Info: Free Class - Holidays in Hand~

Alo, Everyone!

Jessica Sprague is generously offering this FREE CLASS!  I am so looking forward to it!  More techniques, more fun, and a little holiday sparkle!  If you are interested in getting started with digital scrapbooking or want a fun project to work on during the holidays, then this is it!  I promise that you will not be disappointed.  Jessica's courses are thoughtfully and heart-fully organized and packed full of information and great techniques!

Registration has already started, so get over there and get you some digital goodness for goodness sakes! ;)

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap: Three Loves of Our Life~

Digital Scrapbooking takes a lot of time, especially when you've got the layout going strong & your computer crashes! 

This is another Jessica Sprague fab-u-los-so layout.  I desaturated the kids photos and cropped in closely for vavoom.  And Viola!  I have to say that I love it and love my kids so much.  This is the whole reason I started Papier Creatif was to celebrate them, my family and friends.

I wrote the prose very simply to tie in with the sticky note theme, kept the verses at 2 words/3 words.  You can do this and fill in your own or use mine -- you have permission!

I am learning so much in this class.  And Liv has done a wonderfully job inspiring us to use our words on layouts.  So, between the layout techniques and her writing style classes, it's made it much easier for me to see past the entire story and hone in on a few words to convey the spirit of the photograph.

Jacqueline, Jessica & Mason .... You all ARE truly THREE LOVES OF OUR LIFE.

I LOVE U MUCHO GRANDE!!!

{Hugs From Mom}

Juls~

Digiscrap: Friends for Life~

This was such a fun layout to do over at Jessica Sprague's.  I have been wanting to do a friendship layout and this one is perfect!!! 

Hollie is such a special friend and is like a sister to me.  We have been through a lot together, the ups and downs of life, our children growing up and have had lots of laughs together.  The thing about Hols is that she loves laughing at herself!  She really gets a kick out of herself and will get so tickled about it!  And it's funny-stuff but she makes it even funnier because she thinks it's funny too!  I wish I had this on video!

The other thing I like is she loves telling a story and listening to a story.  Thank God!  Because I have plenty of stories that I've shared with her over the course of our 15 year friendship!  And there's always that *wise old soul* that raises up out of her heart & soul, to offer comfort & support.

Once we were at my house hot tubbing with our husbands many summers ago, when they lived in our neighborhood.  Hollie and I were singing at the top of our lungs.  She was not in the hot tub like us, she was walking towards us and fell in!  I was like,

"Hollie!  Don't get your coiff wet!" 

HAHAHAHA! 

We've laughed and laughed about that for years!

Then, there is the time that I thought Mason, as a two-year-old was LOST!  It was very late in the evening and the kids had been tucked away for the night.  I decided to check on them and Mason was not in his bed!  I looked everywhere!  He was nowhere to be found.  Horrified, I checked the swimming pool, he fortunately was not there.  I called 911 and Hollie panick-strickened.  She came over with her husband, Jim, and their son, Jimmy.  While I was on the phone with 911, they couldn't find him either.  Then, Hollie, stepped into Jacqueline's bedroom and screamed in a very high-pitched voice, "MASOOOONN????!"

And his little head popped up from underneath a pile of stuffed animals beside Jacqueline's bed ....

That wasn't so funny to me .... ;)

One Christmas, we had dipped into the wine and started singing and acting like we were on Saturday Night Live.  We are both very theatrical ... I truly think that's why we share a bond.  She's had aspirations of becoming a singer.  When she was in high school, her parents helped her launch a singing career and one of her songs charted the Country Charts!  I'll have to ask her which one and repost .... And I've written and recorded my own CD.  But I'm a studio musician .... Hollie is a stage musician.  Which also describes perfectly the differences in our personalities.  I'm friendly yet reserved.  She's friendly and outgoing!  I prefer intimate, small crowds.  She thrives in big crowds!

I am like Lucy ... always in trouble.

She's like Ethel ... always there for Lucy.

{Okay, Hollie, we are BOTH like Lucy!}  hehehehe

I can't tell you how many Christmas decorating events we've had together for her Longaberger Open Houses.  Every year, we made it better and better.  Now,  she can outdo me on Christmas themes.  Her house is always charmingly decorated for the season or holiday.  She would have made the perfect school teacher!  Now, she is a Dallas, Texas real estate agent.  Talk about a natural saleswoman!

Here we are at El Chico's yesterday ...  Don't we look like we could be mischievious?

-

Hollie said, ...

"We've been friends for so long, that El Chico doesn't even serve the same dishes anymore!" 

LOL!!!

Here's are a few more photos of Hollie in a photo shoot I did for her business card.

She's so pretty!

I love her like a sister and am blessed that she is a part of my life.

Hope you all are having a great week!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap: One Week~

Jessica Sprague & Liv are keeping us Spraguemates busy!  I've picked-up some great ideas not only about digital layouts, like this timeline piece, but also topography & journaling.  The journaling exercises teach you how to hone in on key ideas & simply communicate them.

I have to brush up on the daily photography and have decided that I really need to have a memory disc for this project only.  It'll make it easier for me to pick-up my camera and go, instead of worrying about mixing daily photos in with the kid's sporting events.

I am really looking forward to the Oh Shoot class but I'm not sure I'll be able to wait.  Just may need to find a class, after I'm finished with Type + Writer 2.  I have to get ready for the two slide show presentations I'll be working on and desparately need some photography tips.

My camera may need a tune-up of it's own.  A lot of the photos from Jacq's first game came in blurred, especially while in the sports mode.  It was also very overcast which was affecting the speed of the shutter & most likely the autofocus!  So, I made sure the battery was fully-charged for yesterday's game and was more careful about holding the camera steady - although I use tripod for soccer.  I did capture some pretty cool photos, much better than Saturday's game.

Life has been quietly busy - housework, dogs, kids, sports, bills & digital scrapbooking!

Hope you are having a way awesome week!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap: The More Things Change~

This layout ... it exhausted me today!  It was coming together pretty quickly to begin with but see that big ol' parenthese thingy???  Yeah, I had to watch Jessica's tutorial about a half-dozen times to *get it* ...  PLUS!  I couldn't find my *Paint Bucket*!!!  It got hidden behind a menu item and well, you know, the drop down menu?  It wasn't droppin' down!

All-in-all, I had a great time with this.  I liked adding my old soccer team at the bottom as an overlay/color burn.  That is our team yearbook photo from '79.  We weren't *officially* a Bishop Kelley soccer team, but we were the 1st, the pioneers!  Now, BK has a highly-competitive girls and boys soccer program and field!  As usual, I am the soccer team cut-up.  You can't always rely on me to carry-on a conversation about "How little Johnny's bus stop routine ..." went for the day.  But typically, I will be the one to throw in a racey joke!  Here, I'm acting like a model and my friends are laughing at me ....  I don't get it ... I look like a model, right?  Braces and all!  Actually, I truly did admire Farrah Fawcett.  My brother had her poster and I always wanted to have a smile & breasts like hers :)  As this layout notes, I still do!

I was really a little saddened that she passed away the same day as Michael Jackson.  Were you?  I loved Michael's music - had one of his albums.  I felt like his story overshadowed hers.  She really put up an admirable battle against cancer with her bravery & zest for life - never giving up.  Hopefully, her travels to Europe encouraged the US medical community to look at options going on all over the world.  And I loved how her friend captured her spirituality on film.  I think sometimes people think that sexy people aren't spiritual or lack faith - I liked that she proved this isn't true.  Her faith was incredibly important to her.  And even though she was ditzy as all get out, she had a great heart!  {and hair ... it was still very hip}

Farrah impacted us girls, didn't she?  I had *the hair* in my 20s.  I've noticed that some women are beginning to wear their hair more Farrah-ishly lately :)  Even Bonnie Hunt had it going on for a few weeks on her television show.  {Bonnie is awesome ... so hilarious ...}

Anyway, I wouldn't be able to post this layout without thinking of Farrah, the girl next door we all modeled ourselves to look like.  My Sophomore - Senior year, I had the Dorothy Hammel cut going on.  I prefer Farrah's ... it's sexier ... ;)  For now, my hair is like Jennifer Anniston's ... and I look just like her...

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap: Adventure - Arrival in Paris~

Enjoying the Jessica Sprague, Type+Writer 2 class.  Do I sound like a walking advertisement?  No, couldn't possibly because I haven't exercised in foreverrrr ...  more like a sitting advertisement!

We do daily journaling & layouts are alternated every other day to correspond with the journaling exercise.  I enjoy writing with pen & paper - always have and find it interesting as to how many *hand written fonts* I've got between printing & script and the different uses.  I wear quite a few hats in my life & my writing definitely reflects that!

This layout was challenging in that I've used Paris, 1999 photos and had to dig them up, scan & edit them.  The journal entry is a pared down version of what was written.  I tried to capture how impressed I was with the architecture of this beautiful city.  If you click on the layout, you can probably read it.

I enjoyed the use of *Pull Quotes* ...  See the small block of text in gold.  Magazines have used these forever & have very creative ways of laying them out.  I thought my quote may have sounded kind harsh, but I was greatly impressed with Paris.  The city is huge.  The engineering of streets incredible.  Primarily, the beauty of art & craftsmanship, ultimate-details that knocked me out!  And as an American, who has a firm belief that we are *the best* country in the world, it was humbling to visit a city that has much more history & couture packed in one place than I've ever seen in my life!  And the news broadcasts were also eye-opening with detailed coverage of world affairs, issues, crisis, politics ... moreso than our sugar-coated, Good Morning America!  Admittedly, I enjoy GMA - hey, I'm American.  However, I need to take a closer look at legislation and the politicians we are putting into office.  Times have changed.  I hope we are on our way back up.  I pray that we are on our way back up!

What struck me about Paris vs. the US is the enormous contrast between artful architecture & utilitarian-style, boxy buildings & skyscrappers.  I can only imagine the mega-billions of dollars it took to develop a city like Paris.  Even their smallest apartment buildings are artfully built & quaint with balconies & tall French paned-glass doors.  Everything just *feels welcoming* there {except the waitors}.  The streets of Paris wind & are packed with adorable cafes that you cannot pass by.  They make you want to sit & relax.  And if you are in a rush, the people sitting in the cafes peer at you as if you should not be.

I realize that fashion we blast all over American media is trendy & sexy for the most part.  But!  What I found really interesting is that the women in Paris are comfortable with themselves.  A woman my age would not think about touting her mid-rift and wear very tight jeans or slacks, low cut blouses and sassy hair cuts.  Perhaps I need to travel to NYC but here in the Dallas area, we are still self-conscious about our appearance.  I suppose the message to women here is that if you don't look like this woman on tv, then don't dress like her.  In Paris, it's, if it's fashionable, you must wear it & be proud!  All I can say, is that there was a definite casually chic "Oh, I look like this all the time .... this is nothing!  And I am beautiful!" extra-padding and all ...  The men, they dress neatly.  Not too many of the men resembled *casual* to me.  There's an air of elegance surrounding Parisians.  Their shoes - all out designer, hip, cool.  Leather.  Tennis shoes, anyone?  Not that I recall!

I do believe a trip to NYC is in order for me but I'm thinking I'll need a stylist to prepare a few outfits for me.  And we can't forget the jewelry & hair!

While in Paris, an Italian, Toni & Guy hairdresser cut my hair.  Perhaps *THE BEST CUT OF MY LIFE*.  He said that he cuts hair the way a man likes to see a woman's hair ... and that some stylists miss the ques.  Hair should be sexy!  I wanted to fly back just to get my hair cut!  It was awesome!  I'll have to dig out some photos.

Hope you are having a great week.  I should find corresponding pictures for a few of the paragraphs just to get across a few points I'm trying to make here ... maybe I'll do a little research but time is so limited lately.  We'll see ..... :)

{Hugs}

Juls~

Info: Jessica Sprague $1 Deals & Random {Checklist}~

Hey all you Digiscrappers!

Check out Jessica Sprague today for her *$1 Buck Wednesday* deals. I just purchased some really cool textures and digital papers that I think a lot of you would like!

I also signed-up for her Type+Writer 2 class and have been busy with journaling lessons & assignments. I HOPE I can keep up with this class! The Beautiful Evidence class was packed full of digital templates and techniques, so I'll have to finish that up later.  I got busy with other things & fell behind. Typical! I just didn't want to miss out on the latest class. She's also got a digital photography course that I am anxiously waiting on.... I love having beautiful photos to go with layouts and it's much easier to enhance a well-taken photo. I realize I haven't even touched the surface of my Canon Rebel XTi. And I'm needing some major help.

I've offered to do slide shows for both TWU's soccer team and my son's high school golf team {repeat on the golf team}. It's exciting with the added knowledge I've picked up over the past few months. There will be lots more bells & whistles, in a quarter of the time it took for me to figure out the original templates I designed for last year's presentation!

Then, next week, it's back to business with Tres Joli Home! Time to find some fun, new clients & I'm ready to design some delicious window treatments. {My favorite thing to do in design ...}

Did I mention that I'm also enamoured with learning how to sew? I think I just need to find a seamstress with reasonable pricing for samples... But more on that later. My thought for the holidays is to come up with some home textiles for Christmas --- we'll see! I'm not posting on Tres Joli Home until I've completed some items!

Pretty big checklist for the last quarter of 2009, huh?  Can you believe the year is almost over?  Wow ...

Have a creative week!

{Hugs}

Juls~

InSights: The Joy Diet~

Happy Monday, Everyone!~

I have been blog surfing a lot this weekend and wanted to share this link with you.  I have taken on quite a few heart-consuming projects lately, so -- like I need another one!!  But when I came across this blog today, it spoke to me.  There is a spiritual side of my life that has been pulling at me a lot lately.  A thirst for goodness, guidance and inspiration.  This month I've found spiritual guidance from my nephew, Nick's visit, at a wedding yesterday & when I came across Jamie Ridler's blog.

Here's Jamie's profile description: "Jamie Ridler is a certified professional co-active coach. Through one-on-one coaching, workshops and online resources, Jamie helps creatives and solopreneurs align their professional and personal lives with their spirit. Her background in the arts infuses her coaching and encourages her clients to ignite their own creative fire. You can find her at Jamie Ridler Studios."

Many of you are deep thinkers that are also looking for inspiration and personal growth through the reflection of your artistry or words.  So, I believe that Jamie will speak to your hearts.  And if you have time, she will take you through the journey of *The Joy Diet*.  What is nice is that your participation can be whatever suits your needs & time.  You can join at any time as well.  And with all of us juggling so much, time can be hard to find!  But look ... how much time do we spend web surfing?  Maybe we should all sit still for a while & listen to our hearts & souls ...
 
Check her out & let me know what your thoughts are about her program and blog!  Join this group to join in the fun!
 
{Hugs}
 
Juls~

InSights: Two Card Maker Additions to Paper & Digital Art~

Hi Everyone!

I was blog surfing tonite and wanted to share two really great blogs on greeting card and scrapbook design.  I have also added them to my blog bar.

Flutter by Atomicbutterfly 

Card and Page

I derive a lot of inspiration from card makers that I follow. Two of my favoritist blogger-budz are Jeannie @ Dragonfly Journeys and Curt @ Curts World.  I seem to be a card-blogger-collector!!!  You know, cards have a lot of importance in our lives, don't they?  Must be exactly why I am drawn to looking at them ... and luv receiving them! Don't you spend a lot of time picking out the perfect card at the grocery store?  And to have someone design one, just for you, makes it even more special.  Jeannie has sent me a few that are terrific!  One was actually a stationary set of four that I cannot bear to use coz I love 'em!  I'm constantly checking their blogs to see the latest & greatest they've created.  I've also picked up techniques that I can use in scrapbooking, stamping and, occasionally, card making.  Anyway, they always make me smile ...

My BFF, Hollie, is a true card giver.  She has a knack for picking out the perfect card & sentiment, typically laced with humor.  Like two oldies that are supposed to represent us in WAY LATER LIFE!  Coz we're only *35* {wink} ....  She will watch me like a hawk while I carefully open the envelope and sit there smiling at me, gleeful & giddy, just waiting for me to get to the punch line! LOL ... And her gift bags are always *the cutest* and filled with colorful tissue.

If you make cards, you'll find a lot of inspiration at Flutter & Card and Page.

I love everything about cards:  THE PAPER.  THE STAMPS.  THE INK. THE RIBBON. THE EMBELLISMENTS. THE VARIETY! THE SENTIMENTS. THE HUMOR. THE BEAUTY. THE CREATIVITY. THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE.

Keep On Creatin' ...

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digital Photography: True Love is Climbing Up a Tree For Someone~

Hi Everyone!

"More! More! More! How do you like it?! How do you like it?!"

hehehe~

Remember that song?

That's what I've got *MORE ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS*! I really like how these turned out. The natural shading of the tree helped with lighting, although I had to watch shadows and edited some out with levels adjustments.  I'm still having trouble with clarity of some photos.  Not sure if this is me or my camera lense.  I've been considering selling it and buying a Nikon.

She looks like a Princess with her Prince Charming .... *Romeo Romeo???*

Actually, my daughter's friend is the type of person who is smiling constantly. She has a wonderful sense of humor & is a very loyal friend. She's a bit of a comedian making jokes & keeping everyone entertained.  Never a dull moment ...  I'll read her Facebook posts to Jacq and just laugh! I am so happy for her & her fiance. They've dated quite a while and I had a feeling *He was the one.*

This is a huge tree in our front yard. It's one of the most beautiful in the neighborhood! Our *Bride-To-Be* had this idea of climbing into the tree for their photo shoot. And he agreed!

That's true love! 

That would be like someone jumping a 6 foot fence for me!

Jacqueline and I climbed a ladder just for *THE SAKE OF LOVE*! {Please do not attempt this -- it's kinda dangerous ...} ;)


Didn't these turn out fantastic!? I tried to capture some *gorgeous* shots that that they'd always be able to look back on to reminisce!

Click on them for FULL EFFECT!

Keep Creating!

Hope your weeks is going great!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Blog Event: 100th Papier Creatif Post~

Hi Fellow Bloggers & Friends!

O-M-Gee!!!

I've reached my 100th Post @ Papier Creatif!!! 

100 Posts later, what a fun ride!  Blogging has impacted my life & daily life on so many levels.  Inspiration is at the touch of my finger tips.  I can peer into the lives of so many sweet people who are like-minded.  Each of you are blessed with unique talents & a warm human spirit.  It is here that we can let our human spirit shine by gestures of kindness, sharing & creating together.  We reach out to others here in a way that we can't with our non-Blogger friends & family. 

There's a fun comradery & support between Bloggers.  When I began blogging, I had gone through a rocky point in my life.  When there is serious illness, your mind & soul turn inward to evaluate life.  Blogging has allowed me to do that - as a way of letting my children & family know how important and loved they are, I began scrapbooking again.  It kind of went like this ...

• Eye Surgery for Basal Cell Carcinoma {I am cancer free now with a 99% cure rate!}
• Blog for Scrapbooking
• Then started doing some altered art
• Then started photographing my kids sporting events with my new camera
• Then put together a slide show presentation {learned Power Point ...}, with music I might add
• Which forced me to learn a little about Photoshop CS3 {time consuming & slow!}
• Which introduced me to Jessica Sprague, when I wrote her to ask for advice about the slide show
• Which then introduced me to her classes on digital photography editing - Frames Class
• Which then introduced me to even more of her digital scrapbooking classes - Beautiful Evidence
• Which then propelled me into thinking that I really need to hone my photography/camera skills
• Then, offered to help my daughter's friend engagement photos & album

It all starts somewhere ... and it just goes to show you that Bloggers aren't *just* computer-addicted people with nothing better to do.  If anything, I do much more than I ever have in my life.  And it's also more outward expressions of care, love & support.  {But in reality, yes, I'm totally addicted to my computer.  And I love it!}  Blogging has definitely increased my thirst for knowledge & has expanded my love of the arts.

I saw *DOOCE* on a talk show or something and heard her talk about blogging.  That's when I was introduced to the whole concept.  Prior to it, I thought blogging was something that Irish or Scottish people did and didn't have a concrete idea of what it really was ... some kind of writing I thought - like a newspaper writer or newspaper critic online.  Who knew!  I thought she was funny & candid about her life.  I understood her nature to be compelled to share her life outwardly with others.  She's made blogging her career & is successful at it.

It's no surprise to me that I Blog. My parents & siblings don't really understand it, but even in high school, I read a journal entry from my diary to my classmates as a homework assignment.  I wrote songs off & on throughout my life. Recording many, I put together a CD composed of 11 songs.  Piano, drum machine, Marty's guitar on a few, my lyrics, my singing ... Amateur but an expression of self & soul.  And a few that I feel *could be* commercial.  A few that haven't been recorded or mixed onto a CD that need to.  Writing, art, poetry, music is all a function of design.  Creating a story, a room, a song, a poem, a scrapbook page, an altered art piece or a beautiful photo - all take *COMPOSITION* & *DESIGN*.  I dream, I review, preview, redo, rethink, revise until whatever it is Falls Into Place ... and a little piece of my heart is recreated.

I've often said that I'm good at a lot of things but not excellent at one thing!  And funny that last night, Jacqueline, who is studying Plato said that in order for a person to be successful, they must only have one job in life.  Oh!  So THAT'S the problem, 1st of all I wanna do too much, have too many interests & passions, plus I'm a working Mom.  Which explains the pile of laundry ...

So true, I will agree that there are times that I feel pulled in a lot of different directions.  I turn to blogging, digital scrapbooking, art & music, as an escape.  There I can hone in on *ONE THING*, relax, create & share with all of you.  Hopefully, to inspire you or cheer you or for you to know that I am here.  Here as a kindred spirit & friend, who understands that although we are all at different stages of life & life experience but we are all a part of *The Big Picture*.

To celebrate my 100th Post & as a thanks to you all for your inspiration, I will retouch one of your favorite digital photos.  Be one of the first 3 to comment!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap: Bridge Embrace~

Hi Everyone,

Editing this digital photo was an interesting process today.  It was cropped not once, not twice, not thrice but four times until a quasi-professional & more romanctic appeal was squeezed & tilted out of it!  To illustrate this, I'm including the original photo, edited sepia version & scrapbook layout.  I loved heightening, enhancing or maybe the best word to describe this would be, communicating the love that our love birds *feel* for eachother.  Visually, I find editing digital photos is kinda like elaborating the words in a paragraph.  They may mean the same thing, but to impact the reader or viewer {or in this case my enamored desire to live vicariously through a couple in the stage of young love!} you have to find their center, the sentiment, the emotion, the compassion, the mood.......

The sepia tone created that moody quality I was looking for & it's simplistic color makes their emotion more prominent.  No bright tones to distract the eye, we are drawn in to their caress & tenderness.  Cropping is also a little art in itself.  What I tried to do was to define a line from the bridge moving across the photo and towards them vs. angles all over the place in the original photo.  To me, it "almost" has a movie quality about it.  Do you think?

If you are still reading this, you must really love me .... ;)

But really!  There are amazing things that you can do with your photographs with the Photo Editors you already have on your PCs.  Do not be timid!  Select a favorite photo, copy it first, then play around with the options.  You'll be amazed at what a little tweaking can do!  Here's proof in the pudding!  {Did I really type that?}

I've been living in Texas for a while now, huh?

Hope you are having a creative, expressive & enjoyable week!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digital Photography: Forest Archway~

Here are two versions of the Forest Arch portrait.  The tones were amped up for the top version & for the bottom, I used a few textured layers and added a color overlay.  I also cloned out sky spots in the trees to give the photo a dreamier feel - a canopy of leaf & limb with the glow of the arbor ahead, signifing their new life together - in peace - and harmony ... The way it should be ... forever and always ... AMEN!~

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap: Fishin' For Love~

I do believe they've caught themselves some *LOVE*!

Another page for their Engagement Album ...~

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap: Bridge, Ring, Boots & Jeans~

Another Engagement Album layout for our two love birds!

The layout totally captures the focal point of the ring & holding hands with the *Beautiful Life* stamp.  Additionally, another background pattern has been introduced which looks quilted & with a soft pattern.  This background will be incorporated with their *Bridge Fishin'* series.


I think this 3-panel swirly frame is great! You can do all kinds of things with it: spliting a photo, like I did this one; fading from one corner to the other with one of one photo, merging two photos together or 3 individually.

Hope your weekend was fun or that you are on your way to an awesome week!

{Hugs}

Juls~