Just a Mom, HA!

Thursday Reveal #31

Wordless Wednesday #31 was taken in our old apt over the summer while sharing a fudgecicle.

I used picnik.com to touch up the exposure and colors.  Then I used a faded black and white effect and covered it with Orton-ish with no bloom which really put the emphasis right on Cee’s face.

The title I chose for this pic: Chocolate Crush

Picking top contributions this week is a KILLER!  I laughed at every single entry, so I’ll do things a bit different this week.

The top spot goes to Mama D since her title, How do I love chocolate? Let me count the ways…. Aahh… My new love… chocolate, was closest to mine.

The top three most funny suggestions go to:

1. Sara N with: “What? I wasn’t eating anything…”
2. Amber with: Armed & Cute: The Chocolate Bunny Killer
3. Kelly with: “Hmmm…. yep, I think I’ll save that for later”

Thanks everyone for playing along and I’ll see you back here next week!

Wordless Wednesday #31

As always with Wordless Wednesdays, please leave a comment with the title or description that you would give this picture.  On Thursday I’ll reveal the name I chose as well as the top 3 contributions.

Thursday Reveal #30

Wordless Wednesday #30 was taken in our office with a daylight setting and no flash, which is what allowed the movement capture in Cee’s arm.  I did very little to edit this picture, but I did send it through picnik.com to adjust the exposure, color, and then put a faded sepia tone over everything.  I like how faded sepia adds a warmth to the sunshine in the picture.

I used little editing, because I wanted the crop of the picture to be more important this week.  The original shot showed the toy parrot that Cee was reaching for, but by cropping that away your imagination has to create the story.  I was so pleased by so many of the comments that played right into that idea I was going for.

My title for this pic: Just Out of Reach

My top contributions were:

1. Sarah N with: No paparazzi please!
2. Mama D with: Hummm… I want to rest, but I want to get that toy… Can I do both? Let me see… Maybe I can reach it without moving…
3. Proud Grandpa with: Cee demonstrating a new toddler Tai Chi position

Thanks for playing along with me.  Here’s hoping we have internet at our new house in time for Wordless Wednesday next week!

Wordless Wednesday #30

As always with Wordless Wednesdays, please leave a comment with the title or description that you would give this picture.  On Thursday I’ll reveal the name I chose as well as the top 3 contributions.

Photo Challenge: Poster Art

Yesterday I promised a tutorial for making poster art for free on picnik.com.  Here goes:

Step 1: Select a photo in which the person’s face is well lit and is the largest feature in the picture.  Full body shots don’t work as well. Are you going to print this picture when your done? If so, choose the size that you want and crop your picture to fit those dimensions (8×10, 5×7, whatever).  If you make this without cropping then print you will loose some of your words!  This can be done on your computer, or in the edit tab on picnik.It also helps if the subject is as breath-takingly beautiful as this, but the mother in me digresses….

Step 2:  Once the photo has been uploaded to picnik, click on the Create tab.  Use the Doodle function in the Effects menu to white out the picture all around the face of your subject.  Brush color can be selected by clicking on the default color then picking white from the drop down menu.  Reducing colors makes for an easier time with the poster function and sets a clean slate for writing.  I suggest using a very large size brush to white out most of the background, then make the brush smaller and not as strong to go around the face.  The zoom tool in the bottom right corner helps you get in close.

Step 3: Now that the face has been outlined, open the Posterize function that is also in the Effects menu.  Using the 3 scales adjust the picture to get the image that you prefer.  I recommend using no more than 8 colors (less is usually best since more colors makes for a most splotchy face), then adjusting the detail percentage until I have the look I want.  Using a little fade also helps put depth into hair, but too much fade takes away from the poster look.

*Hint: is that face looking a little too shadowed?  I found that by going to the Ortonish tool, getting rid of the bloom entirely, then upping the brightness to very high percentages helps with that.

Step 4: Your image is ready for writing.  Go to the Text menu to pick the font(s) you like and get writing.  Once you add the words that you’ve written you can adjust sizes and colors as you like.

I used many different fonts to write lots of Cee’s nicknames.  I also put his full name on it, but that’s just for my eyes.

Step 5: Your done! Go to the Save and Share tab to save the image back to your computer, but be sure to slide the JPG quality bar all the way to 10 (especially if you plan to print this).

WANT MORE? Try using the other effect buttons before writing on your picture.  One I’d recommend is using the Boost tool in the Effects menu.  It can do cool things to the slight colors in your pic and you can use the bar to make is as strong or weak as you like.  I used boost on a poster for Jay and was very pleased with the outcome:And I didn’t want to feel left out, so I did one with me and Jay surrounded by the words of our wedding song, Embraceable You.

Good luck Mamas with the challenge!  I’d love to see what you come up with if you want to share.

Thursday Reveal #29 with Photo Challenge Preview

Wordless Wednesday #29 was taken in the late afternoon in front of the Alamo in downtown San Antonio.  I love this time of day there. The towering buildings send their creeping shadows across the front of the Alamo, blocking the harsh sun so you can really see the details of the façade without burning out your eyes, but the sky above and the trees behind are still brightly lit.  I used picnik.com to adjust the contrast of the picture, round the corners, and I used the Cross Processing option to add an “aged” look.

I call this picture, Ruggedly Handsome.  It seemed fitting with the stories of the manly men who are part of the Alamo’s history.

My top contributions for the week are:

1 – Sara N with: And then there was peace in San Antonio

2 – Proud Grandpa with: Shadows of the Past

3 – Javann with: Shadows of San Antonio

Jay was ABSOLUTELY disqualified for saying “Remember the Alamo” and for not reading his warning.  Do I know that guy or what?

Photo Challenge Preview:

Did anyone see the poster images that were highlighted on the Pioneer Woman this week?  Yes, I do check in with the Pioneer Woman from time to time, after all, she set the ground work for so many of us female bloggers.  I thought the images were quite the departure from the norm, but also something that could be mimicked easily yourself.  I did a little playing around on picnik.com and made my own version (for FREE):

I’ll put up some step by step instructions for making this same type of picture of your child tomorrow, so be sure to check back if you’re interested!  If you like the originals best (and who can blame you for that) they can be made through the artist’s etsy shop HERE for $25.

**Picnik.com doesn’t pay me to talk them up – I just love their FREE tools!