Sunday, November 05, 2017

Serena

Hello everyone, I hope you've enjoyed your weekend.  Here it's turned cool and wet, once the house is clean I'm going to play in my craft cave :)

You may have seen this card on Facebook already, I used a favorite stamp by Chocolate Baroque - Serena and added embellishment die cuts by Crealies Flower 13 along with the set of 3 that match  that seem to be discontinued and Creative Expressions (branches).   I thought maybe I went a little overboard on the branches, but couldn't pull them off once they were glued, so I added some white paint to break up the blob of brown.

I started with Tom Bow water colour markers on the image and and then used Prisma pencils on her hair.  I didn't  like how green it was turning out so I used a white Wink of Stella marker and white dots with an acrylic pen which softened the colour to a lighter shade and created a different effect.


I've changed computers and no longer have the free copy of Picasa for adding soft edges and words to my photos.   Does anyone know of a free and SAFE to download software for photo editing or know where I can still find Picasa?  I've seen some links but don't trust them.    I had a trial of Photoshop but it's way too complicated for what I want/need.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day
Shirley

16 comments:

Donna Ellis said...

oh oh OHHHHHHHHH! Shirley, this has deeply touched my heart. Your lovely woman definitely exemplifies your heart and spirit - and reminds me of how I feel MANY, MANY times throughout the day. I feel so BLESSED and FULL and the LOVE surrounds me and deeply wraps me an aura that doesn't so much protect me, as it mostly saturates anything else around me, so that I don't feel the negative spaces that often try to infiltrate through a number of sources.

The colors are amazing - the soft teal/aqua against the earthy browns, and that spark of pink! I see it peeking from beneath the candle's flame as well. Gorgeously done! I admire how you were able to apply the white dots so perfectly. No, not too many branches. It is those branches in our lives that lead us into the most marvelous of journeys, most protectively when too hot, and allowing the warmth of the sun through on the chilly days - it is the branches that sustain the life and beauty of leaves, flowers, nuts, seedlings... The layers of them are gorgeous against your flowers. WONDERFUL CREATION - I could go on and on with the symbolism, but maybe someone else wants to leave a comment LOL

loving you,
de

Pat said...

Serena looks wonderful inside that gorgeous dark frame Shirley and with the dark foliage which provides great contrast to the pretty Crealies flowers. I love the white dots on her hair and the foliage, such a great idea to break up and soften the brown. Since Loll kindly revamped my blog I have a watermark for my photos and that is all I use but I must admit the softened edges do look good but I don't have anything for that on my computer. Is there no way you can transfer the Picasa to your new computer? My computer skills are not that great but I would have thought there might be a way to do it. x

Valerie-Jael said...

Gorgeous card. Picasa has been discontinued, so may be difficult to still find it. Have you tried Microsoft Paint? It has quite a lot of editing possibilities. Hugs, Valerie

Crafting Queen said...

Stunning card. Hope you are well. We are doing ok. Skipper had to visit the vet last week for more painkillers. She has been better today. Take care. Hugs and purrs Anesha and Skipper

froebelsternchen said...

A wonderful feminine card Shirley!
I use PhotoFiltre that is for free download
and I like it very much.

brenda said...

The image is just beautiful Shirly - could be I am a bit baised, but love what you have done with her and the little white highlights in her hair.

B x

brenda said...

Comment posted as I thought I saw I spent your name wrong Shirley, sorry of I did.

B x

Greta said...

This is just gorgeous, Shirley! Her hair is beautiful & I love the branches! I have few computer skills & am really missing Picmonkey since it's no longer free. Currently I'm using both BeFunky & piZap to edit my photos & add a watermark. Haven't taken time to see if just one would work. I couldn't get piZap to reduce the size like I wanted & couldn't figure out the watermark on BeFunky. Enjoy your crafting session--so love seeing your work again!

Mrs.B said...

A beautiful card Shirley, love how you framed the image, and the floral arrangement looks lovely.
Avril xx

sheila 77 said...

You are so good at these faces. I like the star in her hair and her green hair.
As to photo-editors, I use Photoshop but have played with the free Tuxpi. Whether it is safe I have no idea, what is?
Isn't it annoying when they withdraw a program you use.

cuilliesocks said...

Hi Shirely, you card is quite beautiful, gorgeous colours and I love the use of kraft card.
I use Picmonkey, it's quite good and it's free, you can also upgrade for a price, I just use the free one, hope this helps, Kate x

aussie aNNie said...

Stunning creative design Shirley, I am glad you are enjoying your crafting again.I used Paintshop Pro which is easy to use, they too have a free trial. Been using mine for around 7 years now.xx [aNNie]

Sue's Crafty Corner said...

Wow, this is stunning Shirley. I love the colours and the branches look great.

Sue xx

Gerrina said...

Did see it on FB, but a thump or short comment there is not the same as a comment here...I think...
I love the fresh looking background and she looks so delicate! Hugs, Gerrina

Enny said...

This is absolutely wonderful, such lovely colours, and the white accents make it really special ! Sorry I can't help, I'm hopeless with computer-things... But I'm glad you have time to create again ! All the best. Enny

Win Dinn, Artist said...

So lovely, Shirley - and I'm delighted that you're back sharing more frequently now that you're settled into your new craft cave. xo