Travelling, portrtait photography and digital scrapbooking from templates

I am combining both my WFMW along with a Travel Tips carnival going on at Antique Mommy.

Here are several tips that have worked for me.

• Clingy Make-a-scene sticker books – these re-useable make-a-scene “clingy” stickers are great for traveling, as not only can they be used on the scene they come with, but also cling to airplane windows! This was wonderful when we were on a transatlantic flight to Florida, flying with 3 kids, including my son who was 18 months.

They can be found for a couple of pounds in all the major Disney characters, as well as Thomas the Tank Engine, Barbie and most kids tv characters. I always keep a few in the car, and they are also useful distractions while waiting in restaurants.

• My second tip is also for long-haul flights.

I gather up small “pocket money” toys and puzzles, pencils and mini-notebooks, stickers key-rings, and indiviually wrap them. Then on the flight, at hourly intervals, the kids get to choose a present to open, and hopefully this will entertain and distract them for a little while longer. For older kids these presents can be numbered, and include clues towards the final treat.

For more Travelling Tips visit Antique Mommy and for more WFMW visit Rocks in My Dryer.

My Portrait Portfolio

Well my photography course People Imagery is complete. At the end of the 4 modules we had the option of submitting a portfolio with 4 new images illustrating what we have learnt.

This is the second course I have taken with CJ, and I feel I know so much more that I ever would have from a book. It is not just the lessons by CJ, but also the great active forum, where we share our results.

To illustrate the wonders of Photoshop Elements, I have included the same photos below, straight from the camera, before any cropping or tweaking.

Hopefully you can see the difference!

Digital Scrapbooking

On the Weeds and Wildflowers Blog this week there is a great sketch challenge. Check it out for this free template.

When using a template it is not necessary to follow it to the last detail, but as you can see from my interpretation, although I started with this template, my final layout ended up quite different.

Often when creating a layout, I start with the photo and a template, and maybe a specific kit in mind, but often the layout evolves through the process. So if you are new to digital scrapbooking, don’t feel that templates are “set in stone”. The joy of digital scrapbooking is the personal creativity – no two people will end up with the same layouts, despite using the identical kit and starting from the same template. For more examples using this template, visit The Meadow blog.

If you use 80% of Weeds and Wildflower products, you can link up your layout in the comments section, and have the chance of winning a gift certificate for the Weeds & Wildflower store.

My Giveaway

Remember you can still enter my giveaway to win a digital scrapbooking gift or card created by ME using YOUR photos by visiting jm digital designs, or click on the graphic below.