No, I’m not talking Art Journaling here, although that might be a nice offshoot… *wink* I’m talking about WORD ART. That’s right… those wonderful titles and quotes that are so beautifully created by our DD designers. They take words and type (fonts) and mix the two, creating eye-catching typography with a message. So, since everyone I know seems to be really, really busy these days, I thought a quick and easy way to explore typography at its best would be to USE word art on a layout this week! You can make your own, but using one already created by our DD designers is so much quicker and easier! hahahaha

Just look at all these fantastic photos of Aino’s (aino) little girl… do they not make you just burst out smiling? So, so cute! And, with one gorgeous shot as her focal point, all Aino needed to finish up this layout was the perfect quote… notice how the word art has been highlighted with color, boldness and a bit of shadowing on the “I”. Even word art can be personalized just how you want it!

Lynn (grandmalynnie) used Anna’s barbecue word art for a clever title, adding a thin, white stroke to the words to make a ‘sticker’. This helps the title stand out on the layout and adds a bit of dimension, as well. I especially love the subtle wordart Lynn added under the title… good grub good grub good grub… boy, that makes me hungry! LOL Lynn’s finished up with a couple of great photos of Joel and his grandpa and some fun embellishments that support her BBQ theme!

I loved Anna’s “be you. be cool.” wordart… it just seemed perfect for the ‘cool’ photo of my son! I loved both the vertical and horizontal orientation of the two parts of the title and the open font on “cool” was subtle enough that I could add two silly epoxies without making the title too bold and ‘heavy’!

So, let’s see how you can use wordart this week… call on one of the DD designers to do the creating for you or make your own! Just remember to post your layouts in the “Just My Type” gallery! Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Welcome to week 3 as we paint our summer memories in the surf!!

A little bit each week and before you know it we’ll have a completed photobook!

This week’s template, Painted Summer Surf No. 3, has room for 10 photos! Perfect for showcasing all your outtakes which is what I did with my pages!

My cousins littlest was such a hoot with the sunglasses. She was hamming it up for the camera and I wanted to include that!
I added Stamped Stitches and recolored yellow word bits. Then I used a fine brush of 3 pixels and my wacom tablet to add my own writing. Sara’s tutorial in the store can help you get started with your pen tablet!
Didn’t go to the beach for vacation? How about the pool? the backyard sprinkler? These templates are great for so much more than beach pages. I look forward to seeing how you use them!

Congratulations to carollee. Her layout 43 - AIR SHOW has been selected as the featured layout of the week where she won a $ 5 DesignerDigitals Gift Certificate for product of her choice!

This week’s Adobe Photoshop or Elements tip of the week is now available on video. This weeks tip is on Creating a Rounded Rectangle Frame in Photoshop and PSE.

Saturday Scraplift No.162

I love this delightful page by Deanie:

Not just an adorable photo and lovely color scheme, but also a beautifully balanced page. The weight of each of the elements is counter-balanced by another design element - such as the airy butterfly doodle which references and balances the ribbon twirling across the righthand space below the photo. Notice, too, how that ribbon leads the eye to the “I Pick You” tag which serves as a title for the page.

Kathleen, Sharon and Amy were keen to lift this gem of a page:

Credits: layout by Sharon, Jolie kit and Barcelona kit by Lynn Grieveson, Vintage Photo Frames No.20, Sentiments with Whimsy brushes and stamps, Botanists Workbook Tags No.01 by Katie Pertiet, Staple its! Clusters by Pattie Knox.

Credits: layout by Amy, Havstraand Solids (coming soon), Filmed Overlays No.03, Star Clusters brushes, Le Marche kit, Classic Cardstick:Carnival, Vintage Text Paperpack, Botanist Notebook No.04, Make Your Own Postmarks pack and Nana’s Buttons No.02 by Katie Pertiet, Text Bytes No.23, and Round-A-Bout felt no.02 by Pattie Knox, Ticket Label brushes and stamps by Jesse Edwards, Eternity Pink keys rub-ons by Art Warehouse, Wonders paperpack by Mindy Terasawa, Star Pieces No.01 by Gretchen Thomas.

Credits: Layout by Kathleen, Rounded Corner Clipping Masks, Splash Alphabet and Photo Clusters No.24 by Katie Pertiet, LoopdaLoop Arrows No.01 (coming soon), Journey word transfers No.01, Monoblendz True taupe Paperie, MagicSparkle Plumes No.02, ArtPlay Palette BBQ Valueset, CurvyCorner Sticthed Blocks No.02, DragonDudes brushset, ArtPlay Palette ExLibris by Anna Aspnes, Just Linens No.05 by Michelle Martin, Contessa and Cootchie Coopaperpacks by Jesse Edwards, Happiness Hand-drawn brushes by Ali Edwards.