sketch thursday

Today's sketch was inspired by Suz's He tied the knot layout from this month's DT gallery.

Annette is joining us again today with another beautiful layout:

"I was inspired by Suz's cute layout that celebrating a simple but fun moment. It reminded me of making chocolate muffins with my daughter when my husband was out of town, and how she wanted to play Happy Birthday with it. So we did on a Wednesday night. And it was just a fun moment to cherish. I was inspired to use the single photo placement (with the grid paper background)with the main bulk of elements on the right side of the page, along with a cute banner at the top left. I adapted it to an 8.5x11 page and so I used spray mist for my circles (hard to see with the photo.) Also added the gold thread stapled in a "knot" for a little accent and to incorporate her theme a little. Added strips and a tab from the Penelope collection to finish it off. Love how it turned out!" Annette

For a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the Shop create a project inspired by today's sketch, upload it to our Member Gallery and post a link here. A random winner will be selected and announced with next week's sketch.

Last week's randomly selected winner is...Kristina

Congratulations!! Please email michelle@shopellesstudio.com the following info:

Name/Address:

Contest: Sketch 09.19

Prize: $10 Elle's Studio gift certificate

Project Life Member Gallery Spotlight

I am always so inspired by the Project Life spreads found in our Member Gallery!  We just love looking at your work!   Here are a few that caught my eye this month!

I love the layouts that krystyn13 posted in our Member Gallery!  I love how she used the Summer Bucket List (and typed on it) from our Saltwater Collection.   In the second layout, the beach photos with the woodgrain "Beautiful Day" tag is perfect together!

I love that Mariclaudi really focused on the photos in this spread!  The orange card stands out as a great compliment to the many photos. 

There is so much good stuff in damitaprilurcool 's layout-- I love all the photos, colors, and tags she was able to incorporate.   Including a list of the books currently reading is such a great idea!

Congrats ladies!  Please contact michelle@shopellesstudio.com with the following information:

Name/Address:
Contest: Project Life Member Gallery Spotlight
Prize: $5 GC

We would love to feature YOU on our blog!  Just upload your Project Life Spread in our Member Gallery and you may be featured! 

fun with cards

Hi guys. Fun with cards is back! This is the perfect time of year to send a handmade, handwritten note to a special one. I recently received a card from a friend and I have to tell you, it really meant a lot to me. I keep going back to read it over and over and it makes me smile every time.

Today's cards are all about mixing colors, patterns and shapes:

all my heart: I love this paper from the Penelope collection and decided to use it as a background. I cut around the hexagons, removed some and layered others on top of the same color. To make those stand out a bit I inked the edges with a soft grey ink. The paper clip tag worked perfectly as a sentiment.

many thanks: On this card, I mixed Penelope with September's monthly kit. I added two paper strips to a white background, punched fall leaves in different colors and finished it up with a banner. Very simple.

hello friends: Here I mixed August kit with September's. I love how well all the kits coordinate! I layered the striped card with the frame, then added a few sequins to make it a bit more festive :)

Project Life

This week's Project Life covers the week of August 26-September 1.

This was the start of many new things in our home this week--- the start of a full week of school, new routines, the start of a long holiday weekend, and the start of a new life for our dear friends.   Lots of good stuff.

I kept it simple, design wise.  I pulled various Elle's Studio products and matched it with the Seafoam Core kit that I am using.  

I loved stamping the hearts (from our Penelope Stamp, available next Monday!) onto a photo punched in a circle.   That photo melts my heart.

We want to feature your Project Life album!  During the last week of each month we will be featuring a couple Project Life spreads that caught our eye in the Member Gallery.  We will be posting Project Life spreads on our blog tomorrow!   If your spread is featured we will be sending you a $5 gift card to use in our store.   Good Luck!

Project Life was created by Becky Higgins as a way to simplify how you document life and preserve memories. Photo pockets used in my Project Life album are created by Becky and can be found here.  You can read of all the Elle's Studio Project Life posts here.

Capture Life - 09.23.13

Capture Life – Hello Bokeh

Time to get up close & personal and say hello to the beauty of Bokeh!

Defined by Wikipedia as : the blur or the aesthetic quality of blur, in out of focus areas of an image.

Every once in awhile  I get the chance to take a walk in nature and capture the beauty that is around us. Yesterday I set out to capture the “weeds” that grow on our ground; most of which are starting to turn brown as they gear up for Fall. By getting up close and using a large aperture (lowest f-stop number) I am able to create images that almost become abstract or Fine Art like. Okay, well maybe not that amazing, but we can all dream right? 

I love my 50mm 1.4 the best for capturing Bokeh, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be captured with other lenses as well. 

I was lucky enough to have this adorable little bee land at just the right time for this photo: thank you Mr. Bee

Canon 50mm f1.4 1/1328 ISO160

This photo had beautiful light filtering through the trees right behind it creating those beautiful soft circles.

Canon 50mm f1.4 1/1328 ISO160

I got down on the ground for this shot. It was an open shade area to prevent any harsh shadows.

Canon 50mm f1.4 1/400 ISO 160

This photo is possibly my favorite. I was shooting from below the subject so I could get just a hint of sun flare at the top. 

Canon 50mm f1.4 1/8000 ISO200

This last example was shot with a smaller aperture (larger number) f5.6 rather than f1.4 just to show you that even if your lens doesn't go to f1.4 or f1.8 or even f2.8 you can still get this look!

I had to turn this one into black and white. I love the way the entire image becomes about texture. 

Canon 50mm f5.6 1/125 ISO200

And if anyone is wondering. I shoot A LOT of photos. That’s the beauty of digital. Don’t be afraid to keep that button clicking!

Now, let’s get those photos on a page and our memories recorded!

I went very simple with this page and did a tiny image to allow the beautiful tags from the September Tag kit shine. LOVE this kit! Have you gotten yours yet?

Here’s a look at the kit: Go get yours HERE!

I hope you are inspired to get up close and capture the tiny details of nature. 

Now go on … Get out and Capture Life!

Our new collections coming soon!

We are excited to announce that our new collections will be available in our shop on Monday, September 30th at 8:00 am PST! Don't miss this fun launch of all three of our new collections, along with some new layout kits!

Sign up for our newsletter to receive a reminder when everything is live!

Guest Designer Spotlight: Becky Novacek

I am pleased to introduce you to our September Guest Designer, Becky Novacek!

There is something so beautiful and charming about Becky's work.  The details, the vintage touches, and the incredible photography have always left me feeling inspired.  We are just thrilled to have her as our guest designer this month and are excited for you to get to know her a little better (and WOW, check out her studio!).    Be sure to view her full gallery, I know you will love it.   Thanks so much for joining us this month Becky!


name: becky novacek
location: fremont, nebraska
blog: www.beckynovacekphotography.com/blog
twitter: @beckynovacek
your 3 favorite ES products: Saltwater Papers, Saltwater Summer Happiness Stamps, Saltwater Tabs

Why did you start scrapbooking and how did you get started?

I started scrapbooking when I had my first baby.  I didn't use any particular method, I jut cut images of out magazines that I liked and added them to the baby books.

What are three products you can't live without?

Tags pattern paper, and vintage papers for layering.

Where do you scrapbook?

My Studio which is an upstairs bedroom.

What do you listen to/watch while scrapbooking?

I have netflix on my iPad running constantly... usually playing a whole season of a TV show at a time.

What is your favorite color combination?

golden yellow and pink currently.

What/who inspires you?

visuals like magazines, window shopping, beautiful websites.

Do you record every moments or just special ones?

mainly everyday happenings.

What is your favorite thing about scrapbooking?

the hands-on creative expression incorporating three of my loves: paper, photos, and writing.

Do you have a scrapbooking goal?

To continue to enjoy it and make things that I like to look at.

What are three facts about you that others might not know?   

1.  I'm really interested in health/fitness/good food
2.  I am outside every possible minute that I can be
3.  If I weren't a photographer, I would probable be an interior designer.

We are giving away Becky' s favorite Elle's Studio items!  Leave a comment on this post for your chance to win!

InLinkz.com
Saltwater Papers, Saltwater Summer Happiness Stamps, Saltwater Tabs