CoffeeShop Frames 19!

Sorry I haven't posted much in the last days, but I have had two sick little boys.  No big deal, just a virus; but they feel bad and they get grouchy when they are sick and can't play outside.  Then I get grouchy and tired and don't feel like working on my computer or answering emails...  Hopefully we will get back to normal by the end of the week.

But luckily I found these fun little clipping mask frames in my WIP's (works-in-progress) file that add a cool distressed edge effect to photos.  You can use my Group-It action if you want to add the images to the clipping mask.

Download the free CoffeeShop Frames 19 set.  If that download link does not work, you can download it from MediaFire.

And please check out the Pretty Presets giveaway on Laura's website!  It is amazing!!!  Just click on the image below to go there and read all about it.

Want all of my favorite CoffeeShop Actions or Design Elements in one simple download AND help support this blog? Just click here for my action pack or here for a download of some of my most popular design elements, storyboards, and textures.

♥ Read more!

CoffeeShop Vintage Paper Set 1!

Happy day!  Lori Peterson found some more amazing vintage papers and frames in her attic and she scanned them in and sent them my way to share with you!  I put together two of the vintage papers for this download.  I especially love the one with the old tape.  They are really beautiful and can be used in so many ways, such as textures, cards, frames, blog design, etc.  Thank you so much for sharing your personal vintage papers Lori!

Download the free CoffeeShop Vintage Digital Paper 1 Pack.  You can also download it on MediaFire.

Want all of my favorite CoffeeShop Actions or Design Elements in one simple download AND help support this blog? Just click here for my action pack or here for a download of some of my most popular design elements, storyboards, and textures. 

♥ Read more!

Dirty Hands and a Home School Tip

Imp is looking at some fresh-picked lavender in his hands.  I only hope he doesn't try to eat any of it.  Oh, those filthy hands...

So I discovered a great little tip to use when homeschooling a rambunctious 1st grader (Duke).  Every fifteen minutes or so we both do a few minutes of exercise; usually involving jumping jacks, bottom kicks, virtual jump rope and boxing.  Duke has trouble staying still while doing schoolwork and I found yelling at him to stop squirming and chewing on his pencils was not working.  But the exercise really helps him focus and allows me to work out some of my frustration.  ;-)

♥ Read more!

CoffeeShop Blogging UnWrapped Tutorial: Before/After Blog Photo MouseOver Tutorial!

We are finally getting some rain in Texas and the threat of wildfires in our area has been drastically reduced.  Oh, I can't tell you how much we loved watching that rain pour down...  We are still in a horrible drought, but thankfully the hot dry summer is almost over and we might start getting more rain.

I have been wanting to post before/after images using the mouse-over technique on my blog (dangle your mouse over the image below and it will "magically" change to the after image), however I had not found an easy way to do it. Finally I figured out a simple method that I wanted to share with you. This effect should work in all computer browsers and is incredibly easy.

I used the CoffeeShop ButterScotch Vintage action on this image, no adjustments necessary.  I think this is my favorite tinted action.

Copy this code and paste it in NotePad or Text Edit. If you paste it in Word or Open Office, make sure there is no weird editing going on (extra spaces, tabs, etc.).

<a href="URL where you want people to go if they click on your image"><img src="First Image URL" onmouseover="this.src='Second Image URL'" onmouseout="this.src='First Image URL'" /></a>

Replace the "URL where you want people to go if they click on your image" with any website, blog or page address you want people directed to if they actually click rather than dangle over your image.  I linked this image to my blog.

Upload two images that are the same size to your favorite hosting site (I love using Picasa) and grab the direct link URL's. This is the web address that goes directly to each image.

Replace 'First Image URL' in both places in the code with the URL of your first image. Replace 'Second Image URL' with the URL of your second image. Don't forget the '' around each URL and don't add extra spaces.  You have to link the first image twice, the second only once.

Your code might look something like this:

<a href="http://www.thecoffeeshopblog.com/"><img onmouseout="this.src='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/before.jpg'" onmouseover="this.src='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/after.jpg'" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/before.jpg" /></a>

Once you have added the four URL links, just paste the code in the Edit HTML in your blog post.  Now when readers hold their mouse over your "before" image, they should see it magically change to the "after".

Easy, right?

Want all of my favorite CoffeeShop Actions or Design Elements in one simple download AND help support this blog? Just click here for my action pack or here for a download of some of my most popular design elements, storyboards, and textures.

♥ Read more!

CoffeeShop Back to School Digital Design Set!

Sorry I have been a bit lax about posting this week. We are still trying to get into our homeschooling groove (1st grade!)

♥ Read more!

CoffeeShop 2 Minute Miracle Action and Tutorial!

I am so excited to release my newest free retouching action, CoffeeShop 2 Minute Miracle. This does not replace any of my old retouching actions, like Perfect Portrait 3

♥ Read more!

CoffeeShop Texture and Two Minute Miracle Action Tutorial: Part 1

This tutorial is in two parts, with today's demonstrating how I applied the texture to this portrait of Imp. The second part

♥ Read more!

In Memory of 9-11

We will never forget.

Rita

♥ Read more!

Testing Mouse-Over Code and Preview of New Tutorial and Action Coming Out

I am testing this mouse-over code and need your help. If you could take a minute and mouse over the top image below to see if it changes and leave a comment if it worked and what browser you used, I would really appreciate it. If this code works I will write a tutorial on how to use it on your own blog. I can see it on Safari and FireFox on my iMac so keeping my fingers crossed it works on Chrome and IE9. UPDATE: This seems to work in all browsers!!!

BTW, this is an example of my newest tutorial/action coming out this weekend. I will show you how I added the texture and how I finished off the photo with the new CoffeeShop Two Minute Miracle retouching action (free of course!). The eyes and skin are a bit surreal for display purposed only. You can adjust this action to get a very realistic and beautiful eyes and skin-tones.

♥ Read more!

{Friday Photo Bliss}

I am always incredibly moved by the resiliency and faith of children.  We are still threatened by the unrelenting wildfires blazing here in Texas and last night my husband and I went outside with the boys to see the gorgeous sunset due to the high amount of smoke and ash in the air.

As we stepped outside we noticed it was "snowing" ash.  Some pieces were tiny, others were entire small leaves that dissolved with a simple touch of our hand.  As we stared up at the sky in disbelief and anxiety, the boys ran out in the field catching ash in their hands as they would snowflakes.  Their eyes shone with excitement as they would bring me a beautiful leaf on their palm which would magically dissolve with a tiny touch.

Watching those two little boys of mine, just living in the moment and enjoying nature's spectacular if deadly show, helps me keep things in perspective.  I know many families are without their homes today in Texas (over 1500 at last count) and many more forced to evacuate, hoping to hear something about the safety of their home.  I know many people in Texas are in a constant state of anxiety, even if they don't live by the fires because our entire state is so dry.  Please be safe and hold your family and friends close.  We will get through this.

♥ Read more!

CoffeeShop Frames 18

So far we have been able to avoid the horrible wildfires in Texas. Yesterday we were driving around and noticed that it sky over our house appeared filled with smoke. We frantically drove home and found that the raging fires were still quite far away, but the plumes of smoke were terrifying.

Today it smells of smoke outside and there is a haze. We live on some acres and are surrounded by fields of dry grass since we were not able to cut any for hay this summer.  We are saying our prayers for the safety of all of our family and all other people living in Texas in danger of the fires. We are also praying for rain.

I found this frame in my WIPs (Works in progress) file and thought it was decent enough to post. I hope you enjoy using it! It is a layered .psd file (not an action), and you add your images using a clipping mask.  The frame color is adjustable. Make it really easy on yourself and use my Group-It action to quickly add your own images to this storyboard.

I am going to post my newest retouching action, The CoffeeShop Two Minute Miracle, in the next day or two, so please check back soon!!!

Download the free CoffeeShop Frames 18. If that link does not work, you can download the frame at MediaFire.

Want all of my favorite CoffeeShop Actions or Design Elements in one simple download AND help support this blog? Just click here for my action pack or here for a download of some of my most popular design elements, storyboards, and textures. 

♥ Read more!

CoffeeShop Storyboards 4!

I hope everyone in the US is enjoying their Labor Day long weekend!  I wanted to post this new layered psd storyboard with clipping masks. It has "painted" edges and can be used for print or the web. This is not an action, so open it like any other image. Make it really easy on yourself and use my Group-It action to quickly add your own images to this storyboard.

You can change the background color by clicking on the bottom color fill adjustment layer.

Download the free CoffeeShop Storyboards 4!  If that link does not work, you can download it on MediaFire.

Want all of my favorite CoffeeShop Actions or Design Elements in one simple download AND help support this blog? Just click here for my action pack or here for a download of some of my most popular design elements, storyboards, and textures.

♥ Read more!

Pretty Presets Sale!!!

Laura of Pretty Presets just let me know about a special sale she has going on right now. Laura has presets for LR that work on both RAWs and jpgs, so please go check out her website.

Have you ever gone to purchase an item you wanted, only to find out it was on sale? What a fantastic surprise! Getting something you love for a steal of a deal is enough to brag to the other soccer moms about.

We know you love presets. AND, you love sales. So, the first 100 people who purchase our new collection Modern Vintage or Fairytale Romance get to take 25% off their purchase total!

Want to know something even more fantastic?

Not only do you get presets, on sale, but in addition, it’s less money you have to fork over to Uncle Sam! With the end of the year approaching (it is, don’t fool yourself!) businesses are looking for every opportunity to reduce their tax liability. Purchases of presets not only save you time, they save you money, in the form of a business deduction. Let me put it this way:

PRESETS + SALE = LESS WORK & LOWER TAXES.

Invest in our newest collection and find that you have more time to do the things you really love, like hang out with your family, oh, and brag to the soccer moms.

♥ Read more!

{Friday Photo Bliss}

Inspired by the SouleMama blog's {this moment}, I am posting one image every Friday, taken that week, that really makes me happy. If you end up doing the same I would love to see your photo linked in my comments!

Imp made this mask completely on his own without consulting me at all.  I love the google eyes and teeth of his monster mask.

Want all of my favorite CoffeeShop Actions or Design Elements in one simple download AND help support this blog? Just click here for my action pack or here for a download of some of my most popular design elements, storyboards, and textures. 

♥ Read more!

Action FlashBack: CoffeeShop Eye Bright!

I have well over 100 free actions posted here on my blog, and some of my favorite ones are the retouching ones.  I wrote CoffeeShop Eye Bright in March 2009, but I honestly haven't seen any reason to update it.  I realize I just had a short tutorial on the original post, so I decided to revisit Eye Bright and how to use it.  If you don't have CoffeeShop Eye Bright yet, just click here to download it and then follow the tutorial in this post.

You must understand how to use layer masks to use this action, so please go read my Layer Mask tutorial and if you have PSE8 or below you might want to download my free layer mask action.  You don't need to add your own layer masks to use this action (they are built in), but once you start using layer masks you won't want to stop.

Remember, this is the way I usually edit using this action, but you might find a way that you think works better!

1. Open your image and run CoffeeShop Eye Bright.

♥ Read more!