kimi~

Playin with some new actions

2010-06-12T18:15:00.004-05:00

I found this great new blog to follow.
Isabelle Lafrance Photography
I added it to my Google reader immediately!! Super great info with actions for both CS and Elements, to purchase and as freebies.
I tried her freebie called... "In the land of fairies" on my image.
The freebie pack can be found here. But don't just go and download, spend some time and browse around. Lots of wonderful information. Oh and remember to leave her some thank you love...

Kristen and Dustin and a bunch of pink balloons

Happy Weekend!
{hugs}
~kimi~

Do you want to improve your creativity?

2010-06-06T17:39:00.003-05:00

Today is day one of "Creativity Boot Camp".
I hope to find the time to participate in some of the activities.
It is free and open to anyone!
Check it out! What a wonderful way to start your summer vacation.

Here is my entry for Ivory. One of my Grandmother's old plates.
It has such wonderful memories for me. You can see she loved it dearly.
It was well used and now sits on display in my living room.
I miss her...

Here is the Flickr site where some of the other entries or posted.

~kimi~

What's Your Play - no. 95

2010-05-15T17:42:00.003-05:00

Working one of Dolcepics. You can go here to see the original.
This is open to anyone, so go ahead and give it a try.
Remember... there is NO right or wrong. Just your own creativity!

Here is my play.

I loved the vintage feel of the image. I added in an image of Kristen, moved the frame down and straightened it.
Happy Saturday.
~kimi~

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-08T19:47:00.002-05:00

Wishing hugs and kisses to everyone this Mother's Day.

~kimi~

How to install a font.

2010-05-07T19:12:00.004-05:00

A quick video to help you install extra fonts into your computer.
You can find some free ones here at dafonts.com
Enjoy!

I know... the zoom went a little crazy. I forgot to turn that part off before I started recording. Sorry!
Post any questions you might have in the comment section.
Happy Mother's Day!
~kimi~

Do you want your images to look better?

2010-05-01T16:48:00.007-05:00

Boy I sure do miss you guys. Work has gotten so busy and the wedding planning is in full force. We are only 3 months and 2 weeks away. Yesterday they booked their honeymoon and I am told, did the happy dance. =)

I belong to quite a few forums on the web. They all offer something different an unique. It is hard to say which one I enjoy the most or get the most out of but....
If you like to take pictures and want to improve your technique and style by getting info from professionals, yes professionals. I want to invite you to come and join the Phaunt forum. This used to be a private forum and as of today is open to anyone. You MUST use your real name when you register and post in the new section. Someone will come along and give you permission to get in. I can't begin to express how much I have learned there. So I invite you to come on over and expand you horizons. You won't be sorry. Yes, beginners are welcome.
Phaunt forum.

On a different note. I have found a new blog to follow that I really enjoy. I would also like to share that with you. It is called. It's Times Like These It is written by Johnna. Add this one to your reader, it is a must. Today she has free actions. Remember to tell her thank you. Everyone likes a thank you. :-)

Today, I give you Spring...

Happy Weekend!
~kimi~

I just don't get it?

2010-04-08T20:47:00.009-05:00

A Rant for today...
OK, my life has become totally overwhelmed and engrossed with wedding details. I have spent loads of time finding wedding photographers and wedding info on blogs, then adding them to my Google reader. I then wait happily for them to post something daily. For hints of things I am forgetting to do, things I don't even know I am forgetting. Truthfully, they have been loads of help!! The internet really is a wonderful place. I read about wedding stuff (Weddings are all about stuff) and drool over some fantastic images. BUT... why the heck do so many of the high end photographers continually take engagement session images of couples with mad faces. Isn't this supposed to be the most wonderful time of their life? Scowling engagement images, what the heck am I missing here? Is this what they want to share with the family? Look back on and remember? I would love for someone to enlighten me. Maybe I am just stuck in Kristen and Dustin land. They cannot be together and not smile, it's an impossibility. Even if it meant scowling would save the world from coming to an end. They glow, they giggle, they HAVE to touch each other. Holly, the loyal sister, lovely maid of honor... makes gagging noises. =)

For today's image. I give you the lovely couple. One of the more sedate images from their engagement session. They may not be full out smiling but I dare you to say, they don't glow.

A simple way to have the same processing effect on your images.
Duplicate your image and change to a black and white.
Reduce the opacity of the black and white image until you like the muted tone.
Create a new blank layer above and fill with a soft yellow. Changing the blend mode to softlight.
Now reduce the opacity until you like the color amount.

Happy Thursday.
~kimi~

In case you are wedding crazy also. Here are a few of my favs!
None of these are who I speak of. ;-)
One White Dress
She Walks In Beauty
Snippet & Ink
The Bride's Cafe

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-04T17:03:00.010-05:00

We had such Easter fun yesterday. Everyone came together for a big egg dye and hunt.
Kristie and Grace came over, dyed a couple of eggs and then hid the entire bunch for us to find.
We had a great time. Kristen fond the golden egg and won $5. Dustin found the most, he also cracked all but one of his eggs in the dying process. We had to laugh...
It was such fun, I can't wait to play again next year.

Here is my favorite egg.
It is done using food coloring, a damp paper towel and crumpled aluminum foil.

Here is a group shot of some of our dyed eggs. Can you find the golden egg? =)
I love this, It symbolizes our family. Dustin's, New York Yankee's egg, Holly's swirly artistic egg, Kristen's, zig zaggy egg, Mike has the Faberge look alike. Boy, did we laugh at that one. The second green one on the left front is the one Grace designed and the blue rabbit is Kristie's creation. Most of the ones that look like the one above are mine but Dustin got into my effect toward the end. I hope your day was filled with family and lots of colorful smiles.

I have two 12x12 Scrap papers to give away at "The Shop" to Celebrate the holiday. But I am off to plant flowers in the front yard so they probably won't get posted until tomorrow.
So sign up for notifications or check back. I hope everyone had a very blessed day.
~kimi~

have you seen Jerry's weeds??

2010-03-29T18:37:00.009-05:00

Jerry at Shadowhouse Creations (AKA, Ghostbones) has been posting the most wonderful weed images using his free textures.
He has also posted an in-depth tut on how he made his "Thistle" image. Certainly a must read!!

Well, it is that time of year again. The yearly dandelion hunt. I drove around a few days ago and there were none to be found close to home. Kristen was kind enough to bring me home two she found today at school. We tried taking shots while she was blowing. Between her blowing too hard and my shutter speed not being fast enough... most were bombs. But here is one before we started.
I was using my 200mm zoomed all the way out to get the most blur out of my background and the smallest aperture number the lens had to offer for the smallest depth of field. And I searched for the perfect green background so the white would have contrast. I also focused on the weed and held down my focus lock button so the focus wouldn't change while I shot on continuous. Always good to add a little planning to your images before you start. =)

A little about the processing.
I started in LR. I used Matt K. preset "vintage New York 1 on the image before opening in CS3.
Then I added two of Jerry's textures. (Ghost 5 & A Painted 2, both blend modes changed to softlight)
The texture adds such wonderful depth of field. It seems to attach itself to the background and it gives the illusion that the flower is in the foreground. Granted both of those statements are true but it did not pop like this until the textures where added.

So I bid you to go forth and search out your own dandelions!! Be inspired...
Promise to post my next try. Hopefully I can manage some action next time. Live and learn, right?
Happy Monday!
~kimi~

The "Save the Date" cards.

2010-03-24T15:45:00.005-05:00

I know... you are thinking I must have been abducted by aliens. I promise to start doing a better job of keeping up my blog.
Please forgive me?
I wanted to share the kids Save the Date card I designed. It has hit everyone in the family and Kristen said it was fine for me to share. =)

I started with a blank document in a 5x7 format.
Combined some of my textures from Jerry and created the background.
Browsed the web for inspiration and came up with this.
The Polaroid frame is the one that is for sale in my frame set at "The Shop".
The tape is mine also. I came up with most of the design on my own.
I knew we had a dark brown card so when we went out to take engagement photos, I processed the image to go with the theme of the card. I fell in love with the picture the minute I saw it. It is the oozing love image.

So here you go...

FRONT

BACK

I know that sending out Save the Dates is a rather new concept. Some of the older folks really don't have a clue as to what they are. (No, I am not calling anyone older) So, I wanted to make sure I added the words "invitation to follow". Here in our town you can't submit your engagement info to the local newspaper until about 3 weeks before the wedding so this has become the new standard for letting friends and family know about the good news.

I promise to be back soon. I have big things planned!
Happy Wednesday.
~kimi~

Happy Birthday to me, Freebie for you!

2010-03-12T16:56:00.004-06:00

Yes, it is that time of year again. Time really does go by too fast.
So to celebrate I have posted a birthday freebie at "The Shop".
And because I have to have an image to go with every post,
Down here in Louisiana, I give you spring...

On my walk yesterday. My neighbors Japanese Magnolia blooming.
I ran the Orton Effect and added a tan colored texture, changing the blend mode to soft light.
pretty huh? =)

Happy Weekend!
~kimi~

Have you tried Wordle?

2010-02-18T10:41:00.006-06:00

Jerry at Shadowhouse Creations posted a very cool image today. It was made possible by Wordle. I made one for Kristen and Dustin. I thought we could somehow use it on their thank you cards. All you do is type all of the words you want to use, I typed them in Word. Then you copy and paste into the word area on Wordle and hit go. You can use the randomize button and keep getting different patterns. Scrappers should love this!

Click on the image to get a bigger view.

It is such fun. Go and try it out!
Wordle can be found here

Happy Thursday.
~kimi~

Using Photo Filters

2010-02-16T17:23:00.004-06:00

Let's talk about using a photo filter.

You will find this feature in Elements and in Photoshop under your black and white adjustment layer icon in your layers palette. The first thing the human eye goes for in an image is the brightest spot. Normally we want this to be a face or an eye to make our images really stand out. In one of the photos I posted a while back, it had the kids holding a sign that said "Marry Me". I used a small aperture so the kids would be blurry and focused on the sign. This worked ok. But every time I looked at it, my eyes still went to their faces before the sign. So I went in and played with a couple of photo filters. I added sepia, orange and yellow, adjusting the opacity until I liked the effect. Because photo filters fall under an adjustment layer. All I had to do was mask the color off of the sign so it stayed white. I am much happier with the image. Take a look at the new version and go back a few post to look at the original. Do you see it??
Which one do you like?

On a separate note...
I have been getting loads of request for some of the items I have given as freebies in the past.
Today I have posted for sale, all of my damask papers in "The Shop".
Take a look.

Happy Mardi Gras!
~kimi~

A video tip.

2010-02-06T18:22:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone...
I have new recording software that I am trying to learn, so I offer you a video tip.
Thanks to Joanie for letting me know this applies to PSE7 also.
Look for a big announcement coming soon! =)

Have a great weekend.
~kimi~

Shots from today.

2010-01-30T20:05:00.004-06:00

Went out today in the cold and did some engagement shots for my daughter Kristen and her fiance Dustin. Did I mention... It was Cold!!!!! They are such a fun couple to be around. You can feel the love oozing out of them. Do you think love really oozes? I swear, it oozes! =) They are both 24 and it is so wonderful to think of the life they have ahead of them. (and of course the grandchildren I will one day be graced with) Here are two of my favorites from the day.

Marry Me

Love!

Let's talk a little about what I did in the processing.
On the top one I changed to a black and white using a gradient map. I duplicated the image, went into the filter menu under Distort and added a diffused glow. Reduced the opacity of the glow layer until it was only around 20% opacity. Added in 2 of Nicole Van's textures for effect.

On the bottom image, which I love, love, love!! It has the oozing love. =)
I changed the image to a black and white using the gradient map again. Added a copy of my color layer on top and reduced the color layers opacity until I liked the look. Then I got teary eyed and knew I was there. Added one of Nicole's textures here also. It is called.. Chic Washed.

Hope you had some Love today.
{hugs}
~kimi~

My tip again...
Do you know that you can use Ctrl + to zoom in on most web pages that you view. Try it on my blog. Ctrl - will zoom out. I do this all of the time. Some blogs fits nicely on my screen and some, I like the fonts and pictures a little larger. It works great when trying to read forums also.

Valentine Quick Page

2010-01-13T14:41:00.003-06:00

Just had to share my finished product. I used the quick page offered in my Valentine Package. (posted today at "The Shop") It includes a 4x6 frame that is complete with grunge, texture and it's own built in shadow effect.
I love how the kids hands seem to work perfect!

Thanks for stopping by...
Hope you are having a Wacky Wednesday!
~kimi~

Unnoticed Beauty

2010-01-11T21:16:00.007-06:00

Brittney over at the Phaunt forum has started a blog called Unnoticed Beauty. Her goal is to post an image a week regarding the beauty she finds in everyday things. So with that in mind I went out in the cold this morning looking for beauty in my own unnoticed world. I found a frost covered Camellia flower freezing in my front yard.
I give you my version of... winters petals.

I did very little processing. Selectively sharpening just the center. I added the sugar plum fairy texture from my 12 days of Christmas give-away. I changed the textures blend mode to soft light, bumped the yellow up a tad and added a vignette.
So my wish for you is to go out and find the unnoticed beauty in your everyday world.

On a separate note... No, I have not fallin off the face of the earth. LOL!
I am teaching an Beginner Elements class the last 2 weeks of January and I have been working on my lesson plans. Hopefully, I come up with a few goodies to share here. Hope the new year is treating you with lots of love.
~kimi~

A tip before I go. Do you know that you can use Ctrl + to zoom in on most web pages that you view. Try it on my blog. I do this all of the time. Some blogs fits nicely on my screen and some, I like the font a little larger. It works great when trying to read forums also. =)

A funky Christmas texture...

2009-12-06T19:56:00.006-06:00

So I saw this really cool image on facebook yesterday morning. A clump of small red Christmas berries. She/He had a lovely fading background and at least one texture added to the image. It blew me away!!! The simplicity of the image, the background, the texture... made that little clump of berries into ART. I wonder how many times a day someone walks by the little clump without ever really looking at the possibilities? I tried and tried to find the image again so I could give that person the recognition they deserve but I can't. :( It is like it vanished into the night.
I knew I had no Christmas berries around my house and I had about 15 minutes free yesterday before I had to leave for work. I knew the tree next to my house had seed pods. So off I went to try and get the same effect. I had been inspired! But... while focusing on my little seed pods, I thought what a lovely background this is making. So with my camera still set to focus on the pods, I moved over so I got just the background. Looks like Christmas lights doesn't it. All it is, is leaves. Possibilities are everywhere!!! It screamed out... I am a texture; shoot me! =)
I added a few other bits to it for some jazz.

So here is my seed pod image before applying my texture.

And here it is with my texture added.

I did mask the texture off of the pods and gave it a soft vignette.
Now neither of these live up to the image of the little red Christmas berries but I found a texture I would not have had. "Possibilities"
It is the "On the 7th day of Christmas" freebie at kimi kreations "The Shop".
Enjoy!

Some info about the shot. I was using my 18-200mm lens. This had become my go to lens when I want a soft blurry background. Zoomed out to 200mm I get this dreamy blur of a background. So try and remember, the longer the lens, the nicer the background. I want to say my aperture was set to 5.6.

Now I am off to look for a small clump of red Christmas berries.
~kimi~

a MUST follow blog!!

2009-11-28T20:22:00.002-06:00

Do you have any Ghostbone textures?
Well Jerry has started his own blog called Shadowhouse Creations.
He is posting freebies there and it has a link to all of his textures on flicker.
Go on over and subscribe, this is a site you don't want to miss!!
His creations are truly inspiring. =)

Hope everyone had a great holiday?
See you on Dec. 1st at "The Shop" for the 12 days of Christmas give-away.

Here is one of my latest image with 2 of Jerry's textures applied.

{hugs}
~kimi~

12 days of Christmas freebies

2009-11-24T11:25:00.004-06:00

WhoooooHoooooo!!
The shop is going to celebrate the first 12 days of Christmas with a freebie a day!
The freebie will be available for download for 24 hours only, with a new one posted for the next 24 hours.
Those e-mails will go out to participants that have signed up to be notified at "The Shop".
Spread the word!!
So run don't walk and subscribe NOW!! =)
kimi kreations "The Shop"
I won't tell what they are... I want you to be surprised each day.
See you on December 1st.

{{hugs}}
~kimi~

Free Scrapbooking Paper

2009-11-04T16:39:00.003-06:00

Hi Everyone.

Thing have been frantic here. We spent the week looking on the internet and going to every store close to us so Kristen could try on wedding dresses. We thought we had plenty of time for this. But she found one she loved that was being discontinued. She had to make sure that was the one she truly wanted. Of course it was the very first one she tried on. It looked so much like her. Young, romantic and beautiful. So that sent us on a dress frenzy. Now that THE wedding dress has been ordered. She is on to bridesmaid colors. This week it is eggplant. A gorgeous dark purple with a hint of magenta in it. That is the color stuck in my head so I made a freebie paper.
It is posted at "The Shop".
I do hope you have subscribed to the shop. I have some really nice goodies planned. I will start sending out subscriber notices to just those that have subscribed there. Some people are here at the blog only to learn, I hate to bother everyone with e-mail notices. So if you visit here because you like me and my freebies. =) Subscribe at the shop or you will start missing out.

Happy Wednesday!
~kimi~

Happy Halloween Everyone!

2009-10-30T20:56:00.003-05:00

Hope you have a safe and happy day!

Freebie at kimi kreations The Shop Enjoy! ~kimi~
inspired by Skeletal Mess

Yah, Frame Set in the Shop!

2009-10-30T17:58:00.005-05:00

Grand Opening Sale in The Shop!!
The first item went live today. Yippee
A frame set.

I do hope you have subscribed?
Freebie there tomorrow to celebrate!

~kimi~

Let's talk Clipping Mask

2009-10-28T19:26:00.005-05:00

After reading Pioneer Woman's Photography post about making an image with rounded corners, I thought I would go over using a clipping mask one more time.
This concept is great because it uses non-destructive editing.

Here is one I made with an image of little Miss G.

I used PW's Lovely & Ethereal and her Seventies action on the image.
I used the rounded rectangle shape and made my shape. Distressed the edges, then saved it as a png file.

From the bottom layer going up....
You will have your background color, lets say white.
Then you add your mask to the next layer up.
Then your image goes on top.

You can clip your image and mask together a couple of ways.
Highlight your image layer. Hold down the alt key and click on the line between the image layer and the mask. Find that difficult? Go to Layer, Group with Previous. (top tool bar)
After your image is clipped, you can move it around or resize it as you like. But you image stays in it's original condition. Hence non-destructive editing. =)

Hope you try making your own!!
If you still need more help. Scroll way down and I have a screen shot. The post was labeled "Freebie time".
{hugs}
~kimi~

A Texture Tutorial

2009-10-23T17:07:00.003-05:00

Skeletal Mess (aka Ghostbones) has posted a wonderful tutorial about how he processes his Art. Not at all what I was doing! Do go and give it at try! I just love it when I am learning something new!
Here is the tutorial. The Resting Place
I also just posted it as kimi's Kreative homework #68, so do check in if you get a chance and let's see what the others have come up with. =)

Here is my take on his instructions.

I used the same two suggested textures with the same opacities that he used. I did have to go back and use levels to lighten it after changing my blend mode to multiply. Lastly I used the burn tool and burned around the edges. See how the dark edges make your eyes go inward?

Happy Weekend Everyone!!
~kimi~

Holiday (mini) shoot pricing

2009-10-23T13:56:00.009-05:00

Holiday (mini) Session Special

One of a kind photography

30 minute shooting session - $200

8 – 12 images posted in your online gallery for proofing

Your choice of 2 images processed

One 8x10 and three 5x7’s of each image selected

Custom Christmas Card Special

Use one or both of your images on your family Christmas Card

Custom Card Design - $20

Cards printed in a 5x7 size, front and back

Heavy duty card stock; envelopes included

Cards can only be ordered in packs of 25

One pack is $50

Additional images may be purchased at “a la carte” pricing.

Booking Sessions Now!

Contact: Kim Boustany 280-3873 (cell)

kimboustany.com

This offer is good until Nov. 30^th.

Christmas Cards will go on sale in "The Shop" next week.

I also have some papers and a frame set going in.

Two of the cards from last year...

My daughter got engaged!!

2009-10-18T09:47:00.006-05:00

We had such a happy day yesterday. My daughter and her boyfriend came by to show off her new engagement ring. Now of course I knew this was coming. They had been talking about it for a while. He called me Monday to let me know Saturday would be the big day. He is a really great guy!! We made plans for all of the family to meet for supper Saturday night and to try and keep it a secret from Kristen. She did have her suspicions but nothing concrete. They had a picnic in the park and he proposed. aawwwwww....

So I give you pictures of the HAPPY couple.
Kristen & Dustin

Love...

Happiness...

Togetherness...

You can see why we now refer to them as the... HAPPY couple!!

They were just sooooo cute. I am not sure which one was more excited. =)
I wish them much love and happiness in the years to come and always.
Boy, time goes by quickly. Yesterday she was just a baby.
(tear, sob) Heck now I need a hug. ;-)

~kimi~

Please excuse this commercial interuption.

2009-10-06T17:15:00.006-05:00

Do you want to improve you images?
Do you like to get freebies?
Do you like to participate in Challenges?
Do you like to learn while having fun?

For those of you that have been reading my blog for a while. You could not have missed how my images have changed and grown. To be quite honest that happened after I joined The Phaunt forum. I paid the money to join the VIP section right away. Free Actions, Free Templates and more!

Well the site has changed to a totally fee based site. It is only $49 for a yearly membership or $29 for a six month membership. This month there is a $5 off code. 9CB8
If you are looking to change the way you process your images. Or maybe you are thinking of trying to book some work. You MUST join this forum.
The Free Actions and Templates are still there, but now they are for everyone.

So give yourself the gift that keeps on giving..... knowledge.
You deserve it! =)

Now as a thank you for reading my commercial.
Head on over to my Shop for a Free Texture!
kimi kreations, The Shop

Grace as black & white ART

2009-09-27T21:14:00.004-05:00

Gosh.... no I haven't forgotten about y'all. =)
I have been busy working on things for the shop.

Our Camera Club is participating in an Art Walk here in town and I went with Grace and took this image today.
I knew what I had in mind and I think it worked out well.
I saw an image on Michelle Blacks blog and was trying to go for the same effect.
The Phaunt Forum is having an "Out of the box" contest this month, they are encouraging us to go out and look at other Photographers work, to get inspired. I was!!
Yes, parts of her face and arm are blown out. But in ART there are no rules. LOL!
I am going to print it tomorrow to see how bad the blown out areas look.
I kind think it lends itself to the feeling of the image.
Edit: my friend Sunny called it (sun-kissed) I think that is a lovely term. :)
I was really trying to achieve something that would evoke emotion.

So take a look and give my some feedback.
Is it good enough for an Art Walk image?

{hugs everyone}
~kimi~

Lets talk about using a Reader.

2009-09-13T10:40:00.010-05:00

If you already have a reader. Please disregard most of this post. LOL!

Let me say before I ramble on, these are all my own personal opinions.
First, you should be using Firefox!!! Download Firefox here.
It will import all of you bookmarks from Internet Explorer.
Firefox will let you turn on color management so the images you post and the images you see are more true to life.
To set up color management in Firefox:
FireFox 3 can be colour managed. In other words, it can be made to recognize the different color spaces, i.e: sRGB and AdobeRGB and display them correctly. To set it for color management, in the address bar type about:config and hit enter. This will bring up a host of options that can be set manually. Scroll down to gfx.color_management.enabled. By default it is disabled. To enable it, simply double click it and restart FireFox.
Now you get some kind of dire warning box when you go to make the change. Don't worry. You will be fine.

Once you have Firefox downloaded and your color management turned on lets set up your tabs.
I am going to show you mine. Click here. You can see my Google Reader is set to open automatically in my tabs. I circled it in red.
To add a new tab, go to File, New Tab. Think of the sites you go to the most and do this until you have a tab for all of them.
Unless you add them to your READER. =)

So let's give it a try. Go to file and open a new tab.
Come back here and click on the Post button where is says "Subscribe to reader".
Choose Google. You will need to go through the set up process.
You should now have your Google Reader set on a tab with my blog showing.
Here is a link to what my reader looked like today. Click here.
Those are some of the blogs and sites that I follow. When they have a new post it shows in the reader, after reading the post, I click on the "Mark as read" button and it goes away. You can add to or delete any time you like.
So any site that has a button that says RSS is letting you subscribe through a reader.

Ok, you still with me?
Let's say you have two forums open on a separate tab and your Reader on a tab.
Let's set that up.
Go to Tool, Options and click on the "Main menu".
The first thing it says is STARTUP. Where it says, When Firefox starts choose (My Home Page).
Click on the button that says, Use Current Pages. This will open all of your tabs every time you start Firefox.

That is it! Let me know if you have questions? I will be happy to help.
If you want your tabs in a certain order you can drag them from place to place.
If you have internet e-mail, add a tab for that also.

You don't want to have a reader that you never see. So your reader should be on a tab that opens ever time you open the internet.
If after all of my screaming about how you should use Firefox, you are still using IE. You can do the exact same thing except you don't get the correct color because it offers no color management.
So let me know how you did?

{{hugs}}
~kimi~

Sunny left a comment about the latest version of Firefox and color management.
You can read it here.

The Shop is coming!!

2009-09-09T15:35:00.006-05:00

I have been busy working on Christmas card templates and paper packages.
I am in the process of opening a small shop that will cater to limited commercial/personal use products.
It will be strictly off my blog and the links will be sent to you directly within a 24 hour time frame.
All freebies will now be given away at "The Shop"
So take a sneak peak and be one of the first to subscribe by e-mail or to your reader.
You do have a reader don't you? It is such fun! Mine is with Google.

I will admit, it is not much to look at yet but the first thing to go up will be a freebie.
Hope to see you as a subscriber soon. All freebie links will remain up for only 24 hours.
So subscribers will rule!! =)

Here is a peak at the front of one of the cards. I would love some feedback!
Does this appeal to you?

All cards will be in a 5x7 format with a resolution of 300 dpi.
Most will come in a png format for those that want to just pop in a photo and the PSD file.
I am going to try and keep it so you can buy only one card if that is all you need and not the entire package.
The card should run about $12.00
I know that it will be mostly professional photographers that are interested, for client use but I do hope my regulars will find something they like from time to time. ;)
kimi kreations "The Shop"

~kimi~

oh and yes, the birth announcement template will be sold. :-)
As per all the request... I will post tomorrow about how to set up a reader.

Before and After - Old Car

2009-09-05T18:29:00.005-05:00

So every month the Camera Club I belong to has a Photo Theme Challenge. This month it is "the wheel".
I tried a few things that totally fell flat. One of the girls on The Phaunt forum posted some images of old cars that she had made into Art for her son's room. They were so cool! You take the inspiration where you can get it!! :-) Now my hubby had been saying that I should go and take pictures of this old car that was rusting out on the side of the road. Today I went. I passed by the car and it had no tires on it. Well, that is ok, our interpretation of the theme is very broad and I could still shoot where the wheel should be. I would give you that car parts name but truthfully, I have no idea what it is called. LOL! When I turned around to park behind it, I found tires. Yippee even better! Actually it had tires in the trunk and the inside of the car was gutted out and there where 3 tires in there also. Anyway, I took a bunch of shots. I know nothing about cars as you can tell, but the side logo said it was a Packard.

Here is my straight out of the camera shot.

Come on now, I couldn't leave the street and power lines showing.
Here is my finished product.

There are tires, that counts for wheels. =)

So I thought I would go over some of the things I did.
First I adjusted two versions of the image. One for the car and one for the trunk.
Then I masked in the lighter version of the trunk so it showed on the car.
I found a cloud image that I took at the beach last month for my sky and started masking away.
If you still don't know how to work a layer mask? Watch the video HERE.
I wanted it to look like it was sitting up on a hill, so then I cloned in some of the trash from the right side to the left side to match. Kinda hides my grass and sky line.
Next I combined all of my layers together using the shortcut. Ctrl, Alt, Shift, E
Now I have a brand new layer with all of my adjustments on it but my original layers are still in tact.
Next I ran a free Lomo action that I have. I wanted to post the link but they have so many now, I am not sure which one is mine. Do a search for free Lomo Actions. If you have Elements some have directions for you to follow.
I reduced the Lomo effect down to 61% opacity.
The grass was too green and overpowering so I opened a hue/sat adjustment layer. I choose Green from the drop down box where it says Master. I reduced the saturation slider and darkened it a bit. This will just effect the green. (love this, do this all the time)
I added two textures from my Nicole Van texture folder. Worked with the opacity of both until I liked the effect.
My tires looked a little dark so I use my dodge tool and lighten them up.
Using the shortcut from before I make a new layer with all my new adjustments.
I thought it was too sharp for an old car image and wanted a different feel.
I have a filter called the buzz simplifier that is no longer available. I ran a very slight buzz.
Do a search for that also. You never know what you might find.
Then I added 2 different vignettes. (maybe I will post that for our next tutorial)
Added a slight curves adjustment and finished!

I think it turned out totally groovy. What do you think?

The car also provided some wonderful texture images. Look for those as the next freebie once we past the 400 subscriber mark. {{hug}}
Hope you are having a Nice Weekend!
~kimi~

Cameron's Birth Announcement

2009-09-03T10:34:00.005-05:00

I did a newborn shoot and designed a card to go out for his Birth Announcements.
It has been about 6 weeks so all of his announcements have made it to friends and family and I am not going to spoil any surprises by posting now. He is such a cutie!!
Oh, the baby smell.....

Here is Cameron, he was 6 days old.
The Front

It was designed to be a 5x7 card. This way the back was a large 5x7 photo that filled the card. Perfect for family to frame.
The Back

Of course with him as my model, how could they go wrong.
I am busy booking shoots and working on designing some Christmas Cards.
Hope you have a Happy Thursday!

BTW... we are almost at 400 subscribers. Must be Freebie time? =)
~kimi~

A P.S. The lab I use for printing is White House Custom Color.

Make a clear watermark

2009-08-27T13:01:00.014-05:00

Hi Everyone...

kimi's Kreative homework #68 Show us your work!!
Today we are going to go over making a clear watermark for your images. Not a brush but a PNG file saved to add to your images when ever you want to. =)
Create a new document. Ctrl N Make it 5x7 inches with a resolution of 300.
Fill your background layer with a medium red or light yellow color.
You can use the paint bucket and click on your layer or use the keyboard shortcut Alt backspace.
Pick a different color for you type.
A font I like for this effect. Traveling Typewriter But you can use anything.
Select your type tool and pick a font.
Let's start with typing the copyright symbol.
Hold down the Alt key and type 0169. Let go of the Alt key and magic, you have your symbol. If you find nothing happened, change to another font. Not all fonts have the copyright symbol.
If you are working on a laptop; hold down the Function and the Alt key and type MJO9. (the letter O)
Now continue by typing your name.
Click on your type layer to commit your type.
Hit Ctrl T to bring up free transform. Click on a corner and drag to make your type bigger.
Depending on what software you have you may need to hold down the shift key while you drag to constrain the proportions. Click Enter to commit the transform or you can double click inside the box or you can click the check mark in the top of the tool bar. (so many options)
Next you need to add a few layer styles. You want to add a bevel and a drop shadow.
Now I am going to assume if you have Photoshop you know how to do this and just talk to the Elements people. If not come and find me on the forum.
In Elements you will want to open your Artworks and Effects palette.
Look on the top of the tool bar and click on the word Window. Make sure Artworks and Effect is checked. Your palette should show up on the right side with your other palettes. Under Layer Styles choose Bevel and double click on Simple Inner. Now go back and choose Drop Shadows and double click the Low one. Take a look at your type layer now. You will see it has a small (f) or sunburst added to the layer. Double click on this to adjust your layer styles. Bring your bevel down to around 5 and your drop shadow settings are going to be Size 2, Distance 0, Opacity 3.
Now comes the fun part. Open the layer styles again and Choose Visibility. Double click on the one that says hide. Cool huh??
Turn off the eye on your background layer so it becomes transparent. Select your crop tool and make sure No Restrictions is picked in the top tool bar. Crop around your type. Go to file and choose Save As. Name your new file Watermark and choose PNG for the format type in the drop down box. Choose None when the Options box pops up. That is it! Now you can open it, drag it onto another document and use Ctrl T to resize it to fit. You can do this over and over. ;-)

To make it where you can see more than one document at a time. You want to work in Cascade mode. Go back and click on the word Windows at the top one more time. Choose Images, Cascade. You can also use your F key to scroll thru your modes.
Click on the blue bar on the top of your document and you can move it around the screen. You can actually click on a layer and drag that layer into the other document.
Easy Peazy!!

If you have Photoshop, you don't get the eazy button. Come on over to kimi's Kreative homework #68 and I will post the directions for you.

No image today but if you look at the last few I have been posting. They all have the watermark. No image is safe on the internet, it is smart to protect yourself. This is a good looking watermark that does not take away from your image.
Oh and I found this really cool font while digging around, Angelic War Font looks like a must have to me!

Happy Thursday!!
~kimi~

Black and White Processing

2009-08-22T12:01:00.005-05:00

OK.... let's see if I can explain what I have been doing lately. You will find as you get more and more familiar with the software that the way you process will change over and over as you go along. But this is where I am now and I am happy to share. I have posted the directions as kimi's Kreative homework #67. If you get stuck and have questions, please go there and post them. Also please post your final image there for us to see. =)

First you need to totally process your color image. I find removing blemishes extremely important. They just don't do well once you have changed to b&w. So let's assume you are happy with your color image and you are ready for the change. Make sure you have merged all of your changes into one image. I can't say this will look good on all images but I do find I like it on people. So try a person shot if you have one. Here we go....

I am going to use an image I have of Grace to follow along.
Make a duplicate copy of your color image. Ctrl J
Hit the letter D to set your colors to their default settings.
Open your adjustment icon and choose gradient map.
You will now have a grayscale image. But this looks loads better than if you had picked grayscale or desaturated.
Ctrl E to merge down with your duplicated color layer. You should now have 2 layers. Your color on the bottom and your b&w above it. Take a look and make sure you are following along so far?
Now you will open 3 levels adjustment layers. Just clicking OK and making no changes.
So here are the steps to changing the blend modes on your levels layers.
We will go bottom to top. First one you will change to screen, The middle one will be multiply and the top one will be soft light.
Don't panic!! This is not hard. :)
Turn off your top two level layers so the only one that now shows is the levels layer set to screen. It should be the one right above your image. Screen makes everything lighter so now your skin tones are way too washed out. Go to your layer opacity slider and move it down until you think it looks right. Turn the eye on the layer on and off to see the difference.
Now turn on your middle levels which should be multiply. I use this layer to darken the background so my subject stands out. Click on the layer mask of this layer and choose a soft edge brush. Make sure your foreground color in your color picker is set to black. Brush the areas that you want to stay light. In my case it is Grace's face, body and hat. You can lower the opacity of this layer also if you think it is too dark.
Now turn on your top layer that is set to soft light. WOW, it adds loads of contrast. Again lower the opacity of this layer until you like the effect.

That is it!! Using the levels adjustment layers instead of duplicating your image each time keeps your files size stays smaller. You should now have a nice black and white image instead of an image that is just different shades of gray.

I am going to keep going so come along for the ride. Looking at my image, I find her face has lost some of it's definition. I am going to fix this with a burn layer.
Create a new blank layer and make sure it is selected. Go to edit, fill and choose 50% gray in the drop down box. Change this blend mode to overlay. Choose your burn tool. Look on the top tool bar. Set it to Midtones at about 14% Exposure and choose a soft edge brush. The first thing I will do is make a circle about the size of her cheeks and click a few times on each side. I will then lower the size of my brush and run it around the edges of her face. I also made the brush smaller and did the sides of her nose and her mouth.

Now for the chocolate layer. Create a new blank layer on the very top, make sure this layer is selected. Open your color picker and type in this hex code, (there will be a box at the bottom with numbers) Here is my secret chocolate number... 3f2c02 (it is the number zero)
You will see you now have a nice warm brown set as your foreground color. Hitting Alt, backspace will fill your layer with the brown. Change your blend mode to soft light and lower your layer opacity until you like the effect. Remember, you don't want it to be overwhelming. I went down to 22% on my image.
I find adding the chocolate gives the image more definition as well.
You can always do one final levels adjustment to the image. I do sometimes.

Well there you go. I am finished. How did you do?

Go and post your images and questions on the homework forum!!
oh and all of this was done in PSE5.
Please feel free to post ideas the comment sections about other things you would like to know.
~kimi~

P.S. I was going fast, sorry if there are typos. ARK!

Swirly Brushes Galore!!

2009-08-19T20:16:00.007-05:00

Do you have a Goggle Reader? It is by far the best thing I have done lately. I get to follow all of the cool sites I like by going to my reader that has it's own tab when I open Firefox. So as I was going through the post I follow from today I came across this wonderful post from Dezignu s. It is called a floral brush mega set. It can also be used for commercial use. Yippee!! :)
So go and check it out... click on the RSS button and set up your Goggle Reader. Add the reader as a tab when you open your browser. You won't be sorry!!

And because I feel the need to post an image... here ya go.
The Camera Club I am in has a theme each month. This month is was completely open to your best shot of the month. Now I was positive I was going to use one of my beach sunsets but I took this in my backyard a couple of days ago and I like it so much. This will be my image of the month. =)
What do you think?

Enjoy the brushes!
It looks like they were supplied by Vector Lady. Leave her a thank you!
Happy Wednesday.
~kimi~

Edit: Sorry I should have added the shot info.
ISO 200, F 5.6, shutter 1/3200. I was using my 18-200 lens and it was zoomed out to 200mm.
Truthfully I didn't do much to the image. I did a small levels adjustment, used the levels mask and mask back in the white areas so they weren't blown out. I dodged the top of the left orange flower and the orange spot on his antennae. Then burned around the edges so he was the lightest spot in the image. I also ran a noise removal filter. I will admit, I have a dodge and burn layer on all of my images.
To do this... create a new layer, go to edit fill and choose 50% gray from the drop down menu. This will give you a gray layer. Change the blend mode to overlay. Label one dodge and one burn. Choose your burn tool to darken and dodge to lighten. Use highlights for the dodge and midtones for the burn tool, you want a soft edge brush and the brush strength set to only around 15%. (these settings are in your top tool bar)

Finally catching up on work...

2009-08-13T19:22:00.004-05:00

I am just about done processing all of little Miss G's images.
I fell in love with this one and had to share. Do you like the chocolate effect?
If you do.... somewhere in here I actually gave out my recipe, but you will have to dig for it. =)

Happy Thursday!!
~kimi~

Edit: Give me a few days and I will post my black and white process and repost the chocolate recipe. Hang tight!! :-)

Freebie frame edges

2009-08-12T21:21:00.006-05:00

I am trying to get back in my groove from vacation. We had such a great time!!
One of the sunsets at the beach...

Working on the brush class at JessicaSpraque.com. Lesson #4 was making a frame edge for your images. Here are the 3 frame edges I made. They are in a 5x7 format. They may be used for personal or commercial use but they may not be resold or claimed as your own. I hope you enjoy.
Here is the download link, it will stay up for only 24 hours.
kimi's frame edges

have you become a subscriber?
~kimi~

Miss G

2009-07-25T21:52:00.003-05:00

I had a shoot this afternoon. I promised her Mom an image up on my blog as soon as I could. I only got a couple of smiles but my gosh, she is one beautiful child. And yes, her eyes really are that blue!

So, I introduce you to Miss G.

What do you think?
~kimi~

Answering questions & another mask

2009-07-16T16:35:00.016-05:00

If you have a rar. folder that you need to unzip. You can download a free trial of winRAR here. CNet has a very good record of safe downloads. It is a 40 day free trial. I downloaded it a couple of days ago and it worked great. When your 40 days are up, you can uninstall it from your computer and be back to normal.

Next... If you come to a texture that is just an image such as the Antique1 texture. Right click and copy it. This will copy the image to your computers clipboard. Open CS or Elements. Hit Ctrl N for a new document. Your computer will remember the copied size and make a new document to fit it. Once your new blank document is opened. Hit Ctrl V, this paste your image into the document. Now save in your texture folder.

Another thing; if you watch the video but you are working in Elements and don't have a layer mask button. Do This. Open a new levels adjustment layer. Click ok without making any changes. This now gives you a layer mask to paint on. Click on your mask to make sure it is activated and paint away. Or you can always use the blur method I mentioned in another post. Truthfully that is my favorite because then I can decide how much I need to blur. I like the control. :)

I made a few more clipping mask. Here is an example of what today's mask looks like.

You can download it here. sorry, time is up
Please remember these are for personal use ONLY!
Become a Subscriber today so you don't miss out!!

~kimi~

Happy Birthday Cameron!!

2009-07-15T14:54:00.003-05:00

Grace's little brother was born this morning. Meet Cameron.
8 pounds even. What a sweetheart!

A quick peek for family and friends. Portraits to follow.
BIRTHdays are really nice. :)

~kimi~

I Just Love Textures!!

2009-07-13T13:38:00.004-05:00

Taking this class has reminded me how much I truly love the look of textures added to an image. Being in the local camera club and trying to stay in line with the strict competition guidelines, I have forget my own style and have lost my way. NO, this won't make a 1st, 2nd, or even an honorable mention, but this is me!! How does that song go... I gotta be me!!

I just love how this image of Grace turned out. First because the look is soooo Grace. :)
You don't normally process an image of a child making a mad face. The parents want happy and big smiles. I do have to admit... she has come a long way as a Model. From the first time we had to send her Mom home to get some shots and then she cried because her Momma left he,r to the shots I did the other day, where I would say give me something fierce and I would get all these crazy poses. She is more comfortable with me now and unfortunately she is growing up. I am not sure when this was taken. I have so many images of her in my files. But I do promise in the next shot she was smiling once again.

Here is my image from today's lesson.

I also have a couple of really nice texture links for you.
Bokeh textures bykatrinzzz
Memories textures by freaky665
I used this one on my image. It is one of my all time favs. Antique1 by Sheispretty
Here is more of her textures. Sheispretty textures

Leave them a little love in the comment area. Everyone likes a little love. =)
~kimi~

Great Texture Video!!

2009-07-13T09:47:00.005-05:00

Thanks to Elaine over at the JS site for finding this really great video on smoothing texture over skin.
Take a watch.... If you find it taking too long to start. Click here!
And here is a link to a set of mighty cool textures! Remember to leave her a thank you.
Princess-of-Shadows

Happy Monday!!
~kimi~

Textures & Mask freebies!

2009-07-10T11:20:00.010-05:00

Today we learned about applying texture to an image. Well anyone that knows me, knows that is one of my favorite things to do!! LOL!! So to go along with the class, I give you two textures I made and clipping mask #3.

There is a secret when applying texture to a portrait. You need to keep the color of the texture going through out the image but you don't want your face all grunged up. Apply your textures as you like. Then using your lasso tool, make a loose selection around the face area. Make sure you right click and apply a nice feather to your selection. Something high, between 60 and 100. Now go to filter, blur, gas blur. Give it a nice blur. 5 to 8. Now you still have uniform tint through out your image but the face is nice and clean. Cool huh? You can keep your selection active and highlight each texture layer and run the filter on each layer. Super easy!

You can also adjust your texture effect. Open your brightness/contrast and drop down the brightness and give a little bump to the contrast. You can also lower the saturation on your texture if you find it too bright. Clipping these to just your texture layer just like you would a mask. This way you can selectively control your image. ;~)

Here is a picture of my daughter Holly with today's texture and mask applied.

The download link will stay up for only 24 hours. Have you subscribed today?
sorry, time is up

Happy Weekend Everyone!
~kimi~
P.S. Scroll down to the post labeled Ghostbones reborn!! Texture heaven!!!!

Free photo clipping mask

2009-07-09T10:46:00.010-05:00

So we are on day 4 of Jessica Spraque's free photo editing class. Today she is explaining how to use a photo clipping mask. I gave a clipping mask away a while back, but while making the first one I had made 4 different versions. Here is an example of #2.

I just love clipping mask. I always tend to add a small bevel to mine, changing my bevel to size 1.
If I have a paper or light background, I will also add a slight drop shadow. Together they tend to add a nice effect. So for your download pleasure... I give you my second mask. Have Fun!!
If you scroll down a bit to the first one. I have directions posted on how to use it.

Have you subscribed today??
sorry, time is up

Happy Thursday!
~kimi~

Do you want to win a FREE lens for your camera?

2009-07-08T16:28:00.003-05:00

WIN AN SLR LENS: Brand New Tamron Lens – 18-270mm or 28-300mm

Go to MCP Actions and follow her directions. :)
And here is a link to the tutorials she has posted. Spend some time there and your images will never be the same again!!

Thanks for everything Jodi!!

~kimi~

A happy 4th freebie

2009-07-04T08:41:00.008-05:00

I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July!
A couple of freebie papers for you today.
(I just had to, we are up to 250 subscribers) I am so honored! :~)

I made the lighter version first, then I used yesterdays lesson. I duplicated the layer and changed the blend mode to multiply. Reduced my opacity on the second layer until I liked the color. Same paper but 2 different looks. Try and keep this in mind with the materials you already have. It is a quick and easy way to change the look!
For future designs.... do you have a favorite? Light or Dark?

Download sorry, time is up here.
The link will be up for 24 hours.

Happy Day Everyone!!
~kimi~

Adding dimension to your Portraits

2009-07-03T09:02:00.006-05:00

Let's talk about Portraits a bit. When you look at an image, your eye is automatically drawn to the lightest area. Many times our lightest area is the background. When this happens you tend to get a flat image and the person you shot get lost in the image. There is an easy quick fix for this that will change the look of your Portraits.

Process your image in your normal fashion. When you are finished you will want to merge your visible layers together or use the shortcut Ctrl, Alt, Shift, E to merge all of your layers into a new combined layer. (this is my favorite shortcut)
In Elements open a Levels adjustment layer and click OK without making any changes. In Photoshop you would create a new layer mask. Now you want to change the blend mode to multiply. Changing your blend mode to multiply will darken the entire image. Click on your layer mask to activate it. Pick a soft round brush and make sure your foreground color is black. Here is the fun part... pain over your person. This will leave your background dark and your person will revert back to the normal processing that you did earlier. That is it! You have now used a layer mask. I am so Proud of you! :~)

For my examples I give you this image of Grace. This image is straight out of the camera. I have a horrible red/orange color cast. You may be drawn to her eyes for a moment because they are just gorgeous but then you eye tend to be pulled straight to the background.

Here is my image after processing and using the multiply blend mode on the background. I actually duplicated my multiply layer again and reduced the opacity of the second layer to about 50%. When you look at this image, it looks like she is coming towards you. You get a more 3D effect. Yes you go straight to her eyes but now you spend time looking around her face and hair. The background becomes just a background and the flatness is gone!! Yippee!
Do you see it? Did I explain so you understand?

This tut was kimi's Kreative homework #65 Take a look at some of the images that were done.
I hope this gives you a better understanding of how to work a layer mask. Now go and give it a try!

Happy 4th of July Eve.
Check back for a holiday freebie tomorrow.
{{hugs}} ~kimi~

FREE Photo Editing class

2009-06-28T08:13:00.006-05:00

JessicaSpraque.com is offering a free photo editing class.
Registration ends today.

Here is what she will be teaching...
"Curious how to use the digital goodies you’ve collected? Or how about creating scuffy, worn edges or rounded corners on your photos? Dying to know to add swirly borders to your pictures like you see in magazines and advertisements? I'll show you how easy it is to add beautiful accents to enhance your digital photos, as well as how to add special photography effects using Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.
In this brand-new class, Jessica will show you dozens of awesome techniques you can use to add effects to your photos, including:

* Brushes
* Frames
* Masks
* Textures
* Blending modes
* Filters
* and more!

You will love learning how to add beautiful frames, brushes, and edges to your photos, and giving them specific looks: dreamy, vintage, cross-processed, soft light, and LOTS MORE. You're in for the educational experience that only JessicaSprague.com has to offer: screencast video, a private gallery to post your work, a forum to answer your questions, daily emails from Jessica, and a GORGEOUS free kit courtesy of our friends at House of 3."

Here is the direct link to register for the class. Free Photo Editing class
Scuffy worn edges and swirly borders?? Heck I'm there! Hope you will be too.

~kimi~

Ghostbones textures..... reborn!!

2009-06-26T09:11:00.005-05:00

My daughter Kristen and her boyfriend Dustin with 3 Ghostbones textures added. :-)

OMG.... I swear I almost peed in my pants!!
Ghostbones has resurfaced as Skeletal Mess on Flicker. Along with his amazing images he is still offering all of his fantastic textures for free. You will find the links to his textures on his site. His first set has 102 textures. So RUN don't walk and download them NOW!
And this part is very important.... Leave him some love and thank you's!

When you add one of the textures over your image, try overlay and softlight. Those are the blend modes I tend to get the best effects with. Remember to lower your opacity to taste. To keep your texture color over a face but not have the texture effect; here is a trick for you. Take your lasso tool and draw a selection around the face area. Give it a good feather, then go to blur, gas blur and magically your color stays in tact but you loose the grunginess on the face area. I have loads and loads of textures. Plenty that I have paid for but I always find myself going back to Ghostbones folder.

Ghostbones... we love ya!! Thanks for all the awsome textures and I am so glad to see you are happy and well.
We missed ya!!

Happy Friday Everyone.
~kimi~

Edit: let me add how to download for those that don't know. Click on an image that you like. Look on top of the image and click on "All Sizes". Pick your size and select the download image link on top of the image.
I usually download to my desktop then open my texture folder and drag them in. Yes, you have to do them one at a time.

kimi's Kreative homework # 64

2009-06-23T12:44:00.004-05:00

Like all the TV shows, I run re-runs of some of our favorite homework assignments during the summer.
This week we followed a vintage look tutorial by Jessica Bell. I used a picture of Miss Maddie for my homework image.
kimi's Kreative homework #64

Hope you go over and give it a try...
~kimi~

Free Stuff!!!

2009-06-19T08:07:00.012-05:00

Thank you for being a friend!

Here are your promised thank you freebies. We have passed 200 subscribers. :)
I started this blog not having a clue what I was doing. ARK!
I have to thank the girls at JessicaSpraque.com for the push. If you like scrapbooking, this is the place to go.
I have to also give a shout out to my internet family at Photoshop Creative Elements. If you ever have a Photoshop or Elements question, stop by. They have the answer! You can also find kimi's Kreative homework posted there every Tuesday. Everyone is welcome.
If you are new to Elements and feeling a little lost, check out Photoshop Elements Technique. The place where I got my start. So many times I went looking for Wendy because I knew she had all of the answers. Thank You Wendy!
Last but certainly not least. I encourage you to become a Phaunt. I have learned soooo much there. I am also one of the moderators in the Photoshop section. The Phaunt forum.com The Phaunt Action Blog I can't say enough about how great Phaunt U is. One of the best Photoshop schools out there!

Well... those are my internet homes. Places I have visited on my journey. Thank you for being part of that. It is truly amazing the friendships that have developed from lovely people I would never have had the chance to meet. For all of you that stop by here when I manage to find the time to post... I thank you!! I am proud and happy to call you my friends!

I want to say a special that you to Jonni. I'm not sure how she found me but she left a comment on almost every post I posted. It made me feel like someone was really out there and that what I was posting was helping people learn. (A Big Hug to you Jonni) She can be found here: The Cronicales of Mommia
And a HUGE thank you to everyone else who took the time to leave me a comment. It means a lot to me!

Now lets get down to business. For your thank you for being my friend freebies I have made...
5 scrap papers, a 5x7 photo mat that will fit a 4x6 image, a white grungy frame with and without the shadow and a clear piece of tape. (be careful not to throw it away, the png file looks empty)

sorry, time is up. i hope you subscribed so you don't miss out next time.
It will only be up for 24 hours.

Love to everyone!!
~kimi~

Sketch Technique

2009-06-16T09:53:00.003-05:00

This week on kimi's Kreative homework #63 we work a sketch technique provided by our friend Anita.
Here is one of my plays.

Here are the directions:
Ctrl J to copy.
Ctrl+Shift+U to remove color.
Ctrl J to copy the black and white layer. On this layer Ctrl I to invert.
Change the blend mode on inverted layer to Color Dodge.
Go to Filter, Other, Minimum. I used 4 pixels or so.

Now go back to original layer( the one with color).
Ctrl J to copy.
Drag that layer to the top and reduce the opacity.
Merge the top three layers so you're left with two layers.
Ctrl J to copy.
Go to Filter, Artistic, Poster Edges.
Play with the opacity until you get something you like.

Do check out the homework thread for images and extra tidbits that people have added.
Give it a try, post an image on your blog and add a link in the comment thread. :-)

Happy Tuesday!
~kimi~

Rotate an image!

2009-06-13T15:40:00.014-05:00

A very simple method of making your image work in a scrap page or flipping it to coordinate in a photo book, is to rotate the image. I have to admit... I rotate all of the time.
Not just images but paper, overlay, frames, etc. I use this to my advantage, to make it work. If you have never rotated? Well my friend, it is time to give it a try.
In Photoshop CS3 you can Crtl T to get your free-transform box, right click and all of you options are there. You can also go to, Image, rotate canvas. In Elements you will need to go to Image, rotate. There you can choose to rotate your entire canvas or just an individual layer.

So I had the pleasure of watching Grace for a few hours yesterday while her parents went out to supper.
This is one of the images I took of her in their pool. She is such a cutie!! :)

I need an image that has the theme "summertime" for our next camera club meeting. I may use this one. So I flipped it to see what it looked like if she was not upside down. Normally when I rotate an image it really makes no big difference. But to me... the upside down version does not look like her at all. I would go as far as saying that if someone showed it to me, I would not think it was Grace. Take a look and tell me what you think? I did nothing to the image, promise. No face manipulation, no color changes. The exact same image flipped vertical.

On a separate note: I am almost finish with my blog upgrade. I am happy with the background paper I made. I love the new stretch template and the bigger images. I have posted the new header I made. A friend made the comment that it looks kind of Christmasy. Now that is all I see when I look at it. LOL! So watch for a few more changes to come. I do hope you like the new layout?
Do you find the font to small?

Sorry if you got the feed twice. Some subscribers are not receiving the feeds. Looks like a FeedBlitz issue. :(
Happy Weekend everyone!!
~kimi~

Freebie time!!

2009-06-02T11:04:00.008-05:00

The Terms Of Use state: YOU MAY NOT offer any of my designs on any web page for download or send them through an internet list or include them in any design/graphic collection on the internet or otherwise.

Let's talk about using a photo mask. The coolest thing about this is, you can resize it any size you want.
Start at the bottom. You will have your background paper. I have included the one shown.
Then you will have your mask layer. (also included) Top will be your image.
You will need to group your image to your mask. This can be done a number of ways. Let's talk about a couple.
You can highlight your top image layer. Go to layer, create clipping mask. In Elements, it is Layer, group with previous. Or you can hold down your Alt key and click on the line separating the two layer and it will clip it together for you.

Make your image the size you want it to be. Now go down and highlight the mask layer. Use Ctrl T to free- transfom. You can rotate it, you can make it wider, you can flip it horizontal, etc. Put is so it is the same size as your image. Now you need to group them together. Try the Alt key trick. Highlight your image layer. Hold down the Alt key and click on the line that separates the image layer from the mask layer. It will group together. Look closely, the image layer now has a small arrow pointing down to the mask layer. :)

Now I tend to give my mask layer a slight bevel. This one has a bevel set at a 2 with a slight drop shadow.
Here is a screen shot, that should help. Do give me some feedback, if you like this?

I am not sure how long I will leave the download link up so grab it quickly.
Freebies are for subscribers only!!! You are more than welcome to subscribe. =)
sorry... time is up.

~kimi~

Bogger background shows in Firefox but not in IE

2009-06-02T08:53:00.002-05:00

Hi guys... I think I have fixed the problem. While searching for the answer there were quite a few people out there having the same issue. So I am going to post my final code with the hope that this will show in the future to help someone else.

My image was uploaded to photobucket. The "direct link" was the code copied and pasted.
I had removed the word $bgcolor and I had the word repeat at the end. Once I removed repeat and put $bgcolor back. Yipee!! it now works on both. If you are reading this because you have the same problem.
Here is what my current code looks like:

body {
background:$bgcolor url(http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss196/KimiBoustany/blogheader3rdtry72dpi.jpg);
margin:0;
color:$textcolor;
font:x-small Georgia Serif;
font-size/* */:/**/small;
font-size: /**/small;
text-align: center;
}

Do you see a black background?

2009-06-01T17:42:00.008-05:00

These freebies are made and given out to my subsribers only!!
The Terms Of Use state: YOU MAT NOT offer any of my designs on any web page for download or send them through an internet list or include them in any design/graphic collection on the internet or otherwise.
If you are a freebie share site. Please read the above Terms Of Use.

If you do not see a black background... follow the directions bellow!
Tomorrow I will start giving some of the freebies away. I will start with the photo mask below and I will post directions on how to use it. So make sure you check back early. This is why I need you to follow the directions below for clearing out your browser cache. I need you to be able to read the directions. =)
This is my husband's niece and her newly acquired husband. I did not take this image, just adjusted some of the processing at her request.

Here is Sharon and Vaughan....

oh shucks, I spelled his name wrong. (sorry Vaughan)

With my new blog set-up. Some people are not seeing the black background.
You should see a black background!!
If you do not... you probably need to clean out the cache on your browser.
Here are some directions:

Internet Explorer 8

From the Safety menu, click Delete Browsing History... .
Check Temporary Internet files and History, and then click Delete.

Internet Explorer 7

From the Tools menu, select Internet Options... .
Choose the General tab.
Under Browsing history, click Delete... .
Next to "Temporary Internet Files", click Delete files... .
Click Close, and then click OK to exit.

Firefox 3 for Windows

From the Tools menu, select Clear Private Data, and then check Cache. Click Clear Private Data Now.

Safari

From the Safari menu, select Empty Cache... .
When prompted, click Empty to confirm that you want to empty the cache.

Firefox 3 for Mac OS X

In Firefox, from the Tools menu, select Clear Private Data.
Make sure Cache is checked, and then click Clear Private Data Now.

Please leave me a comment if you follow the directions and the black background still does not show. You may need to close your browser and reopen after clearing.
Hopefully this solves all of our problems and we can go forward with the freebies!!

See you tomorrow.
~kimi~

making an image look old...

2009-05-31T16:06:00.005-05:00

Nicole Van has come out with a new set of textures that are just lovely.
Go ahead and take a look, you know you want to. :)
Nicole Van Photography blog
I turned Holly's image into a black and white and used her texture called Chic Washed.
Changed the blend mode on the texture to multiply. I just love it!!

Directions for my black & white process:
Press the letter D to set your colors to the default colors.
I usually make a duplicate layer. I go into the adjustment layer area and apply a gradient map. Use Ctrl E to merge it into your duplicate image. Now open a Levels adjustment layer and lighten you skin tones. This means.. move your white slider in and move your black slider in until you get an effect you like. Ctrl E to merge your levels into your image. If you want it a little lighter, you can make another duplicate layer of your black and white layer and change the blend mode to screen. Reduce the opacity of this layer way down until you like the effect.

Happy Weekend!
~kimi~

well... the background is done....

2009-05-28T10:39:00.006-05:00

Let's see if I have the images down? They should be larger now??
Yipee!! Now I have to figure out how to get my header to fit? Almost there....

Holly got a new latptop for graduation. This is the background image I made to fit her screen. She loves it!

Changes are a coming...

2009-05-25T19:27:00.001-05:00

I am making some changes to my blog.
Please understand the construction.

Thanks!! =)
~kimi~

Your desktop image??

2009-05-22T16:54:00.006-05:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

So today I offer you a challenge.
I was so tired of turning on my computer and looking at the same image over and over on my desktop that I created the one above.
Of course... I think it turned out super cool. :)
What do you have on yours? Don't you think it should be something you kreated yourself? Of course you do!!
I can hear you saying... I can't do that..... but I know you can!!
Here is what I did.

On my desktop screen. I right clicked and chose properties. Then I went to settings. This gives you your screen resolution. Create a new document the same size. Next I found an interesting scrap paper. I made mine, you can download it here
Next I added an image, changing the blend mode to soft light and used my move tool to bump it over to the left. I knew I wanted a scroll around Grace's eye so I dug around in my brushes for something that would work. Stamped a new layer and used Ctrl T to freetransform it to fit. Played with my blend modes until I found an interesting effect. I found the flower swirls in my swirls stash. (sorry I don't know where I got them) I did a little burning here and there. I wanted my edges a little darker so the icons on my desktop would show. I then saved my image as a jpeg to my desktop. Double clicked to open and chose, save as desktop background. Now I see Grace's gorgeous blue eyes every time I turn on the computer. What could be better than that!

I do hope you give it a try. A new kreation just for you will always make you smile.
Happy Weekend!!
~kimi~

Happy Graduation

2009-05-19T16:19:00.004-05:00

Click on image for a bigger view.

Well... my baby graduates from high school tonight.
Boy am I melancholy. What does a Momma do when that is all she knows for the last 32 years.
She is beautiful isn't she? This was Holly Saturday night for her prom. Gosh how I love that kid!!

Things will get back to normal here soon. All we have left after this is her Dance review and graduation from dancing. She went for 15 years.

EDIT: here is one of her in her cap and gown before we left to go to graduation. Even in that funky hat she it a cutie. Congrats Miss Holly!! :)

Click on an image for a bigger view.

Talk soon
~kimi~

A sneak peak.... :-)

2009-05-13T10:18:00.006-05:00

Hi Everyone!!!
yep... we have crossed over the 200 subscriber mark. yippee!!
I am still working on the "thank you freebies" but I wanted to give you a sneak peak of where I am so far.
Here are 4 example of scrap papers. There should be a few more that fit into this same theme. There is a white grungy frame in the mix also.

Click on the image for a bigger view.

I have also made a 5x7 photo mat that will hold a 4x6 image.
You can also expect the clear tape from the image bellow.

Click on the image for a bigger view.

I am still working on a few other things so stay tuned. I am trying to get past Holly's graduation, prom and dance review, with some actual work thrown in there somewhere. LOL!!
I am going to send out a notification before I post the download.
It will be up for a short amount of time.
It is for subscribers only!!! It is not to late to subscribe.

Hope life it treating you well!
~kimi~

Little Sophia

2009-05-06T17:46:00.004-05:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

Things are so crazy around here with Holly's prom, dance review, graduation from school, graduation from dance. I am way behind on my Photoshop time. Here is last week's homework assignment done today. And yesterday's homework wasn't posted until today. ARK!!!!
I used an image of my niece Sophia. It made me realize that I haven't seen her in a while and I miss her.
If you looked at last weeks tut, you will see it was a blue fantasy image. I spent the better part of the morning working on my kreation. Holly came in and took one look at it and said. I don't like it. blah.....
So... I deleted most of the layers. If you look close you can see I kept the cloud layer and the moon effect. Turned it into a black and white and made her image larger. I had to re-mask everything but I really like it.
As part of the homework I posted a few links to some pretty cool freebie brushes. Take a look at all of the wonderful kreations we had.
kimi's Kreative homework #57
This week's lesson is sharpening using the highpass filter.
kimi's Kreative homework #58
I use it all the time. :)

Hope you are having a wacky Wednesday! It is Wednesday right?
~kimi~

BTW... we are getting really close to passing the 200 mark on subscribers, so keep you eyes out for the "over the mark freebies" They will be posted for a 24 hour period only. Hopefully this ensures only subscriber get them. So if you are reading this and you haven't subscribed, it is not too late. LOL!!

Dolce's picture play #43

2009-04-29T19:18:00.003-05:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

One of the blogs I follow on my Goggle reader is Dolcepics. Every week she post an image for you to process as you like and then post a link back to her blog. It has become one of those things that you think about but never follow through. Well this week my friend Sunny posted her play and it was such a striking image that it finally was the push I needed. So the above image is my play. If you go to Dolce's site you can follow the links to the other plays or find the original image to play along.

Also check out kimi's Kreative homework this week. What a fun lesson!
happy Wednesday
~kimi~

My current obsession

2009-04-23T09:27:00.008-05:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

My current obsession is Dandelions. I have been searching high and low for this pesky little weed. It seems they grow everywhere but near me. Riding in my car I came across my first one of the season in a ditch on the way to a shoot. So of course I turn around, park in a strangers driveway and run across the busy street to pick it out of a ditch. On of the girls were nice enough to get out of the car with me. (in case I got myself run over or run off) So Nicole was holding the flower while I shot a couple of pics. it was getting dark so I had her standing so we had some light between the trees. Thanks Nicole!
For a spur of the moment image, I just love how this came out!
It was processed in LightRoom with Matt's 300 strong preset. If you have never checked out Matt's LightRoom Killer tips it is a wonderful resource.
Do you know everything you need or want to know about the "type tool"? This week on kimi's Kreative homework I posted a link to a wonderful type tutorial. Check out psd tuts+, comprehensive type tutorial.
Or stop by our homework thread and check out some of the images posted. You can always add your own!

HAPPY Thursday!!
~kimi~

Not your normal face!!

2009-04-10T11:44:00.016-05:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

I was going to open the front door this morning to walk the dog. On the walk way I saw these two snails. So of course I yelled... Holly come and get the dog there are two snail fighting and I want to get my camera. She takes one look out the door and goes um Mom, I don't think that is fighting! Now it took the 18 year old to explain to me what the heck was going on on my own front walk. :)

So I am laying on the walkway getting yucky slugs on my sweatshirt and my husband opens the door laughing. He says; you better get up, the neighbors are going to think I threw you out. Such support. (wink)

So the top picture are the snails doing it. (after it was explained to me)
The bottom picture is after they parted ways. I am assuming the one that went into his shell is the man snail. As it looked like he promptly fell asleep. LOL!! ahhhh... young snails in love.

Click on the image for a bigger view.

Now because I made you look at snail how about a freebie.
Things are finally getting back up and running with the new laptop. So today I have this really nice 5x7 card paper and the original 12x12 paper version. sorry... time is up
I will leave it up until the freebie sites flag my site. I enjoy giving my freebies to my subscribers but not the entire internet. If you show up here and you missed out... Subscribe!
BTW... I am almost up to 200 subscribers. When we pass the 200 mark there will need to be a FREEBIE celebration!!

Here is a peek at the 5x7 image.

Click on the image for a bigger view.

Hugs all around and I hope everyone has a very Happy Easter!
~kimi~

Virus or Worn Threat!

2009-03-31T14:14:00.004-05:00

It is all over the forums and made 60 minutes the other night. Rumors of a virus or worm that is already on your computer set to active on April fools day. Now we never know if a rumor is just that a rumor but I am leaving a post today to remind you to always be prepared.

Go to Microsoft and do your updates. Before you go to bed tonight. Update your virus software and run a scan on your computer. Think about installing and using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer.

Do a back up tonight also. Shoot set a restore point on your system. I'm not sure if that will help but it won't hurt anything. :)

If you have no virus software running. Do a search for AVG free. Make sure that is exactly what you are downloading and not some other pop-up that showed up. Before downloading anything. Do a Goggle search and make sure it is legit!!! Holly had a worm attach her system called Anti Virus 2009. We had to do a complete system reinstall. So do your research before you just start clicking away.

Let's hope the April Fool's joke is on us. Getting everyone freaked out and nothing happens.

On another note... my old laptop died. Was it a virus, who knows but it was old and had served me well. This is where I would do my creative stuff. Sitting on the couch with the tube on designing away. My new one won't be in for a couple of weeks so I promise to find a freebie in the mean time. It just bugs me to sit at my desktop back in my office away from all the house activity. And because I can't have a post without an image. My latest picture of Grace taken right as the sun was going down. The flower was pulled out of a vase from my birthday flowers from Kristen. Don't ya just love little girls. ;)

Click on the image for a bigger view.

Oh and don't forget about doing your homework.
kimi's Kreative homework #54.
Hope to see you all tomorrow. Be computer safe!
I'm off to do my updates.
~kimi~

My latest Holly image.

2009-03-20T17:56:00.006-05:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

I am in love with this image of Holly. :)
My baby graduating from High School this year. Where did the time go? I know... she looks serious and almost sad but this is the true Holly. She is deep and serious and walks around with wrinkles on her forehead most of the time. This image truly captures her essence.

Here is a tip I did on this image. I wanted to have the background darker so when you looked at the image you would be drawn to her face. To try and work with a layer mask would have been to difficult with all of her fly away hair. So I used the lasso tool. I drew a selection about her hair and body. Gave it a nice size feather, Inversed my selection to affect just the outer edges. Ctrl, Shift, I is the invert shortcut. Hit Ctrl J to put my selection on it's own layer and changed the blend mode to multiply. I didn't think the effect was dark enough so I used Ctrl J and made second copy and lower the opacity of the second layer a bit. I have been using this quite often instead of a vignette. It gives almost a burned in effect.
So go ahead and give it a try on one of your images and see what you think!!

Remember, multiply will darken, screen will lighten, and softlight will add contrast.

Happy Weekend Everyone!!
~kimi~

Happy Birthday to me, a present for you!

2009-03-14T09:50:00.009-05:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

I'm doing my "Happy Birthday Dance"!
So I have a present for all of my subscribers. :)
A 5x7 frame in a png format. You get the background and the frame together with a piece of tape across the top. I have been working on my clear tape. Still not as good as I would like but it is getting there. You just add your image behind it and resize. If you are a newbie... Ctrl T to resize. Send to print as a 5x7 and you have a pretty cool image.
This is Simone. Isn't she a pretty girl!!
Everyone say.... hi Simone. :)

your present will stay up just for today, so grab it while you can.
sorry, time is up.
if you show up here and you missed out... Subscribe!!

Hope your day is good enough to have your own happy dance!
hugs & kisses
~kimi~

A thank you for voting freebie!

2009-03-07T09:07:00.006-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

Here is your "Thank You for Voting freebie". Now did you vote? Don't you dare take your freebie until you go and give our little Grace a vote. I will know.... I will hunt you down. ;)

So, I made a nice grungy damask overlay last night to give out as a thank you. When I got up this morning, I thought I would throw together a paper so you could see what it looked like. I ended up with four different versions. So in the folder you will find the overlay and 3 of the different paper versions. I will let you decide which one you like the best. :)

I took some water and froze it a while back for a texture. The white dots you see are from the ice crystals. Also an image from one of the leaves off of the Magnolia tree that lives at Grace's house. It seemed to fit.
Thanks again for voting. Hope you enjoy the freebies.

Now go back and vote one more time!!
sorry, time is up.

love to all
~kimi~

I will leave the link up for 24 hours.

Cover Cutie Contest

2009-03-06T19:03:00.011-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

VOTE, VOTE, VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!!!!!! please...
By now everyone knows my little buddy Grace.
She is in a Cover Cutie Contest. So go on over and give her a vote or two. Her Mom sent in these two images. Just pick which one you like best.
Click here to vote for the Cover Cutie Contest.

A big thanks to Jonni in New York for pointing out to me that she noticed Grace's image in the contest. The link came from a friend she has in Louisiana. Now that is a small world!

I'm working on a nice freebie as a thank you so stay tuned.
OK, Freebie is made. A nice grungy damask overlay. I will post first thing in the morning and will leave it up until the freebie sites find it and post a link. I love giving freebies but they are for the people that are nice enough to subscribe. So check in the morning and make sure you have subscribed!

Happy Weekend Everyone!
~kimi~

BTW... is it cold where you are? We will hit the 80's tomorrow. :)

Want to learn to process your images?

2009-02-26T20:42:00.003-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

My camera is still in the shop so my buddy Joe has loaned me his D200 to play with for a while. I am having a blast!! :) Truthfully, it puts my D80 to shame. All I can think about is now must be time to move up to a big girl camera. I am finding the images are sharper and more on point.

I signed up for a photo editing class at JessicaSpraque.com. This picture of Holly is from Lesson#2. It is a self paced class and I am really enjoying the video lessons. The cost is only $45. Even if you do not have a DSLR and you are working with a point and shoot. If you would like to learn how to make your images pop in either Elements or Photoshop. Go and check out the class.

So what do you think of this image of Holly, it was taken with the D200. She is a Senior this year and we have been taking all kind of images trying to find just the right ones.
Don't forget to work kimi's Kreative homework. This week came with a super cool brush link.

Have a happy weekend!
~kimi~

Scraplift Challenge

2009-02-18T13:46:00.005-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

I participated in a Scrap Challenge yesterday and used my homework image. So I thought I would give it a show. If you have nothing to do today... keep an eye out on the Pioneer Woman's blog. She is running contest all day long. :)
(just gotta love that gurl)

And a link to some romantic grunge. I mean really, what could be better than romantic grunge. You can download brush or png format. B ittbox.com

Luv you all..
~kimi~

Add a old fashion tint to your images

2009-02-17T11:25:00.002-06:00

Click image for a bigger view.

I know you have seen images of my little buddy Grace. This is her family. I used this image for kimi's Kreative homework # 49
I am working on adding a old fashion tint to some of my images. Take a look at the homework instructions. It is really quite easy, I hope to see your image posted in the homework thread.

On a happy note: Our Darla is home and getting stronger every day. Thanks so much for all of the good wishes!! :)

Happy Tuesday...
~kimi~

a Warning and a Freebie

2009-02-14T12:23:00.012-06:00

ok, lets start with the Warning....
Keep all chocolate away from your dogs!! It can kill them.
This is our doggie, Darla. She got into some chocolate last Monday. She is only 3 pounds and was rushed to the vet within the 2 hour safe range that is stated on the internet. The vet gave her something to throw up. My daughter picked her up that afternoon. By 10:30 that night we were at the emergency clinic with a dog that was near death. Severely dehydrated, with a temp of only 94, when a dogs temp should be around 100.
She spent 3 days at the vet and 2 nights at the emergency clinic on an IV drip. No one thought she was going to make it. She couldn't stand or move her head. She was limp and barely breathing.
She came home yesterday. Weak and full of awful red spots where she was too dehydrated for them to get and IV in. I can't even count how many times she was poked before they finally got a vein. This morning she is skin and bones but wagging her tail and looking for food. She even managed her outside pose when I said the word outside. For some reason when you ask her if she wants to go outside, she always picks up her right foot and freezes in place. I need to disclose, I am not a dog person. When my daughter came home with this dog I thought she was the funniest looking thing I had ever seen. Her personality won me over. I have never met a smarter dog.
So please, please this Valentine's Day... keep all chocolate away from your doggies.
Not her best shot... she was not to keen on the flash or the bow. :)

Click on the image for a bigger view.

Now for the freebie. Do you like the Polaroid frame?
I made one with a drop shadow and one without.
Here is the link. sorry time is up

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
{{hugs}}
~kimi~

These freebies are made and given out to my subsribers only!!
The Terms Of Use state: YOU MAT NOT offer any of my designs on any web page for download or send them through an internet list or include them in any design/graphic collection on the internet or otherwise.

Another picture of Darla. Kristen's baby. LOL!!

Click on the image for a bigger view.

kimi's Kreative homework #47

2009-01-27T15:50:00.007-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

We are so blessed with such talent on our little forum. This week we are working a tutorial that Christell shared with the forum. The top image in this post is one of hers. First, I had never used the clone tool this way and second, it is so cool because you don't add the effect until the cloning is complete. This gives an awesome image. So do take a moment to give it a try and share your work with us. :)
kimi's Kreative homework #47
While you are there... click on "new post" and check out some of the other threads. Hope to see your work there soon.

~kimi~

Did you do your homework?

2009-01-16T14:20:00.008-06:00

Just a reminder for all of those who promised they would learn more in the upcoming year. kimi's Kreative homework #45 was posted Tuesday. It is all about using your hue/saturation slider to alter your images. Are your skin tones too red? Want to learn to give a quick selective color boost to an image? Then go and take a look!!

Click on the image for a bigger view.

I was scraplifting a page out of the "Digital Scrapbooking" magazine that I get. It is on page 15 by Renee Pearson. If you get at chance do run out to the book store and pick it up. Full of wonderful things to look at and read. I was thinking I could incorporate this look into an offer for my Seniors. What do you think? If you were a Senior would you think this was cool enough to pass out to family? I'm going to give one with Holly a try.
Kristie.. if you are reading this, I already have a copy printed for you. ;) awwww, she loved it!!

Now everyone off to work your homework...
Happy Friday!!
~kimi~

Tried a new trick...

2009-01-11T19:24:00.005-06:00

I had my flash on with a diffuser. I placed the camera on manual and put my shutter speed on 1/15 with an f stop of 5.
The flash still went off at 1/60 but the drag left the shutter open long enough to expose the background. Most were ok, some were blurry. (I'm sure it was the photographer)
You really need to look at the bigger version to see the differences.

I grabbed Holly to give it a try. She had no make-up on and I promised no one would see them. Poor Holly, she falls for it every time.

SOOC

Click on the image for a bigger view.

After Processing

Click on the image for a bigger view.

I posted this before but the eyelash brush can be found here.
Obsidian Dawn

And as a side note... if you scroll way down, I have a post about creating a brush folder outside of your software. You can add folders and keep everything organized. :)

{{hugs}}
~kimi~

Free 8x10 photo frame

2009-01-10T19:07:00.009-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

Happy Weekend Everyone! :-)

I have an 8x10 photo mat for you to use in a frame. The cut out is made for a 5x7 image. Do let me know what you think?
The download will be available for a 24 hour time frame only.
(sure hope you have subscribed)

sorry, time is up.

~kimi~

kimi's Kreative homework

2009-01-06T11:40:00.008-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

It's the New Year, are you ready to move forward with your Photoshop knowledge? Welcome to the first lesson of
kimi's Kreative homework of the new year. On this lesson you get a free grungy overlay. You are to follow the directions on changing the color and erasing some away with a grungy eraser. I made it in a funky green color so the changes would be easy to spot. On the image above you can see I picked a nice dark brown color for the change and I used a grungy eraser to get rid of the areas over the butterfly and some of the flower.

If you want to learn how to do important things and cool things with your software this is a free and fun class to join. All lesson are posted on the Photoshop Creative Elements forum. Please take a moment to join and post your image when you are done.
Don't be one of those grab and run people. :-(
It is a very small on-line community, you will fit right in...
And the cool thing is you will learn from the other post as well!
Hope to see you there!!

Happy learning everyone!
~kimi~

Are you on Facebook?

2009-01-02T22:41:00.014-06:00

I have a new Facebook account. Since I don't know most of your names. If you are there also, please look me up. Look to the right of this post there is a shortcut that says...Facebook me
Just give it a click and it will take you right to my page. I would love to be your friend.

And because I believe every post should have an image. Here is the latest image that I have added to the slideshow on my web site.
(what can I say, this child warms my heart) She came out her door this morning calling my name and carrying the new puppy Santa brought her for Christmas. I'm not sure if the puppy's feet have touched the ground yet. LOL!

Click on the image for a bigger view.

A reminder: kimi's Kreative homework will start again this Tuesday.
It starts with a freebie. Hope to see you there!

Happy Weekend!
~kimi~

For Mary Ann... This is a small but friendly community and someone should be able to answer your questions. This is also the forum where my homework assignments are posted. It is a great place and anyone is welcome. Photoshop Creative Elements Community

Time is up.

2008-12-29T07:54:00.002-06:00

I numbered all the comments out and had Holly pick random numbers.

Lisa
BeeKay
GT Cindy
roarcountry
Elaine

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Please e-mail me with the words "Blog Extras" in the subject line.
kimiboo@bellsouth.net

I hope you check in from time to time...
kim's Kreative homework will start up again after the first of the year. What a fun way to learn your software.

Happy Monday!
~kimi~

And the winner is....

2008-12-27T15:52:00.014-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

ok, so when I went to bed last night I removed the download link that had been up for 2 days. I had 17 people that had taken the time to comment about what they were thankful for this time of year. And I am thankful for each and everyone of them. I have decided that all 17 are the winners!! YAH!! :) I threw together a new 6 paper set.

Here are the names:
terri
Sandi
blemaire
Heather
Elzbieta
Anonymous.. will have to step up with a name!
Angela Elle
Sarah
Stacy, (the Hall family)
Joanie
Jonni
Mindy
Laura Turner
Kate
Swr4him
fl_connie
suthnheart

So if your name is listed above... Send me an e-mail with the words "Blog Extras" in the subject line and I will send you the download link for the extra paper set. Let me know who you are. Congratulations!!
kimiboo@bellsouth.net

Now just so everyone doesn't feel left out, you may have downloaded the first time the papers were posted. Leave me a little love comment and I will choose 5 random people to receive this download also. This applies until 12:00 midnight on Dec 28th.

remember to subscribe so you don't miss any tips or freebies. :)
{{BIG HUG}}
~kimi~

I Am Thankful!

2008-12-24T13:51:00.011-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

Merry Christmas to Everyone!! I hope you were good and Santa has left you lots of goodies. I have so much to be thankful for this year. These are my children. Everyone is healthy and happy and most of the time... sane. LOL! On the left is Holly, she will be 18 on Dec. 29th. Next we have Kristen who is turning 23 years old today. (my Christmas baby) Then there is Jeremy who is 30. And last but not least we have Darla the dog. She is 2 this Christmas. When Kristen came home with a dog that looked more like a rat but had bat ears, I sure had my doubts... but I have to tell you that I love that little dog to death. :) Now I am very, very, very thankful for my hubby also but he has learned to duck from the camera lady. I love you Micheal.

Click on the image for a bigger view.

I am also thankful for our home. Here is an image from the freak snow storm that came to visit Lafayette Louisiana a week or so ago.

Click on the image for a bigger view.

And if you are here because you missed the download link to my paper set and care about nothing else... here you go. (sorry, time is up) Because I am also thankful for all of my internet friends. Today Only!
Leave a comment telling us what you are thankful for. I will pick a random name and that person will receive a few extra papers. :)

Have a Blessed and Special day!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!
~kimi~

Re-post of the download link

2008-12-24T07:45:00.003-06:00

Hi Everyone!! :)

Due to overwhelming request...
I will re-post the download link for the papers on Christmas day. If you missed it... please check back. It will be for one day only.

~kimi~

and remember, you are less likely to miss out if you subscribe. :)

A Christmas Gift for You.

2008-12-21T09:43:00.010-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

Hi everyone and Happy Holidays to you!! :)
I have a free set of 9 damask papers for you today.
The link will be up for 24 hours only.
If you like them... leave me a little holiday love.
Hugs to everyone and wishing you the very best over the holidays.

sorry, times up.

Here is the free shape set that I started with.
Foliage Shapes (set 2)
And don't forget to subscribe. :)

Adding Texture to your images

2008-12-13T18:04:00.010-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

Here is an image I shot and processed today using lots of texture! :) My buddy Grace once again. This is what happens when I am bored on a Saturday afternoon. LOL!

Do you like the texture look but you just aren't sure what to do? Well, Jodi at MCP Actions has a link on her blog to some fantastic free high resolution textures. And to top that off... she had a video showing you how to apply them to your images. (that Jodi is so cool!) So check it out!

And don't forget to tell me hello from time to time. I am starting to wonder if anyone is reading my ramblings? hmmmmm.... so few comments this time of year. Hope everyone is doing well!

{{Hugs all around!}}
~kimi~

EDIT: Meg wanted to know where my textures came from.
The main ones I used on this came from Nicole Van. I use a lot of Ghostbones textures also. I went to add the link but it looks like he has deleted his entire Deviant Art page? :( They were fantastic!! So if you downloaded some from my previous postings. Lucky you!!

Our Growing Family

2008-12-08T21:37:00.007-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

This is Jude & Addison

Click on the image for a bigger view.

This is Addison

My niece had twins, (did I tell everyone that already?) I had the pleasure of babysitting today. Here are a couple of shots. They really are just the cutest things. :)

Life is busy with the Christmas season. I promise to post a couple of freebies soon. Stay safe!
~kimi~

Fun FREE plug-in!

2008-11-26T09:19:00.003-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

Here is the link to a FREE plug-in that works in CS or Elements. It has lots of painting effects. Unzip the file and if you have CS or Elements you want to click on the one that says.... simpifly-set-up. It will install itself into your filter menu. Quick and easy!! It is called the Topaz Simplify. It is a beta version so at some point Topaz will have it for sale. It works with Windows only. I had their second version and have uninstalled it to add the third version. I have had no problems with it at all. :)

The above picture of my daughter Kristen was done using the filter to make it look like a painting.

Here is the Topaz link. You want the last one. (the 3rd version).
Enjoy!!
Do post a link in the comment section if you give it a try.

Have a nice Thanksgiving everyone.
~kimi~

Free Inked Edge #2

2008-11-25T10:34:00.008-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

This week on kimi's Kreative homework I have posted instructions for making an inked edge. I have also asked everyone to give it a try and share their edge with the class. So go over and read the instructions, join the forum and share in the Thanksgiving fun. the link for my edge is posted in the homework thread. Enjoy!!

I also wanted to share an image that I took over the weekend. Two of my favorite people.
Miss Kristie and Grace.
I just love it!!
It shows all of the love Kristie has for her child in her eyes and it shows Grace in her normal I am not happy face. LOL!!
Boy, how many times do we see that face.
Now, I know I have posted plenty of pictures of Grace where she is just beautiful but even the beauties have a small dark side. ;)

Click on the image for a bigger view.

Yah, class is over!

2008-11-20T15:55:00.003-06:00

Click on the image for a bigger view.

WOW... did we cover everything! Layers, levels, color pop, curves, channel mixer, etc. Our last week of lessons were about making a good black and white image. This was my final class image. What do you think?

I NEED to highly recommend Kylie's class to anyone that wants to learn Photoshop.
You can find out all about it here. Phaunt U.
She does extra chats and even calls you on the phone. What a woman!!

Now things can go back to normal. I have some Christmas stuff I am working on so stay tuned.
Missed everyone!
~kimi~