25 Days of Templates :: Registration Open

Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells all seem to say ...

My holiday class is open for registration! Yeah, baby! Yeah - Austin Powers style. Let me introduce you to the 25 Days of Templates.

The Inspiration

This class was inspired by an article I wrote for the December 2008 issue of Creating Keepsakes. In that issue, I described an annual problem I had around the holidays. Scrapbook? Nope. Homemade gifts? Don't think so. Scrapbooking just took a back seat; a victim to the holiday shuffle.

The year of the article, I created a plethora of home-made gifts using hybrid templates. Now, it's time to mix it up! With a simple holiday scrapbook plan, I'll document at least one daily moment or event each day leading up to Christmas. It's my own creative journey, which is also a holiday spiritual journey for me. By day 25, my holiday album will be full of layouts detailing our best and not so best holiday moments.

The Details

25 elegant and simple digital templates to capture the moments of the season. And you can use them too! Not only that, the class will feature 25 holiday-inspired photography, design, and page topic techniques to keep you engaged and energized. The techniques will be delivered to you via a daily video message separated for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements users. There's a colorful, written PDF companion guide to print and follow along.

What if you're traveling, or you know the hub-bub of the season would make a class a little tough?
Our students at reneepearson.com have access to their registered class information, products, videos, and downloads for a lifetime! Register now. When the class starts, you'll have access to my holiday plan which you can customize for the photos and ideas you want for your album.

With that in mind, spend the holidays enjoying them! Get those photos, jot down your thoughts. Relax knowing you have a plan! Also, take a peek at the videos and messages as time allows. You'll get some great tips to use during the holidays for topics and photography. Then catch up in January, watch a video a day, and use the templates for easy peesy rice and cheesy quick album scrapbooking! 

This process gives you the freedom to determine when your 25 days starts!

Templates.

Classic. Timeless. Elegant. Thoughtful. Coordinated. Each day, I will feature in our class gallery a completed layout and interpretation of the daily template. You have the option to work the template as you like or let the interpretation inspire your final layout.

The 25 includes a few single photo, many multi photo, full bleed, and technique infused designs. A bonus cover, back, and spine completes the look for storybook printing.

Supplies.

One of my favorite designers, THE Liz of Paislee Press, created an amazing and very EXCLUSIVE holiday kit for our class! Here is beautiful, sophisticated Adorned.

It has a beautiful subdued color palette and those extra accents that compliment but not overpower holiday photos. Perfection. I am choosing to create my album using this kit. Keeping it simple! Probably will add a few of my own extra goodies ... you'll get those too!

What if you'd like to use your own holiday stash?
That's cool! Use what works for you. You'll get Liz's kit but your album really needs to speak to you. I am a firm believer in ultimate freedom! And fast scrapbooking.

Skill Level.

This is the perfect class for beginners because we have to talk about using layers and becoming familiar with the workspace for you to use the templates effectively. But don't fear my fellow intermediate and advanced template-teers! My holiday plan includes techniques that I'm sure you'll enjoy too. 

Etcetera.

During the next week, I'll share some amazing page layouts from my template creative team and invited guests to show off what they can do with the kit, the templates, and the inspiration. And next Monday, November 9th, 2009, I'll give away a seat to my class as well as a gift certificate to Shutterfly to have your album printed.

There'll be a few more giveaways in the upcoming two weeks around the world wide web.

Questions? Post a comment here or email me. Peek at the class curriculum and details for the 25 Days of Templates. I'll be back to answer any questions too. Connect with me on Facebook to keep up with the giveaways. And enjoy the day, my creative friends!

Scrappable No. 40 - Freebie!

Yeahhhhh ... I've got a lot to say today. :D Interested in a free Scrappable template? The September 2009 Issue of the DST Insider is offering No. 40 to you for free for a limited time! You have to download the PDF and click on the preview on pg. 26 for the link. 

This creation by template Guru Kenna features No. 40 as a foundation. Enjoy it my fellow templateteers! :D

Magical Vacation :: Disney Mickey Ears Template

Hey, Disney peeps! Looking for some Mickey ears to add to your layouts? Look no further!

Included in this download is a .PNG version and a .PSD file of the coolest mouse ears around! Here's a few tips you can use to embellish your ears:

• Use a clipping group or clipping mask to attach different papers
• Add digital brads, ribbons, or brushes
• Print, cut out and use on hybrid projects

And for the fine print, my standard terms of use apply to the Disney Mickey Ears templates. If you have any questions, holla!

You can download it here:
Magical Vacation :: Disney Mickey Ears Template 

Enjoy the template!

template tutorial :: using a layered template

Finally! This tutorial has been in the planning for quite some time and the only reason it took so long was because my design computer was slow as molasses! But, I got a new computer and all the things I've wanted to create and do ... I can finally do! And share!

This tutorial is specifically for all of my Photoshop Elements template clients who have sent me an email in the last few months asking how to use a template. It's a written PDF and the zipped file includes Storyteller Template No. 2 from Storyteller Collection One!

And what, you might ask, will you learn using this guide? Well let me tell you, baby! You will learn how to:

• Prepare your template for modification
• Load and resize your photos to fit the template
• Use clipping groups effectively
• Work with Shaped Layers
• Add a background and modify Text layers

There's also a discount coupon to my template store on the back page. Shhh!

You can download it here:
Template Tutorial :: How to Use a Layered Template (1.4 MB)

Download it today, play around, and let me know what you think! And, I'm always open to suggestions for more tutorials -- holla at me if you have a request!

Happy Scrappin!

Template Tutorial Video :: Blending Photos + Paper using Gradients

My Guru template team members are such sweethearts! I recently picked their brains, ooo that sounds morbid, for ideas on a new set of video tutorials I am creating strictly for my Simply Tiffany templates. I call them template tutorials -- not so tough to remember.

Well, their first request was for a video tutorial describing the process I use to blend photos and paper using only gradients. Scrappable Template No. 44 uses this same process. So they ask, I do and I'm releasing it to any one and every one who wants to know more.

Just a few notes about the video, I used CS4 to record the technique but the same process will work in Photoshop Elements 6.0 & 7.0. The major difference will be that Elements users should not delete the layer mask that's included in the Gradient Fill layer. There is no 'button' to recreate the mask link in CS3/CS4 -- so keep it and paint it white if you want to have a clean/revealing mask!

Update! As of August 20. 2009, I have embedded the video tutorial in this post and you can download the template using the link below!

Check it out, let me know what you think and see what you create with this fine speci-mine!

You can download the template here:
Template Tutorial :: Blending Photos + Paper Using a Gradient Layered Template (2.4 MB)

Happy Creating!

Update on Sunday, August 16, 2009 by Tiffany

Hey peeps! If by chance you downloaded the goodies earlier than this update and had a problem opening the template, holla at me! I can send you a replacement template which will fix the known issue. The above download link has been replaced with an updated file!

And thank you to Anna for letting me know!