You all know Lindsay did a fabulous tutorial on recoloring digital stamps using Paintshop Pro – so she asked her DT to come up with something similar using Photoshop Elements.  In this case, I’m using PSE 6.0 and working with Adjustment Layers.  I’ll do Gradients and Fills in another tut.

To get started I’ve opened a PNG file in PSE 6.0 – this is the Double Dot Border from Lindsay’s new All Around Phrases Digital Stamp Set.

We’re going to add an adjustment layer to change the color of the dots:

  On your layers palette, select the two-tone circle to Create Adjustment Layer. The select Hue/Saturation from the Drop Down Menu. A new screen will pop-up that looks like this – check the box next to Colorize: I played with the sliders until I found a color I liked – my numbers look like this (yours will vary depending on the color you want.):

This is what my colorized frame looks like now:

I wanted to include a sentiment inside the frame, so I opened the It’s Your Day png file, also from Lindsay’s new All Around Phrases Digital Stamp Set, and drug it onto my existing frame.  I resized it using the the little boxes in the corners (by dragging on the corners, I was able to scale the image and keep the proportions the same). I wanted to color the sentiment too, so I linked the existing Hue/Saturation layer to the Double Dot border by selecting the Hue/Saturation Layer. positioning my cursor on the little line between the Hue/Saturation Layer and the Frame, and ALT+Clicking on it.  This creates a link/mask so that this Hue/Saturation is only applied to the layer below it (in this case, the Double Dot border). You can tell the layer is linked by the little curved arrow that appears on the Layers Palette.

I created a new Hue/Saturation Layer above the Sentiment, using the same method as above – playing with the sliders until I found a color I liked.  Note, pay attention to the Sentiment color only as we’ll link the layers again so that the Double Dot border color isn’t changed.  This is what my stamps look like before I link the layers.

Following the same process (Alt+Click), I linked the 2nd Hue/Saturation layer to my Sentiment layer and viola – a two-color stamp.

Now that I’m done “coloring”, I want to merge my layers.  To do this, right click on one of your layers and select Merge Visible – this will combine all of the visible layers while leaving your background transparent. Then, because I want to use one of my circle punches to cut out my sentiment, I am going to resize the entire image.  To do this, go the top of your screen to the Image tab – select Resize then Image Size.

A new pop-up menu will appear.  Since I know my punch is 1.75 inches, I adjusted my sizes accordingly. By checking the Resample Image box, I am able to adjust the the Height and Width without increasing or decreasing the Resolution. I didn’t check the Scale Styles box because I didn’t use any layer styles.

Here’s my final product – ready to print, cut and add to a card!

I hope this little tutorial was helpful for you – if you have any questions, leave me a comment and I’ll try to answer them for you.

A little birdie also told me that Lindsay is having a DT call – so if you LOVE her stamps and want to be part of a fun and supportive creative team – check out this post for all of the details! Hurry though – the deadline is November 7th!

Have a great day!

After creating the Cowgirl birthday card for Yasha’s birthday, I knew I needed more of Victoria Case’s images!  Fortunately for me, some of her freebies are still available – just an email request away!  So, while searching her blog, I found a link to her challenge blog – yup – a weekly challenge with prizes and a chance to be a guest DT member – I was hooked!  For this week’s challenge, Victoria provided this sketch:

Her DT created some fabulous inspiration, so I decided to join in too. The color combination was inspired and selected by my little one – who at 2 is already developing her sense of fashion and color!  I tried to match her hair to the fairy’s, but didn’t quite make it!

I printed the cute little fairy on Georgia Pacific White CS and colored her with Copics.  Victoria designed this digital stamp freebie for Erin – who has been organizing a card drive for Paige – the young girl whose arm was amputated due to injury from a boating accident. To add a bit of dimension, I added Memory Box Daffodil pearls for her bracelet and Gelly Roll Clear Glaze for her eyes.  The flowers and her wings are accented with Spica markers and her shoes are dotted with a Zebra silver pen. To create clouds, I dabbed light blue shimmer chalk over the background.  She’s layered onto a Bazzill Basics textured mat (I trimmed both with my small corner rounder).  Here’s a close-up of my fairy girl:

I used my Nestabilities to cut the scallop circle and rectangle from DCWV mat stacks.  The white DP is an inverted scrap from cutting the Fiskars DP to size – for added texture I embossed it with my Cuttlebug Birds n Swirls folder. All of that was layered onto Fiskars DP.  I created the flowers using a sheet of American Crafts Vellum from my stash (it had 2 colors per sheet) and the Birds and Blossoms die set from SU/Sizzix.  I used silver brads to hold the layers together and then spritzed the flowers with Vanilla Breeze Glimmer Mist. After they dried, I attached them to the card and then used a bit of glue and  Sugar Coating Bumblebee Glitter over the brads to create the flower centers.  As a final touch, I added pale yellow bauble drops from my friend Suzanne’s store. The card base is Regal Rose.  This is a large card – 8.5×5.5 – but I think it will be perfect as a birthday card for my Nana – she’ll be celebrating her 79th birthday next month – and since she’ll be visiting my Mom, we’ll get to celebrate with her!

Ingredients: 
Pattern Paper: American Crafts Visions Vellum (from stash), Fiskars Shimmer Glow Orchid, DCWV Spring Mat Glitter Stack
Cardstock: SU Regal Rose, Georgia Pacific White, Bazzill Textured Purple, DCWV Nana’s Nursery
Stamps: Victoria Case Erin Fairy
Markers: Copic Markers (C01, E02, YR00,Y21, YR24, V09, V15, V17, E00, G07, G09, YR04, RV11, RV14, V12,YG03, R02) and Spica Glitter Pens (Pink, Purple, Yellow, Clear), Zebra Silver pen, Gelly Roll Glaze Gloss Pen
Other: Nestabilities Long Rectangles and Classic Scallop Circles Large,  Memory Box Daffodil Pearls, Light Yellow Bauble Drops, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Vanilla Breeze, Small Corner Rounder Punch, SU Birds and Blossoms Die, Cuttlebug Birds & Swirls, and Pebbles Shimmer Chalks

While we’re on the topic of challenges, have you seen what’s going on at DSO?Complete Kim’s Colour Challenge and earn this stunning beauty: Charlie is offering a template to get you started on her Desktop Challenge and a lovely mini for completing it: Loucee’s Animal Kingdom challenge is a little on the wild side: Need some inspiration? Di’s Scraplift challenge is sure to do the trick!

Misty is encouraging our inner Globe Trotter with her Ad challenge – and offering this for completing it: And Andrea is offering coordinating minis for completing her Quote and Font Challenges:

I guess that’s all from me! Have a fabulous Tuesday evening and Wednesday!

It’s been a busy, yet productive week around here.  Monday we helped my “little” brother finalize some of his college preparations, went grocery shopping, and visited the service department at our local Saturn dealership (for my mom – the only non-productive part of the day).  On Tuesday I made 2 loaves of banana bread and a sympathy card (unfortunately 2 of DH’s coworkers passed away last weekend – my heart and prayers go out to both of their families), as well as tackling Mount Washmore.  On Wednesday, Nadya and I went to swimming lessons and dropped the bread and cards off at the funeral home.  Yesterday, Nadya and I took one of our neighbors to Costco so she could check it out – we had a lot of fun and enjoyed the visit – plus my friend Del donated her Costco coupons to me – so we stocked up on a few things and saved some $$ too!  Hooray!  I also finished the 2nd sympathy card that will head-out via mail today.  I think Yasha will be able to attend the service tomorrow as he was unable to attend the one yesterday.  This morning I finished 1 of the 2 cards I’m working on for a “blue” swap.  Lots of activity but lots of fun too!

Here’s a little peak at my creative ventures this week:

The image is Pansy corner from Serendipity stamps that I stamped onto Whisper White CS (SU) with Memento Tuxedo  Black ink.  Instead of markers, I used my Prismacolor pencils (note to self – need the 12 new colors too) to color the flowers and then stippled Vintage Violet (SU) onto the CS and used a fantastix bullet tip to add the ink to the edges.  Then I trimmed with my large rectangle and scallop nestabilities and mounted onto Elegant Eggplant (SU) CS. I used a piece of shimmer patterned vellum from my stash and drew the border on it with a dark. purple sharpie marker.  The lace is from my stash, but I’m pretty sure it’s from JoAnn’s.  I then layered and adhered everything onto a 5×7 card made from Whisper White CS. I stamped the sentiment (SU) in Vintage Violet.

For the inside of the card, I layered the remaining piece of vellum onto an an Elegant Eggplant  mat.  I printed the verse (found on the internet) onto shimmer CS and then trimmed with my Top Note die (SU).  I made a coordinating envelope – white on the outside with a purple liner.

For this card, my husband asked that I keep it simple, so I stamped the tree (Lovely as a Tree, SU) in Always Artichoke onto Naturals Ivory CS (SU).  I trimmed the image with my long rectangle nestabilities. I inked the edges with Always Artichoke and another fantastix applicator and mounted onto Old Olive CS (SU) that I scalloped.  I used my SU 1/4” circle punch and tied a piece of ivory grosgrain craft ribbon (Hobby Lobby) through the hole.  I ran my Naturals Ivory card base through my Big Shot with my SU Flourish texture plate and stippled Always Artichoke lightly across it.  I added a bit of of Gold Magic Mesh before adhering the tree.

I layered old Olive Panels on each side of the inside and printed the verse (again, found on the internet) onto Naturals Ivory CS (SU).  I trimmed it with my labels nestabilities and inked the edges.  I repeated the process with another piece of Naturals Ivory CS, but instead of printing, I stamped the Sentiment (SU) in Always Artichoke.

For my last bit of creativity, this is one of the cards for my swap submission.  The guidelines were that I had to use blue as the predominant color and that the card had to be a 4×4 square.  So, this little cutie (and an attempt at working with a hybrid approach) was born.  She’s a digi-stamp from Inky Impressions (they gave her away as a blog freebie and they’re also having a Design Team Call).  I printed her onto white Georgia Pacific CS (Sam’s) – I made the sky background paper myself in Photoshop (thanks Bunny – I loved the overlay) and the grass is a digi-paper from Garden Greens by Kim Broedelet.  She’s colored with a mixture of mediums, including Copics (E00, E02, E33, RV11, G09), Spica pens (Clear, Black, and Blue), and SU Markers (Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue, Green Galore, and Close to Cocoa). The little flowers are Prima with Silver Stickles centers.  The blue bauble is from Suzanne at the Crafting Connection (soon to have her own store).  I trimmed and mounted her onto blue gingham DP from The Paper Studio The Basics 12×12 pad (Hobby Lobby). The base CS is DCWV The Spring Cardstock Stack.

Whew – I told you I’d been busy! I still have a couple more in the works, but that’s be another post! So, I’ve covered the’ “cards” part, now let’s move to the candy!  La-La Land is opening a new store, having a Design Team Call and giving away some fabulous animal-themed candy including the SU punches and 3 new Magnolia stamps from the Summer kit (deadline is August 5)!!! 

Now, for the and more…lots of new stuffies in the DSO store, and tomorrow all of the new challenges will be up!  Hooray!  Just look at what the team has been up to (and keeping the QA team on their toes)! 

Ok – I’m heading out! I found a Dell Studio laptop for an absolute steal at Staples, so I snagged it for my little brother (it’s a surprise for college and he doesn’t know about it yet).  I ordered MS Office Pro 2007 for him and need to get it and his new printer (another surprise – there goes my crafting budget) drivers installed.  Have a fabulous weekend and give someone you love a hug!