Creating Depth, Shape and Texture with Digital Scrapbooking Stamps and Ephemera

So what is a smart way of using digital scrapbooking stamps and paint to give a page a Mixed Media Twist and what is it that makes a good ephemera cluster?

These are questions that I've been asked and I thought you might find my insight helpful.

Take a peek at the up and coming August Build Your Own Collection at the LilyPad. It's called Wonderful You and it celebrates us exactly as we are, quirks and all and is a fab all rounder and everyday kinda collection.

I used Wonderful You to create a page that would help me walk you through these tips and I hope you find them helpful.

Stamps and paint can help the eye to wander and to create flow, they assist in creating shape and extending extend lines, and they can also fill empty space plus add beautiful texture.

When choosing digital stamps for your pages look for variety. Select different stamps to add texture and interest and those that will draw out areas of your composition that already exist.

For variety look out for text fragments, splatters, defined pattern stamps like stars or dots, scribbles and abstract marks that include lines.

Study your page and look for areas that can be 'drawn out' by adding some stamps. We can exaggerate lines or areas by making them longer or wider by adding marks and stamps

A good ephemera cluster doesn't detract from your photograph or main focal point and is great for adding contrast and depth. It can also help to create shape and movement when paper bits are stacked and are lying at different angles with each other.

Consider your colours and ensure they compliment or just add some needed contrast to your photograph or the main focal point to your page. Neutral or monochrome colours are a good starting point. Again, consider using a variety of different types of ephemera to add texture and interest.

For variety within your ephemera type elements look for tickets or papers that contain text, and then also items that have pattern or print. Personally I love to add pops of black and white for contrast but it depends on your page what will suit, it's just a matter of experimenting

In my page I have used the paper scraps/ephemera to add a little extra height behind my photo and to create depth by layering at least three or four paper items. I also took the liberty of a few extra little things peeking between my clusters and a piece of fabric poking out of the side to add a different texture to the paper stacks.

Don't forget about 'dressing your cluster up', I like to add trailing threads, bits of stitching and scattered sequins or beads so that things are not so rigid or uniform.

Here is a short video showing my layout without my paper stacks and stamps and what a difference they make and how they can create shape. I make reference to our July Mixed Media Challenge at the LilyPad where we will be practising these techniques this month, you can find that here and I'd love it if you can join us!

Here are some other examples of paper stacks working really well and how stamps have been used to create strong composition and add texture.

I created this additional layout after I made this video with the new Stellar Memory Pockets Monthly and my New Stellar Add ons.

Whilst the ephemera cluster in this one is simplistic I used the techniques to elongate my composition away from my photo towards the area of white space.

Aly has used ephemera to create simple clusters to mount her photos and kept the colours minimal.

She has used a combo of plain tickets, some including text and some pattern and pops of blue. Coupled with a combo of botanical stamps, splatters, text fragments and a bold dimensional cluster and just a few trailing threads and scatters, her ephemera and stamps add so much to her page.

Dalis uses a combination of circular motions around her photo and then uses the strings, stamps, word art and stamps to elongate along the width of the page.

The ultimate cluster from Sheri!

A great mix of pattern and print and a minimal colour palette coupled with lovely long trailing strips of paper to elongate the page, text stamps, arrows and paint to elongate and add texture and movement, trailing threads and a sprinkling of elements to finish.

So much gorgeous stacking here and the stamps and paint on the painted background finish it off so perfectly.

Peace and serenity here from Marijke.

A more minimal example but oh so artsy with gorgeous ephemera layered intentionally to mount the top and bottom of the photo allowing it space to breathe.

She has used minimal stamps around the bottom and the corners beautifully and in an unimposing way. Everything is carefully placed just to to add just the right amount of stark black contrast and a little extra interest and texture to an otherwise perfect page.

And last but by no means least, a gorgeous page by Roxana who dared to go bold with those gorgeous white stamps contrasting with her dark background.

I love how she also used that tall piece of grass so cleverly to draw attention to the crop of the photo and where we should be drawing out attention to!

If you missed the announcements in my e-mails I'm excited to offer you deep savings on hundreds of Mixed Media Products in my shop. Mixed Media, Art Journaling, Stamps and Ephemera are slashed in price in conjunction with our Summer Bucket List Event, shop the sale using this link before it expires today on 16th July.

Don't forget we are practising all of the techniques in this tutorial in the July Mixed Media Challenge at the LilyPad Forum.

All participants receive a participation coupon that they can spend in my shop, one lucky winner will be chosen at random to receive an $8 coupon and if you are following along with the annual tracker you could win a $20 coupon or maybe even a spot as a guest on my Creative Team.

Find out more in the challenge thread, enjoy the sales for the next few days and I'll chat to you soon!

Using Stitched Elements in Scrapbook Layouts

Hello again, everyone!

Deborrah here again with a tutorial on using BIG stitched elements in a layout.

Rachel Jefferies created this wonderful series of Stash Builder collections that were designed to help you build a stash of items for pocket pages. But, of course, as soon as scrappers began working with them, they used them in ways I’m sure she hadn’t imagined.

Such is the case with her Pocket Art Signature Kit 4 and Stash Builder Kit No. 2 which you might have in your stash or you may have recently purchased during a recent SOSN Sale at the LilyPad.

I fell in love with the big, stitched flowers and leaves she created for the Stash Builder kit and wanted to use them for a layout, but not a pocket page.

So, let’s begin putting them to use. I started with this paper from the Pocket Art Kit No. 4.

I wasn’t sure if I liked the green paint down the left side – I had envisioned a more central vertical page design, so I enlarged the paper so that the left side wasn’t visible.

Next, I brought in my stitched flowers and leaves since this is what I really wanted to work with. I’m often amazed how one or two elements can direct the design of a whole layout!

My idea was to create a vertical design down the middle of the page, so I played with them until I was happy with how they all blended together

Next I brought in the frame for my photo. I wanted to get the general structure down before I began playing with other things. I decided to use the Polaroid frame included in the pocket page template that Rachel made for the kit. I absolutely LOVE scavenging items from templates!! They are often a treasure trove of perfectly put together clusters, paint and frames that can be lifted from the template and put into a layout! In this case, I used the frame from this template:

Next, I brought in some paints, flowers and other elements to continue my vertical design idea.

After some playing around, I settled on using the doodles up top to fill out the stitched flowers, placing the paints behind them. I loved the paint splotches, but they were a little bland against the paper I chose. So, I played around with some blending modes.

OH! What are blending modes? If you have never used blending modes, you are missing out!!! They can totally change the look of an element or paper. Here’s how to find them.

In your layers panel, click the little down arrow next to Normal. A drop down menu will appear showing you all the available blending modes you can use. Play with them and don’t panic! If your element seems to disappear, change it back to normal. The blending modes change the colors depending on dark and light. In this instance, I wanted the pink paint to pop more against the background paper. I chose “linear burn” so that the paint will have a darker look, thus:

See? The paint has a deeper, richer look to it.

Now with the white paint, I wanted it also to pop more against the background, but because it’s white, I used Screen mode. That made the white paint whiter and voila! It looks great!

Now to the rest of the elements! I played around with my flowers, doodles and doodads and came up with this arrangement. It stayed with my vertical design, but gave it some movement and flow, as well.

It’s coming together beautifully! Now, for my photo. It’s so interesting; sometimes, I start with a photo and search for a kit that fits the photo. More often, lately, I am beginning with a kit and letting the word art in the kit direct me to a photo. That is the case for this layout. I knew I wanted to use the word art “great things take time to grow” from this kit, and it led me this photo of my son who just began his first job as a fire fighter/paramedic.

I also loved that little word bit “looking good,” and put it at the bottom of the photo. Perfect! But … hmmm, I don’t like the blue polka dot tape with the turquoise word bit. I could change the color of either, but in the end decide to replace the tape with a staple.

Now for journaling! I want to write about the pride I feel for my son and document the date of his first fire fighter/paramedic job. But where to put it and keep my vertical design. I discover the answer in the diagonal line created by the stitched leaves. They start at the top right and move diagonally down to the left, and then the flower cluster picks up the line and leads the eye toward the bottom middle. What if I put my journaling at one of those points?

I like it!

The last little thing I do is to change the color of the frame mat. It’s a little too white for me, so using the dropper, I pick up the white from the paint and create a layer of that color and clip it to my frame. There are other ways to do this, but this way I can change mind later.

And, speaking of changing my mind – remember when I didn’t like the green side of the paper? I’m thinking now that it might look nice. I even add a little brown paint to pick up the color of my son’s jacket.

And there it is!! I hope I’ve inspired you to take another look at some kits in the store, or in your stash. I love using things in different ways. Happy scrapping!

How to create a Layout with Mixed Media Papers

Hi everyone!

I’m so excited to be here and share my first tutorial for Rachel Jefferies!

It’s no secret that I love Rachel’s style. She has this wonderful knack for creating digital mixed media elements and papers. And I LOVE that artsy style! All those splotches, stitches and art marks placed around the page. But, when faced with a blank sheet of paper, I don’t know what to do – I’m not an artist. Where do I start?

Fortunately, Rachel Jefferies is here to help me. Her artsy, mixed media papers are the perfect way to start a layout. They have movement, flow and an embedded design for us to discover and follow. And she’s genius at creating elements that work perfectly with the papers.

For today’s tutorial, I’m going to be working with the February, 2020, Mixed Media Monthly Collaboration – I am Enough and Rachel Jefferies add on to that collection, Flaws and All, Mixed Media Artistry. Let’s start with this awesome paper by Rachel from the M3 Collaboration.

I love all those stitches and art marks everywhere. If you examine the paper, you will see that it’s already predesigned with places to place a photo. While everyone looks at things differently, I always look for places on artsy papers where lines come together. Others may have different criteria, but to my eye, those are natural spots for photos.

Here, I see three possibilities which I have marked with Xs.I am going to choose the Red X for my focal point.

Flaws and All has a lovely paper frame that I’m going to use to start creating a cluster of papers. A cluster of papers and layers around a photo creates a natural resting point for your eye. I’m going to choose papers pieces, flowers and doodles to start my cluster.

The stitches and marks seem to be flowing from top right to bottom left so I’m going to anchor the frame on the bottom left corner. Many of Rachel’s paper pieces and elements come both pre-shadowed and plain. I like more realistic shadows and she does a beautiful job with shadowing, so I’m going to use the shadowed versions.

Play around with the order of the layers! There is no right or wrong way to place them – it’s totally up to your eye. I eventually decided on this layering order. You can see the order in the layers panel to the right of the paper. (Green)

I can’t imagine a layout without flowers and some kind of leaves, so I’ve chosen a shadowed flower with tape, a leaf and a pink felt flower. I want the blue flower on top. The leaf and felt flower do not come with a shadow, so I’m going to have to add my own shadow.

Shadowing is a lot of fun to do and not difficult at all. To create a simple shadow, double click on the layer of the element. The following box will appear. Click on the box that says “Drop Shadow.” (If Drop Shadow is not listed, click on the fx in the bottom left corner and choose Drop Shadow.)

Once you have this box open, you can create your shadow. Here is a quick overview of each of the things you need to consider to create a simple shadow:

1. Blend Mode: Choose Linear burn for heavy, thick shadow. Choose Multiply for one that is lighter.

2. Opacity: This is the darkness of the shadow. The higher the number, the darker the shadow will look.

3. Angle: This is the direction from which the light is coming. Usually I choose 120, 66 or 45 for my angles.

4. Distance: This will determine how far away you want the element to appear to be off the page. Remember “Pop dots?” Choose a lower number for labels, papers, or things that are close to the background; choose a higher number for thick elements that have a lot of depth.

5. Size: This is how much of a shadow you want – the bigger the number, the more dispersed the shadow will be (i.e., how far away the light source is).

Play around with your shadows! The more you practice the better you’ll become.

I’m liking this! But, it feels like I want a little more flow to the flower cluster. I’ll add a string and place it under all of the layers.

Now I want to anchor my design by creating a triangle. Triangles create natural resting points for the eyes in design. The background paper is black and white, but I’ve used paper pieces and other elements with pink in them. The M3 collection and the add-on both have pink paints, so I’m going to use them to create a triangle. My goal is to lead the eye from pink paint to pink paint and back again.

Nice! I’m planning on putting my title in the bottom right corner, and I want it to have depth. I’ve chosen a word strip from the collection. I love how it looks, but if I were doing this with paper, I would have stitched it down when I stitched the background. Since the paper already has stitching, I’m going to take a stitch from the kit and place it over the word art so that it looks like it’s part of the background stitching.

Now for the photo! I chose a photo of my sister that fits the theme of this layout. But, the photo has an orange cast to it that doesn’t work with all the pink. To fix this, I’m going to add a cool color filter over the photo.

On the bottom right corner of your layers panel in Photoshop you’ll see a little half moon icon – this is your adjustment layers panel. You can add adjustment to photos or elements without changing the original element, just in case you change your mind about what you’ve done.

Once I choose the Photo Filter option, it will create a filter above the layer. You can see that layer highlighted above. But – WHOA! Look what it did to my layout! It placed a color filter over everything below that layer!

No worries – by clipping the filter to the photo itself, it will only add the filter to the photo. Just right click on the filter layer and choose “Create Clipping Mask.” You’ll see a little arrow pointing down to the layer below.

MUCH BETTER!

Now, I’ll add my title to the bottom corner and I’m done!

Rachel’s mixed media papers are simply fabulous to help you get started with a layout. I hope you can see them now through a new lens and that you are inspired to try this yourself

The kit I used for this tutorial, Flaws and All: Mixed Media Artistry, is on sale today, Wednesday, 2/10, 50% off!!!

Our Creative Team is always available at The LilyPad to answer questions – to reach me, just message DivaMom96 or you can post a comment to this tutorial on the blog which Rachel will administer!

Happy Scrapping!

Using Shadows to Create Depth

Hey everyone!

It’s Lisa here, aka Armygrl at the LilyPad.

I have some tips and a tutorial for you about using shadows to create depth. In this article I’ll be using Rachels butterflies from her Step By Step Bundle.

Without shadows, these watercolor butterflies blend very well into papers giving us the look of, well, watercolor paints, pencils or crayons.

In #1 above, I used the “multiply” blending mode, then set the “opacity” to 87%.

Because the butterflies are unique elements, we can make them appear to sit on top of the background paper, rather than blended into the paper. This is demonstrated in #2 and #3 by using the layer style “Drop Shadow.”

There are several things to consider when using “Drop Shadow.” These include distance, angle, blend mode and color.

• Distance

The distance between elements (or element and paper) is controlled by Distance, Spread, and Size. I typically keep spread at “0” unless I am working with a paper on top of another paper, and my “view” is straight down (as in I’m hovering over the image). If an element is close to the background (#2), “distance” and “size” are smaller numbers. If an element is further away (#3), “distance” and “size” are larger numbers.

• Angle

Where is your source of light coming from? Is there more than one source of light? Typically, there is one, strong source of light such as an overhead ceiling light, lamp, or natural light coming from a window or the sun. Take a look at your current environment. Where is the light coming from? Due to that source of light, in what direction are the shadows?

Look at the pictures below of wall art from my current rental property. In both, there is strong natural sunlight coming from the left. Therefore, shadows fall to the right.Look closer at the picture on the right with the blue-green wall. There is a second source of natural light coming from the right. Therefore, there is a second, more faint and “fuzzy” shadow falling to the left. So, in addition to the angle of light, think about the “source” and if the source produces hard distinct shadows, or softer, more diffuse shadows.

When making a layout, I often keep my angle at 90 degrees as if the light is coming from above. However, many put an angle on their shadow. In the pictures below one angle is at 90 degrees while the other is at 109 degrees.

Take note of the “Use Global Light” check box. In the majority of my layouts, I use this feature to keep consistency throughout the layout. However, there are times I make a layout using two (or more) sources of light. In that scenario, I unclick the “Use Global Light” feature.

• Blend Mode

I am a fan of Linear Burn blend modes and use that blend mode more than others for shadows. However, if a background paper is exceptionally dark, e.g. black, I may use the Multiply bend mode to produce a softer shadow. In the picture below, the butterfly on the left has a Linear Burn shadow while the butterfly on the right has a Multiply shadow. That’s the only difference between the two!

Also, take note of “opacity” located directly below the Blend Mode drop down. Low (or decreased) opacity creates softer shadows, as if the light is diffused or the element is further away from the background or source of light. High (or increased) opacity creates darker shadows, as if the light is very bright or harsh or the object is very close to the background.

• Color

You can change the color of your shadows. I typically use a dark, charcoal grey. However, there are times when I want a “warmer” shadow and go for a dark, rich brown or “cooler” shadow and go for a blue—black. I seldom use pure black as the color of the shadow is too dark and looks unnatural (unless the light is super strong or I’m going for a gritty, super contrasty look). Also, if I’m working with a dark or black background, I may opt for light grey to give myself greater wiggle-room with opacity.

Advance technique: Make the shadow its own layer!

1. With your arrow directly over the shadow effect, right click, then choose “create layer.” This will create a new layer that is the drop shadow.

Notice in the picture below, there is a new layer that is the drop shadow.

2. With this new “drop shadow” layer, you can now manipulate it however your heart desires. A technique I use often is “transform,” which is command T on my platform. With the transform tool enacted, I often use “warp” to alter the shape of the shadow.

Before (with warp tool enacted):

After: Look at the subtle differences between the three butterflies’ shadows. In the third (or far right) butterfly, I used two different drop shows using the techniques described in the tutorial above.

One shadow is set at Distance: 67, Spread: 0, Size: 57

The second shadow is set at Distance: 16, Spread: 0, Size: 21

On the first shadow, I used the warp tool as describe above. On the second shadow I created a mask, then “erased” away portions that created discord. Discord—when you create shadows on separate layers, then run filters or blending modes on those layers, there may be additive affects that produce VERY dark, unnatural shadows. To correct this, I use a layer mask to erase away portions of the undesired shadow. You can see that mask in the picture.

It is a lot more work to create shadow layers then mask them. However, these added steps and attention to detail bring our digital scrapbooking layouts to life! We go from flat, and two-dimensional, to 3D!

Next month I will have a new tutorial on adding a gradient mask to an element to create the illusion of added depth. Until then, visit the Rachel Jefferies Mixed Media Challenge for September 2020 for some additional inspiration and a few more notes on shadows. I hope to see you there!

If you have any questions or a-ha moments please leave us a comment!

Creating a folded creased paper or photo

Hey there! Rachel has a stunning new collection out this weekend with rich textures and lovely September colors. When I was making my page this week, I felt like adding a digital photo on top of this amazing mixed media kit she created just wasn’t good enough, and I wanted to add some texture to the photo by making it look crumpled and old. Here’s my layout this week.

Here’s Rachel’s new releases for this weekend’s Build Your Own Collab at the Lilypad. To create my layout I used some of each of these four new releases.

I learned this technique a long time ago, so I hope I can explain this in a way that is helpful. Digital scrapbooking has come a long way since I learned this and there are now overlays you can buy to create the same effect, but I often find they don’t fit quite right and sometimes I like a little more control over what I want the effect to be.

Just a note, this technique tends to work best with photos or solid papers, the crease gets lost in patterns or light colors. For this tutorial, I’m using a solid paper from the Signature Kit 6 so it’s easy to see, but I applied the same technique to make it look like my photo had been folded and creased for my layout.

Start with your paper on the bottom layer and add a blank layer above.

Make sure your Rulers are showing and create guides where you want your paper creases to go. Also, make sure you have Snap to Guides selected.

Create the guides by dragging your cursor from the ruler to where you want the paper to be folded.

In our next step we are going to create gradients in each of the rectangles we have created with the guides on our second layer. The purpose is to create shadowing to make the paper look like it was folded along the guides. Using the Rectangular Marquee tool, select the top left rectangle created with the guides by dragging from the edge of the workspace to the guides.

Choose the gradient tool with the following settings, using the basic black and white gradient.

Making sure you are still in your blank layer 2, drag your gradient tool in the direction you want your shadow. You are going to want the shadows to vary across each of the rectangles you’ve created. Once you make the first gradient, deselect and repeat this process for each of the rectangles.

The following image shows each of the rectangles gradient directions.

Now set this layer to Soft Light in the Layer panel.

Your paper should now look similar to this.

Our next step is to create the crease in the folded areas. We will do this by using a chalk brush (look for it in the Legacy Brushes) set to an approximate size of 159 with the following settings. For the color of the brush, I chose a soft light to medium gray.

You’ll want to change the brush settings to the following: reduce the roundness to 35%, and set the spacing to around 95%.

We will also want to change some of the shape dynamics, move the Size Jitter all the way to 100% and most importantly, change the Control to Direction. This allows the brush to flow in the direction you are using it, which is important when we make the vertical and horizontal lines.

Create another new blank layer on top.

Place your brush at the top of the paper over the vertical guide (make sure you haven’t turned off that “snap to guides” setting). Drag your brush down along the guide. It will be hard to see what the brush is doing with the guide there, but keeping the guide there will keep your line relatively straight. Do the same with the horizontal lines on the same layer.

When you turn your guides off (go up to View>Show and uncheck Guides), you will see the brush stroke. Set this layer to Soft Light as well, so that the brush stroke blends in a little better.

There you go, you have a folded paper or photo!! I hope you can give it a try some day when you want to add a little texture or distress effect. You can always play with the directions of the gradient overlays and the amount of folds to change things up. Here’s a close up of the finished photo in my layout with the folded crease. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget Rachel’s new releases are on sale through the weekend release!

Adding Depth to Layered Elements with the Burn Tool

Hi again!! Can you believe it’s already August? I’m back again to share a quick technique I use to create depth when layering/clustering elements.

One of the shortcuts I’ve come to rely on is shadow styles. You can make and save your own, and there are even some styles available to purchase out there. While I love using them, when layering and clustering, they can still leave your page looking a little flat. When putting together a cluster of elements with varying widths, the shadows are going to need a little more attention then choosing a layer style.

As with anything in Photoshop there are probably a few different ways to accomplish this, but today I’m going to show you how to use the Burn Tool to add shadows on top of the elements themselves.

Rachel’s latest kits, Step by Step Mixed Media Paperie, Artistry & Pocket Art, released with the Build Your Own Collection at The Lilypad for August, are perfect for these photos I had of one of my favorite nature getaways.

Once I got my pictures and layout together it was just screaming for a cluster of elements. Here’s the cluster with just shadow layer styles applied.

Once I have the cluster in place and basic shadows applied I change my tool to Burn.

Once you are switched into the burn tool, check the tool settings. I like to make sure the hardness on my burn brush is pretty low, and keep the exposure low as well so I can build the shadow slowly. Change the range between midtones, highlights and shadows depending on your element, I’ll explain when we look at each element we shadow.

My cluster has a large circular flair button centering it. If this was a paper page, that button would be elevated from the page but would also apply pressure to the elements below it, creating not just a shadow from the elevation off the page but darkening each element where they flatten out with the weight of the button on top, creating depth. In this case we will add burn to each element where the button is flattening the element to the page.

Starting with the element layered directly below the button, rub the burn tool along the outter edge of the button, this will darken the element. In our example, the element is a bright blue flower that has a lot of highlights, so if my range is set to Midtones or Shadows you won't notice much change, but if your range is Highlights you can see the dark shadow building.

In this screenshot I have highlighted the area in red where I burned the image with the tool.

Continue moving down the elements flattened by the button, burning where the button touches, but also where the layers above might be pushing down as well. Also keep in mind the range might need to be changed depending on the properties of the elements.

Below are the elements before the burning and then after for you to compare.

As I said there are a couple ways to add shadowing and I find this one gives me a lot of control where the shadowing goes and is pretty quick when you learn how. Hopefully it’s a new tool in your box as well.

Simple Recoloring Techniques in Photoshop to Help Finish a Layout

Have you ever started a layout and looked at the finished product and just felt like something was wrong, it just wasn't working?  Well I'm here to tell you that it happens to everyone, and when it does, take a step back and look for a few subtle changes that can make a big impact. In this case, it meant keeping the elements I had, but making a slight change to the coloring so that everything flowed together well.

I had been wanting to scrap this photo for a while. It's one of my favorite photos from last year. It was such a moody photo, my daughter was pouting in her adolescence on the beach, disappointed that during vacation the riptides were too strong to venture out into the surf. I had tried using this photo a couple of times, and in Rachel’s Tall & Wide template as well, and nothing seemed to be working.

I went back to the original photo and realized one of the things I loved most about the photo was the red sweatshirt. Once I did that I remembered the inspiration that was used in the Rachel Jefferies Mixed Media Challenge at The Lilypad. May's challenge was Inspired by Textiles, and one of the photos included in the mood board had bold red, black and white markings. Everything just clicked at that moment and I knew I needed to start the layout over.

Focusing in on the red, black and white area of the textiles mood board, I began looking for elements from Rachel's kits that would work well with the photo and the inspiration.

Once I download a kit, I also keep a copy of the element and paper previews in a folder with that designer's name, the following previews had the colors I wanted to use in the layout, so I focused in on those kits,  

From here I went back to the template and the layout I had started with and pulled over my favorite parts. I had used Rachel's Pocket Art: Tall and Wide Set 2 template on the first draft of this layout and wanted to keep the pocket card stitching.

I also kept a couple elements from the Welcome Every Moment Collab kit I had used on an earlier attempt to scrap this photo. 

I was a messy paper scrapbooker and I take the same kind of chaotic mess to my digital pages as well, I'll pull everything onto the page and keep moving everything around until it fits where I want it, and often redo the background multiple times. On this page I was pretty much finished but I was missing some of the red pop I needed and also the background was too stark white.

I focused in on the markings from the inspiration piece and decided to recolor some of the marking I took from Rachel's kits. There are several ways to do this, but on paint and markings the easiest way is adding a color overlay layer effect.

In Photoshop in your layer panel, choose the fx Color Overlay option. 

Simply choose the color you want the paint or marking to be. There are other options for blending or opacity, but since I wanted these to look like they were made by makers, keeping it a solid color worked best.

That layer effect can be edited from the layer panel at any time:

I recolored the Xs, and both the arrow elements. The recoloring not only helped pull the red through the page but added a vertical movement to the elements as well.

In keeping with the theme of the Textile challenge I knew I needed more texture in the background. I added a paper from the Pocket Art kit but it just wasn't working quite right for me. I loved the texture but felt like it was too dark and overpowering the elements. I decided to keep the paper but to lighten it a bit. Again, there are many ways to do this, but for this page I simply lowered the opacity on the paper layer using the tools in the Layer Panel, making sure that the paper was the layer just above a pure white background.

I moved the opacity down until I felt like the paint/mixed media layer blended nicely with the paper, but I could still see the texture. Just that subtle change brighted the page and helped the elements pop, here you can see the background on the Left with the lowered opacity vs the Right with the background straight "out of the box"

I hope these simple and subtle tips can help you take a layout you just aren't sure about, to one you are ready to print and display!

Let's Talk Templates

Hello! It’s July already and that means it’s time for another Build Your Own Collab at The Lilypad. Rachel has five great products included this month and one of them is a layered template. I thought it would be fun to show you a little about templates and how I used this one.

Templates are a great way to put together a digital scrapbook page and are great for new scrappers as well as experienced scrappers. I love to use templates as they give me a place to start, and I often find I end up with a completely unique page. For me, I love seeing how so many different pages end up being created from the same starting point.

Rachel’s This Is Now Layered Template comes in two sizes and in a few different formats depending on what program you are using. You can use the 12in square page, which is the page size I typically scrap in, or you can use the 9in x 12in rectangular page if you prefer that size. Included in the download is a Photoshop file, a layered TIFF, and PNG formats. Since I use Photoshop, I’ll be focusing on the PSD file.

When you open your template in Photoshop, you’ll see a layered version of what is shown in the preview. Look in your layers panel and you’ll notice each layer is labeled, and even better, the layers are already shadowed for you, or a shadow layer has been created below the layer.

These added shadows are great for creating depth and realism in your pages. Rachel’s shadows are fantastic and I find that her shadows help the elements just come right off the screen.

This template comes with two frames for photos, so I started there. I knew, based on the kit colors, that I wanted to do a page about missing the US 4th of July Fireworks this year because of social distancing.
I chose one photo of fireworks and decided to use it twice.

In the layered template there are two layers added to easily clip your photo into the frames that are in the template.

To add your photos, add a layer above the Clip Photo Here layer and paste your photo into the layer. Drag the photo so that it’s covering the clipping layer. Then, you can right click on your photo layer and choose Create Clipping Mask. This will “clip” your photo into the shape of the layer below it, in this case the photo layer inside the frame. The photo now fits nicely in the frame!

Now it’s time to make the template unique to you! With this layered template, you can use it as is, and just add photos or paper, or really turn it into your own page entirely.

You can add papers in the background layer, replace elements, or use them as a clipping mask as well. A nice patterned paper would look great clipped over the scalloped element that Rachel has included. You can move elements to your liking, rearrange elements, or turn the direction of elements.

For my page I decided to use a great Collage Mixed Media Print background that Rachel included in the matching This Is Now: Misc Paperie pack and to include elements from both the This is Now: Misc Bits & Bobs and the Misc Collage Bits & Bobs #1 element packs.

Because I chose a collage background that had a collage arrangement in the same area as the photo placement of the template, I selected all the layers in the template except the background and moved them over to the center of the page. I also took the vertical paper along the right side of the template and turned horizontal and moved it to the bottom so highlight the collage already in the background as well. I did have to change the shadowing on this element after I turned it. Then, using elements from the Bits and Bobs kit, I added a couple of elements under and over the photos to create a bit of clustering. Finally I replaced the included scalloped element and a paper piece in the template with elements included in the Collage Bits pack.

Also included in the Layered Template is a journaling block. Rachel has left this as a text layer so that it can be edited. In the screenshot below, there is a yellow warning on the font layer telling me I don’t have this font in my system. I often find I don’t have the font included on my system, but Photoshop allows you to change the font to one you have. To be honest though, I often go searching for the font that the designer used and have found some of my favorite fonts this way!

For the title work, I chose the Currently tag from the Bits & Bob kit, a bit of my own handwriting, and for the 2020 date, I used Rachel’s Paint and Pen Alpha. I scrap using Photoshop on my Microsoft Surface Pro, so I can easily use my stylus and brush tool to add hand lettering, but you can always use a hand lettered font. Rachel’s Paint and Pen Alpha is a staple in my scrapbooking supplies collection and I use it over and over on layouts all the time.

Here’s my finished layout using the new releases this week. If you haven’t tried a layered template yet, hopefully you got some ideas on how it can be used.

Don’t forget, the Build Your Own Collab packs are on sale through this weekend, starting at 20% off.

Blending with Mixed Media Elements

One of the things that drew me to Rachel’s kits were her amazing and unique mixed media elements. I love opening that folder and seeing all the different scraps, marking and paint she includes. She will often include a blendable mixed media element as well, and I have to say, I was stumped on how to use these at first.

Today I want to show you a simple way to include that mixed media element in your layout, and blend it with any background you are using.

When I started my layout with Rachel’s latest new release, This is the Place: Mixed Media Monthly Add-On, I was drawn to the rich, textured background.

As my layout progressed I wanted to add a bit of balance to the left side of my page by adding some texture and I thought the blendable included with the elements would be a perfect addition. Once I added the blendable element “straight out of the box'“ I realized quickly that it would need a bit of tweaking.

As you can see below the element covers a seam in the textured paper and the white clashes in some spots with the background.

I knew I definitely wanted to keep the seam and texture of the paper, but love the markings and stitches in the blendable. To do this I simply set the layer blend mode to Multiply.

Once the layer is set to Multiply, the colors and textures of the paper blend through the element.

I often do this with paint and markings on my pages as well. Adding just a touch of the paper blended through adds more depth to your page.

In the left image the layers are all set to normal, and a lot of the paper is covered. In the right image the paint, markings and blendable layers are set to Multiply and the texture of the paper underneath comes through.

Hopefully this gives you an idea on how to use the blendable elements like the ones included in Rachel’s latest kit on any textured and colored backgrounds and papers!

There is special pricing on Rachel’s bundle this New Release weekend - save 40% when you grab the money saving bundle during New Release Weekend (normally 25% off) or individual packs are 20% off.

The New Release sale runs through Sunday 28th June 2020.

Easy ways to make your layouts pop + SOSN Sale

I hope your week is going well!

My Mixed Media Papers are handmade and are richly textured and so they make fantastic texture overlays for photos and layouts.

You can easily use a Mixed Media Paper to add a dirty or old look to your photo or page, or just for extra texture or to make it 'pop'.

Whilst working with your layout in it's layered form you can choose to add the overlay to the background paper, the photo or the frame, or on top of the entire page. For my examples I actually put the overlay right over the top of my entire page. You will need to experiment and see what works best for your page. In my example I didn't have many dimensional elements, if you do, you might find that the overlay looks better sitting on the layer behind anything that is really dimensional with large drop shadows. Experiment and figure out what works best for you!

Here is my page with no overlay, just the original. (I used my Salt Air Bundle to create this layout which is 50% off through the rest of today as part of our Something Old Something new Sale! - you can grab it for less than $4 if you buy it today).

I used the green paper which you can see as the third paper along on the right hand side on the second row from my Off The Grid Misc Paperie pack.

I dropped the coloured paper right on top of my layout and experimented with the blending modes. This is using the paper in it's coloured form with a blending mode of 'overlay'. Original layout is on the left, modified layout is on the right. This gives it a lovely pop and adds lots of lovely extra texture detail to the paper design at the bottom giving the illusion of an ocean. It did change the colour tone of the photo quite a lot though, so this one might have been better to move down the layers palette and just dropped above the original background paper, or just behind the frames.

This is using the paper in it's coloured form with a blending mode of 'soft light'. Just a subtle lighting change and nice change of colour tones from mixing the green paper on top of the blues.

This is using the paper in it's coloured form with a blending mode of 'multiply'. This is obviously much more dramatic, and I adjusted the opacity of the overlay paper here to 75%. Again if I were to have gone with this I think I would have moved my paper behind my frames so that my photo wasn't edited so heavily but it was fun to experiment. Makes me feel like I am looking at the layout through my sunglasses!

Next I desaturated the overlay paper (In Photoshop, Image > Adjustments > Desaturate) and experimented that way. With an 'overlay' blending mode . . . I think this is my favourite of them all, I LOVE the 'pop' this created! It brightened the whole thing up nicely and we still have that illusion of ocean at the bottom . .

Desaturated paper with 'soft light' overlay mode . . .

Desaturated paper with 'multiply' overlay mode and reduced opacity to 75% . . .

You could also play with the levels and the curves of the overlay paper to further adjust and customise your results, in Photoshop both of these settings can be tweaked in Image > Adjustments.

These same principles can be applied to editing photos, and if you find that you like the results, but not on faces or body parts you could consider creating a layer mask on the overlay paper layer and with black set as your foreground colour and using a soft brush, erase the texture from places you don't want it to be visible.

I hope you found these tips helpful! Don't hesitate to reply with any questions or thoughts!

If you'd like more inspiration using Salt Air which is on sale today my team of Captivating Sistas, special guests and the Pollys have created some new pages to inspire you.