Friday Finds--I See Hearts

So excited to jump back in to Kim Klassen's Friday Finds.

The idea is to celebrate something we found or discovered during the week.  It can be anything from possibilities to nature's beauty to pretty objects....anything goes.

Earlier this week I spent a lovely morning with my photography pal Suzanne.  We did a little coffee house tour in San Francisco for our 10 on 10 Project (where you take 10 photos on the 10th of every month).  Anyway,  she came up with the great idea to go to The City and coffee hop (or get hopped up on coffee) and as an added bonus it was her birthday.

We had such a great time and only made it to 5 of the 10 coffee houses she had mapped out for us. You can find my post on our fab day together on my blog at Kristina Rust Photography (it will go live on the 15th).

In addition to finding a bunch of great new places to grab a cup of joe, I also found this old doorway and spotted these hearts.

The perfect little find, for the perfect day.........

In addition to writing about photography tips and tricks here at Moms Who Click, you can also find me musing about my latest photography projects on my website Kristina Rust Photography, Facebook Page and Google+.

Friday Freebie: 50 FREE Facebook Cards from MOO

We have a great freebie for you today!  I stumbled upon this great deal from Moo earlier this week and am excited to share it with you all.

You can get 50 Free Facebook Cards for a limited time from Moo.com.   I just ordered mine today and can't wait to get them.  How it works is that you need to click this link and Moo will ask to access your Facebook account.  It will then pull your timeline cover photos for the images of the cards.  You can make cards from either your personal account or your business account.

Unfortunately for me, I had a lot of timeline cover photos with text, so they didn't work as the text was cut off on the sample image.  I then ended up uploading a few more photos and creating new timeline covers so that I could have more options for these cards.  I apologize to those of you who received the  the flood of timeline cover updates in my Facebook stream.  

Once your images are uploaded, you can customize the contact information on the back of the card as well as add a message or favorite quote.

Here is one of the cards I made.....

Front

Back

Even though you can't fully customize these cards, I think they are worth grabbing since all you have to pay is shipping (for me it was $5.50).  Such a deal!

Friday Freebie--Memory Jar Printable from Paper Coterie

by Kristina

Paper Coterie has a wonderful free memory jar printable this month that is perfect for kicking off the new year.

While we all spend a lot of time capturing memories with our photographs, we may not be as good at documenting our story with words.  Sometimes it is just hard to think of something to write about.  So the great folks at Paper Coterie came up with this easy and inspiring way to document your year.

The Memory Jar has 52 Questions, one for each week.  You can download the questions, the jar label and the journal bookplate here.  Each week, choose a question and write down your answer  and at the end of 2013 you'll be able to look back at your year and remember your thoughts.

I just love this idea and can't wait to get started!

Friday Freebie: Lightroom Presets from MCP Actions

Lately I've been editing all my photos in Lightroom 4.  I'm still rather new to the program but I'm loving it.  

I find using Lightroom to be an easier, less time consuming process than using Photoshop (I use PSE10).   But what I love most is that you can sync adjustments to a batch of photos in just a few clicks.  It really speeds up my workflow.

And one of the great features of Lightroom are Presets.  Presets are Lightroom's way of adding many adjustments to a photo in just one click (similar to using actions in Photoshop).   There are a bunch of great sites out there that have free Presets and one of our favorites is MCP Actions (we love her actions too).  

MCP Actions offers the Quick Clicks Collection which will give you a taste of what Lightroom presets can do for you.  The set allows you to adjust white balance, pump up colors and fix exposure in just one click.   So great and so fast!  

Once you've given these a try, check out MCP's full selection of presets, she has a terrific array of presets that will help you adjust color, convert photos to black and white, or process images with a vintage twist in a matter of seconds.

Here are a few sample images from the Quick Clicks Collection: 

SOOC

True Colors

Best Guess White Balance Adjustment

Friday Freebie: Free Gift From Vivienne McMaster!

Our very good friend and former Behind the Lens participant (read her interview here), Vivienne McMaster has a terrific free gift for you......

If you have been interested in exploring self portraiture, then you must go and check out Vivienne's free pdf, The Dangers of Self Portraiture.  You can receive it for FREE when you sign up for her newsletter.  In it she discusses very risky things that can happen when you turn your camera on yourself,  for example the danger of seeing your own beauty, the risk of self-love and more.

Do pop on over to her site and grab this fantastic booklet and while you are there be sure to check out the various e-courses she offers.  She has so many wonderful courses that are sure to inspire you on your creative journey.

Friday Freebie--More Great Timeline Covers from BirDesign

We love the great designs from Birdesign Shop.  Rose, the amazing and talented designer has an entire shop full of wonderful templates that are great for professional photographers.  Check out her shop and see her beautiful collection of accordion books, frames, cards, cd covers, collages, iPhone covers, calendars, and more.

And right now,  she is providing us all with a Timeline cover perfect for the holidays.  You can find these stylish templates on her blog.   Be sure to leave her a little love and gratitude.  

Thank you Rose for this wonderful gift.

Friday Finds--Kim Klassen Textures

I know we've mentioned her before, but if you have not visited the Kim Klassen Cafe, you definitely should.  She has AMAZING textures and tutorials on how to use them.  You will definitely be inspired by her work and artistic talents.

And this very generous artist/photographer, offers a free texture each week.  You just need to sign up on her "Texture Lovin List".

It's been awhile since I've played with textures, so this morning I thought I'd have some texture fun.  The photo below uses Kim's texture "Just Stitched."  

Before

After

Friday Finds: Digital Art from Scrap Cheese

If you are looking for some adorable Easter themed elements to add to your photo frames or templates, you should check out the freebies at Scrap Cheese.  You'll also find digital papers and word art to help you get your creative juices flowing.  Thanks Bri for stopping by Moms Who Click and letting us know about your  blog and for sharing your talent!

If you have something to share, send us an email at momswhoclick@yahoo.com and let us know.  We'd love to feature you!

Here is a little something I whipped up using the adorable Blue Bunny freebie!

Free Templates by Denise George--Friday Finds

I love the I Heart Faces community boards.  Not only is it a great place to get advice from anything to which lens to add to your collection to marketing ideas it is also a great place to find all kinds of freebies.

A few weeks ago while browsing through the site, I stumbled upon some terrific templates by Denise George.  She has generously posted many different templates you are sure to love.   Adorable baby books, senior cards, and Valentine's Day templates can be found on her website.  To find the beautiful vintage 5x5 album shown above click here.

We loved her designs and photography so much, that she will be featured on our Behind the Lens series next week.  So be sure to check back on February 15 to learn more about this talented photographer!

FRIDAY FINDS: We Heart Tiny Prints

At Moms Who Click, we love Tiny Prints!  They are one of the best sources for wonderful, custom-made cards for the portraits we take of our clients.  Our clients have been extremely pleased with them also.

If you ran out of time to create a Holiday card, Tiny Prints has you covered this year for Valentine’s Day, from Group & Photo Cards to Party Invites and even Photo Gifts. But, the big news for 2011 is the Tiny Prints Greeting Card Collection, which lets you create individual personalized cards with photos starting at $1.99. They have everything from romantic to sentimental to hilariously funny and suggestive cards.  In a matter of seconds you can create personalized cards for your loved one, mom, dad, friend or anyone else important in your life and Tiny Prints will mail the card directly to that person.  No more scouring the rack at your local convenience store for a lame last minute card, Tiny Prints has removed the hassle and added the fun back into Valentine's Day shopping.

So be sure to check out their wonderful selection of cards and other personalized items.  Great for gifts and for sending that personalized note to your friend!

Friday Find--Florabella Valentine's Day Templates

We love the beautiful actions and templates that Shana Rae designs at the Florabella Collection. Her actions and templates are compatible with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements and they are all very easy to use.  For a limited time, she is offering  a collection of beautiful Valentine's Day templates on her Facebook Page for FREE.  All you need to do is "like" her page to unlock the download.  Then get ready to create beautiful cards for your loved ones!

FRIDAY FINDS: The Coffee Shop Blog

One of the best sites we have found for great tutorials, free elements, actions and photoshop templates can be found at THE COFFEE SHOP BLOG.  The blog is the creation of Rita, a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM), who home schools her two sons while creating these amazing photography tools for others to benefit from. 

Through Rita's site, we have learned how to create clipping masks, and develop some of our own Photoshop templates and actions.  Her site is a MUST SEE SITE!

Some of our favorite actions, storyboards and templates are from Rita, and a LOT of our know-how has come from her tutorials.  Stop by and say "hi" to her from us!  Her link:  http://www.thecoffeeshopblog.com/