quick and easy recoloring

I had a customer ask for the easiest way to recolor the 3x4" and 6x4" monthly calendar pockets so I thought I'd share a quick tutorial. I know I've done recoloring tutorials before but this one is specific to those kits (though the same principal would apply to recoloring almost any png file - even those that are already colored.) You could just use the paint bucket tool but you'll get some ragged edges that way (that may or may not bother you.)

Once you've opened your file, create a new layer by either clicking the new layer icon in the layers palette or the key combo ctrl+shift+n.

You may need to make sure you have the correct color mode selected. To do that, Image>Mode>RGB Color.

Choose the color you'd like the design to print by clicking the foreground color box.

Activate the paint bucket tool by clicking on it in the tool palette or by just hitting "k" on your keyboard.

Click anywhere on your canvas to fill the layer with color.

Ctrl + G will clip the color layer to your design layer. To permanently merge the color, click ctrl + E.

As with anything in Photoshop/PSE, there are a number of ways to accomplish any given task. This is simply my preferred method. If you have any questions, just ask!

new 2014 calendars in the shop

I'm really excited about these new kits in my etsy shop. A simple idea to be sure but I love having the option of printing BIG, inexpensive calendars for a variety of uses.

There are three 24x36" design options as well as a combo that includes all three files at a reduced price.

The classic calendar is a simple, graphic design with lines for making notes or keeping track of important dates or milestones.

The insta calendar is perfect for displaying 4x4" instagram or other square photos. I think this would be such a fun way to display monthly photos of a new baby growing or featuring a special person (birthday? anniversary?) each month. Add all of the photos at the beginning of the year or add them month-by-month.

The kid version provides patterns and 3D lettering perfect for coloring. ALL of my nieces and nephews are going to get one of these along with some crayons or markers for Christmas. Such a fun way for them to personalize their rooms!

Izzy already got her hands on that one (I kind of love that she went for coloring the spaces in between the circles rather than the circles themselves...I never would have considered that.)

I had all three of these printed at Staples for $10 total. Keep in mind that these files can be printed in any manner you choose. *I* like the option of printing them cheap and plentifully. These are printed on a plotter meant mainly for engineering drawings - line drawings - so the quality isn't super fantastic but for the price and my plans for them, it's the exact right price. For a big block of black (the classic version) there may be some ghosting but it doesn't bother me in the least. Here's a quick visual to show how I ordered from Staples (and picked them up the same day!)

from the sidebar, select Copy & Print > Banners & Signs etc...

choose Engineering Prints

select your size ($3.59!)

and again choose Engineering Prints (redundant, yes?)

upload your file

uploading...

from the Media pop out, ensure that 24 x 36 is selected

and that the proper orientation is selected 

Name your job (you can upload multiple files at the same time) and Add to Cart. That's it. Now wait a couple of hours and go pick them up.

Or, you know, just take it in on a thumb drive ;)

Now, you have no excuses for being super productive. At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

VSCO presets: a cheat sheet

One of the fantastic students in the Phone Photography course at Big Picture asked about which VSCO presets were best for different types of photos. There is a description of each set in-app but I remember seeing a Hipstamatic cheat sheet a couple of years ago that I absolutely loved so I thought I'd put one together for this app as well just so I could quickly see a comparison of how the different effects work on different types of shots at a glance. I'll still probably turn to my tried and true method of simply playing with the different effects until I find one I'm happy with but this is a good guideline for when I'm in a hurry.

I did a comparison of a few different shots...one indoor still life type of a shot, an outdoor portrait, a sky photo and a more dramatic silhouette type shot. The VSCO descriptions for each are included as well as my original shot (which I only cropped and adjusted for exposure prior to applying the VSCO effects. (These images do get bigger if you want to click and save.)

I noticed after I had already started that VSCO has added a (free) skin tone set so those aren't included here...I'd say the application for that set is pretty self-explanatory though.

project life: week 1

This one will be a bit of everything...week 1 of project life, a tiny update on my Intention project, a share and a quick tutorial...ready?

So this year, I've decided to switch up my project life approach a bit. I bought a package of baseball card protectors in the middle of last year with the intention of using them for inserts in my 12x12 PL album (I know I saw someone do this...I want to say Jamaica? Yeah, probably her because she is awesome and regularly blows my mind.) But, I failed miserably only making it about half way through the year so here I sit, with a full, unopened pack of baseball card sleeves. This year, I'm going with those sleeves for project life. Those sleeves only. With the occasional 8.5x11" regular layout protector mixed in for full size layouts or memorabilia. I feel like the compact size will be more manageable for me and I won't have the excuse of choosing which pocket setup I'll use from week to week.

With that in mind, I put together a quick digital template to help streamline things (I don't know if this is helpful to anyone as the pockets are 2.5x3.5" but if you want it, grab it here.) The plan is to work digitally, printing completed cards for each pocket. If I have the time or inclination I'll further embellish but that's the cherry on top - just having filled pockets is the goal here.

So, my week 1 spread looks like this digitally:

SUPPLIES: life love paper journal cards | DDE oh happy day freebie | paislee press press cards no. 18 | persnickety prints storyteller

and this, once printed and pocketed (yeah, it's a word):

I really wanted to include this ballerina Izzy drew - luckily for me, it was exactly the size of a plastic bag from a set of MME brads - I just cut it to size and slid it in with a paper backer. I simply stapled it to the protector right along the edge where the seam is

flipped back, you can see the card I included for the drawing

I also have a regular page protector with Jake;s spelling Bee certificate and the letter Zack received from his favorite author.

The first week of each month, I'll include a card that shows my OLW/Do Something goal for the month. I created a template for me to use...it looks like this in template form and finished form for this first week:

I did a modified 3x4" version for the traditional PL protectors - one for each month of the year. If you're playing along with me, you can download the zip with all twelve months here.

And finally, a quick tutorial for how I went from the template to the finished product.

original file

1] choose rectangle tool (U) 2] draw a box (because I wanted a solid background rather than the border) 3] simplify

ctrl + e to merge layers

add a new layer

activate brush tool (B)

begin painting over the portions of the png file you want to change to color of (I had a color scheme I was working with for this spread so I did a mix of colors for the wordart...a single color would work just as well!) 

ctrl + g will clip your paint layer to your png file

continue with your paint brush tool changing the color as desired

ctrl + e will make the color change permanent

choose the text tool (T) to add the title/goal and details of your goal

finished card with text

quick tip for remembering download sources

There are so many amazing designers out there sharing their work and talent for free. It's important to recognize them when you use the beautiful things they create. You probably already have a method for cataloging your sources but I've finally discovered what works best for me and it's incredibly EASY so I thought I'd share.

This kit:

Beautiful, right? Can't wait to use it. So, I downloaded it from here. I know she has smartly included her web address on the preview but I wanted to keep track of the direct link to the actual post so after I downloaded the kit, I went to the post and clicked the little icon to the left of the web address,

dragged it over to the kit folder,

and released the mouse button. Boom. There is the link stored right with my download. This is especially helpful when the download is just a single image file with no identifying info as to the source.

tutorial: using vintage images to create a digital chalkboard effect

I've been creating some chalkboard type digital elements for my project life album and thought I would share how I do it in case you'd like to do some yourself. Here are a few examples I've done just kind of playing around. The images I've used are from this site (lots of copyright free vintage images) and this fun free printable from Fifth and Hazel.

OK, for the tutorial:

open your chalkboard background and the image you'd like to use

with your image file open, choose your rectangular marquee tool (M)

draw a selection box around the portion of your image you'd like to use

choose edit > define brush from selection

name your image if you'd like, then click OK

switch to your chalkboard image and create a new layer

activate your brush tool (B)

and choose the brush image you just created

stamp your image (make sure you have the new layer selected...not your chalkboard background layer)

add another new layer and while holding the control key, click on the thumbnail of the image layer

the previous action will create a selection area based on the image...hide your image layer and you'll be able to see. choose your brush tool (B) again and select the default chalk brush (I use the 36 px size)

now simply draw over your selection with the chalk brush. the drawing will be limited to the selection you've created with the image to create a chalky finished product. remember the more times you go over an area, the darker and more filled in it will become so try to go sparingly and cover the are in as few passes as necessary. playing with the opacity a bit might help blend the image as well (I think I used 85% here)

If you'd like to use the chalkboard image I used, grab it by enlarging this image and right clicking to save. Enjoy!