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DIY: 4th of July Decorations Using Your Digital Scrapbook Stash
As I was browsing through my local office supply store, I stumbled across some clear window decals for inkjet printers that I could run through my printer and add to my windows, doors or other smooth surfaces. My mind exploded with ideas! Since the 4th of July is right around the corner, I decided to decorate my table for the holiday. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how easy it is to use your digital scrapbooking kits to make window decals for any occasion and some cute napkin rings to match!
Digital scrapbooking supplies used:
American City Collection
America Collection Mini
Value Pack: Freedom
Supplies used:
window decal paper for inkjet printers
cardstock
printer
scissors
your imagination!
Let’s start with the window decals. Because the window decal paper is 8.5×11 inches, I opened a new document that size in Photoshop, with a transparent background and 300 dpi. I searched my digital supplies and found embellishments and word art that would look great on my windows and sliding glass door. I fit as many on the document as I could, leaving some space around each element for cutting.
Before I talk about printer settings, it’s important to do a little planning. When your word art is displayed on your window, do you want the words to be readable from the inside of the house or the outside? If you choose to display them so they can be read from the outside, you will need to flip your document horizontally so the words print out backwards.
I choose to do it both ways, so I’ll print one document for the inside and one for the outside.
Here are some tips I discovered for printing. I set my printer paper type to transparency. The directions that came with the window decal paper recommended using the highest quality print setting. When loading your printer, you will want to print on the clear side of the decal sheet. I found that my printer couldn’t detect the decal paper when I only put one or two sheets in the printer tray. If I loaded plain printer paper under the decal paper, the problem was solved (I have a bottom feed printer). Once the decal paper prints, let the ink dry completely before trimming!
Once dry, trim your embellishments and word art, leaving at least half an inch border around your word art and embellishments.
Peel off the backing and attach to the window, vase, or any smooth surface!
Now, for the napkin rings. Open a new document in your photo editing software, 8.25 inches long x 2.25 inches wide, 300 dpi. Fill this document with your digital scrapbooking paper. Next, pick a symmetrical embellishment for each end of your document. I choose stars, but you could pick a heart, a circle, or anything else as long as it’s symmetrical. Place your embellishment on the left side of your document, all the way to the edge, and increase the size to fill the document from top to bottom. Then “erase” the right half of your embellishment. I used the rectangular marquee tool to select the half I wanted to erase and then deleted it.
Duplicate your embellishment and flip it horizontally. Move it to the far right side of your document. Next we need to mark where to make our slices. On a new layer, choose a small, round brush, about 3-5 px. Starting on the left hand side of your document, draw a line from the bottom of your document to the middle, following along the middle of your embellishment. Repeat this step on the right hand side, starting at the top of your document down to the middle. I used white for my slice marks so that when my napkin rings are assembled, the white won’t show as much inside the white star. You can use any color you would like, or skip this step if you can cut it from sight.
I saved my document as both a layered file and a flattened jpeg. Then I opened a letter sized document and added 4 copies of my napkin ring jpeg to it. Since I have 4 place settings, I need 4 rings. I arranged the layers for easy trimming and printed it on cardstock (as shown in the photo with the window decal word art). I cut out the napkin rings into rectangles. Then I cut around the edge of the star on each side. Last, I cut my slices into the ring.
Bend the ring and interlock the slice marks. You should have a completed embellishment that stands up a bit from the ring. If the two halves are not lining up, you may need to cut your slices a little bit more.
Now you are ready for your very own 4th of July party! You could use these same techniques for a birthday party, graduation party, or any holiday! The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!
We’d love to see what you create! Post your finished projects in the Scrap Girls Hybrid Gallery. Have fun!
Tutorial written by Carla Shute
Card Sketch Tuesday!
It’s Sketch Tuesday time again! This week we have a card sketch from our very own Hybrid Team Member, Karen Webb! She shows us how to use the sketch for digital (which can be printable) and hybrid cards! Thanks so much Karen!
We LOVE seeing your digitial scrapbooking layouts on Facebook – keep them coming! Check back every other Tuesday for new sketches!
The first sample is a digital card that Karen made with Brandy Murry’s Petals digital kit. You could personalize this card and send it through email or print it out and send it snail mail.
And here is Karen’s hybrid version using the sketch! She used Durin Eberhart’s Subtle Beauty digital kit!
We would LOVE to see your cards using this sketch! Please post them on our Facebook page and you might just win a prize! In addition you can upload your layout to our Gallery here. But make sure you post it on our Facebook page first.
If you have a sketch idea please send it to me at [email protected] and you may just find it showcased on the blog, and a free gift coming your way!
Collage – Duplicating An Art Technique
I love looking at what people have pinned about Art Journaling on Pinterest! Seeing what you like gives me a never ending supply of ideas for ‘Art Journaling – Scrap Girls Style’.
One of the techniques I keep seeing over and over again is painting on a book page, semi translucent enough to let some of the page show through. On this journey, you will be learning right along with me because I have never tried to duplicate an art technique ‘Scrap Girl Style’ before. I just gotta do what I gotta do!
Setting Up the Digital Part
For comparison sake, I’m going to use the same background paper and the same line drawings on all my ‘trials’. I will create a file that I can print out as needed. Hopefully, not too many times!
For my line drawings I am using two images from Angie Briggs’ ScrapSimple Layer Your Own Brushes: New Foliage. The 1st image (1) is totally black and here’s how to turn it into a line drawing:
Open the image and duplicate it, then turn off the original by clicking the eye. Using the magic wand tool, click anywhere on the inside of the image. Marching ants will appear around the edges. Click on File then Stroke. Set the color to black, the width to 4 and the location to outside, then click ok.
(2) It doesn’t look like anything has happened, but as soon as you click delete, then select/deselect, you will have an outline!
(3) I want only part of this image though. To get rid of the part I don’t want, I used the lasso tool and drew around the portion I didn’t want, double clicked to bring out the marching ants. (4) Then hit delete, select/deselect….This is the part I’ll use.
(5) The other image is already in outline form, so I didn’t have to do a thing.
(6) I opened a new file the size of my journal page. Brought both line drawings over, resized and rearranged until I was satisfied. Name and Save.
(7) I opened the chosen background paper from Angie Briggs’ Scenic Route digital kit. Duplicate and resized to my journal page measurements. Name and Save.
(8) I then opened a new document 8.5 x 11 inches, 300 dpi. Next, I brought the saved line drawing and my paper document over, placed to fit then named and saved it.
(9) THIS IS MY “TRIAL” FILE FOR PRINTING!
Trial #1
Print your trial file out on Magic Matt, (I like the 27 lb. weight best for this technique.) available at this link:
http://www.dotcalmvillage.net/artpapers.html
(This paper is the “KEY” to success! It renders the ink from everyday printers WATERPROOF….before, you could only do this technique using a laser jet printer!) Cut out the background paper and adhere it to the journal page with Golden Soft Gel Gloss medium. I used Derwent, Inktense water color pencils to color in the line drawings. Then I used a Niji, small tipped water brush to blend.
(10) In this trial, I diluted some white gesso and very lightly brushed around the outlines of the design. Let it dry thoroughly. Normally I use the Soft gel medium as the adhesive for the whole project…this time I wanted to try Golden’s, Tar Gel for the rest of the steps. Why? Tar Gel is self-leveling, meaning it will dry smoothly with no brush lines. (Word to the wise….when trying to open a stuck lid, do NOT bang it upside down on your table unless you are positive that it was screwed on properly!
(11) After I cleaned-up, I brushed a pretty heavy coat (I used the mess on the table.) on the base paper that I had previously adhered into my journal & then a thin coat on the surface of the painting. (YES, the front of the painting!) I placed the painting upside down (the tar gel side) on top of the base paper. I used a brayer to roll out the trapped air bubbles. That was when I discovered I used way too much tar gel!…..It just kept oozing out the edges & I kept cleaning it off. If I use Tar Gel again, I will use less on the base paper & let dry before adhering the painting. Let the whole thing dry thoroughly!
Now comes what I call “the acid test”. I got a small bowl of water & dipped my fingers in it, then started gently rubbing away the paper.
(12) This looks promising, but the end result…
(13) was not quite a failure. The Tar Gel softened & became gelatinous and the gesso started to bubble up. Parts of the painting started to come off, so I actually scraped more of it off. But on some parts, I can see a glimmer of what I was shooting for!
On to Trial #2, which will be much shorter. The “how to” will be the same as here.I will explain any changes in mediums & techniques as needed.
Trial #2
I printed the ‘trial file’ again. Cut out the paper and adhered it to my journal page using soft gel gloss. Painted the line drawing with with the same water color pencils. This time I diluted a white acrylic paint and brushed lightly around the design edges. Then put a coat of soft gel gloss on the base and let dry. After it dried, I brushed another coat of SGG (abbreviation for soft gel gloss that I’ll be using from now on!) on the base paper and immediately put the line drawing face down on it. I used a brayer to roll out the air bubbles. Guess what? NO ooze! Let dry. Then started the “acid test”. Shortly into the acid test, I realized that this trial was a total failure:
Here are my conclusions: I should have put 2 to 3 more coats of SGG on the base and put 2 coats of SGG on the design before adhering it to the base. Not even a glimmer here!
Trial #3:
(Hopefully the Charm)
Printed the trial file again. SGG’d base paper to journal. Painted line drawing. 3 Coats of SGG to base & 2 coats to front of painting. This time I cut apart the painting and got rid of some paper excess. Added 1 more SGG coat to painting pieces to stick them on base. Let dry …… Preferably overnight, which I didn’t do.
Rubbed the paper off……I CONSIDER THIS TRIAL THE CHARM!
I am quite happy with the way it turned out! I’m thinking that the paper shadow is more noticeable because of the dark background.
I’ll do something with this to make it a WOW!
Turning a Glimmer into a WOW!
All I did to Trial #2 was dip my finger into some regular acrylic white paint and rubbed around the edges; sometimes wiping with a damp cloth. I REALLY REALLY LOVE THIS!
See you next time!
Jerrie
Digital scrapbooking products used:
Tutorial written by Jerrie Hall
Weekly Layout & May Contest Winners!
I Try to Imagine digital scrapbook layout by laurielou56
Digital scrapbooking supplies used:
Love Every Day Collection Biggie
Want a chance to win Scrap Girls’ Weekly Layout Contest?
Simply post your digital or paper layouts that use Scrap Girls products in our online Gallery, and if we choose your layout, you’ll win a prize! To be considered, don’t forget to list the Scrap Girls products that you used in your layout.
Congratulations to this weeks winner. Please email [email protected] to receive your gift!
Want to see past winners of the Weekly Layout Contest? Visit the Weekly Layout Winners Gallery on our Forum!
May’s Forum Game Winners
Congratulations to the winners of our May Forum Game! These members each won a $5.00 Gift Certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique.
- Terri M
- princessrunningfingers
- Deb C.
- Scrapbooking newbie
- Sara Arell
May’s Layout Contest Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the May layout contest, Sara Arell and ScrapGram! The winning layouts each fit the this month’s theme, About Me. Each winner will receive a $10 Gift Certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique for their efforts. Congratulations! You may retrieve your gift certificates by emailing [email protected]
Digital scrapbooking layout by Sara Arell
Digital scrapbooking supplies used:
Buttermilk Road Collection Biggie
Digital scrapbooking layout by ScrapGram
Digital scrapbooking supplies used:
Date Stamp WordArt Mini
Stitched Paper Frames Embellishment Biggie
Loving Baby Girl Collection Biggie
Brush Set: Rough It Up
Parterre Collection Biggie
Comfort Of Home Collection Biggie
Behind the Scenes: Ang Campbell’s June Club
Each month we get a glimpse behind the scenes of our Scrap Girls Club designers, and this month’s designer is Ang Campbell!
Click here to check out Ang’s June Club at a great price!
When you started working on your club, what was the first thing you did?
Design-wise, as usual, I started off creating a few digital papers. It really helps me to get a good feel for my color palette and have some nice backgrounds to work with as I begin to create layouts.
But the very first thing I did when I started working on my club was to brainstorm. I LOVE to brainstorm. There always seems to be a moment when the creative flow of ideas really starts to go crazy. I remember the night it happened for me. I was just finishing up my bedtime routine and about to crawl into bed when BAM! Images of the club products started swirling around in my brain and any attempts to go to sleep were futile. I love to brainstorm… and I love to make notes. So I scrambled for a piece of scrap paper on my dresser and just started jotting down everything that was coming to mind. As I worked on the club over the next few weeks new flashes of brainstorm creativity would happen and in the end I had a handful of scrap paper lists and ideas jotted down (even one on the back of a receipt after a shopping trip that somehow proved inspirational – hahaha). Not everything that gets jotted down ends up in the product I’m brainstorming but a lot of times those ideas find their way into products I design later!
I’m also a list-maker. After I have a pretty clear vision of what products are going to make up the Club, I have to try to keep it all straight. The amount of work (in addition to the actual designing process) is pretty intense for a Club, with lots of quality checking, plenty of marketing images and layouts to create, and lots of time spent preparing and “stocking the shelves” in the boutique. I always create some kind of tracking sheet to make sure I don’t miss any steps in the Club release process. I used a very detailed, item-by-item and step-by-step spreadsheet this time, as well as a “sticky note” app for seeing at a quick glance on my desktop which products in the Club were complete and which ones I was still working on.
Where did you find the inspiration for this club?
I love a good story. I love hearing them, reading then and telling them. I’ve been blogging my family’s adventures since 2006 and I love to share the fun stories that come from family life. I’ve always been a sucker for a layout with LOTS of journaling. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words but I’ve always insisted that a photo, without the words, is almost meaningless. Sometimes I’ll see a photo that I took years ago and have no recollection whatsoever of the moment or story behind the photo and it makes me so sad that the photo alone wasn’t enough to hold the memory in my mind. And then I imagine my grandchildren looking at my scrapbooks someday and even though I love the artistic, creative experience of scrapbooking, I don’t want my grandkids to look at my scrapbooks and only say “Wow, Grandma sure made pretty pages.” And I don’t want them to look at my books and wonder who the people are or why they were important to me. I want them to laugh and cry and reflect on the stories that are included with the photos on the pages. My reason for scrapbooking is to hold on to experiences and memories and share them, via journaling and photos. I created Story of My Life with that purpose in mind. I wanted to create some papers that could be covered in journaling. I wanted some embellishments that would encourage more journaling on our pages. I wanted something that would help me tell my own story and the story of the lives of those I love.
What inspired the colors in your club?
I have three sons and one daughter. It was really important for me to create a collection of products that could be used to tell stories for each of my family members. I needed a solid, versatile color palette that would work comfortably for boys or girls.
Scrolling through Pinterest, I happened upon this photo of some interior design that caught my eye and felt like just the versatile color palette I was looking for! I tweaked some of the colors and it evolved into the final color palette for my Club.
The club includes several products. Did you start and complete each one before moving on to the next?
Nope, never! I like to create layouts as I design my products so that I can add embellishments or word art as I need it. The one product that I sat down and completed in one sitting because I enjoyed it so much was the Word Art Mini set. I had gathered some quotes that I found to be particularly poignant about life and growth and telling our stories and I couldn’t wait to have them all complete and ready to use on my layouts.
What was your favorite thing to design?
As I was working on the digital embellishments, I found myself focusing heavily on journaling mats to meet my story-telling vision of the Club. But I knew I needed a good balance of fancy and functional. I didn’t want anything too swirly girly, but I needed enough feminine touches that my layouts for girls would still feel pretty. That was how I came up with the idea of including the paper flowers. And I actually got my family in on the action! My oldest son LOVES origami, so I let him help me do the actual paper folded stars, I learned to do some cool origami flowers, and then my husband helped with the photography so that I could then get to work on extraction and digitizing the embellishments we had created with actual paper. Working with my family on products for this Club was one of my favorite parts of the design process!
About how long did it take you to design this club?
I got started immediately after completing the work on the May ScrapSimple Club! My design work on this club took me about 8 weeks, from the end of February through the end of April.
Thanks so much Ang for sharing the story or your club with us!
Silhouette Video Tutorial: Iron-On Transfers on Dark Fabric
I am in awe of all the great things you can do with the Silhouette Electronic Cutting Tool! Usually creating iron-on transfers on dark fabric is not easy to do! Not so with the Silhouette! Can you image all the cute things besides t-shirts that you could make using your digital scrapbooking stash?? Don’t forget to take advantage of the great deals Silhouette is having on their cutting tools and heat transfer products here!
We would love to see your creations on our Facebook page!
