Photo Editing applications {+more instagram pics}

{ story of photos: We have a new bakery that has opened up in our local mall and I bought some macaroons and the tart to try. The Bakery looks just like a French Patisserie. I thought I was back in Paris for a while! They tasted delicious!}

Just sharing a few photo's of the week. Remember I said I joined Instagram? Just to clarify as there were some that said they thought it was just a photo editing tool. Well it is a photo editing tool-on your phone! You can download it on itunes for free if you have an iphone and through the play store on your anroid phone (It isn't available on BB).

You can take a pic and apply a filter and upload it straight away to FB, Twitter and your Instagram account. The cool thing is that you don't have to upload the pics you add filters to. It saves a copy in it's own folder on your phone's gallery called "Instagram".

You can also upload other photos not taken with your phone to your phone from your USB and apply filters to those.

If you are looking for other cool filter app's that work well with iphone you can take a look at Dear Lizzy -she has just done a cool post on different app's.

{story behind pics: top left : making stiry-fry for dinner; top right: dinner tonight was homemade pizza. I cheat and make the dough in my bread machine, then simply roll it out later, add some tomato paste to the base, toppings like pineapple, ham, tomato, olives, mozz cheese, garlic and pepper and in the oven for 15 min. tastes totally yum and is a fraction of the prize of take-out pizza! Plus I enjoy making them!
Bottom left: An order ready to go out Bottom right: a page in my Paris Journal}

{story behind pics: It is freezing here, so I had three layers on a scarf. The Patisserie I was talking about earlier. Don't they look totally divine?!}

For Anroid users You can download Retro Camera, pudding camera and phonto (add text to your photo - many fonts, sizes, tilting etc) Camera360 and Pixlr-o-Matic (this one is fantastic! It has way more effects and frames than Instagram!)

The photo below is done with phonto.

If you have a BB. Go to your app world and download MOLOME-very basic but some nice effects. Pixtrix is also a good one and photo studio.

Moving on...
New Etsy Goodies
I have two new Digital Journal card packs in my Etsy store this weekend.
It was nice to do a bit of designing again - apart from custom orders.

You can get 5% off either of these Journal packs by entering code: SUPPRISECODE22JULY
at checkout!
*only valid on these two items
*only valid for the weekend!

It's school holidays for the next three weeks, so I won't be around much, I might pop in when I get a chance to post some photo's of any nice outings we do etc.

Instagram!

Okay so I know I am a bit late in joining the Instagram band wagon...but I have a BB. However, I used my Son's Anroid phone to download the app today and played around with it. It's quite fun. I can see the interest for anyone who loves taking photo's and for anyone who loves a good photo effect. *hands up in the air here*.
I do prefer using my normal camera any day...which was kindly upgraded for me recently by hubby as a surprise gift! (Canon 500D) ♥ it. And of course with all the free actions out there for PS or PSE, editing on the PC is a dream.

Saying all that, I can see the advantage of Instagram..I am not one for taking photos with my phone as i always find the quality dismally disappointing, but the effects are so good that they make the average camera photo look pretty good (as you can see with all the photos on this post, taken with my phone).

I have a question for anyone who is an old hand at Instagram...How do you "follow" someone's instagram's photos or can you only do so on the cell phone app? If you look at the screen shot below from my PC you will see it says "0 Followers", so I gather you can follow someone.
Any help would be appreciated. (and any followers! )

Breakfast

Working on my Paris Journal (still) this morning

another cup of coffee down the gullet!

from my garden

In my garden

Kissing birds and a fake rose

One of the many little bird ornaments that grace my shelves!

A photo of a photo ..playing with the tilt app in instagram!

Send me your instagram and I will follow you *when I figure out how to!*
You can also follow me on twitter, as I am uploading my instagram pics to it.

I wanted to also just blog about my dearest Friend, Emma.
She had opened her Etsy shop now and has 4 adorable little soft cuddlies for sale!

Totally adorable...who couldn't help but fall in love with those big eyes!

And 3 gorgeous little bunnies...she has a delightful little story behind each one too.

You can see more of my lovely friends sweet creations and other crafts on her blog!

A Plum Orchard

Hello!
Hope you had a lovely weekend!
I got to walk in a beautiful plum orchard on the weekend on a lovely private farm.

Here are some photo's I took whilst there.

A week in recap

It's been a long week and I am glad it's Friday.

A week in recap:
-Last Saturday my son woke us up with a cup of coffee in bed. We were so amazed and touched. He has made coffee before, but at our request. This time he did it all on his own, and brought it to us. It was the sweetest thing ever. *big lump in throat*
-My hubby told me he loves my eyes and then proceeded to get tears in his. *arwww*
-It's been really freezing here!
-I finished one frame and hung it up...(It's lovely...will share soon).

Today...
-Today we had some sun, I sat outside and soaked it up.
-Today we had the most amazing sunset, I rushed outside to take photos.

-Today I had some friends over for cake and coffee and enjoyed picking some roses from my garden for my table.

Enjoy your weekend!

Travel Journals and Shop Update coming soon.

Hello!
Today has been rather chilly but thankfully not as windy!
I've been wearing my wellies a lot as fetching the kids from school can be quite a wet experience of late with all the puddles one has to step through!

I actually bought these last year when we went to the snow on a little camping trip.
And of course was ecstatic when I saw this pair with birds on!!

Enjoying the warmth of layers and knitted items!

I spent the morning doing routine housework : vacuum, washing the floor, making beds, picking up toys, putting washing in the machine, hanging washing up, putting ingredients in the bread machine to make pizza dough for tonight {which I made and it was delich}

But there were little bright bits in the morning: admiring my gorgeous roses...

making carrot and apple muffins, getting a package in the post (my first Smash book!! Eeek!!!). Actually I haven't even opened the package, but I ordered it and it came today and I am silly like that...when I get a letter or a special package I wait until I can open it by myself, with nobody around to spoil the moment!!

I have an Etsy shop update coming up on Monday the 11 June. {Only one of each item!}
Here are some previews. They will be in the shop first thing Monday!

10cmx15cm mini Travel Journal with 32 pages
Bound with Coptic Stitch.
Comes complete with a whole stash of embellishments!

Some previews of the pages inside.


The Coptic Stitch Journal is a great little idea, so quick and easy to embellish and turn into a little mini album of sorts.
Here is one I did of my kids:

Another 10cmx15cm Journal.
Ring Bound with 20 pages.
Each page is embellished, just add photos and journaling.

Another 10cmx15cm Mini Journal. Ring Bound too.
Comes with 10 lined pre punched pages (20 pages in total)
And a pile of Embellishments to make it your own.
Fun, fun, fun!
(There are even some stickers I got while in Paris I added to the kit!!)

Enjoy your weekend and see you Monday!

{Tutorial}Pretty Packages.

Hello friends!
Today has been one of the coldest days so far...and we are just entering our winter!
We had winds of 48km/h too! It was really miserable. The wind seems to have died down a bit now, but earlier I had to go and fetch my municipal bin down the end of my road as it had blown away! As well as call my husband to come home from work as our Patio Gezebo was about to blast off into outta space! If pigs could fly, today would of been the day to see some pigs "flying" -with the wind!


So last night we saw my husbands niece's and I gave them their handmade Journals.
I am so happy I made them as they absolutely loved them!!
So it was the perfect gift for them!

I wanted to show you the wrapping I did for them. To me, a beautifully wrapped gift is part of the gift. I so enjoy wrapping gifts, I think more than the gift giving itself!! I love gift giving, and I love being creative with how I wrap things. I love it when people say "It's so beautiful, I don't want to open it" ! Am I crazy? Probably...just a little. There is just something oddly satisfying about hearing that, to know the joy of opening it is starting with how it is wrapped and knowing the wrapping can be kept and used in a scrap book or on a tag or even to wrap another present! (hee hee).

So Today I thought I would share a quick tutorial on gift wrapping.
Now, I don't profess to be a pro at this or think my gift wrapping is out of this world, but I don't think it's too shabby! hee hee. And I know there is always someone that could benefit. So here goes...

What you need:
*wrapping paper of your choice
* cello-tape, scissors,
* paper doilies
* ribbon
* gift tag
* pin
* flower

Step One:
Start with the basic, wrap your gift. Once it is wrapped, cut a piece of ribbon about 1m in length.
Tie the ribbon around the parcel and loop it at the back (the ugly part)then twist it.


and turn the parcel and wrap the ribbon from the back to the front, tie a knot.

Step two
With the ribbon, tie a bow. Then with the lengths, tie another bow and again and again. You should be able to get about 4 bows out of the lengths.

Step three:
Glue a paper doily onto the side over the ribbon.
Glue some paper tags on, a flower with a pin through and you are done!

And one more tutorial.
On How to wrap this:

What you need:
*gift wrap
*scissors, tape and craft glue
*string
*old music paper
*tags
*3 paper doilys
*thick ribbon
*1 flower

Step one
wrap gift. Then cut a strip of music paper about 4cm wide. Long enough to just wrap over the top and bottom. Glue that on.

Step two
Next glue on a paper doily on the right bottom and top left.
Wrap your ribbon around the gift and secure it at the back with tape.
Then with a new long piece of ribbon, secure in front with a piece of tape.

Step three
Make a loop with the ribbon. Glue the underneath of the loop and where the loop meets. Hold in place until it doesn't spring up anymore.

Step Four:
Loop the ribbon again and repeat the steps with the glue.

It should look like this {two loops}

Do this a third time{three loops on each side}

Step Five:
On the third loop, glue it down back onto itself and then loop to the right, folding the ribbon underneath so that the two sides meet. Glue it all down. Now you can start on the right side, repeating the steps until you have three loops again.

Here you can see what I mean when I say glue underneath. Basically three layers of glue.

two loops on the right side

All three loops on the left and right side. {It's sort of a concertina effect}
The last loop on the right side, fold the edge of the ribbon underneath and glue it.

Press it all down or put a heavy book ontop for a few minutes until the glue has set.

Step six
Now you can add your embellishments.
I used a paper doily. I cut 4 slits into it and then sort of folded the slits one on top of the other so that it stood up a bit more. Glued that down and then glued the flower to that.

In the bottom right corner on the doily, I glued the tags down. {punched a hold and tied with string first}

And there you go! Hope it can help someone! Feel free to pin!! {as long as it links back to my blog, I don't mind!}