JLJ Designs Crafting Blog

Hi all!  I'm posting a tutorial today on the Make It Crafty Blog on using digital stamps with your digital scrapbook pages.  There are several ways to do this.  You can print out the image you want to use, color it, scan it and then use it like an element on your digital page.  You can color the image digitally and then use it on your page.  Today, I'm going to use the image with a digital paper and create a sticker effect.  If you want to use multiple papers, check out my tutorial on digital paper piecing.

I'm using Photoshop Elements 8 for this tutorial.  It should work with other photo editing software.  The first step is to import your image into PSE.  I'm using Fair Carousel by Make It Crafty.  Be sure to use a .png image or remove the background before starting this tutorial.

The next step is to place the paper you want to use.  In PSE, you do this by selecting File > Place.  You'll need to resize your paper so it covers your image.  Be sure to click constrain proportions on the top before you resize.  I'm using a piece of digital kraft paper by Meredith Cardall (check out the supplies at the bottom for links to all the products I used).

Hide the kraft paper layer by clicking the little eyeball to the left of the layer in the layer menu (lower right).  Use your magic wand tool and click anywhere in the checkerbox area to select all of the background.  If you find that you are selecting more than you intended, then all of the lines aren't closed on the image.  On this image I had to go in with the pen tool and connect the lines in the lower right.  You can remove them later.

With the background selected, unhide the kraft paper layer.  Then select the kraft paper layer and press delete.

You'll have a cut out of the paper in the shape of your image.

Move the kraft paper layer underneath the image layer in your layer menu.

Select all of the white areas with your magic wand tool.  Turn off "continuous" on the top before you select to get all the areas.  Press delete.  Now you have your image outline with your paper filling in.

Create a scrapbook layout using your favorite software.  You can use your digital image like a sticker with your digiscrap supplies.  You can see how I made it a feature on my layout.

Credits
Fair Carousel Digi Stamp by Make It Crafty
Under the Big Top by Meredith Cardall Designs
Kraft Paper from Adventures in Yardwork by Meredith Cardall Designs
Gimme Layers v.49 by Cluster Queen Creations

Happy Scrapping!