My first logo design

This is a logo that I've designed for a friend of a friend. She's starting a new business, and I'm excited to help her create her image! I think this turned out as a very dynamic presentation and I'm so pleased that she liked it too.

Making a watermark "brush" for use in Photoshop

These instructions are based on my version of Photoshop which is part of the CS3 package. This is my first attempt at instructions for Photoshop. If you need help with older versions, I have some experience and may be able to help if necessary, but I don't have access to an older version to reference while writing up instructions.

Making a watermark "brush" for photoshop:

1. Open Photoshop.
2. Open your dark watermark version.
3. Click on the paintbrush tool so that it is active.
   
4. Go to the menu at the top and choose "Edit." Scroll down to the option to "define brush preset."
   
5. Edit the name of your brush if you'd like in the name option box that should pop up. Click ok.
   
6. You should see an outline version of your watermark as you move the cursor around.
   
7. Open a photo that you'd like to put your watermark on.
8. In your color palette, pick a color that will look good over your photo (i.e., show up, but not overwhelm the image).
9. With your brush still using the watermark shape, click on your photo, and save as a new version of your photo referencing that it's a watermarked version.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have questions. :)

Adding your banner to your Blogger blog

To post your new blog banner to your Blogger blog:

1. Save banner where you can find it on your computer.


2. Login to Blogger.


3. Under the Template tab, click on the Page Elements tab. Click on the Edit link.
4. This will open a new window that should say "Configure Header" at the top of it.


5. Within that window, where it says "Image" to the right of it, click on the button next to "From your computer:" and click on the Browse button. Navigate to your saved banner file and double-click on it. This will select your banner and it should show up in the Configure Header window as a small preview of the image.


6. Click the button next to "Instead of title and Description."


7. Click the orange "save changes" button.

If this doesn't make sense, or if you have questions, please send me an email (using the link in the menu on the side). For my customers, if for some reason your banner doesn't fit the template you've chosen, please email me and I'd be happy to resize your banner to fit without losing quality.

Maria's Stamping Marathon blog has a new banner!

This is Maria's new banner for her blog. She knew the name of the blog for sure, but wondered if I could help with the subtitling. As I worked on it, I thought about it, and suggested "work your creativity" because I know that if I don't use my creativity, it tends to falter and doesn't seem as accessible when I really want it. This banner was truly a team effort, and I just couldn't seem to get it quite right to please myself, so I showed her variations, and different styles, and she patiently gave me feedback. :)

This is the final version, and I know we're both really happy with it! I love how calm and clean the design is. If you get the chance, stop by Maria's blog and check out her work and if you're there late in the week, you can leave a comment and be entered for her Friday Freebie drawing!

Ellen's Stamping Expressions has a new banner and watermark!

Ellen over at Stamping Expressions and I have been working on her banner for a bit. Lots of tweaks to this one, but completely worth it for the clean, airy stylings of her banner. Ellen was wonderful to work with, and I particularly like the way the butterfly looks almost like it was colored in with chalk. We started with a monochromatic banner, but she was exactly right when she suggested adding in some yellow on the butterfly.

We also had to work to get the font right. Fonts are tricky because not all of them come with the built-in option of bolding or italics, so for this one, it's one of the more standard fonts I use (because of its popularity), but it doesn't look like it because I skewed the font, to give it a look of its own!

Ellen's blog is a new one, but it's off to a good start! There are some very cute projects over there. Thanks, Ellen for choosing me, this was a fun project with a happy ending! :)

Josee has a new banner and watermark set

Josee is a busy demonstrator (most are!) up in Canada who needed not only a blog banner, but a banner that would also work for her newsletter. I made several variations for her with and without contact information and sized for the blog and newsletter. She had her colors all picked out before she came to me, and knew she wanted a flower and polka dots incorporated. We worked together to get it as she wanted it, and this is how it turned out!

While we were at it, we also created a watermark for her and it looks like this:

I think this is a nice, clean look that she'll enjoy for a long time. When you get a chance, stop by Josee's site, and check out the cute stuff she's got up.

Chris Simon has a new blog AND a new banner and watermarks!

I think this is the quickest collaboration EVER for me on a banner/watermark combo! Chris and I seemed to be in sync right from the start, and it just flowed from there.

Chris just started a blog over at http://colorfulom.blogspot.com/ and she was looking to brand it as her own. Well, she presented quite a challenge of wanting lots of color, but also wanted to reference the tranquility of yoga and the peacefulness that she's working to bring into her life.

Ok. I was daunted. So I tried to clear my runways of creativity by just throwing something together, mostly playing with trying to get the Om symbol in.

Well, what do you know? I liked what I made. So, with that caveat, I sent it as an "unofficial" preview draft to Chris. I'd originally told her I couldn't even start on it until the next day! The banner was approved almost from the start. We changed some colors and added "springy strings" to the right side of the image, and that was it.

Of course she also needed a watermark, and we agreed that I'd make a standard Stampin' Up! language oriented watermark, and also a more general watermark at no additional charge. I don't see the point in charging for a second watermark when I'm just changing the words! For her watermarks Chris didn't even give me direction - she said she wanted to see what was in my head first. :)

Apparently, I'm a mind reader AND a designer. There weren't ANY changes necessary to the watermark designs. :O What a great experience to hit it right off the bat with someone I've never met before and create just what they want. It was such a pleasure! Thanks, Chris, for taking the leap with me.