With a Nod to Andy Warhol

Pete was the best dog. When he was a pup, I would let him sit in my lap while I worked at the computer. He had a knack for hitting the delete key frequently. When he grew to 80 lbs., he thought he could still sit in my lap. By then his feet were so big that he could type and delete at the same time with one fell swoop. He was definitely a dog of many talents.

I wanted to make a memorial page for our sweet pup who we lost last week after 15 + years. I didn’t want to dwell for too long over this page because I am already having enough trouble being without my sweet Pete.

I turned to three of my all-time favorite tools, the KellyCraft Get-it-Straight Laser Square, Viva Décor’s Glitter Pens and Duetica Lettering Arts Studio software, to make a quick page that was everything Pete was without getting too sentimental. (The fact that I have every collar and tag he ever wore and a bazillion photos is bad enough. I didn’t want this to turn into a shrine!)

Here’s what you need:

KellyCraft Get-it-Straight- Laser Square

Duetica Lettering Arts Studio

Computer/printer

Paper cutter

Black cardstock, 12” x 12”

White cardstock, 8 ½” x 11”

Four white and four colored cardstock scraps, approximately 5” x 5”

Black acid-free pen

Kool Tac Premium Extreme tape

Note: I used Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, but you can use any type of photo-altering  and layout software..

1. Set the type using the Duetica Lettering Arts Studio. I used the Tin Whistle font. I set each line separately so that I could manipulate the type layout. Open your largest phrase (“Pete”) in Photoshop. Change the colors and crop to get rid of excess space around the edges. I saved it as a jpg. file since I didn’t need to worry about a transparent background. If you want the background transparent so that you can place it on top of another image, save it as a png file.

2. Open the second line of type. I purposefully left this one black, then reduced it to fit under the larger word. Print on white cardstock and tear all edges as closely as possible.

3. Open the photo you wish to use.  Use the posterize  function in your image file to convert the image and save it (save as).  Use the color balance function to change the colors three more times and save (save as) after each color change.

3. Open a 12 x 12 page in your photo/drawing or layout program. Place the four photos, adjusting them to fit. Add the headline and make sure it will all fit on a 12 x 12 page (Don’t forget to allow for the layers behind the photos and headline.).

4. Unless you have a 12” x 12” printer, you will need to print these images and the title on 8 ½” x 11” cardstock. I was able to get the title and two photos on one page and the two additional photos and journaling on the second.

5. Trim headline and photos and cut background layers.

Headline

1. Cut one additional layer of one of your colors 1/4” larger all around than your title block. Cut a different color additional piece 11” wide. Adhere the headline to the smaller piece of cardstock, applying your adhesive top, bottom and right side to allow for a journaling tag. Mount the entire headline on the 11” piece of cardstock to placing it ¼” from the right edge..

2. Measure the height of your headline (white portion only). Use your computer to set or hand-write your journaling type. Trim closely Mount this to a piece of black cardstock trimmed to fit inside the journaling pocket. Round the edges of both pieces on the left side and glue together. Insert this piece between the two pieces of colored cardstock. Use the Viva Décor Hematite Glitter Pen to draw the puppy foot.

3. Using the KellyCraft Get –it-Straight Laser Square, line up all the layered photos and the title block and glue them to the background paper.

4. Finish it off by outlining the large letters for more contrast. This doesn’t have to be perfect. With a cool typeface like Tin Whistle, you don’t have to be so wary of making sure you have perfect lines. In fact, this headline could probably use a black ink blot or two!

Do you have a special pet? Make a quick and easy page so the world will know how special your pet is. This page came together in less than an hour, proving that it doesn’t require a lot of time to make a great page when you have good tools.

Note: I received product from KellyCraft, Viva Décor, Kool Tak and Duetica Lettering Arts Studio. However, I would have used them anyway. I never endorse something unless I believe in it completely.

Be Thankful Clock

Project by Ann Butler Designs

Create a clock for Thanksgiving quickly and easily with the KellyCraft Get-It-Straight Laser Square.

Materials:

"Get-It-Straight" Laser Square (www.kellycraftinnovations.com)      

Zip Dry by Beacon Adhesives(www.beaconcreates.com)                                 

12" x 12" Basswood Canvas (http://www.walnuthollow.com)

Clock Kit (http://www.walnuthollow.com)                                               

2 Leafs

Letters “Be Thankful” (Printed out from computer)

Card Stock: Cream, Orange

Card Stock: 12" x 12" Decorative

Drill, Wood Stain, Scissor, Ruler, Pencil, Computer                                           

Project Tip: Place Laser Square onto blocks the same height as canvas to make it level with canvas.

Instructions:

Drill a hole in the center of a basswood canvas and stain edges. 

Glue decorative card stock onto the basswood canvas 

pierce through drilled hole.

Print out “Be Thankful” out onto a cream card stock 

in size 72 font (I used Mandolyn Font by Duetica)

then cut letters out.

Measure each letter and 

cut orange card stock 1/2” larger then each letter. 

Glue letters onto orange card stock using Laser Square to get them straight.

Use Laser Square to space letters and 

leaves evenly onto the canvas to create a clock face.

Attach clock kit through the drilled hole to finish off the clock.

Ruth and Olin's Girls

Created by: Candice Windham

When I saw the KellyCraft Get-it-Straight Laser Square at summer CHA, I was hooked.

My background experience includes a four-year stint as a draftsman, which means I worked constantly with graph papers and parallel bars on my drawing table, and more than 30 years as a graphic designer, back in the "olden days" as my son used to say. In the olden days, we didn't have a computer to get everything straight. We had t-squares, parallel bars and our own eyes to make it all work. I have to admit that I was pretty good at eyeballing the alignment on all the reams of typeset copy and the photos, but 20 years of working on a Mac will definitely spoil you. Everything is always lined up at right angles unless you don't want it to be, so I have come to rely on digital scrapbooking.

However, you don't always want to create digital pages. A case in point is this page I created about my sisters-in-law. I have a 12" x 12" family album, and while I could create it as an 8" x 8" layout on my printer with additional layers to make it fit the book, that's not always an option and it's a waste of paper as well.

Enter the Get it Straight Laser Square. This is the coolest tool I've seen in a long time. It makes getting things aligned so much easier.

I have to admit that, although I was good at lining things up when I was creating magazine layouts, those years on the computer have made me dependent. I used to be able to step back and see if an alignment was off, down to 1/16th of an inch. Now, I can't spot a 1/4" error while I'm working, but when I come back to the page once it's in a book (and glued down) it stands out like a sore thumb.

NOTE: I know that there a couple of pieces that look like they are slightly off, but that is due to the camera operator, and I have to admit that it's me, not the Get it Straight Laser Square.

Here's how I made this page:

I trimmed my patterned paper so that I could layer it onto brown card stock. Lining it up with the Get It Straight Laser Square was a breeze.

I wanted a vintage look to go with my vintage photos, so I sponged Walnut Paper Soft Color from Viva Décor on all the edges before layering. I then layered all the photo and journaling elements on brown and green card stock, using the Get it Straight Laser Tool to make the alignment easy.

I placed my largest photo first, moving it up and down until I had it where I wanted it. I then turned on my Get It Straight Laser Square and the beam showed me where I needed to straighten it.

I added the second photo using the Get It Straight Laser Square to guide the placement.

The third photo was added, but since I wanted to use it as a pocket, I only added the adhesive on the sides and bottom. My journaling will tuck in here.

Once again, lining up the title bar was so easy with the Get It Straight Laser Square.I made the title block using Duetica Lettering Arts Studio's Piper font. I was able to make this title my own by adjusting the letters using Duetica's great software. The font's alignment variety helps break up all the right angles of the other elements.

With all the nice straight edges, the title block wasn't enough contrast. I rounded the corners of the sub-tutle block and, instead of layering the sub-title straight on, I fanned the layers out.

My journaling tag was inserted behind the photo on the left, with a tiny pull tab made with the Craft Geek Pin It tool and the Solstice Pin It set. Here's what it says:

"I never knew my sister-in-law Janell at an early age and never even knew Betty. By the time Larry and I met, Janell was in her thirties and Betty had been tragically killed in a train/car crash. Looking back on these photos taken in happy times gives me a glimpse of the wonderful life they lived while growing up in Arkansas. I particularly love the photo of them sitting on the bumper of that old car. Betty is politely smiling for the camera and Janell was giggling. I can just imagine her saying, “I have ice cream and you don’t!”"

The gold in the Craft Geek Pin It tab stood out a little too much, so I cut some flowers, leaves and swirls from metallic gold paper using Sizzix dies and a Big Shot. They were the icing on the cake.

The finishing touch was to use a Viva Décor Gold Glitter Pen to add some dots around the page.

Watch for my next Get it Straight Laser Square post which will involve 45° angles!