Another Project Life Like Time Waster!

Pic Monkey Photo Editor (FREE AND FABULOUS) for PLL or 12x12s

First of all before you get all Miss Huffypants about me combining the PLL with the "Time Waster," take a breath, and read it again.  Notice I DID NOT say waste of time!  RIGHT? RIGHT?  It is okay, I forgive you. This post is all about another thing I have added to the repertoire (what?  I just spelled that without the help of the spell check...I am on tonight!) of my Project Life Like love and obsession thanks to a recently watched You Tube video that has me playing more and more with my photos (which means washing less and less of Big Papa's drawers...WINNER!)  And YES!  This fab finding will also work on those naughty (well, not like naughty rated R naughty, but like breaking the rules naughty) 12x12 layouts too.  

And I realize I might be sooooo late to the parade that I am seeing the tail end of those elderly gentlemen in the funny hats driving the tiny cars, but I figure I am not the only person new to PLL.  On the Facebook groups I belong to regarding PLL, people ask questions about this same topic almost daily. Therefor this is totally an after-school special, a public service announcement of sorts, on the ways of changing your photos from 4x6 pictures to photo collages of two 3x4s and ways to decorate your photos before they are ever processed!  

Hmmmm, me thinks I should probably have mentioned that this video is about turning your 4x6 pictures to photo collages of two 3x4s and ways to decorate your photos before they are ever processed in the first sentence (why do that when I can just repeat it over and over??).

Okay, the video that led to my further demise into time waste management and also taught me how to turn my  4x6 pictures to photo collages of two 3x4s and ways to decorate my photos before they are ever processed (bwhahahahahaha! Yes, I am amused!) is based on the free photo editing site called Pic Monkey http://www.picmonkey.com/  It is absolutely free (unless you want to upgrade which is totally not necessary to waste tons of time) and well worth every penny you don't spend.  I can testify that I didn't upgrade and was still able to do everything I wanted to do.  The BEST part of Pic Monkey is that you don't print your pics with them.  You save your pictures to your computer and are therefor able to print from home or from Snapfish, or from your fave send out and pick up place (ANYWHERE PEEPS, YOU CAN PRINT OUT YOUR PICS ANYWHERE YOU CHOOSE BECAUSE YOU SAVE THE PICS THAT YOU HAVE EDITED TO YOUR COMPUTER...just sayin'). I will also say that you don't need any of the fancy Photoshops or other programs to do the Pic Monkey (sounds like a dance all them youngsters are doing now days).

Here is the link to the video that (heheheheheheheeh) taught me how to turn my 4x6 pictures into photo collages of two 3x4s and ways to decorate my photos before they are ever processed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=047wIcUWD9I&list=FLTsmH8I9Gc8CaSSCIuY6vzw&index=1 

 There are a ton of Pic Monkey tutes out there but this is the only one I watched so I can't attest to how good or bad the othser are.  BUT if you find some good ones, please hook a sister up!  I know that if you follow her directions, you will be succcessful in editing and collaging (HA! You thought I was going to say "in turning your 4x6 pictures into photo collages of two 3x4s and decorating your photos before they are ever processed" but I DIDN'T!!)

So I have some edited 4x6 photos (and if Big Papa knew I was putting some of these up there, he would be looking for revenge all Real Househubs of Guilford County like) to show off first and then I will get to the 3x4 collages.  I print out my photos at Walgreen's.  I followed the directions on the YT vids to the letter and it worked like a charm.  The only one that didn't work very well was altering a 4x6 to look like a Polaroid (which is an option Pic Monkey gives you).  It could have been operator error because I am not very computer savvy (as can be seen by my lack of blog prettiness...I need some serious help with that!).

Big Poppa and I just went on a quick little vacay to New Bern, NC.  We took a lesson in stand up paddleboarding because we hope to one day put paddleboards on our sailboat to use to get around when we sail.  In the top picture you will notice NOTHING!  Except of course my handsome hubs!!  But in the bottom picture, at the bottom left I added a banner and, on top of the banner, the location and date of our trip!  It was so easy and took no time...even for this dummy!

SHHHHHHHHH! Don't tell because this is totally the one he will bust me for!  The top picture is just a standard man photo...you know how they always manage to pull some random studly stance out just as you are about to snap the pic?  This is the classic "2 Gun Salute."  Pic Monkey let me add the 'stache, the hat and the caption.  My daughter and I found it wildly hysterical to add little hats to Big Poppa's head.  Him? Not so much.


And this?  This is where Pic Monkey comes in handy for my thighs (and does the whole 4x6 collagey thing allowing you to get two 3x4s).  I look much skinnier when shrunk down to a little 3x4!  I really SHOULD NOT mention that Pic Monkey also has a Weight Loss edit that it will apply to your photo.  I tried it and saw no change which left me utterly depressed.  I don't take photos for this reason...I like to imagine I look a lot different in my head and 4x6s disprove that whole theory.  But 3x4s on the otherhand....



This one helps me to look less.like a lush because, much like my ass (pictured above), it shrunk down the size of my drinks.  One good tip...rotate your picture when you are putting it in the collage until you like what you see. Some orientations look better once rotated.  I like the way this orientation looked when placed the wrong way because it had that kind of artsy not alcoholic vibe.    And I am sorry you are having to turn your face sideways...I swear I saved it the right way.  It seems Blogger has other ideas.

You know when you go somewhere and you get all picture happy just imagining what lovely layouts you will make?  I got all kinds of pic goofy when I saw these painted bears that can be found all over New Bern.  But really??  What the hell am I going to do with a bajillion 4x6 photos of bears?  Nothing.  Shrink them down to a smaller, more manageable 3x4s and what am I going to do with them?  Well probably still nothing but I do much prefer these smaller sizes just in case!




THAT'S a SMOOTHIE!  Just in case you were forgetting our blog reading pact of this being a judgment free zone. The picture on the left was taken when my daughter and her bestie where sitting out of the pool because it was adult swim.  The blurry edges aren't because YOU have been drinking (or me either) but yet another cool effect on Pic Monkey. I am telling you there are sooooooo many options to play with!  The ummmm "smoothie" has an added arrow at the top left, a heart and a caption (soooo many fonts, so little time!)


There are just so many things you can do with this photo editing site and lots of time you can spend on altering your photos INSTEAD OF THE LAUNDRY!!  It doesn't replace my stamps and stickers (because if it did, Big Poppa would be ALLLLLL over it and forbid me to buy another embellishment EVER) because it doesn't feed my creative beast like they do.  I wouldn't recommend editing or altering every photo either because your pictures do tell a story all on their own.  BUT if you need something to do INSTEAD OF THE LAUNDRY or if you are trying to look all modern and hip AKA Shimelle Laine or Kerri Bradford, then by all means, give it a try!

As always, thanks for reading my blog!  And give a scrappy sister a holla if you find some amazing way of turning Project Life Like and scrapbooking into more of Time Waster than I already have!