Tuesday Tutorial: Adding Artistic Filters Using Word

OK, so we all have our favorite digis that we love to use again and again, right? But even using our favorite digis, we might like a little diversity. Sure, we can add that through the use of different colors, papers, and accessories, but how about something really dramatic like changing the style of the actual lines of the images? Today I'm going to show you how to do just that using Microsoft Word (TM)  and "filters," aka "artistic effects." Fun! :-)

Please note that this tutorial does assume some basic understanding of digis. If you are brand new to using digis, please visit our Digi Stamps 101 page HERE for directions to get you started. Also, for this tutorial, I'll be using Microsoft Word 2010. If you'd like to follow along with my directions for creating scenes with your digis using Word 2010, but don't currently have this program installed on your computer, you can download a free 60-day-use trial of Microsoft Office 2010 HERE (Microsoft Word is included in the Office suite of programs).


A. Adding "Filters" to Digis Using Word (Mac Version)

1. Open a new, blank document in Microsoft Word.

2. Insert the digi of your choice into the Word document.

3. Click on the digi with your mouse to select it in the Word window. Notice that when you select the digi, a blue bounding box appears around the image, and that the  "Format Picture" tab on the Adjustments toolbar becomes highlighted. This means that the tools in this tab are available to be used on the digi.

4. In the Format Picture tab, locate and click the "Filters" button.

5. A visual menu will open on the screen. This menu includes a variety of "filters" that can be applied to the selected digi. A tooltip stating the name of each filter will appear if you hover your mouse over a particular icon.

6. Click on one of the icons in the "Filters" menu to apply a filter, and watch how the image changes on your screen. For example, you might apply the "Chalk Sketch" filter as I did to this image.

7. Go ahead and experiment with all of the filters to see what they do -- you know you want to! :-)

8. If you like the look of the filter you applied, simply print out the digi as you usually would for use in a project.

9. If you don't like the look of the filter you applied, either select a different one from the menu, or click on the first icon in the Filters menu -- "No Filter" -- to remove any changes.

B. Adding "Artistic Effects" to Digis Using Word (PC Version)

The steps for adding a filter to a digi are a bit different if you are using the PC version of Word 2010. Because I do not have access to a PC at this time, I unable to show photos, but here are the steps for you to follow. Note that they are very similar to those for a Mac, with just minor differences in the names of the tabs and buttons, so the pictures above should still give you a good sense of things.

1. Open a new, blank document in Microsoft Word.

2. Insert the digi of your choice into the Word document.

3. Click on the digi with your mouse to select it in the Word window. Notice that when you select the digi, a blue bounding box appears around the image, and that the  "Picture Tools/Format" tab on the  toolbar becomes highlighted. This means that the tools in this tab are available to be used on the digi.

4. In the "Adjust" section of the toolbar (left end), locate and click on the "Artistic Effects" button.

5. A visual menu will open on the screen. This menu includes a variety of "artistic effects" that can be applied to the selected digi. A tooltip stating the name of each artistic effect will appear if you hover your mouse over a particular icon.

6. Click on one of the icons in the "Artistic Effects" menu to apply it, and watch how the image changes on your screen.

7. Go ahead and experiment with all of the artistic effects to see what they do -- you know you want to! :-)

8. If you like the look of the artistic effect you applied, simply print out the digi as you usually would for use in a project.

9. If you don't like the look of the artistic effect you applied, either select a different one from the menu, or click on the first icon in the Artistic Effects menu -- "None" -- to remove any changes.

Although I've demonstrated this technique with an outline image, it can work with pre-colored images as well. (The card at the top of my post was created by applying the "Cement" filter to the colored fall tree image from the "In Season" digi set.) Please note, however, that how well the technique works with pre-colored images will depend on the image itself, which filter you apply to it, and the print quality of your particular printer.

If you have any questions about this tutorial, please be sure to leave a comment on this post. If you would like a direct reply, please include your email address. Until next time, happy crafting! :-)

Reminder for Part 2 of Calendar Challenge!

Only 3 days left in Part 2 of the Calendar Challenge!!

It is not too late to get motivated to work on a calendar for a Christmas gift. Christmas is only 5 months away so time to start on those crafty Christmas gifts!!

Here are 2 pages for me so only one to go in this round. I hope to get the third one done tomorrow night! Wish me luck! And I see AJ of AJ's Creative Energy also has one more month to go on this round!! Come on AJ you can do it!! Also, a big Congratulations to Shelly of Ink & Sew who has completed 3 calendar pages for Part 2!! Thursday will start Part 3 of the Calendar Challenge!

Kathy D.

Rainy Day Digital Image

 I used the sketch from Page Maps June 2013 for inspiration.

 

Kathy D.

Scoops Digital Image

I used Sketch #48 from Sketch Savvy

From FRUMPY to FABULOUS!

Hello Everyone!

Lori here with a tutorial that is sure to make your desk just a little cheerier!

Yes, we are going from FRUMPY

to FABULOUS today!

I don't know if any of you have priced colored hanging folders lately, but it is RIDICULOUS how much they want for a pretty hanging folder!  Staples wants $21.49 for 25 hanging folders....and then they aren't very pretty!  So I decided to dig in to my ENDLESS supply of cardstock and make some pretty ones myself!

Let's get started making our desk cheery now!

First, I removed the metal hanging rod from my frumpy green hanging folders....which I have a TON of.

Now, you could choose to just cover these green folders in cardstock, which is another great option, but you still have the ugly green inside :-)

Next, we are going to prepare our 12x12 cardstock to create our folders.

Cut your cardstock to 11 1/2 x 12 inches.

Using the 12 inch length side, you need to make these scor lines, or fold at these measurements:

Score at 9 and 10.5- 10 3/4 inches for the front side of your hanging folder.

Score at 9 inches only for the back side of your hanging folder.

 

 

 Next, use some double sided tape that is 1/4 inch wide and place it about 1/8 inches below the 9 inch score line.  You are going to use this strip of tape to adhere your metal hanging strip from your old folder.

 Next place a second piece of two sided tape (I am using Scor Tape) below your metal hanging strip.

Fold over at the 9 inch score line and adhere.

 This is what it is going to look like for the inside of the front side of your hanging folder.

I have begun to fold up my cardstock at the 10 1/2 inch score line to create my pockets for my labeling tabs.

 I am going to create pockets for my labeling tabs as shown below.

Place two sided tape at 1/4, 3, 5 3/4, 8 1/2, and 11 1/4.

 Fold this over and adhere....this creates your tab pockets!

For the back side of your hanging folder you are going to adhere the metal hanging strip just like the front side and fold over and adhere.  You will just omit the steps that create the tab pockets....unless you want tab pockets on the front an back of your hanging folder!

Now, we are going to tape the front and back together to create our folder.

I started by laying them bottom to bottom with the wrong side up.

 I then put a strip of tape the length of the folder.

Next, turn them over so the outside of the hanging folder is up.

Put another strip of tape across your seam, but this time make it longer than the folder and wrap it around the ends to the inside for extra strength.

 

Now for the tabs!

I was trying to decide what to use for the tabs and remembered that Austin had made this adorable set of borders which could NOT have worked ANY better for this project!!!!!

Borders Digital Image 

by Austin Owens

 Go To Borders Digital Image here!

So I chose this set of borders (because they match the coordinating duck tape drawers I made for my desk) to make my tabs!

When I pasted them in to my document to print them, I made the image 2 inches wide and let the length default to whatever size to make it stay proportional.

I then trimmed around the image and made the total height 2 1/4 inches high.  They could be longer, but I needed them this height for them to fit in their designated spot :-)

I decided then needed a little corner rounding.....

 

Slip them into your little pockets you created....

 

 I am going to make a bunch of these little tabs up so as my folders change I can make a new tab!

Amazing how a pretty little desk organizer can change your attitude about getting work done!

Here is my desk so far.  I am working on getting it all organized!

The drawers that fit in the cubbies are all make out of recycled cereal boxes and Cliff Bar boxes!

Can you see all the possibilities for these hanging folders?

What a cute moving present, birthday present, or anytime present to give to a friend out of their favorite colored cardstock!  The possibilites are endless!

You can find the desk top hanging file holders just about anywhere.  Staples, target, and organizational stores will all have them.  This one I remembered was sitting in my storage room from about 10 years ago!  I got it out, dusted it off, and ta-da!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!  If you decide to make some for your desk, leave a link in the comments...I would love to come and see what you have created!

Hope your day is filled with blessings and creativity galore!

Store Grand Re-Opening & Tuesday Tutorial!

 Hi Friends,

Thanks for visiting. We have a lot to share with you today!

Grand Re-Opening of Clearly Digi Stamps

Our new store is finally ready to reopen -- hooray!!! Thank you very much for your patience as we ironed out the bugs. We hope you're going to love the new store. It is truly designed for digis, with the fun features that you asked for, including a digi download page, and the ability to pay with Paypal! We invite you to VISIT US today.

If you do experience any glitches when shopping, we ask that you please send a sweet email to Lori at lori@cleardollarstamps.com, and she will get things fixed up for you straight away. Also, please remember that you must create a new customer account to shop at the new store, as we were unable to transfer the old customer data.

Free Digis to Celebrate Our New Store

You will want to visit our store each Thursday and Sunday for the next month as we celebrate the opening of our new store, because we will be giving away some FREE DIGIS!  Some will be free to everyone, and others will be free-with-purchase. Either way, you are sure to love them all!

As the free digis release, they will only be free for 3-4 days each, and then they will move to the priced section of the store. Right now we are offering these two digis for free:

"Otterly Thankful"

"Choo Choo"

These two digis will be free until Thursday, June 6 at 10:00 am Central. Then we will have a new free digi for you to enjoy!

Tuesday Tutorial: Heat-Embossing Digis

One of my favorite techniques to use when stamping is heat-embossing. It gives the images such an elegant look! Did you know that you can heat-emboss digis, too? Read on for directions! :-)

A. Materials

* Non-porous cardstock, such as vellum or glossy cardstock, sized appropriately for your printer's paper tray

DESIGN NOTE: Glossy photo paper will not usually work with this technique.

* Printer

* Digi(s) of your choice (I used the "Loving Hands" set for this tutorial)

* Heat embossing powder

* Heat Tool

B. Get Your Materials Ready

There are two main tricks to successfully heat embossing digis: using the right kind of paper, and embossing the digis as soon as they finish printing.

First, you will want to use a non-porous cardstock, such as vellum or glossy cardstock. Using this kind of paper allows the printed ink to remain on the surface of the cardstock for a short time, rather than soaking into the cardstock. You need the printed ink to act in place of using embossing ink, so the slicker the surface, the better it should work.

Please note that glossy photo paper usually will not work with this technique, as it is chemically treated so that the printed ink will dry quickly.

Aside from using a certain kind of cardstock, you need to have your embossing powder and heating tool ready to use immediately after printing the digis. Have your heat tool plugged in and reachable, the cap already off of the embossing powder, and whatever you use to catch stray embossing powder already laid down before printing. Ideally, you should have these materials set up right near your printer, so you can grab the printed sheet of digis as soon as the printer spits it out and then emboss them right away.

C. Print and Heat-Emboss Your Digis

1. Select the digis that you wish to heat emboss, and ready them for printing.  If you are new to using digis, and are not sure how to do this, please read our Digi Stamps 101 tutorial, which covers this and many other basics of using digis.

DESIGN NOTE: I reccommend using the outline version of any digi you wish to heat-emboss. If you use the colored version of a digi, the embossing powder will stick to the entire image, and not give you the elegant look you want.

2. Insert a sheet of non-porous cardstock into your printer's paper tray, making sure that it is positioned so that the slick side of the cardstock (if applicable) is the one on which the digis will print.

3. If possible, adjust the settings for your printer to print to "Best" quality, and set the paper type to "Glossy" or "Glossy Photo" (or whatever the equivalent setting is for your particular printer).

4. Print the digis. Because you are using non-porous paper on which to print them, the ink will be wet and sitting on the surface of the paper after printing, so be careful not to smudge the image.



5. As soon as the digis have finished printing, apply the heat embossing powder to the images. I generally just dump a generous amount all over the images, to be sure that all of the ink is covered.

6. Gently shake off the excess embossing powder. If necessary, use a soft brush to carefully remove stray bits of powder from the cardstock.

7. Heat the embossing powder until properly melted, as you would with any stamped image. When finished, you should have a beautifully heat-embossed digi that you can then use on a card or other project.

That's all there is to it! As mentioned, the keys to success are using the right kind of paper, and embossing the digis as quickly as possible after printing. It might take you a couple of tries to get the timing right, but once you have it down, this is a fun and easy way to add a little something extra to your digi crafts.

If you have any questions about this technique, please ask in the Comments section of this post. If you would like a direct reply, please be sure to include your email address.