Tutorials

Formatting Digi Images

Hey everyone! I often like to have softer lines on my digis for a "no line" effect . . . and sometimes I prefer a soft "sepia-toned" look. So, I thought I'd do a little tutorial on how I do this.

Disclaimer: I am not at all computer literate . . . and there may be other, even simpler ways of doing this . . . but this is how I do it! And, trust me, it's pretty simple! Oh . . . also . . . I can only do this on a PC! I have no clue how to achieve these effects on a MAC/iPad (sorry).

For this tutorial, I used a cropped portion of Mo Manning's darling "I Dunno (Redux)" image. This process will work for any and all digital images that you have saved to your computer!! Oh . . . and this entire image is available for purchase in Mo's online store HERE. OK . . . here we go!!

1. Locate your saved digi image in your computer picture files (or wherever you store them). 
   
2. Copy your desired image to a Word document for re-sizing.
3. Once your image is the size you want to use, position the "cursor arrow" over the image and right click. This will give you a drop down box. 
   
4. Scroll down to the highlighted area that says "Format Picture" . . . left click on that. 
   
5. Slide your cursor down to "Picture Color" and left click on that. Now slide your cursor arrow over to the button that says "Presets" . . . 
   
6. Left click on that "Presets" button . . . and you'll get a screen that looks like this . . . 
   
7. This is where the fun begins!! If you'd like to "recolor" your digi image so that it looks sort of "sepia-toned" . . . move your cursor arrow to the lower right image. When you hover over it, It will tell you that it's orange . . . but, trust me, it prints "sepia-toned"! Then simply left click. And . . . voila! Your image is now sepia-toned!! 
   
8. Now simply left click on the "Close" button and proceed with saving and/or printing as you normally do!
9. If you'd rather have your image a very light grey . . . this is nice for a "no line" effect . . . but still allows you to actually see the lines!! Go back to step number 7! Instead of left clicking on the "Orange" image . . . slide your cursor up to the top row . . . 
   
10. The 4th image from the left on the top row looks almost like it's no image at all. Don't worry . . . just move your cursor arrow over that . . . it will say "Washout". Left click on that. And voila . . . your image will magically turn a very light grey. 
    
11. Left click on the "Close" button and you can now proceed with saving and/or printing as you normally do!!

And . . . it's as easy as that!! I hope this helps!! Have fun!! See you soon! Hugs.

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Ribbon Rosettes

Hello everyone!! Hope you're having a great day!! This is my first "crafting" tutorial! I've written educational manuals for families of babies in the hospital . . . and for nurses and doctors! But, never one for my fellow crafters!! So . . . be kind! hehe! Ready? Here we go!

I've always loved these little Ribbon Rosettes (they have other names, I'm sure . . . but that's what I call them!!) So . . . you'll need just a couple of items to get started:

1. Card stock (white or a complimentary color)
2. Double sided tape (I use Sookwang for all my cards . . . also known as Score-Tape)
3. Ribbon
4. Scissors
5. Die (I used a round Nestabilities die . . . although I'll bet a square die would make a fun variation!)
6. Machine to cut your paper shape (e.g., Cuttlebug, Big Shot, etc.) *Even a scissors will do!
7. Embellishment for center (I used a button . . . but a paper flower, jewels, etc. will work beautifully too!)

Step 1:

Place several pieces of double-sided tape side-by-side on your cardstock:

Step 2:

Cut out your desired shape:

Step 3:

Remove paper backing from your "taped shape" and place end of ribbon at the center of the sticky side:

Step 4:

Begin twisting ribbon, laying it down on top of the sticky taped side of your shape . . . taking care to press ribbon into the tape so it stays secure:

Step 5:

Continue in this fashion, pressing ribbon down as you go:

Step 6:

Once your entire die-cut shape is covered, it's time to cut your ribbon . . . leaving a little bit of a tail:

Step 7:

Bring ribbon tail around to the back side of your die-cut shape, securing it with double-sided tape:

Step 8:

Now it's time to embellish your Ribbon Rosette! Let your imagination run wild!! Here I used a big button . . . which I simply glued to the center (using my trusty hot glue gun!):

And voila! Your beautiful Ribbon Rosette is ready to be secured onto your card, scrapbook page, or other paper project! (I generally use double-sided tape to secure my rosettes to my cards!)

And that's that! Easy peasy! I hope you enjoyed this simple little tutorial!! Keep checking back . . . I plan on creating a few more!! Until next time . . .