My new release this week is another fun boy kit, Noise With Dirt!

 When I was creating my first layout with this kit, I decided to use some Photoshop paint brushes. We've got some really fun ones HERE at The Orchard, and you can always google for some free ones.

I created a new layer and started painting away. I then dragged my photo onto my canvas and clipped it to the layer that I had just painted (Layer>Create Clipping Mask or CTRL+ALT+G). This assures that the photo will end up being the shape of the paint splats on the layer beneath it.

 

This is what the photo looks like clipped to the shape on the layer under it.

I then merged those two layers so they were now one (Layer>Merge Down or CTRL+ALT+E).

 

Easy, right?!

 

I also made another page for my oldest. 

 

That's all from me for now, enjoy your weekend!

I asked a few days ago on the new Facebook Fan Page if my customers were still loving the Siggified Templates...or if they were old news. It seemed like the majority of the fans really loved the templates and would like some new packs, and then a couple responses stated that they either had never seen them before or weren't sure how to use them.

For those of you not familiar, email or forum signatures are a fun way to help your fellow forum posters see and recognize your name...and sometimes even get a little taste of your personality, depending on how you decorate your 'siggy'.

Here is a step by step tutorial with screenshots to help you get over your siggy-making-slump! First, you can grab this free template I've made so you can follow along :)


(click the image to download)

First, I opened my siggy template. As you can see, all layers are clearly labeled.

I chose a photo to stick in the photo spot. I positioned it in the layer above the one labeled 'photo'.



I clipped my photo to the layer labeled photo. This can be done by selecting layer>create clipping mask or also by keying ctrl+alt+g on your keyboard. This essentially cuts the extra bits of photo off that you don't want showing.

I then resized my photo to my liking.



For this signature, I used my Pretty Much the Coolest digital scrapbooking kit. You can find this one and lots of others in my Scrap Orchard shop. :)



In this template, there are a couple of layers for clipping paper backgrounds to. I selected the paper I wanted and resized it to 72ppi or 'web size' since the siggy itself is 72 pixels per inch for web use.



I dragged the paper into my siggy canvas (you could also select layer>duplicate layer and select your siggy template .psd or .tif file as the file you'd like the paper to be copied to). Again I keyed ctrl+alt+g to 'clip' my paper to the shape provided.

I repeated this step for the other shape layer that was provided.



I chose a frame and resized it accordingly, repeating the drag & drop (or layer>duplicate layer to my siggy .psd or .tif file).

I positioned it above the layer marked 'frame' and resized until I was happy with the size and position of the frame. I then deleted the layer marked 'frame', since it is no longer needed.



I opened a doodled leaf element file and dragged it into my siggy workspace. I resized it and positioned it above one of the layers marked 'foliage'.

I then duplicated that branch layer twice for the other two foliage layers, and positioned them accordingly. You could use the same leaves or different ones, totally up to you! Delete the layers marked 'foliage', as you don't need them anymore.

I did the same with some doodle flowers for the layers marked 'flower'. I decided to use two different flowers. Again, I deleted the layers labeled 'flower' after I was finished using them as a guide.



For the layer marked 'button or brad', I decided to use a screw. The only screw available in the kit I was using was the centerpiece of a fabric flower. I used the elliptical marquee tool to select the screw and keyed ctrl+c to copy only the screw. You could also select edit>copy.

I then moved back into my siggy template workspace and keyed ctrl+v for paste. You could also select edit>paste. I repositioned and resized until I was happy with the placement of the screw in the center of one of my doodled flowers.



At the very bottom of the layers are two labeled 'paint or scribbles'. Instead of using paint splatters included in a kit, I decided to use the color overlay option in Photoshop to essentially recolor the paint shapes that were already provided in the template.

I used the eyedropper tool to click on a color from one of my papers. I repeated those steps on the other layer marked 'paint or scribbles' with another color from one of my flowers.



Lastly, we need a name, right? ;) I opened my alpha sheet and copy/pasted just the letters I needed to spell out my name. I made sure the alpha layers were placed above the ones marked 's' 'i' 'g' 'g' and 'y'. I provide these layers for a guide of where you should expect to place your alphabet or text in the spelling of your name or username.



After adding a drop shadow to my letters and moving them around a bit until I was happy with them, I selected image>trim to remove any excess space around my signature.

I also selected layer>merge visible to merge all of my layers together.



Many forums ask that you keep your signatures a certain size. For this siggy, I made sure it was no larger than 150 pixels tall. You can find these settings under image>image size.

I then saved my siggy as a .png file, keeping the transparency intact. Some forums have background colors other than white, so this promises that your siggy will still be lookin' hawt even if you're hangin' at a forum with a pink background.



Here is my finished siggy:



Comfortable with your siggy-making-abilities and wanting to change things up every once in a while? I've got five siggy template packs (each pack includes 4 templates) in my store...with more packs being added every month or two.

Hello there, crafty friends! It's been a while since I've posted non-release related stuff, so I figured it was about time... I'd been tossing this idea around for a few days before I finally got to it and executed my little plan. With school having just been let out, I know my guys are bound to be bored at least 1-27 times per day. The only thing that really holds their attention for longer than 15min is video games. I think kids 'these days' have so much information thrown at them that they have trouble using their imaginations. I thought I'd give them a little push in creative and pretend play.

Today we're making a hybrid activity prompt box/container! I have a little template you can grab for the label and card holder envelope...click the image to download.



The digital scrapbooking kit I chose is 8 Bit World.



Here's what you'll need:



I used the template to create a label and card holder envelope for my activity container. If you don't have the same container, that's totally fine! A small box or empty coffee container would work just as well.

You'll need to cut out your template. If you don't have a fancy paper cutter or your blade was dull like mine, you can use scissors. ;)



Score where needed on your envelope.



Use adhesive of some kind to adhere your envelope as shown below. Press firmly for a minute or so if you're using glue, making sure that your envelope has time to dry a bit.



Set aside and let it dry the rest of the way as we move on to the next step.



If you are using a container that still has a label on it, go ahead and pull the label or stickers off now.



Don't have a garbage can nearby but DO have a small child? Excellent! They think it's really funny when you stick all the label pieces on their finger. See?



Use your adhesive again to stick your label on the front of your container.



Repeat the last step with your envelope on the back of your container.

Grab some index cards or small pieces of paper. Write some fun play prompts on them and stick them in your activity container. Place some extra blank cards or papers in your idea envelope for anytime an adult in the house has a cool idea for a prompt. The key is to surprise the kids, so try to write your ideas when they're not around ;)



Some of mine included using paint and only your elbow to write your name, assigning each child a 'part' to 'play' and a scenario to act out, assigning a certain number of things around the house with which to build a fort in some random number of minutes...you get the idea.

That's it! Easy, right? Took me about an hour. Enjoy! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a reply to this post. :)

I left the background papers clipped together since I wasn't planning on putting anything behind them.