Harry Potter Montage

This took me three days on Photoshop.  But it looks pretty cool! 

Here’s how to do it.

1) Open the picture with the shape you want to use for a pattern.
2) Press ctrl J to copy the background. Create a new layer and fill it with a color or a gradient where the two colors are really close in hue.
3) Place the color layer below the background copy layer.
4) Get the pen tool and set the option to shape. Now draw the outline of your subject. (This doesn’t have to be a perfect outline just somewhat close to the general shape of the subject.)
5) Lower the opacity of the shape layer to about 40% then lock both the shape layer and the background copy layer so you don’t accidentally make changes to them.
6) Get the type tool and click at the bottom of your image. Choose a blocky font so you will have more shape to work with and type your word or phrase.
7) Go to layer-type-convert to shape. Now go to edit-transform-warp. Now you can adjust and shape the text as you like. (You can also do this with individual letters instead of whole words.)
8) Select the layer with the individual letter then use the direct selection tool to push and pull the anchor points.
9) Keep building the words and phrases in the image.
10) For some variety by selecting the text shape layer then choose stroke in the layer style menu. Choose your color and thickness. Click OK. Then lower the opacity to 0%.
11) When you have the shape all filled merge all the text layers together. Go to layer-layer style-gradient overlay. Choose your colors.
12) Open a texture picture. Place the texture over your image. Then press ctrl + shift + U and set the blend mode to overlay.
13) Finally create a new layer set a foreground color that matches the colors you have already chosen and set the background color to #000000. Go to filter-render-clouds and set the layer to overlay and the opacity to about 40%.

*Sometimes you can’t merge the shape layer, so you have a ton of layers, and Photoshop may quit working.  To solve this, right click on a shape layer and select “group to layers”, or something like that.  You can then drag all the shape layers into the group.  Right click on the group heading and select merge group.  The layers will all be glued together, and take up lots less space.

Studio C!!!

I had, like, one of the best valentines days ever!!!  A lady in our ward works at the BYU broadcasting building, which is where they do Studio C.  It was one of their filming nights, and there were extra tickets!!!  She let my friend know, and so they came and picked up Mark and I so we could go see a live showing.  We drove up there so we could get our place in line, and played hand games for an hour before we got in our seats.  We then got to watch the prop guys do the finishing touches on the stage sets.

The Sets at Studio C.

Camille and I waiting for the show to start.

Mark and I.  He looks like he’s having such fun doesn't he? :)

Yep, I’m sooooooo happy!!!

The applause sign.

After waiting in our seats for about half and hour, Stacy came out and had us do a cheering scale.  We started at one, and when we got to ten, the Cast burst in and the music started playing, and it was totally epic!  Then they filmed a bunch of sketches that will be aired in April.  My favorite was the mind-reading one.  I’ll post it when it’s available.  In between the sketches Stacy came out and did question and answer with the cast.  There was also two lies and a truth, with a t-shirt if you got it right.  And Steven and Whitney shared their best and worst valentines day stories.  It was so fun, and the cast was really funny.  There was a new bisque guy sketch, and it was really good.

That Wednesday, for Young Women's, we got to go and take a tour of BYU Broadcasting Studio’s.  And guess who we saw rehearsing?  Yep, Studio C.  Here’s a picture.

We also got to see the camera’s that they use.

Here’s where they do all their cooking shows.

Here’s where they do the live broadcasting of the football games.

This is the head control board.

Here’s where they do the slow motion replay stuff.

Here’s the little control box they use.

This is one of the make-up rooms.

After we were done, we took pictures with the cutouts of the cast.

With Stacy!

With Jeremy!

With Jason!

With Matt!

Then my friend went and caught Mallory while she was coming out of the Studio, and got a picture with her.  Lucky! :)

And if you read this whole blog post and you don’t know who Studio C is, here’s some of my favorite video’s. Enjoy!!

Normal Weekly Stuff

Mom and Dad went to Park City this Friday for one of Dad’s conferences for work.  Rachel came down and spent the night with us.  We had stew for dinner, played Ticket to Ride, and ate brownies and ice cream for dessert.  After everyone was in bed, Rachel, Mark, and I watched Remember the Titans.  Rachel went to bed after the first 30 minutes, but Mark and I stayed up until 11 o’clock finishing it.  It was awesome!!

Yesterday we cut firewood and stacked it in the dog run.  We have so much, I don’t think we’re going to have to get anymore for like two years.  After we were done, just Mom and I went out for dinner at Maglebys.  It was really nice to spend some alone time with her.  After we got back, Rachel and Mark and I went to see Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters while everyone else went out for ice cream.  The movie didn’t follow the book very well, but as a movie by itself, it was fantastic.  Incase anyone sees one on Amazon, I want a Hippocampi for Christmas. :)

Have a fabulous week!!   

I Kinda Chopped My Hair Off……

 

Heber Valley with 17th Ward

We met at the stake center with all the other wards at 8:00 on Monday morning.  After we talked to each other for about an hour and a half while we waited for everyone else to get there, we FINALLY loaded the buses at 9:30.  We got there and got our bunks all set up.  I was on the top bunk over Alisa. 

On the first night we were there our ward picked a tree around the amphitheater and sang Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.  It was very nice and all the other wards songs were beautiful too.

On Tuesday (I think) we went to the Challenger Course.  There were a bunch of different stations that had activities that related to life.  First we did the spiders web.  It was a giant fake spider web that was strung between two trees.  You had to get every member of your group through one of the holes without touching the tree and without touching the lines.  I think we got everyone through. 

We also did shark island.  It was a rope swing in between two aspen trees.  You were on a pretend sinking ship and you had to get the rope and swing to the door mat that was the safe island. 

My favorite thing on the Challenger Course was the high course.  First you had to climb up a fifteen foot pole with notches in it, then walk across a high wire, holding on to another wire for balance.  When you to got to the end of the high wire, there was a little platform in a tree.  A lady there would hook you up go a rope, take you off the other rope, and you would zip down the zip-line!  It was fun.

On Wednesday we went to the lake and did canoeing.  I had a canoe with Vickie and Betsy.  It was really fun!

On Thursday we had ward time and made really cute duct tape purses. 

And on Friday we had testimony meeting. 

And on Saturday, we cleaned up and went home.

Next week I will post about Girls Camp with the New Ward.

Monarch Butterfly

A few days ago I was watering our next door neighbors hanging plants when I saw a really pretty butterfly bouncing all over their lavender.

Well, it’s official, we’re moving!

As you can probably already tell by the title, we are moving.  We found the perfect house down in Springville.  It has three levels, an upstairs, a main floor, and a downstairs. 

Upstairs there are four medium sized bedrooms, a game closet, a bathroom, and a master bedroom. 

On the main floor there is a living room, a dining room, a computer room, the kitchen, a laundry room, a bathroom, and a door to the garage. 

In the downstairs, there is a bathroom, a guest bedroom, a big family room, a small kitchen, and a ping pong table (the current owners are leaving it there).  There is also a big backyard with a bunch of fruit tree’s. 

The couple we are buying it from had six kids, but they all moved out, so they are building a new house down on their property by the river bottoms.  The husband works down at BYU teaching Horticulture, so that means he knows a ton about plants and bugs. 

They have an apple tree that he has grafted four different types of branches into, so there are five different types of apples on one tree!  There are also 12 different types of grapes on the back fence, so it is a very private back yard.

We are closing on May 24, and will be moving out a few days later.  We will not be selling our current house, but will be renting it out instead.  We are all way excited.  I will post pictures as soon as we move in.

Welcome Baby Isaac!!

On Thursday, March 29, I got a new baby brother.  His name is Isaac Wade!  Mom and Dad decided on the way to the hospital that they liked that better than Sterling.  Mark woke up when Mom and Dad were leaving, but he didn’t wake me up until 6:30.  I was about to tell him to go away, that I didn’t have to wake up until my alarm went off, but then he said that Mom was at the hospital having the baby, and I woke up.  All through breakfast I was wondering whether it was a boy or a girl, and if they would call me at school.  I was ready for school at about 7:20. 

I walked outside, and the weather was beautiful.  The flowers were just starting to bloom, and the first of the bleeding hearts were out, as if the would was welcoming my new sibling.  I think it was. 

I went to Vickie’s house to ask if I could have a ride to school.  When she opened the door, she looked a bit surprised to see me.  I told her that my mom was at the hospital having the baby, and could I please hitch a ride with you?  She said of course, and was excited for me.  I will not forget to mention that I was a bit hyper, so I was bouncing around her house, and she told me to calm down.

School was a drag.  I told all my friends, and they were excited too.  They didn’t call me at school, so I had to wait till the bell rang so I could go to grandma’s house.  I called Dad, and he said it was a little boy named Isaac.  The other kids arrived about 30 seconds later, and then we all pilled into the car along with Neil (he had spent the day at grandma’s house) and went to see the new baby. 

When we got there, I got to hold the baby right after Grandma.  He was so warm and light.  It’s so weird to think that three days ago he was one of the spirits in heaven.

  He is 7lbs 9oz, and 19.5 inches long.  He was born at 11:01!  I got some pictures of him at the hospital, and he is so stinking cute!  Here are some pictures of him.

 

 

 

I love you baby Isaac!!

Five More Weeks!!!

Every week on Monday, I tell my ever patient friend at school how many weeks ‘till the baby will be here.  Well, guess what, there are only 5 more weeks left, and I am sooooo stinking excited!!!  Mom and Dad decided that if the baby is a boy we will name him Sterling Wade (the middle name comes from my great-grandpa’s middle name).  For a girl……well, we still don’t know.  Take the survey on the right hand side of my blog so I can see what you guys like best!