Gearing up for Easter? Have some Hot Cross Fun!

Hi everyone! Petra here for Brine Design.

I know Kathy lives in Australia so it's now Autumn over there but here in the USA we finally have Spring!! If only the snow and ice would immediately disappear and not come back until the end of the year (or if you're a professional driver like myself you won't mind if it never comes back!). Spring means fresh new leaves, flowers, grass, the clean crisp air and of course the promise of new beginnings.

Brine Design's new kit is called Hot Cross Fun and has those beautiful, vibrant spring colors we all love so much. Because how can you not?

Nothing more fun than to spend time outdoors and live right in between all those colors, which you can see especially around Easter with all the colored eggs and decorations!

So here's your kit to scrap those Easter pictures with or your pictures of the bulbs that just starting to pop up.

Preview Kit:

Preview Elements Only:

Preview Papers Only:

You can buy Hot Cross Fun in a kit, or just the separate element pack, or paper pack. All are available at Funky Playground Designs or Two Little Pixels.

Here are your links for easier shopping (we're all about making things easier for you!!)

FPD:

Elements Only

Papers Only

Kit

2LP:

Elements Only

Papers Only

Kit

Here's some inspiration from the team.

Check back here soon as Kathy has several new kits lined up that you don't want to miss!!

Tuesday Tutorial: How to Stickerise Your Title

Today's tutorial is also being published at Funky Playground Designs here.


Digital stickers are a hot item in scrapbooking at the moment, and I’m going to show you a way to make them yourself using word art elements from your digital stash, or text you have written as titling. Stickerising (yes, I made that word up!) is great for giving your older supplies a new lease of life, or for making a title really “pop” on your page by giving it a contrasting background.


All steps are depicted using Adobe Photoshop Elements 6, but your own photo editing software should follow the same basic principles.




Step 1:


Open a new blank file in PSE (I sized mine at 12inch x 12inch, 300dpi and white background).


Find your word art element and drag it onto your PSE workspace. Now drag it onto your blank canvas. This automatically copies your word art so you don’t mess with your original file.


Re-colour your word art now (I re-coloured it pink) or leave it as is for a black and white sticker.


With the word art layer highlighted, Ctrl-Click on the thumbnail in the layers palette. This will bring up “marching ants” around the outline of the word.







Step 2:


Now go to the top menu and press Select > Modify > Expand. Type in 10 pixels. Click ok. The marching ants will now surround your text without touching it. Now Select > Modify > Smooth and type 3 pixels. This will soften the curves around your lettering.







Step 3:


Create a new layer beneath your word art layer (shortcut: hold down Ctrl as you press “new layer” icon in your Layers Palette). Change your workspace foreground colour to grey. Select the paint bucket tool on the left hand menu and click anywhere inside the marching ants shape to fill the area surrounding the text with grey. Repeat Step 2 again if you are creating a three-layered sticker like mine, expanding further from your new grey shape and filling with a contrasting colour (I have used white).







Step 4:


Press Control-D to get rid of the ants. Merge all visible layers (except the original white background layer) from the drop-down menu on the layers palette. If you want to save your sticker for future use on another layout, File > Save As > name it and save as a PNG file. This ensures the transparent background. Saving as a jpeg file will cause your sticker to be permanently “stuck” onto your white background canvas – not a good look! Otherwise, it is now ready to click and drag onto your layout page canvas. Make sure to apply shadows behind it to make it appear more realistic.







Whah-La! Finished!

Credits for main layout: Brine Design LT13, Danielle Young Designs Here's To You kit, Amanda Taylor word art.

If you enjoyed this tutorial, please tell me by writing a comment! For further mini tutorials and freebies, tips and inspiration, visit my blog  often.

Pirates Not Allowed! {DST Blog Train}

Welcome to my little corner of the world! If you haven't been here before, let me introduce myself. I am Katharyn, founder of Brine Design. I sell digital scrapbooking kits at Funky Playground Designs and Two Little Pixels.

I've only been selling kits since November 2010, but I have BIG plans on the horizon, heehee! I prefer to make and play with kits that have a traditional paper-like style. I usually scrap with my kits myself before I release them onto the unsuspecting public, because I want to know for sure that they are useful!

I scrap to record memories and document the little everyday happenings that go on in my cute little family. I don't ever want to mass-produce layouts or kits - especially if that means sacrificing my own scrapping time. I just enjoy scrapping first and foremost, and I like designing because I like sharing this brilliant craft with people from across the globe!

So here is a small kit I created for the April DST blog train - all about combating the terrible, unscrupulous digital pirates out there who rob me each and every day. Not only do they steal kits for themselves and proclaim them as their own, they also upload to kit-sharing sites and share them with strangers who pay them good money! Unfair? You betcha! Not only is it limiting the number of designers who want to continue designing because they are sick of spotting their designs under somebody else's name, it means more designers are hestitant to offer freebies and samples of their work because these freebies are usually the items that are pirated the most.

Here's my free kit to help out this cause:

 

Download here.

Available for free for a limited time.

Now, if you're following the DST blog train, you would have arrived here from  Robyn Pali Designs. Your next stop is  Jen Maddocks Designs . For a full list of blog contributors, check out the DisgiShopTalk forum or my list at the end of this post.

If you'd like to see more of my kits and digital wares, visit my shops at Funky Playground Designs and Two Little Pixels.

Thanks for dropping by, and please take the time to leave a thank you in my comments - I LOVE getting your feedback!

Bloglist:

1. Trish H. Designs
2. KimericKreations
3. Kat's Creations
4. JayaPrem's Hangout
5. Jen C Designs
6. Hot Flash Designs
7. jusme digital
8. MagsGraphics
9. Pixiemama Designs
10. Nibbles Skribbles
11. Sprouting Seeds Studio
12. Studio RA Designs
13. Kate's Digital Designs
14. JW-DigiScraps
15. Delicious Scraps
16. FoxyDesigns
17. *Designer Removed*
18. Misty O'Brien
19. Scrap with AW Design
20. Mikki Designs
21. Psychozoe_Designs
22. ChristinaP
23. Wishing Well Creations
24. CharmCityScraps
25. Digital Creations from Millstream Cottage
26. HunnyBee Design
27. Marie H designs
28. wilma4ever
29. JennCk Designs
30. RebeccaPSP Designs
31. Sweet Tomato Designs
32. Shel Belle Scraps
33. Wyld Web Designs
34. Bonnie Blou Designs
35. Ocean Wide Designs
36. Mandy King
37. Eyeinspire
38. Mommyish
39. Designs by Angel
40. Benthaicreations
41. CC’s digital designs
42. Polka Dot Pixels
43. Alejas Designs
44. Ronda's Scrap Bits
45. Trixie Scraps Designs
46. Designs by Connie Prince
47. Sherwood Studio Designs
48. My 4 Princesses Designs
49. Blue Flower Art
50. Just Creations
51. Digital Harmony Design Studio
52. Digilicious Designs
53. Anelia.net
54. A-liya's dreams
55. Snackpackgu's Designs
56. Angel Hartline Designs
57. Inspired Designs
58. MoonDesigns
59. Jen Reed Designs
60. Willow Grace Designs
61. Steadfast and Immovable
62. t for me designs
63. Aimee Harrison Design Studios
64. Hornbuckle Designs
65. Sugar Kissed Designs
66. Digi Deborah Designs
67. Scraps By Mara
68. BeeHaven Designz
69. MaitriScraps
70. Snips and Snails Designs
71. Word Art World
72. Luv Ewe Designs
73. Ramona Memories
74. DigitalGator Designs
75. Jeanine DeOre Design Studio
76. Girl Boy Girl Designs by Jen Balding
77. Albums to Remember Designs
78. ViolaMoni
79. ColleenLynch
80. Diamond Ink Designs
81. Color With Caryn
82. Circle Of Life Studio
83. Doodling Divas & Wild Roses Doodles
84. Bon Scrapatit Designs
85. Designs By Tracy
86. Brandi White
87. Munchkyn Scraps
88. Nette's NightOwl Works
89. Scrapper's Delights
90. Albina Design
91. Armina Designs
92. Z Pink Boudoir Designs
93. Unforgettable Moments
94. The Brown Owl
95. Four Little Pixels Designs
96. Pardon the Mess
97. Mistica Designs
98. jumbbumble designs
99. Robyn Pali Designs
100. Brine Design
101. Jen Maddocks Designs
102. Design by Anita
103. eqrAveziur graphic and design