Free Digital Photo Mask and Back-to-School Layouts

My cousin kindly offered me the use of several photos she took of her kids on their first day back to school this year. I immediately noticed, in the above photo, the "dead" space above the little boy's head, not to mention the distracting glare. So I custom-designed a photo mask to deal with that space
It's basically a soft focus with the title cut out in the upper right corner, right where the distracting elements are in the photo. Here is the photo clipped to the mask and then placed on a very simple layout:

Note: I also used the dodge tool in Photoshop CS3 to lighten the area behind the words, to make the glare even less noticeable and to make the words stand out.

The accompanying page:

. . . and the two page layout:

So, cuz, what do you think??

I must apologize to my customers that I was only able to make 3 Back-to-School photo masks. I had intended to make 8 or so, but client orders have been coming in so I've been very busy with photo-book and digital scrapbook projects. Designing my own products has to take a backseat to my custom-designed layout work, since that is really the main focus of my little biz.

I do have some templates already made, just need to finalize them, zip them and upload to 4shared. I'll be working on getting those up over the next couple weeks.

Meanwhile, click here for a FREE download (at 4shared) of the Back-to-School photo mask featured in this post. Enjoy!

Birthday Card Digital Photo Collage

I made this card for my son's 32nd birthday {wow!} and wanted to share it here since some of my family and friends who knew I was working on it, wanted to see it. Now that the birthday is past I can post these pics. By the way, the card was very well received. Rodrigo's dad, and wife, Dianna, probably enjoyed it just as much as Rodrigo; Dianna because she loves to see photos of her hubby when he was little, and his dad because he remembers those days well.

I create custom-designed greeting cards, to order, for any occasion!}

I also made the envelope {how cool is that?} using two pages torn out of a travel magazine and these directions by wikiHow. It was super-easy, eco-friendly, and added a really fun touch to the card. Not to mention, since I had neglected to make my card a standard size, I didn't have an envelope to fit! However, I liked the end result so much that I will probably be making envelopes for all the cards I send from now on.

I located some of my favorite photos of Rodrigo during his first year of life and scanned them into digital format. I restored the faded color {these were originally stored in the now infamous magnetic photo albums!}, cleaned up some dirt and scratches, sharpened them a bit, and then popped them into a collage template {a modified version of Scrapbook Etc.'s SBEQuickCollage303 which you can find here}.

I added the arrow in the top left photo pointing to my pregnant belly, and a bit of text to each of the other photos.

To make the card I simply printed out the photo collage and then adhered it to a folded piece of cardstock using black photo corners, for a bit of an old-fashioned look. You can either type up a sentiment, print it out, and glue it inside, or just hand-write it. Easy!
Seeing the photo on the top right really brings back memories. I hadn't the first clue what to do with a baby! It's pretty obvious by the look on my face. Rodrigo's dad didn't know any more than I did, we were just kids ourselves, but we managed; we just figured it out day by day.

I especially love the bottom left picture where Rodrigo is covered with the yellow-and-white gingham tied quilt I made for him, and which he carried around for years {his blankie}. What you can't tell from the photo is that Rodrigo is in an infant seat on the floor of the front passenger seat of our 1960 VW bug {as seen in the top left photo} - that's where he rode whenever we went anywhere. Every time we went around a corner too fast he would tip over!!! Yeah, no car seat laws in those days, I guess it's a miracle he even survived, but I'm SO GLAD he did!

Happy Birthday, Rodrigo! Love you!!

Digital Photo Masks and One is FREE

{paper & elements by Summer Driggs}

Two new photo masks for Back to School pics, and I'm going to give you one FREE! It's got a crookedy, whimsical, and swirly-curly look for girls' back to school photo. I used it with a photo of myself from wayyyy back in the Dark Ages, when I was in about the second grade. I didn't want to put the year on because then everyone would know how ancient I am!

In my layout I added a thin white stroke to the mask, and also a drop shadow. Here's the mask I used, and this is also the one that's FREE:Here's the second Back to School photo mask, the one for boys:

What a fun messy, grungy look, don't you think? Perfect for boys! Here's a layout I made with the mask:

{paper and butterflies by Olga Unger}

Again, I added a thin white stroke - I think it makes the outline of the words stand out much better. This time, instead of a drop-shadow, though, I used the Bevel/Emboss layer style and selected "Down" instead of the default "Up." This makes the mask look as thought it's been pressed down into the paper. I love the look!

If you'd like the second mask you can purchase it from my online store here (set of 2 includes the free mask!), or simply download the free mask from 4shared here.

Create a memory today!

Four Seasons Clipping Masks AND a Freebie!

Well, I was supposed to be working on Back-to-School clipping (photo) masks but I got distracted when I discovered these other masks I had start to create awhile back! I decided to finish them up first, then go on to the Back-to-School masks.

I had a lot of fun creating these, and then using them in layouts. Here is my layout using all four masks:

(paper & element by Amy Clegg)

You could do a similar layout with photos of your kids from each season, or your baby's first year of seasons, document your garden in each season, whatever your imagine comes up with!

The masks work great individually, too:

My photos are only so-so (I am not a great photographer -- yet), but if you've got totally awesome photos of the four seasons in your area, you could do them individually like the layouts above, perhaps use a more coordinating background than I have, print them out, and frame and hang them as a quartet as home decor. I can envision that looking pretty nice! Or, how cute would it be to do the same thing with baby's first year photos, framed in white, and hung in baby's room?

I'm getting some great ideas, and I hope you are, too.

You can get all four of these clipping masks in my online store here for just $1.49!

If you'd like to try one of the masks first (FREE!), simply sign up to be notified via email whenever I update my blog. Use the "Opt In" button on the left-hand side of my blog and, in the comments section of the form, indicate which mask you'd like. I'll send it to you via return email.

Thx for stopping by!

My Freebies - Allow Me to Respond to your Comments!

First off, I'm terribly flattered that so many of you like my FREE Birthday, Father's Day, and Graduation photo masks! And downloaded them! And requested personalized photo masks for your graduates (I'm still making them, so send me an email and let me know what name you'd like)!

Secondly, let me just mention that all the above photo masks are still available, so download to your heart's content!

Finally, I've recently learned how hard it can be to reply to the comments that people leave on my blog. Frustratingly hard, in fact! So when I came across a brief tutorial on the LWM3B blog on how to set up your blog profile so that your comments contain your email address, I immediately knew I wanted to put a link to it here. Take a peek and, if you are so inclined, follow the easy steps to customize your blog profile so that instead of noreply-comment@blogger.com being listed as your email address in any comments you leave on other peoples' blogs, your own email address will be listed. That way the blog's owner can reply to you! Maybe even send you stuff! Free stuff!

Thx for visiting my blog, come back again, and please.....customize your blog profile so I can reply to your comments!

Graduation Photo Masks FREE for Digital Scrapbookers

My sister, and our parents, on her graduation from Brooklyn Law School.

(digital paper & brushes by Amber Clegg)

It's JUNE! That means graduations so I decided to put together a set of graduation-themed digital photo masks. I used one of them for the layout about. I chose to leave the words in their original black and filled just the rectangle with my photo. I added a thin white stroke to the mask. I have also personalized this photo mask by adding my sister's name and changing the year.

Here is a set of 7 graduation-themed photo masks for you FREE (for a limited time). Download today because the link will expire in a week or so; of course, you'll still be able to get them after that from my online store. Included in the download is a tutorial on how to use the masks!

Here's a preview of all seven photo masks:

download from 4shared
or
download from mediafire

{Sorry, links have expired but you can still get these masks here! AND you can still get a personalized mask FREE with your purchase!}

The 8th mask in this second set of previews has been personalized, and is included just as an example of another way to use the mask. As a BONUS, I will personalize any one of these masks for you, with the name of your graduate! This offer is limited to the first 10 people so don't delay, send me an email today! **Update!! I underestimated the response to the personalized photo masks; many more people would like one that I ever thought! I'm pleased! So I'm extending my offer to the first 30 people!***

(Patamomma, send me an email with the name you would like - I've saved you a spot!)

*Update: if you'd like a personalized mask please be sure to send me an email (use the "contact me" link on the sidebar of my blog) with your email address so that I can send you the mask. Thx!

Oh, and did I mention my photo masks (and all my digital products) are copyright-free??!! No worries about whether or not you can use them as a scrapbooker for hire, or for creating kits to sell. Credit is appreciated but not required. See my most recent Terms of Use for more details.

Enjoy the photo masks, and happy scrappin' to ya!

Freebies-Father's Day Digital Photo Masks

(Background paper by Vinnie Pearce)

June is one of my favorite months. It marks so many things; the start of summer, graduations, birthdays (there are a lot of June birthdays in my family including my husband, my son, my daughter-in-law, and my sister); but the best thing about June is Father's Day.

I made the layout above using one of the photo masks I created especially for Father's Day. When I think of my dad, I always think of the things he taught me, starting with riding a bicycle. It's kind of the "thing" that daddy's do; teach the kids to ride bikes, play sports, drive, even dance (which my dad taught me also), and later, for girls anyway, how to "handle" boys!

I remember so well; I was sixteen years old and waiting for a date to arrive. I was unsure where my date was taking me -- a nice restaurant, or just a run-of-the-mill one? I didn't quite know what to wear. I told my dad, "When he arrives, if he's all dressed up, tell him that I'll be down in a few minutes. If he's dressed casually, tell him I'll be right down." That was our code, so that I would know what to wear. I was dressed casually; if my date appeared dressed to the nines, then my dad would say, "she'll be down in a few minutes," giving me a little time to change into something fancier.

I started out to make just a few masks to share with you, to use when making cards or scrapbook layouts. Well, I must admit, I got a little carried away! I kept coming up with yet another word, or set of words, that describes a father, or the relationship between and father and a child. It was hard to stop!

Here are twelve photo masks that I'm offering as freebies. Each one is a separate .PNG file that you can use in any way you wish. Use them as is, as I did in the layout above, modify them in anyway you like, or take them apart and use the pieces separately, it's up to you. My designs are copyright-free, so I encourage you to do whatever you want with them.

Here are the previews. Each preview shows 4 photo masks. Most of them are at 12" x 12" (one is at 8" x 8" for some weird reason!). Of course, they can be resized to any size you wish, or modified to suit you. I hope you think of these photo masks as a jumping-off point. Go, my friend, and make of them what you will, lol!

All 12 photo masks

are included in the .ZIP file that you can

download FREE at4shared

and mediafire

{sorry, these links have expired, but you can still get these masks here!}

These photo masks are delivered to you in a .ZIP file. Once you have downloaded the .zip file, and extracted the files in it, you will be able to access each of the 12 files as a .PNG file. Drag it into a new document, modify it in any way you like, drag in your fave photo of your dad, add a background paper and your own personal journaling, and you have a layout fit for a Father's Day card, or a digital scrapbook layout ready to be added to your " Book of Me."

I would love to see the Father's Day cards, or digital scrapbook layouts, that you create with these photo masks. Please send them to me via deborah at webajeb dot com or send me a link. Be sure to let me know whether I can showcase them in a blog posting!

Enjoy!