Mary Solaas

I was playing around yesterday with that multiple transparent frames which I made into several masks. This is two of the cat pictures I came up with - one is of the CF Spark cat I asked for and one is of my nephew's cat.

I didnt take a snapshot of it, but my time was 16 minutes!

Cassel - the book you are giving to your son-in-law is precious. I have made 3 layout books now - all 8X8 standard from Shutterfly. Quality is good with the standard and the journaling shows up with the 8X8 standard format. My almost 50 page book of the travel challenge i just completed came out ok, but I learned that there is a special way you have to handle the double pages for printing when you are not ordering the flat book. I've shown it to my daughter and my granddaughter, whose critique I respect, and they are happy with it. the best one I made was of the chattanooga trip my daughter and I took last year. That one was made with layouts on a single page (not double page) although I created the single pages with the idea of 2 pages facing each other - and I got them printed that way. The first book I had printed was a hit with one of my other granddaughters - as she was one who was on that trip. that one was of the first travel challenges I made with you. All in all, I'm happy with printing layouts and when there is a sale, it is definitely worth it.

Wasn't sure if I would do something for this, but I got to playing this morning with that BAS Globe that was offered somewhere here last Christmas or the Christmas before. I made it a mask and then came up with this. Working with the magic wand wasn't cooperating at first, not sure why, but I extracted the shape of the placque and then filled it with a color similar to the placque background; used Arial Bold for the text and then effects>cutout with a fill color of yellow, and this is what I came up with (also changed the background color from red since it wouldn't go with this picture. The picture is of the manger scene at our church.

I'm back on the Alphabet Soup (from a challenge or workshop in 2022!). I'm down to X.

I was born in a hospital in Newark NJ, though we lived in Union City at the time. We then moved to Hillside, NJ and my brother was born when we lived there. We then moved to Elizabeth NJ where I went to Blessed Sacrament Grade School for the 1st 3 years. We moved to St Louis MO in the spring of 1942, but I had only completed the 1st 2 months of 3rd grade as I had contracted a kidney disease and my mother kept me home until we moved.

Since I was born in NJ and lived the first 8 years there, maybe I heard my mother use it. At any rate, I do remember that word being used in my hearing.

I remember the word "Bumbershoot" but I'm not sure where I heard it - maybe when I was living in the UP? Is it a "Yankee" word?

Back to transparent frames. I tried out the Adjustment layers and added texture effects. Can't colorize them though. So back to my original transparent frames made with the selection tool and opacity changes. I can colorize them as well as texturize them. I even put Lucy's paws outside the 2 inner frames. I find that you can save the adjustment layers and slip in any picture, so you can save it and reuse it. In my original transparent frames, I also inner beveled them

@Sue Thomas Thanks; I see what you mean by the Adjustment Layers - adjusting the brightness and contrast creates a transparent frame around the photo. Am I right? I haven't looked at that Master Class yet, but looking at your pictures demonstrating the Adjustment Layer technique, that is what I am seeing.

This one is a mask saved with the frames in various opacity of white.

I also made the 3 transparent frames into a mask and this is the result. I'm just having too much fun. I really need to get back on the Alphabet Soup album as I only have 3 layouts to go before I get it ready to print.

I guess you are referring to the square mask I made from the top of the November calendar. I worked with the group as a whole to change the vertical to a square.

Well, the next thing I did this morning was to take the top of the November Calendar and copy it and change the copy to a square and then use it as a mask and this is what I came up with.

It may have been the mask used in November that I saw (dreamed I saw) with the varying opacity of each frame. I will try that since I downloaded November and December.

@Sue Thomas Yes, I know about the transparent ribbon frame script, and I can duplicate that (takes time); however, what I saw was not that, it was like using the transparent picture frame, but it is not that either. So the closest to what I remember (or dreamed) was what I pictured above. I used separate layers for each frame; used the selection tool set to rectangle, then selection>modify>selection borders (I believe I set it to 35). What I remembered was the different opacity for each frame, and so I did that on each layer.

Now that the Travel Tale is finished, off to the printer, on its way to my home, I am playing again. Decided to look at that 3 transparent frames with varying opacity. This is what I came up with, but it isn't what I saw (think I saw???)

So beautiful. I, too, like the watercolor effect around the photos.

@Susan Ewart As the waiters are roaming about the restaurant with pots of additional food you might want, there are waiters with carts of freshly baked yeast rolls, and if you want a roll, they will throw you one. Sometimes it is from the front of the restaurant to the back (they must practice on the baseball diamond). And the food is fantastic - just like it came from your grandmother's kitchen. and the 45 pages are actually counting each double page as 2 pages. It was interesting putting them up on Shutterfly last night. As the double page doesn't go straight across 2 pages, it splits and you match up the center of the page on each page. I had never uploaded double pages before so this was a new experience for me.

@Ann Seeber I do plan on getting it printed. Thank you for your kind words.

These are the last 2 layouts. There are 45 pages to this album.

Thanks for the answer. I'm going to bite the bullet (if I finish the travel tale album) and buy it on Cyber Monday. The previous albums I had printed at Shutterfly were great - couldn't afford the 12X12 but the 8X8 worked well. Those were only about 20 pages. Gave them to my daughter who really loves them. Her children loved them too. This one is going to be more than 40 pages.. I like my Epson 6100 printer. I print out my greeting cards on them. You said you print directly from PSP? I haven't tried that, as I've been printing them from Word. I may try that next.

I may go ahead and just do it - what has been running around in my head - it was so intriguing. You know, I get stuck on some of the details and attempt to create them. but, it is goiong to have to wait until I finish the travel tale. I've got a double page I'm working on for the last rv spot we were at - St. Peter. MO, Then a double page on the ride home - we stopped at the home of Throwed Rolls. and then that's it. But, if Im going to take advantage of Cyber Monday, I'll have to hurry to finish it up.

I can't imagine where I saw it, but it has been invading my dreams. Maybe I dreamed it to begin with. It was a display of 2 pictures and one just caught my eye and I've been obsessed with it every since (on how to achieve it- even to dreaming about that). One was of a frame that was a group of 3 transparent frames - various opacity I think. Has anyone else seen this? if so, where?

Thank you for answering, Rene. I, too, prefer the real camera to the phone, although I sometimes use it. I'll research that printer you said you have. It must be a beauty. I have an Epson that I'm fond of but it won't print 12 X 12 - it has 5 cartridges. The travel tale I'm working on will be over 40 pages by the time I'm through. Shutterfly has been my go-to for printed albums (not many - just 2 so far) and I've been pleased. So if I'm reading right, you wait for unlimited pages at Shutterfly, then order your 12 X 12 pictures which you place in page protectors and put in a purchased album. Is that correct? I think I can see that. This is a great forum for airing problems in photography and displaying photos. Before joining this forum, I would print albums with the Canon program (8-1/2 X 11) and was very pleased with it as it also gave me the ability to add text and clip art. I would print out the pictures and put them in albums that had page protectors and everything was fine. But I am so glad I graduated to this forum. Carole is absolutely the best teacher (much like my cook book - great at step-by-step even if you don't know how to boil water!). But now the problem is that I have so many layouts that I would like to get printed. My daughter suggested that I put them in videos (I had also worked in Video Studio, and it was good for an ametuer, and was fun, but I'm a book person and like to hold it in my hands and flip pages. Well, on to making a decision. thank you for your input.