Busy, busy, busy!

I'm in the middle of an incredible challenge at the Padded Cell! Jill, of Creations By Jill, has challenged us to make a kit with a grey-scaled kit she's provided using her color pallette, mask and template... and then make tags with it using all of the elements, and then write the tut for the tag! *Phew!* I spent far too much time playing with the overlays, pmsl, and had to play catch-up. I've finished my kit, and the tags, and now I have to write the tut. It will be up here with the links to Jill's mask and template and I'll include my entire kit in the supplies...it's tagger sized, but it's a big kit. I have company coming for the weekend, and the Super Bowl on Sunday, so look for the tutorial on Monday or Tuesday. And, at some point, I've got to finish getting the goodies up on the blog...I'm having "issues" with the chatbox and all of the other sideboard widgets and gadgets, so we'll see how that goes.

First, Last, Best

I'm using the beautiful art of Jennifer Janesko. This tube was part of the wonderful CILM

2008 Christmas present. Do not use her art without the proper licence, which you may
obtain at CILM.

The scrap I'm using is a lovely freebie addon to her First Love PTU kit, from Ali

at Designs By Ali, on her blog HERE.

The template is also by Ali, template number 11, on the same site.

Fonts used are Fortuna Dot and Chopin Script, FTU fonts, just Google to find them.

Open a new canvas 700x400, transparent. You can crop or resize later, if you like. Copy and paste the template (it's only one layer) onto your canvas as a new layer, or you may use preset shapes to create your own, if you prefer: one square with five horizontal narrow rectangles. Delete the copyright layer and the background layers, if using the template. Click into your template, Selections>select all>float>defloat, copy and paste paper#6 into the selection. Selections>select none. Add a drop shadow of -2, -2, 30, 5, black, then 2, 2, 30, 5, black.

Open paper #9, copy and paste as a new layer. Apply mask from disk, Source luminance, fit to canvas and hide all mask ticked. Add the same drop shadow to the mask layer, go to Layers>arrange>move to bottom.

Open Diamond throw 1, copy and paste as a new layer. Image>mirror. Use your raster deform tool to fit it to your canvas. Erase any odd bits or partial stones. Duplicate this layer 3x, then merge these 3 layers together. Add a drop shadow of -2,-2, 30, 5, black. (Only the one shadow on the jewels, please, or they will blur when you animate your tag.)

Open the frame, and resize it by 50%. Copy and paste it on as a new layer, and then move it over the square on the template layer, and use the deform tool to make it fit the square. Add drop shadow of -2, -2, 30, 5, black, then add another of 2, 2, 30, 5, black.

Paste your tube as a new layer, resize to fit the square. Move tube down under the frame layer, and erase any bits that show outside the frame. No need for a drop shadow on the tube layer. Add your copyright and licence info.

Go to Layers>merge visable. Now duplicate this merged layer 3x, for a total of four layers. On the first duplicate layer, type the words FIRST LOVE and place so that it's half in, half out of the frame. See my tag for position. On the second duplicate layer, type out LAST LOVE and position in the right center of your tag, barely overlapping the frame. See my tag for placement. On the third duplicate layer, use a script font (I used Chopin script, a free font) to write your name, place at the top right of your tag. Add the drop shadows to each text layer.

Now to animate! First, copy the original layer to animation shop. Then, back in psp, merge the original layer with your first duplicate layer, copy and paste into animation shop after the first frame. Copy the first frame, and paste it as your third frame in animation shop. Back to psp, undo the merge, and merge the original layer with the second duplicate layer, copy and paste this into animation shop as your fourth frame. Again, copy the first layer, and paste as the fifth frame. Back to psp, undo the merge, and merge the original layer with the third duplicate layer. Copy and paste into animation shop as your sixth frame.

Set your frame properties as follows:

frame 1 @ 40

frame 2 @ 60
frame 3 @ 50
frame 4 @ 60
frame 5 @ 50
frame 6 @ 240

Save as a .gif, and you're finished.

New Layout

Isn't this beautiful? Don't give me any credit, lol, all I did was load one of Shaz's beautiful backgrounds. Want one? Go to the site she shares with Livvy, here. I've never seen more gorgeous backgrounds anywhere, you'll be glad you looked!

I'm fighting a migraine today, so this will be brief. I hope you all have a lovely day....I'm going back to bed, lol.

Tutorial: Friends Are Flowers

This tutorial is dedicated to ButterflyFlutterby, who gave me the courage to write it.

There are no filters used in this tutorial. You will need:

3 tubes from the same artist. I'm using the beautiful art of Caron Vinson. To use her art, you must purchase a licence, which you can do at CILM.

Suz template #12 from her blog HERE

Scrapkit: FTU Matters of the Heart (love it, Lou!) from her blog HERE

Mask: ButterflyFlutterby Mask 8 from her blog HERE

Font: A&S Jiggy Roman. This is a free font, just Google it.

Supplies: my wordart, HERE

Load the mask into your psp files.

Open the template, copy (shift+d) and close the original. Delete the copyright layer. Open paper #3 and paste as a new layer. Layers>load/save mask>load mask from disk, Source Luminance and Hide All Mask ticked. Merge>merge group, send layer to the bottom. Add a drop shadow of -1, -1, 30, 5, black, then add another of 1, 1, 30, 5, black. Use these same settings for all of the shadows on this tag.

Open paper #2. Click onto the rectangles layer of the template, Selections>select all>float>defloat and then copy and paste your paper into the selection. Selections>select none. Add the drop shadows.

Open paper #4. Click into the back 1 layer on the template, selections>select all>float>defloat, copy and paste your paper into the selection. Selections>select none.

While this paper is still copied, go up to the frame 3 layer on your template, and following the same steps, add paper #4 to this layer, too. Add the drop shadows to this frame layer.

Open paper #1. Click into back2 layer, selections>select all>float>defloat, copy and paste your paper into the layer, selections>select none.

Open paper #5. Click into back3 layer, selections>select all>float>defloat, copy and paste the paper into the layer. While this paper is still copied, click into frame1, and repeat the steps to paste the same paper into this layer. Selections>select none, and add the drop shadows.

Open paper #3. Click into frame2, selections>select all>float>defloat, copy and then paste the paper into the selection. Selections>select none. Add the drops shadows.

Now, for each tube, (one at a time, please, lol) copy and paste as a new layer, then position above the frame back and beneath the frame, and then erase any that shows outside the frame. Do this on each circle. Add the same drop shadows to each tube layer.

Open the wordart and paste as a new layer, use the move tool to put into the right position.

Open Flowerpot1, resize by 15 percent, and place on the lower left side of your tag (see mine for position.) Duplicate the flowerpot, mirror, and place to the right side of the tag.

Add your copyright info, and your name, merge all layers and save as a png. file, and you're done!

Do not copy, other than one printable copy for your own personal use.

TWI registration pending.

AngelMade 2009