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"True Love" by Jennifer Wight
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
With this layout, I really wanted to find a frame that would elegantly showcase my photo. I tried several photo masks but the brush work would cut into my photo in such a way that didn't satisfy me. Once I spied Brandy Murry's ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Fantastic Frames, I knew I found what I was looking for. The detailed clusters around the frame were perfect for personalizing with styles and added just the right touch of elegance to my photo and layout.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 5
Name of challenge: Create a Valentine's Day without using the color "red"
"I Love You, Valentine" by Janine Buckles
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I chose one of my favourite photos, which was taken on a warm, sunny, summer afternoon while Dave and I were on a walk in a nearby conservation area. I picked my colour scheme from the foliage in the background of the picture. I ignored the black of his t-shirt because it already forces the eye to the centre of the picture. I needed to soften the black by including elements that added interest and complimented the greens, yellows, and greys. I finished my layout, but the "I love you" word art from Angie Brigg's Tender Heart Collection Mini, which I thought was perfect for my title, seemed lost in all the greens. Its original text colour is a pretty pale blue against a nice, soft grey heart shape. In order to give it more presence on the layout I applied the "Verdi" colour of ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Aged Metals Biggie to the text and the "Iron" colour of ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Grunged Metals Super Biggie 4101 to the heart shape. Now I had a perfectly coordinated title element!
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 5
Name of challenge: Create a Valentine's Day without using the color "red"
"My Cup of Tea" Card by Elisha Barnett
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
For this card, I really wanted some word art that said "TEA" for the title. Sometimes I try to find a font that matches the style of the collection I'm working with, but I noticed that there was a "Tea Party" word art element in the collection I was working with, Kerry Veale's Afternoon Tea Collection. Because it's in the collection, the style is perfect! I opened that element in my software and used my Magic Wand tool ("Contiguous" checked) and selected the letter "T." Then holding my Shift key down, I selected the "E" and the "A," adding to my selection. With my selection complete, I right-clicked and chose "Layer via Copy." This made a new layer with just the word "TEA" which I was able to drag and drop into my layout. (Be sure not to save when you close your element, preserving the original!) I added a couple of strokes in colors I chose from existing elements in my layout and a drop shadow. Now I had the perfect word art for my layout!
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6
Name of challenge: Create a Valentine's Day without using the color "red"
Journaling: Valentine, you are my "Cup" of TEA
"Beloved" by Jo Corne
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
To create my background paper I used Kerry Veale's Victorian Garden Collection Biggie - Solid Coral as my first layer. On the next layer, I placed Kerry Veale's Glitter Party Paper - Lacey and applied Erica Hite's ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Punch Out 5401 to it. On the next layer, I once again placed Kerry Veale's Glitter Party Paper - Lacey but changed its Blending Mode to "Overlay" at 100% Opacity.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a Valentine's Day without using the color "red"
"Valentine" by Charlene Crowder
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I wanted to blend/fade a photo into the background paper. So, I erased around the picture of my husband and I to get rid of the woodsy background. Then I played with the Blending Modes. I settled on "Soft Light." It wasn't faded enough, so I lowered the Opacity of the layer to 76%. The lovely design of the background paper was a little distracting on our faces. To correct this, I took a large, soft, round brush, chose a color from the paper, opened a new layer, reduced the Opacity of the brush and brushed onto the new layer in the area of our faces - not so much to completely cover the background paper, but enough to help our faces out.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 7
Name of challenge: Create a Valentine's Day without using the color "red"
Other Ingredients:
Journaling: Thank you for your love. Thank you for showing it each day. I love you.
"You Help Me Fly" by Joann Brown
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
This layout had to be simple and clean – because it's a layout about my husband. Often, when I'm working with a layout, the subject of my layout determines the overall feel of my layout when it's completed. I knew I wanted a clean look to this layout – and choose all of my elements, fonts, and even my photo based on the personality of my husband.
P.S. To lift the photo, I used my favorite ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Mega Lift I-Squared Biggie – it doesn't get any easier!
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a Valentine's Day without using the color "red"
Other Ingredients:
Journaling: You help me spread my wings and fly. You are my number one fan, my rock, my support, the love of my life.
"Love" by Kara Swanson
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
There are at least two design principles that I followed in this layout. I used an odd number of pink flower elements for completeness, and I arranged them in a visual triangle.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6
Name of challenge: Create a Valentine's Day without using the color "red"
"Love You" by Gisele Corrêa Marçal Queiroz
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
Sometimes one element is simply perfect for the layout that I'm doing, but the color does not match. In this layout, I wanted to use a clip from Angie Briggs' Assemble Your Own Zoom Pages: Scenic Route, but I did not want the color blue. So, using the Polygonal Lasso tool, I carefully selected only the blue ribbon of the clip. Then I went to Image> Adjustments> Hue/Saturation and I moved the Hue, Saturation and Lightness sliders in the dialogue box, until I got the green I wanted.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a Valentine's Day without using the color "red"
"Timeless Love" by Julie Moberly
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I wanted the vintage photo in the upper left corner to have an aged appearance. First, I clipped the photo to a journal strip from Kerry Veale's Time Traveler Collection Biggie. However, it needed more contrast. I duplicated the photo layer and also clipped it to the journal strip. Then I experimented with the Blending Modes and Opacity of the photo layers until I achieved the look I wanted. The final settings of the top photo layer were "Multiply" with Opacity at 66%. On the second photo layer, I set the Blending Mode to "Darken" and left the Opacity at 100%.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 8
Name of challenge: Create a Valentine's Day without using the color "red"
"Feels Like Yesterday" by Amy Flanagan
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
For this layout, I wanted a lot of depth and texture with the embellishments. After I laid out all the photos and placed down the lace, I wanted to weave a ribbon in and around the lace and over a bit of the picture. To do that, I duplicated my ribbon layer, and place one layer above the purple lace and one layer below. Then, using a photo mask on the upper layer, I painted away the portions that were to look as though they were underneath the lace and woven through. To make the painting even easier, simply reduce the Opacity of your upper layer. This allows you to see through the upper layer and gives you a perfect trace line to follow as you paint away. Then to finish it off, I added a shadow to the bottom layer only.
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Intaglio Biggie 7601, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Vintage Millinery Flowers, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Subtle Photos 7601 Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Victorian Garden Biggie 7601, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Typography, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Butterfly Shadows 6301 Mini, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Lifted Photos - Doubles Biggie, Brush Set: Grunge Block Alpha Super Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Mega Lift I-Squared Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Scripts: File Save 1 11101, ScrapSimple Tools - Scripts: Supply Tracker 11101, ScrapSimple Tools - Scripts: Rename Layer 11101 and ScrapSimple Tools - Scripts: Delete Non-Visible 11101 are also available. |
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a Valentine's Day without using the color "red"
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