There was a time, not so long ago, when digital photography did not exist. We took pictures, hoped for the best and held our breath while they were processed at some facility outside of our homes. And then we used the pictures that were successful and tossed the other ones. And then we did it all over again. And many, many times we did not have any good pictures to show for – which was heartbreaking and frustrating.

With the advent of digital photography, all that is a thing of the past. Not only can we now see the result as soon as we take the picture, but we can go home and edit the pictures with the help of one of the many photography editing software out there. There are also “little helpers” called Actions that take the guesswork – even the knowledge – out of photo editing. With sometimes just one click of a mouse you can take a picture from hu-hum to fabulous. Actions basically package together all the steps that would be needed to achieve a certain effect into one click of a mouse…and the program goes to work for you. How easy is that?

Tiny Little Things by Dalis Acevedo

Digital Supplies: Sunday Morning kit by Secret Stash (Polka Dot Plum), tiny alphabet: Sick'em Alpha by Bella Gypsy (ScrapMatters), template: Digichick Sketch Challenge by Sbaird (DigiChick Store), red alpha: Unknown Creator, PSE Actions: Summer Breeze (Beach Comber B&W) by Paint the Moon, The Essentials (Super Sharp) by Paint the Moon, The Essentials (Watermark Logo bar) by Paint the Moon, Software: PSE 6.0., Fonts: Vaguely Repulsive, Ocenside DB.

Editor’s Note: I was drawn to this layout because of the picture – I loved the black and white treatment and the selective colorization.

Journaling: It is the tiny little things that make your life worth it. You have this philosophy down at the tender age of 4 and have taught us too.

Tree of Life – WDW by Melissa (Missi) Cahill

Digital Supplies: Kit: Magical Safari by Damsel Designs (Coffee Klatch Scrappers), Actions: Coffeeshop Creamy Chocolate Black and White, Fonts: Vaguely Repulsive by Kevin and Amanda, Trashed by Gyom Séguin, Software: PSE 9.0.

Design Notes: I use blocked layout from tradition scrapbooking quite frequently. I really enjoy the look.

Journaling: The Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It is a sight to behold!

Little Man by Barbara Maranzana

Digital Supplies: Kit: Little Black Dress kit by GingerScraps (GingerScraps), Alpha: ABC Basics - The Black Alpha by Graham Like the Cracker, Date Circle: A Moment in Time by Miss Erins Scraps, Action: Litho Action by Atomic Cupcake, Font: Typical Writer, Software: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.

Design Notes:  The layout was created for GingerScraps creative team. This is an extremely girly kit, but I made it work for photos of my little man. I used repeating text and faded it out with the eraser then cut out several circles from black paper to apply the Litho action to in order to create a worn look.

Journaling: Growing up so fast (repeated)