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“Little Firecracker” by Kelly Favor-Chronister
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I loved the look of the scattered glitter from combining Melanie Johnson's ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Instant Grunge Biggie and Amanda Sok's ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Micro Glitter 6401 Super Biggie, but it made it difficult to read my journaling. So I used my Rectangular Marquee Tool and selected the area of the paper template layer (with the style applied) and then went to Edit> Delete.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 and Apple iPhoto
Name of challenge: Fourth of July
Other Ingredients:
“Random” by Jennifer Labre
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
To line up the tags in a somewhat orderly fashion, I used the Guides feature in Photoshop. First, make sure the rulers are visible by going to View> Rulers. If you click on the ruler with the Move Tool and drag down or to the right, you will create a guide line. For my layout, I started by putting guide lines at both the one inch and eleven inch markers on both sides to form a border. Next, I put additional guides at every two inches (3, 5, 7, 9) both horizontally and vertically which created a grid on my page. (Tip: If you need to "nudge" the guide just a bit, hold down the Ctrl key while dragging and it will move the guide line in smaller increments.) Then, I simply placed the tags in each box, resizing and rotating as needed. Guides are often great way to keep things a little more organized on your page, especially with so many embellishments!
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Journal Strips Biggie, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Accents of Love Biggie, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Rhinestones, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Rhinestones 2, ScrapSimple Tools - Shapes: Anchors 2101, ScrapSimple Tools - Shapes: Bookplates 2101 Super Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Shapes: Tags 2101, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Aged Metals Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Glittered Epoxy 6041 Super Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Chipboard Distressed 4103 Mini, Lettering Delights Warm Heart Font, Lettering Delights Eyeliner Font and Lettering Delights Letterpress Font are also available. |
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS3
Name of challenge: Use tags in a creative way.
“American Sweetheart” by Michelle Torres
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I really liked the swirl in the upper corner; however, I felt it wasn't visible enough. I decided to add an outer glow to it. To do this, I clicked on Add A Layer Style> Outer Glow. I left the Blending Mode to "Screen", but I changed the Spread to "3" and the Size to "6".
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS3
Name of challenge: Fourth of July
Other Ingredients:
“Star Spangled” by Elisha Barnett
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
Once I had my alpha templates in place, I merged the layers. Then I re-colored them. I highlighted the layer (Alt+Click), created a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, and then adjusted the sliders until I got the color I wanted. Then I merged the adjustment layer down.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0
Name of challenge: Fourth of July
“November 2006” by Christy VanderWall
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
To get a calendar grid on my layout, I found a page from Thao's ScrapSimple Digital Layout Album Templates - Layered: 4x6 2009 Calendar that had 30 days and started on Wednesday and placed it on my layout. After stretching it to fit the page, I used ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Edge It 5001 and a small round brush to create a dotted outline of each day and then hid the original calendar layer.
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Commercial license versions of Brush Set: Spread Joy Alpha Biggie, Brush Set: Spread Joy Lowercase Alpha Biggie, Dynamic Brush Set: Straight Stitch 5001, ScrapSimple Digital Layout Album Templates: 4x6 2009 Calendar, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Edge It 5001, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Photo Basics PSE 5001, ScrapSimple Tools - Shapes: Deluxe Tags Super Biggie 5401, ScrapSimple Tools - Shapes: Rectangle Tags Biggie 5401, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Dirty Press Retro Inks 5401 Biggie, Lettering Delights Mother's Typewriter Font, Lettering Delights Grunge Font and Lettering Delights Scrap Casual Font are also available. |
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS3
Name of challenge: Use tags in a creative way.
Other Ingredients:
- Font - CVW_Thin 2
- Font - Goudy Stout
- Font - DIESEL
- Font - Stencil Std
- Font - Papyrus
- Font - Gill Sans Ultra Bold
- Font - Pea Bethany
“Baby Star” by Jennifer Labre
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
For the "Baby" part of my title, I made a happy discovery. (Don't you just love those?) I knew that I wanted it to stand out a bit, so I changed the font and made it significantly larger. At first I simply had the word in blue, but decided to scroll through the Blending Modes to see what kind of look I could get. As soon as I saw "Color Burn," I knew that I had found the look I wanted. I don't know how well it will come across the web, but on my screen in Photoshop, it is a great, almost watercolor kind of effect that really works with my page and so much more interesting that just another blue word. I love it!
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS3
Name of challenge: Fourth of July
Other Ingredients:
Journaling: Every time I look into those eyes, I fall in love all over again.
“Celebrate Freedom” by Amy Flanagan
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I wanted the flag to really stand out. To achieve this, first I ran ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Photo Basics PSE 5001 "Smart Glow" on the photo. Then, I ran ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Photos That Pop PSE 1801 on a second copy of the photo, which I layered on top of the original photo. Then I adjusted the Opacity of the ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Photos That Pop PSE 1801 photo layer (after action was complete), until I found the effect I was looking for. Then, using a layer mask, I brushed away the portions of the photo that I didn't want dramatized, making sure to fade away any obvious edges. I am left with a very dramatic, vibrant photo.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0
Name of challenge: Fourth of July
“On A Swing” by Armi Custodio
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
Instead of just typing up your title, add interest and dimension to your layout by using tags to spell out your title. Here I used Erica Hite's ScrapSimple Tools-Shapes: Deluxe Tags 5401. I simply clipped my choice of papers onto the tag shape and added my alpha. I then attached my tags to the tree branches with clothespins and tape. You can also use ribbons and strings to tie your alpha tags together.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS3
Name of challenge: Use tags in a creative way.
Other Ingredients:
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