Vintage Freebie with Keren: Shabby French Rose Tags

 

Click HERE to Download 

Vintage Freebie with Keren: Shabby Bluebird Rose Frame

Some of you have been asking for Roses and Bluebirds, so here ya go!! :) Enjoy!

Click image to enlarge and save to computer 

Wishing you all a very blessed weekend!

xo, 

Keren

www.freeprettythingsforyou.com

Photography with Jessica - Purchasing your first DSLR

People always want to know what camera I would recommend for someone who is interested in photography and would like to purchase their first DSLR.

DSLR stands for a Digital Single Lens Reflex camera.  This is what people call the "big" camera, "nice" camera, or the "real" camera!  With a DSLR you can have complete control over your photography because you have the ability to choose the settings you want, as well as change lenses to suit your needs.  Also, they can generally produce higher resolution images than a point and shoot camera.
There are some other brands that make DSLRs, but I'll just be discussing Canon and Nikon because they seem to be the most commonly used and I know that they are very high quality.  Neither brand is better than the other, they are just different.

Canon's entry level DSLR in the Rebel T2i which sells for around $500.  Here's a quick list of its features:  18 megapixels, full HD video, 3 inch view screen, self-cleaning sensor, ISO up to 6400, a 9 point focusing system and shoots up to 3.7 frames per second.  It's a great camera that has everything you need to produce amazing pictures.

They also recently release the new Rebel T3i, which is very similar, and about $125 more expensive.  The sensor, image processor and the auto-focusing system are all the same, but it has some video improvements.  If you're mainly going to be using it for photos (not video), I would save the money and go with the T2i.  But that's just me...

The D90 is Nikon's basic camera and it sells for around $800.  It has a 12.3 megapixel sensor, HD video, 3 inch view screen, self-cleaning sensor, ISO up to 3200, an 11 point focusing system and shoots up to 4.5 frames per second.  Again, a wonderful camera to start out with.

It's important to buy from a legitimate dealer and I personally love B&H Photo Video.  They are reputable, they have great prices and you can reach their customer service department with any question you may have through their toll free number or live chat online.

Dealers often sell what they call a "kit", which is a set consisting of the camera body and a lens, but the kit lenses usually aren't the greatest, so I would recommend buying just the camera body and then buying lenses separately.

Next time I'll tell you all about the different kinds of lenses out there and what they are for, so can make an informed decision on which ones would be best for you!

Facebook Timeline Header Freebies

Is anyone else dying for spring to come already?  Because I am seriously dying for spring to come already.  I go through this every February.  Here in Michigan, we have had some really awesome weather this winter, but I'm still feeling frantic for flowers.  What does this have to do with the freebie I made for you?  Absolutely nothing.  Just making conversation.

Okay, so I recently designed a few custom headers for my Facebook page and then it occurred to me that YOU may like to customize your page a bit too.  So I made you three different headers to be used on your Facebook timeline.  Sweet, right?  Bonus: They can also be used as blog headers!  I made these using goodies from the Madelyn Kit I designed and posted a link to on the Shabby Blogs FB page.  I hope you like them!

Um, so the third header is super sneaky because it is white.  Thus, you can't actually see it.  The top image in this post of my youngest daughter has a cool white inked border around it.  See that?  Whimsical, is it not?  Well, that's what the third header is...but without the watermark.  Nothing like an invisible freebie to add a little mystery to your day, right?  :)

*Click on the header images to save the full-sized PNG files to your computer.

Vintage Freebie with Keren: 4 Vintage Floral Print Banners!

Click HERE to View and Download 

*Note: Make sure you Download the Original size on Photobucket*

Photography with Jessica - Resizing and Sharpening for Use on the Internet

I often read comments from people lamenting how bad their images look when uploaded onto Facebook. The truth is that any image that is improperly prepared for the internet can look blurry, pixilated or just plain icky. So I'd like to teach you how to keep your images looking awesome on your Facebook page, blog, or website.

First of all, you need to know the size specifications for the site you're using. For Facebook, the maximum image height for vertical images is 720 pixels and the maximum width for horizontal images is 960 pixels. If you'd like to size a picture to use for your timeline cover, those exact dimensions are 851 pixels by 315 pixels.

Blog picture width will vary, so try to look it up where you got your template. For example, my photography blog is from ProPhoto Blogs and they specify that my template holds pictures that are 900 pixels wide. The same is true for websites... they each vary so find out from your web designer or the place where you purchased your template.

To start, go to the "image" tab, then to "image size".

First change the resolution to 72 pixels per inch - the web resolution standard (just for your information, 300 pixels per inch is the printing standard).  Then if the image is vertical, change the height to 720 pixels and the width will automatically be adjusted accordingly.  If the image is horizontal, change the width to 960 pixels and the height will automatically be adjusted accordingly.

The next step is to sharpen...

And there you go!  You can follow these same steps to size images according to your blog or website specifications.  And they will look awesome!

If you're interested, you can download a free Photoshop web sharpening action at Totally Rad Actions (which is what I use).

Free Digital Scrapbooking Kit

I like you.  I like that you like us.  I like you liking us so much that I designed a big fat FULL digital scrapbooking kit just for YOU.  Her name is Madelyn and I hope you like her.  It's my way of saying thanks.  Please give us the official "like" on our official Facebook page, where you will also find the link to download this kit:

To be totally honest with you, I didn't feel like counting up all of the goodies I included in this download.  I can tell you that there are 20 shabby papers in it alone and that I couldn't fit everything into the preview image.  Yeah.  It's a big file, people.  Do awesome stuff with it!  :)

Thank you!

Megan

Quirky Love Message Freebie

Sometimes you just need to publicly declare your love...via your blog...via a gnome...in a jar.  Here's a little freebie for just such occasions:

You're welcome.


*Special thanks to BoBoBabushkah for allowing me the use of this great image!

Photography with Jessica - Minimizing Under-Eye Circles

Here is another awesome Photoshop tutorial that I hope you will find really helpful!  This is the method I use for minimizing the look of under-eye circles.  Please know that I'm not an advocate of extreme retouching or fake looking pictures like those you see in fashion magazines.  All people have circles under their eyes to some extent.  That's just the shape of the human face and there is nothing wrong with that!  This video shows how I maintain a natural look while smoothing over any deep, dark, distracting areas...

Vintage Freebie with Keren: Vintage Valentine Cup Wraps!

In my vintage loving world, Valentine's Day is the cream of the crop, as far as holidays go.  With all the adorable vintage Valentine cards available, it's just so hard to choose which ones to share.  I am So in LOVE on how these little pretties turned out! :)

You can Find and Download the entire set HERE

Easy Download Directions:

 1.Click actions

2. Click on View All Sizes,

3.then select "ORIGINAL SIZE"

4.Save to your computer and print.

And Guess what!?!

These little wraps have a whole Other SET to go with them!!

I made them for a Lovey Friend to share with you all.

For any of you that want more Vintage Cup Wraps to give to that special Valentine, HERE are the ones I did Last year.

Till next time my Pretties!
xo,
Keren
www.freeprettythingsforyou.com