Creating With Sprout by Hp

Last Monday I posted about the opportunity I had to go to NYC on a covert mission of sorts to create three projects for the holidays on an “under-wraps” new computer. Today, I will show you what I created using the very cool “blended reality” HP computer called Sprout.

When I was asked if I wanted to take part in the promotion with two other bloggers I was only told I was to make something on a new “creative” computer.

It was not until the night before I went to the offices of Martha Stewart’s MSLO in NYC that I was told to bring some holiday decorations so that I could make a placemat, place card, and a menu card.

I still had no idea what I was going to be doing, but grabbed a few items I used last Christmas that were in the hutch in my dining room. On my way out of the house to catch the train into NYC, I snipped a few sprigs of cedar from a tree in my yard and added them to my bag of items.

Once I got to the MSLO offices, I was introduced to Sprout by HP and given a quick lesson on how it works.   Then, I was left alone for two hours to make my projects.

I  was a little bit nervous that I would not know where to find all the tools I was shown. Sprout by HP is a normal desktop computer but has 3D scanning and hands-on creating abilities like no other computer.

To my surprise, I got it down quickly. It was so intuitive, unlike Photoshop that is so complex and can take months if not years to learn.  After about 30 minutes,  I had my first project done.

I made a placemat using this cup as my design inspiration. I got the cup when I was in NYC last December. It held take-out coffee. I loved the image and could not throw it away.  In my mind, the image on the cup depicts the perfect holiday scene, plus all the happy colors make me smile. I kept it all this time thinking I would find a way to use it somehow.   Sprout gave me the way.  It can scan 3D objects.  Ordinary scanners can only scan flat items.

I placed it on the mat and pressed the camera icon on the monitor and Sprout made a scan. The cup immediately showed up on the monitor. To get the image on the mat so I could begin to create with it, I simply used my hand and swiped it down from the monitor to the mat.

Working on a menu card

Once the image was on the mat, I could resize, crop, duplicate, layer, and manipulate it with my hands in any way I could imagine.  Ideas were beginning to race through my mind ” What if…what if…. what if I did….?” I only had two hours so I did the first idea that came to mind since I had two more projects to create.

This is a photo of the placemat I made.  See the design from the cup, gift-wrapped box, the ball ornament, and tree?  I scanned each one and then sized and moved them all around by pinching and spreading my hands out on top of each image until I liked what I saw.  It was FUN and truly AMAZING!  I made a menu card using a page from a vintage Christmas book, textured wallpaper, jingle bells, and the sprigs of cedar from my yard.

The last project was a place card.  I scanned the deckled edge sheet of music, the cedar, three gold ornaments, and a piece of turquoise velvet ribbon. I created my name using a font on Sprout, but the computer does come with a stylus so you can use your own handwriting.

Here is my finished place setting.  I love it. The best part – I got to incorporate an image I loved in a new way – I made it into the theme for a holiday table setting.

I had so much fun creating on Sprout. It was hard to leave when my time was up. I had so many ideas running through my brain that I wanted to start creating.

If you like to create, this is one computer that your entire family will enjoy.  The only negative….every family member is going to want their own so they can create all day and not have to wait for their turn.

To see the projects the other bloggers created, you can check them out at Facci Designs and Fat Vegan Baby.

To find more information and happenings about Sprout follow the hashtag:  #SproutByHp