Using Brushes in Photoshop (and making your own digi stuff!)

Are you intimidated by digital stuff? Me too, don't worry- I'm right there with you!

I've been picking up things here and there, but I'm definitely not "there" yet... but I wanted to share one of my favorite tricks and give you a little Valentine's treat today!

Below are some journaling cards/embellishments that you can save and print out and use. Just click on the images (it'll open them up big) and then right click and save image.

I don't have a great printer at home, so when I make these, I size them at 4x6", so that whenever I'm printing off photos, I just add them to the cart and presto- a set of printed digital elements the next time I get pics!



These next two I designed specifically to go with the new Nightingale kit- now on sale!



I'm going to teach you today how you can make some of these yourself- or at least, begin experimenting! It's super easy and fast... I made these over the course of a few minutes each!

In order to do this project, you're going to need to open photoshop- I use CS for this tutorial.

Then you need to go to one of these sites and download some brushes; save them and extract them somewhere where you can find them easily.

My Photoshop Brushes

BrushEezy

Next, open a new document in photoshop. You can do these on top of a photo or just on a 4x6 white document.
Click on this little paintbrush tool.
Then click up there on the tool bar on the little "down" arrow and a window will open with your default brushes. Your program will come with a couple loaded. If it looks weird or hard to see them, we can change that in a sec.
Click on the little right hand arrow and a new menu will pop up. Click on the "large thumbnails" thing so that a checkmark shows up next to it- that will make it easier to see your brushes. Then click on "Load Brushes" and you'll be able to go load those brushes you downloaded earlier. It's as easy as clicking on the icon and clicking "load!"
You can then click on the little thumbnail of whatever brush you want to play with, and start clicking away on your document. Think of it as "stamping" digitally. A few tips I've learned:

Change up the colors and layer brushes using different shades. Just click on those double squares I've got circled and select your colors!


Sometimes you'll click on your brush and nothing will show up. It's 'cause it's too big. You can change the size by lowering those numbers I have circled, OR you can use the [ keystroke to make it smaller.

They're fun added to photos too, like this!
Have fun experimenting- you can layer lots of different kinds of brushes and add text to make really unique journaling blocks or pre-made accents for your pages- custom made for you!

Here's a list of direct links to some of the brushes I used on the journaling blocks above:

Fancy Frames

Lace

Hearts

Vintage Hands

Photocorners

You're almost finished with your page . . . but it still feels like it's missing something. A little color? A little detail? But you don't want to go overboard. Hmmmm. Why not try a photocorner? :D

There are lots of fun photocorners on the market, but you can also make your own. The fun part is that you can make it out of anything to perfectly compliment your layout. Try using paper, fabric, transparencies, journal spots, stickers, etc.

Here's one technique for making your own photocorner:

Step 1: Choose your paper or material that you are going to work with. In this case I am using a Jenni Bowlin Mini Bingo Card.

Step 2: Cut it into a square.

Step 3: Cut the square from corner to corner. You will now have two triangle shapes. You can use them like this or continue with the steps to make it a little more like the traditional photocorner shape.

Step 4: Fold your triangle in half.

Step 5: Snip off the bottom corner.

Step 6: Open it up. Now you have your finished custom photocorner!

You can also create your own photocorners, by cutting off the corners of new or used envelopes. Measure in from the corner equally on each of the sides and cut! You can make them as small or as large as you would like.

Try using decorative scissors to cut your photocorner. Or decorate your custom photocorners with stamps, paint, doodling, brads, buttons, flowers, etc. The options are endless! Have fun with it!

Supplies Used: (Most everything here came from previous Noel Mignon Kits: Tree House & Picnic Basket)Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Pink Paislee, 7 Gypsies, Scenic Route; Transparency: Hambly; Letter Stickers: Scrapworks (black), Pink Paislee (red); Flowers: We R Memory Keepers (red), Pink Paislee (polka dot); Label Stickers: Scenic Route; Calendar Sticker: Melissa Frances; Chipboard bird: Scrapworks; Journal Spot: Anna Griffin; Rubons & Buttons: SEI; Other: Thread, Letter Stamps from my stash.

Playing With Tiles!

Sometimes, it is fun to pull out supplies you haven't played with in awhile. Sometimes it gives us that creative push we need! For today's T & T, I am going to show you a couple of different ways to create with "tiles." They are easy and fun to work with. You can make a bunch up ahead of time and incorporate them into scrap pages or cards!

I love the impact these 3 squares make on this otherwise simple page! Sometimes it is the little details that make a page special. Alrighty then, pull up a chair........ : )

To stamp on my tiles, I used Memento Ink and a script stamp. But play around with different stamps to give you different effects!

When adhering to a LO or card use a scrap glue and place a heavy book on it until dry. This will prevent the ends from curling.

A few other things you can try are; place beads, sequins, punched paper pieces, or charms into the tile while it is still warm. Sprinkle glitter, flock, or rub ink on the edges. Have fun playing!!!!

Making use of those scraps

This may not be new - but it is a trick that has worked for me for many years. I sometimes like to type out my journaling on a layout and of course want to print it out on some nice cardstock. The problem is that I don't want to cut down an entire piece of paper for some journaling. So...this is what I do.

First, I type up my journaling in a word processing program. I pick my fonts, what size I think it needs to be. (you could be more percise by measuring - but that is so not me - hehe). Anyhow - this is a sample of my printed out journaling. I took this from my blog and is intended only for my sample :)

*umm excuse the mess:)

Now I have the supplies I need -- journaling (after it has been checked to make sure it is the correct size).

So here all I did was flip the strip of cardstock and put 2 strips of glue at the edges -- just enough to hold it in place while it runs through the printer. Here I just placed the cardstock onto the paper directly over my journaling that I had just printed. Make sure it is on there nice and flat so that it doesn't get caught in your printer. I use permanent adhesive but I guess you could try repostional kind? Let me know if that works!
Sorry for the poor picture here -- but here is what it looks like right before I put it in the printer. I simply flip it over and put it in the printer. This is so when it comes out of the printer the writing is on the cardstock side.
Here it is out of the printer. I simply take it to my personal cutter and trim off the excess paper. Usually this takes care of the glued white paper. If not, I carefully tear it off.
and then here you have the end result. All you need to do is adhere it onto your layout.

You can also print on pattern paper as well -- it is kinda nice to use up your stash.

Since this was a sample of what you can do, I am going to share with you some layouts where I have used this technique myself.

In this layout I printed out my writing onto cardstock and then cut the sentences into smaller pieces for a different look.

This one I created in Photoshop but it is the same idea -- I first printed it out onto regular paper -- when I was satisfied I put my cardstock on top and that's it!

Another one where I chopped up the sentences.

This one I just printed it out using the same method that I showed above.

Same method -- but different sizing!

As you can see, there are many ways to do this and it is easy! Hope this was helpful:)

Michelle Lanning

Quick Tips and Tricks with RubOns

RubOns can be intimidating. I know, because I avoided using them for a long time! LOL! But once I took the plunge and followed some tips from fellow scrappers, I no longer am afraid of them! Infact I LOVE using them! Here are some of the things I have learned.

Applying a RubOn

1. When you first open your package of rubons, staple the rubon sheet to the protective backing. Staple in a blank area, not an area with a design.

2. After selecting the desired image, cut around it, including the backing. This way, when you go to apply your rubon, you are only applying the image that you want to use and other images won't accidentally transfer to your project in unwanted places.

3. Keep the backing in place while you decide where you would like it to go. When you are ready, remove the backing and apply the rubon.

4. Rubons usually come with a craft stick to use as a tool for transferring. I usually use something else. I find that the craft stick doesn't give me enough leverage to get a smooth image.



My favorite tool is the Rubon Tool by Basic Grey. It has a rolling ball tip that makes it a breeze to work with! I also like to use an embossing stylus for finer detail. But lots of things work great, a bone folder, the cap of a pen, etc. The gray tool next to the craft stick in the picture above is a tool that was included in an American Crafts package of rubons. LOVE it! It really is a matter of preference. Try a few different tools and see which ones you are the most comfortable with.

5. Rub the entire image with your tool, making sure to pay special attention to fine details and areas where the rubon is overlapping layers of paper. With most rubons you can tell when your image is transferring because the backing will go cloudy.



Some are a little harder to tell if they are transferring. When this happens, I will lift the backing off slowly, keeping most of it in place, so that if the image doesn't completely transfer I can lay the sheet back down and continue working.

6. TaDAAAA! You have applied your rubon!


Store the remaining pieces of your rubons together in the packaging. Or, if you have stray pieces, try taping them to a piece of wax paper. Store packages of rubons in a photo box, so that you can easily flip through them, or place them inside a sheet protector inside a binder. What other ways do you store your rubons?


If you change your mind about where you placed your rubon, you can always try removing it with a piece of low-tack tape. I like to use transparent tape or masking tape.



I place the tape over the image and gently rub. Be careful not to rub too hard, or you could risk pulling up and tearing the paper underneath.



Slowly pull back the tape at an angle to remove the rubon. The extra flecks left behind are easily removed by "dabbing" a piece of tape over them, using a glue eraser, or sometimes I've even gently scratched them off using a paper piercer. Note: Removing a rubon that has been applied to a photograph is virtually impossible! LOL!

If you are still nervous about using a rubon directly onto the page you've been slaving over, you can always apply the rubon to a transparency and cut it out. Works great!

Rubons are really fun because they can add detail over several layers of paper, brighten a dark corner of a photograph or layout, or add interest to a premade embellishment!

On this layout, I added a rubon to the blue brad for a fun little detail.




I wanted to add a little color to this rubon, so I simply colored in a few areas using colored pencils.




White rubons can be fun to use as a mask. Apply the rubon to your project (a light colored paper works best for this technique), and then use watercolors to paint over it. Such a fun and artsy effect!




Other fun ways to use rubons include:

Add rubons directly onto your photos.

Use rubons to enhance premade embellishments, including stickers, chipboard, buttons, brads, acrylic accents, etc.

Rub them onto vellum for an opaque look.

Use word rubons and fill them in with chalks or water color pencils.

Use on ribbon or fabric to pick up texture.

Cut them apart to alter the design to fit your individual project. No one will even know!

Rub over them with sandpaper for a distressed look.

Add interest to a corner with rubons.

Use them as part of your title or to enhance your title.

Use rubon stitches as journaling lines.


Don't be afraid to experiment with rubons! They are a great way to add interest, texture and depth to your next project!