One thing many people overlook in regards to Photoshop Elements is that not every technique is complicated or requires a lot of steps. The title treatment I used here so simple to create and requires the use of only two tools in Elements. It looks difficult, but takes only minutes to do. Watch the video I made and see how you can make a title similar to this one:
The kit I used is so beautiful, and it's called Lavender and Lace by SeaTrout Scraps. You can purchase the kit bundle here: Lavender and Lace Collection. You can see the kit contents below:
Have you used the shape tool in Photoshop Elements for a clipping mask lately? And if you have, did you simply use a square or rectangle? Well, then, try mixing it up a little and using basic shapes to create a composite shape. You can come up with some fun figures to clip your pictures into.
In the page I posted above about the Oregon Coast Aquarium, the comma or swirly shapes along the right side were created using the custom shape tool, with the half circle shape within in that. You can watch the video below to see how I did it:
Here are the other pages I made that unique clipping masks:
The page below has the half circle shape combined with a vertical rectangle. Another fun effect for this page is that I used the text tool to create text on a rounded path, snugged it up closely to the photo mask, and merged (or combined it with the custom mask I just created. So now, not only did I combine the two shapes together, the text adds another fun look to this clipping mask. For a little more visual interest, I created an outline stroke that I offset from the clipping mask. I love the way it turned out! I can't link you to this kit, as it is no longer for sale, but it is the Snap Click Repeat kit by Celeste Knight.
The next page I made used these shapes:
This was the first page I made using composite shape clipping mask. I was extra proud of it because it made the Two Peas digital newsletter when that site was still up. You can see from the example above I used a horizontal rectangle this time, then two quarter circle shapes. I used the skew command (Image > Transform > Skew) to more or less make the rectangle a parallelogram, then skewed the half circles as well. I rotated the quarter circles in opposite directions, then plopped them on the ends of the parallelogram, then merged the layers. In the layout below, after I was finished making the shapes and duplicated them to create two other copies of the shape for my photo clipping masks. I also made the shapes a little taller and not as wide so they'd be a more ideal size for my photos. I also put an outline stroke around the clipping mask to make the shapes really pop from the page. This kit I used here is by Jen Martakis. It's another older one and has been discontinued.
So tell me...have you tried making clipping masks using this technique? Or is it something you'd like to try? Let me know if you get the chance.
Thanks again for reading my post and I hope you'll check out the video. Enjoy your day!
Would you look at this layout and think that everything on the page (excluding the fonts and pictures) came from the kit I'm going to show you below?
Well, it's true! Using only The Watercolor Summer kit by Kim Jensen and some tools in Photoshop Elements, I made the Easter layout at the top of this post.
My latest video shows you how you can take a small kit, and make some embellishments to go with it. There are times when a kit doesn't have what we need, and we can improvise enough to make a great scrapbook page.
I'm not saying by any means that this is how pro digital designers make their products...they use different programs and have spent a lot of time honing their skill. All I'm saying here is that this is a great way to spruce up a page in a pinch, or create a custom embellishment or two when you want it.
FYI, the only supplies I used other than Kim's beautiful kit were some fonts --- Phosphate Solid, KG Sorry Not Sorry Chub Regular, and my own handwriting are the ones you see on the layout.
I'm curious...have you ever made your own digital embellishments? Why or why not? I'd love to hear from you!
You guys, I am so sorry! I forgot to get this blog post up after I made the accompanying video. It kind of got lost as I was spending time with my family after the passing of my dad.
Anyhow, I just wanted to you to know I did remember and here's the lowdown on my digital bullet journal. I wasn't sure which app I wanted to use for a project like this. I tried note taking apps at first, like Notability and Evernote's Penultimate, but neither of those were really ideal for me. When tried using them, I found that each page in the journal was a completely separate document. And while that was OK, it wasn't optimal. I wanted an app that had the look and feel of a book, where I could flip through the pages.
I went back to the App Store and finally found an app called Morpholio Journal. It is made to look like a Moleskine journal, and soon, the ability to have a digital journal printed off will be available.
This app has some great features, which I will show you in the video below:
I use the app on my iPad Pro with my Apple Pencil, but you don't have to have either one. You can use an older iPad and any stylus that will work with it. I have a list of styli that are compatible with older iPads: alternative styli for iPads
Also, I used a couple of PDF from ETSY, and a "Hello 2017" title and the February Habit Tracker pages that I found on the BOHO Berry blog. Here are links to those items:
Year at a Glance Calendar PDF Boho Berry Tribe (Be aware that you need to join the blog's mailing list to access to the title and tracker pages as well as the rest of Kara's (the blog owner) free and awesome goodies. This is a list that is worth your time, so I recommend you giving it a try). Kara is amazing bullet journaler, and her content is fabulous, so check her out.
Here's a few photos of the bullet journal pages, if I showed if you wanna get a better look at them:
January Memories:
January Gratitude Log:
One of my February Weekly Logs:
I've appreciate the comments I've seen on YouTube, and welcome any constructive comments you guys would like to leave here. Thanks so much for spending part of your day here...:)
The handsome guy in the picture above is my dad...when he was in service during the 1940s. He passed away about a week and a half ago, and I cannot tell you how much I miss him.
During this time, when I'm still getting used to the fact that he is no longer with us, I have been so thankful that I have pictures of him...those that I took and those that belonged to him that we took the time to scan in. Also, I'm glad I took time to scrapbook some of those photos, and that there are others that I still have the chance to scrapbook.
I have realized that while I love the pretty papers and embellishments and have fun using them, they are not the main reason I do this. The most important reason, and why it is so dear to my heart, is so I can preserve those memories and remember what the good things and good people in my life.
Being able to look back at the pages I've made with photos of my dad have really brought me peace and helped the sting of our separation to be less painful. Certain memories have made me laugh, while others have made me so grateful for the good man he was. I'm so glad I had such a wonderful dad and what a sweet grandad he was to my kids.
You can hear more about this in this week's video:
The layouts I included are posted here in case you wanted a better look at them.
This one features my dad with one of his elementary school classes:
I love this page because it shows my parents on their wedding day and then on their sixtieth anniversary:
This page shows one of my favorite things to do ever, which is taking a hike with my dad and my kids:
This was such a fun Christmas, because it was our first in the new house we just moved into, and my parents surprised us by stopping by to spend some time with us:
I loved looking back on this day because we went to the courthouse to make the adoption final, and become a family in the eyes of the law. I loved having Mom and Dad there:
Thanks for taking time to visit today, and remember --- scrap those memories! And, if someone you love a lot has been on your mind, and you haven't talked to them in awhile --- don't wait! Call, visit, Facetime them, or take them to lunch. You won't regret it!
