How To add a Matte Finish in Levels and Curves

The foundation of a good photograph is getting it right in camera as well as a good clean edit.  After that foundation is layed then there is room for creative editing.  I must admit that I'm not a fan of matte edits but I thought to blog about it because it's just good info to know!

Open up you image in Photoshop.  
 Click on Levels
 Make sure your properties for curves is visible.
 Move the left hand side of the output slider from the left over to the right until you have the desired amount of matte in your image.  

 If you'd like to do the adjustment in Curves: 

Open up your document:
 
Add a Curves Adjustment Layer and bring up the right side of the curve up to add haze.
Depending on how much haze you want you can bring the slider up for more haze and down for less.
Save your PSD!  Voila!







Of Grafitti, Korean food, Date nights and Eggs.

The hubs and I have been doing our rounds around town lately~  

From downtown Chicago...
...to a Korean grocery store where we ate a late dinner of bibimbap...
...to a date at an Italian Restaurant over in North West Indiana with a gift certificate from a friend...
I also did a few re~edits of previously shot images.  

Last year I visited the Pacific Science Center in Seattle and the butterfly garden was incredible.  
And this was taken in our backyard last Spring. 
And lately I did a study in 3/4 lighting in my dining room right using window light. 
It might seem silly but I LOVE this image!  
What about you?  What have you been up to lately?
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Happy Valentines Day!


Wishing you a wonderful Valentines Day spent with the ones you love.  

This morning I took out the tripod and some thrifted lace and played around with this sweet little Valentine motif on the floor of the living room.  You can tell I didn't pull out the iron.  ha! 

Love isn't the big things that people do... the hearts, the greeting cards or the chocolate.  It's the little things that go unnoticed day to day...the small favors and acts of kindness that make the day worthwhile and bring a smile to my face.  

Do all things in love!
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 Chic on a Shoestring Decorating~  but I can't find her button!  

The LONG Winter.

It's been a long winter here in Chicagoland and we are officially at the 3rd worst winter in history.  I think everyone is longing for spring thaw and warmer days!  

Getting out as frequently hasn't happened as much as I'd like it to and time has been spent mostly indoors finding ways to be creative with a daily shot or edit.   When you see things every day it's easy to not look at things with a creative eye so I've been trying to look at things a little differently to stir up my creative side.

We've had a bit of melting recently and have 6 foot icicles hanging off of the rain gutters.  The sun was shining through them one day from the front porch and I grabbed my camera. 
Someone was SO kind to give us a gift card for an Italian Restaurant over in Indiana recently so the hubs and I had an official date night.   
I've been taking an online course in photoshop and have been doing quite the bit of tweaking with contrast as you can see from the remainder of my images posted today in black and white.  

This one was taken in the corner of our living room where the light streams in wonderfully. 
This was from a trip to our local library, once again a study/edit in contrasts.  
And here's the before and after side by side.  
Those are some of the images I've taken recently!  

Hope you are staying warm in your part of the world 
Until next time!
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No Knead Butter Rolls

Oh me oh my~  these are good.  Very good.  I can eat these for breakfast, lunch and dinner!  The dough can be mixed together and kept covered in the refrigerator, and pulled off as needed, let it sit to rise, and bake.  But that NEVER happens.  I usually make the entire recipe.  

A quick word about flour~ 
I've noticed that in the bag of flour that I am currently using I am using 6 cups of recipe for this recipe.  I think it depends on the brand, settling, etc.  

3 cups warm water 
2 Tbsp Yeast 
1/2 cups sugar 
1/2 cup vegetable oil 
2 tsp salt 
6-7 cups white flour 
1 stick butter 
Measure out water in a large mixing bowl.  Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water.  Add the sugar and salt and whisk together.  Someone commented that I shouldn't add the salt at this time since it will affect the rising of the dough but I've never had a problem.  You can always add it later with the flour.  Let the dough sit for a few minutes to make sure yeast is activated.  Add enough flour till dough is moistened and incorporated.

  Dough will be sick and not dry like traditional bread doughs. 

Cover and let rise till double about an hour or so~  but I usually don't wait that long.   Melt the butter in microwave till barely melted.  If you melt it too long it will seperate.  Grease cookie sheet and hands (I use a muffin tin)  and pull of a piece of dough, dip it in butter and place on cookie sheet or in muffin tin.  This recipe makes about 26 rolls per recipe and are pretty large in size.  
Let rise for 20 minutes.  I tried cooking two trays at one time but the oven heat needs to be well circulated to cook them properly and so they don't get too brown on the bottom.  
If you make these on a cookie sheet they tend to spread out.  I really prefer the muffin tins.  
Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven.  
You can't eat just one.  :)

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Banana Crunch Muffins


These are good.  Really good.  What I love about them is that they don't take forever to cook (like traditional banana bread) and they don't get too dark where the muffin and pan touch.  Win/Win in my book.  I hope you enjoy these as much as my hubby and I do.  

Mix together streusel/Crumb Topping Ingredients 
1/4 cup butter or shortening
1/2 cup sugar 
1/3 cup flour 
Add more flour and sugar in equal amounts so topping is crumbly and not too greasy.  If you like, you can even add some chopped nuts.  Set aside.  

In bowl, mix together following dry ingredients: 
1 1/2 cups flour 
3/4 cup sugar 
1/3 cup oil 
1/2 tsp salt 
2 tsp baking powder 

In seperate bowl mix together the following wet ingredients: 
1 egg
1/3 cup milk 
3 medium bananas~  mashed with a fork 

It's best to mix these by hand since using a stand or hand mixer usually causes these to be overmixed.  I mix these just until the ingredients comes together.   Add wet ingredients to dry using a wire whisk or spatula until moistened and flour clumps are mixed in.  Do not overmix or the consistency won't be right and they will be rubbery.  Just barely mix! 
Scoop into greased muffin tins and top liberally with crumb topping.   

Bake at 350 degrees until knife inserted comes out clean and muffin tops spring back when touched.  If you must put them back in the oven do so for a minute at a time and check with a toothpick.

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Pull Apart Monkey Bread

I made this recently and it's oh so easy and yummy too.   
It's great for a snow day project with kids and so fun to eat! 

2 large can of buttermilk biscuits 
About 1 cup of regular sugar 
cinnamon 
Cut biscuits into bite size rounds and toss in the above mixture of cinnamon and sugar.  
  
Melt in saucepan:
1 stick butter 
1 1/2 cup sugar 
Cook till melted and combined but don't overcook or sugar will burn.  
Coat bundt pan with non stick spray spread biscuits evenly around.   Pour melted sugar/butter mixture on top and bake 350 for 37 minutes.

Enjoy!

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