Inspire Me Monday: REWIND!

Hi all and welcome to another episode of Inspire Me Monday! Every now and then, we reach back into the Inspire Me Monday vault to pull out an oldie but goodie tutorial! Given that we get SO many questions about creative ways to use digital stamps, I thought this tutorial below that I did a while back might be a good little refresher to think out of the box.... literally! I know some of you have caught on to this technique because we've seen your handiwork!

SO... Let's Rewind! 

Today, I am going to go digital for our tutorial today and show you how you can take digital sentiments or words and make them more of a centerpiece in your stamped cards and creations.

So, let's get started! Last week for our Hues to Use, I showcased a mash-up of Power Poppy's Graceful Still Life with a word that I whipped up using PhotoShop Elements. This, below, was my card!

CARD #1 

So, want to see how I created it? I started by using a heavy font to type out the word LOVE. I used the font Heavitas and got it free here on dafont.com.

From there, I added a box around the word LOVE by clicking this icon (highlighted off to the left on the tool bar) and stretching the box to cover most of my digital canvas. After I filled the rectangle with a white layer, I added a "stroke," basically an outline by clicking on that effect that you can see  on the right-hand side of the screen. I did this because I knew I wanted my image to be framed in a way. Keep in mind, I am sharing the details for Photoshop Elements (PSE) but these tools are rather common in photo editing software. While PSE is a rather inexpensive software you buy (you can check it out HERE), GIMP is a free software that can do a lot of these things as well. Click HERE to check it out! 

Here's what the image looks like after I placed the box around the word...

From there, I opened up the branch image from Graceful Still Life and removed the background just by clicking the eraser tool on the background. From there, I started to play around with placement and layered it over top my word. 

I also realized that I didn't want my lettering to stay black, so on that layer, I changed the font color to white (simply click on the text icon, highlight the word, click on the color box down on the lefthand side, and then ink drop a new color) and added a stroke effect around the letters as well, so I would have more of an open-line look.

After I found the placement, I took the single branch, clicked on the image tab, clicked on Rotate and then rotated the branch horizontally, so that I could get a second image facing the other way...

And then, I dragged and dropped this image over my word on the other side...

Here's where the eraser tool really comes into play! After I had my branches set exactly where I wanted them, I realized that I had to use the lines of my letters as a guide to erase sections of the branch so that it looked as though my branch was falling in front of my word in some places and behind it in others. It might be helpful to reduce the opacity of the image so that you can see the letter underneath.

You can see that over the "O", I am starting to erase that layer. I also erased the part of the flower that was laying over the "V". I kept going until I had what I felt was a balance. And, when I was, I ended up printing this one my laser printer so that I could make this creation gilded with some Deco Foil. See?

From there, I colored this one up with Copics, making sure to add depth to those letters and the backdrop as well! Ta da!

HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS! While I just showed you step-by-step how to create this look, Marcella decided to share this image as a part of the Graceful Still Life set. If you already purchased this image, this file will be available in your PowerPoppy.com account, under your purchased digital downloads. If you haven't ordered this set yet, this image will be included when you order. Thanks Marcy! :-)

CARD #2

For the next creation, I wanted to use one of Power Poppy's sentiments and show you how you can take a digital mash-up to the next level. I used the Power Poppy's Chinese Lantern digital stamp set sentiment "Hi!" and blew it up so that it measured roughly 3" by 3". From there, I merged the layers and then, using the Magic Eraser Background Tool, I got rid of the white space on the inside of the word by just clicking on the inside of each letter. See?

Then, using Power Poppy's Cuppa Buttercups digital stamp set, I layered the image behind the word "Hi!"  I dragged the image of the cup a few times letting the flowers only show, making sure the flowers were behind my top layer.

And this is what my card looked like after I colored up the letters and added some accents!

And here's a closeup of the letters so you can see how I colored them up!

CARD #3

For my last creation, I didn't have to go far to find even more inspiration. I used one of the other sentiments from the Chinese Lantern Digital Set "You make me so happy." I loved the chunky nature of this image and knew I could use it in a different way as well!

So, after opening up the image in PSE, I erased the background, and then changed the color of the font from black to white. All you need to do in order to change the color is click on Enhance tab and then click on Adjust Color and Adjust Hue/Saturation...

From there, you simply adjust the lightness until you're at +100.

From there, I added a stroke around the lettering using the same effect that I did in our first card. And, here's what it looked like afterward...

While I love the look of this image as it is, I knew I wanted to layer it with a fun image behind. So, I opened up the Sweet Pea Show digital stamp set. And put it in the background. 

After I printed, I colored up the whole thing and had fun doing it! I wanted the lettering to look almost like an ombre effect. And here's a peek at how it turned out!

And here's a closeup...

And here's a peek at all three cards!

I know that some of what I shared is a little bit more on the tricky side but hopefully, seeing what's possible will help you explore your photo editing software and try new things! Layer sentiments, add backdrops, or even create your own! If you do, be sure to add a link in the comments section on this post to show us what you've done!

BY THE WAY -- If you have done this technique, please, please, please, link up your creation in the comments section below! I would love to see your take on this digital technique! 

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to swing back tomorrow for a whole new Creative Confetti Challenge to kick start some colorful creativity in your crafting spaces!

Until then,

~Julie