Make Vintage Inspired Bookmark Printables

Make Vintage Inspired Bookmark Printables

 

Today's design inspiration is a set of vintage fashion bookmarks that are easy to make in four simple steps. 

This is an inspirational guide and not a tutorial so while I will give you the break down of each step I won't be covering all of the in depth details - this will depend which software tool you are using. I'm using photoshop, if you don't have this you can always use the free online version Photopea.

I'll provide a list of the resources used at the bottom of this post.

Let's get started!

As mentioned already I made these pretty quickly in just four steps. The part that took the longest was actually choosing which digital resources I wanted to use and I chose 3 elements from my shop for the design as well as the bookmark template. You'll find those links down below.

Step 1: I applied an abstract watercolor background to each bookmark using the clipping mask. I used just one paper but positioned it differently on each so they match but aren't identical.

Step 2: Next I added a vignette edge to the bookmark shape. In photoshop I like to use the inner glow style tool with adjusted settings that add a nice uniform blur edge. I've included a screenshot of my settings for that below.

Step 3: For some added detail I picked out a set of flower overlays, changing them from black to white with an opacity of 40% and applied with the clipping mask on top of the background paper.

Step 4: Finally, I added the main element, a series of vintage fashion graphics from the 1940s. I used the clipping mask again and used the multiply blend mode to merge them more into the other layers. This removed all the white parts of the graphics and gives it a really nice look.

And that's it. Just save, print and cutout. 

Here's a visual of each of the above steps as they were applied:

And here is a screenshot of the inner glow settings I used:

All of the resources used are available in my shop:

1. Bookmark template

2. Paper backgrounds

3. Vintage graphics

4. Flower overlays

Feel free to swipe this idea for yourself and have fun making your own bookmarks or other printables!
Shawnna

Read More

Make a Vintage Library Card Collage

Make a Vintage Library Card Collage

 

I used Photoshop to make this design, but you can use any software that gives you the ability to layer elements, apply opacity and/or layer adjustments and an eraser tool.

You could use Canva but I find it doesn't have quite enough design flexibility. So something like Procreate or an online editor such as Photopea are better choices if you don't have access to PS.

To make this collage card I used the following steps (all elements used are available in my shop):

1. I started with a 3x5" canvas and added a texture background by re-sizing one of my digital papers to fit as desired.

2. I then added the library card PNG overlay, which fits nicely into the canvas size. I applied the layer adjustment multiply so it blended a bit into the background paper.

3. Insert the vintage lady graphic and re-size to fit nicely. I used Multiply again but also took the opacity down to about 80%. 

4. At this point the library card lines are running through the graphic quite harshly and I want to soften the whole element to give it a grungier look, so I use the eraser with a texture selection at 50% flow and just brush lightly and randomly until I'm happy with how it looks. (you can change the eraser to any grungy texture for this)

5. I opted to add an embellishment in the top corner, I re-colored it to gold and took the opacity way down for a barely there look so that it's more like a watermark.

6. To finish off I added a dragonfly on top, re-sized and positioned to fit again applying Multiply as a layer adjustment.

And that's it!

Resources Used:
Paper Background in this set
Library Card Overlay
Vintage Ladies
Swirl Elements
Dragonfly from this set of graphics

Happy crafting
Shawnna

Read More

Make Colorful Tab Dividers for Spring

Make Colorful Tab Dividers for Spring

 

Make these easy to create tab dividers for a custom look in your journal or planner!

This is not a full tutorial, but an inspiration design post with a few tips to quickly create these using my handy templates.

Every software program will have slightly different steps depending on the file format you're using, so make use of google to search for tutorials on specific steps you get stuck on with your program of choice!

Use my stencil window template in programs like Word or Canva for super fast designs. 

In this example I simply drew colorful rectangles using the shape tool onto a blank canvas then dropped the template on top. A few quick adjustments to the color strip placement and instant presto, I have a ready to print and cut tab sheet. You should be able to easily draw basic shapes in any software program.

 

If you are using Cricut, upload the SVG file and you can directly edit the tabs however you want right in Design Space. Beware of the print and cut sizing though, you'll need to lose a column of tabs to accommodate!

Want to edit in Photoshop, Photopea or PS Elements? Use the PSD file and simply change the shape colors individually or by row in just a couple clicks. Use the clipping mask tool to insert patterns.

You can also edit these in just about any other program, just look for the file format compatibility and use the correct file for your program. Look at my beginner tutorials if you want to use the stencil template like I have shown here.

Add additional details like labels or icons to further personalize. You get to create whatever you want with these!

Resources Used:
Tab template from my shop

Happy Crafting
Shawnna

Read More