Chevrons started showing up in digiland more than a year ago, and they have not yet waned in popularity. Here are five quick tips for using them on your scrapbook pages. I’ve used Chevron Overlays by Susie Roberts in all my examples below:

1. Direct the Eye

Chevrons are typically used to move your eye in a certain direction. Have something on your layout you want to make sure no one misses? Place some chevrons next to it, or pointing to it, and they are sure to check it out.

Take a look at this beautiful page by Creative Team member Annette Sturgeon. Notice how the chevrons accent the picture and draw your attention:

2. Plain vs. Fancy

You can leave chevrons a solid color on your scrapbook page, or clip some paper to them for a fancier look.

3. Modify Your Chevron for a Different Look

Cut a strip of chevrons in half and you are left with a super cool stripey thing to embellish the side of your page.

Here’s another great example of a cut chevron running down the side of a scrapbook layout by Creative Team member Barb Brookbank:

4. Title Cluster

Use several large chevrons as an anchor behind a photo and title.

5. Colorful Accent

I especially like to see layouts where small chevrons are used as an accent, or where they add a touch of color to an otherwise colorless page. Try clipping a fun paper or a colorful gradient to a chevron strip for blended color.

Here’s an example by Creative Team member Kathy Black, who clipped a fun polka paper to a small chevron accent:

Papers and colors used in the samples are from Krystal Hartley’s Mother Is a Verb kit. Click on the individual scrapbook layouts to see them in the gallery and find designer/kit credits.

Aren’t they just fun and happy zig zag stripes? I think they’re great! We decided it would be a fun challenge to use chevron stripes!

Want to see what creative ideas our Creative Team came up with using the chevron stripes of their choice? Check this out:

Nann:

by Nann

Barb:

by Barb

blackkathy:

by blackkathy

Nann:

by Nann

marylc:

by marylc

Annette:

by Annette

ouisiekelly:

by ouisiekelly

connieg:

by connieg

anika (hybrid):

by anika

I absolutely loved the pages our Creative Team came up with for this challenge. In fact, I think this is my most favorite challenge we’ve ever had. I hope you have fun with this one!

Join the fun in our Chevron Challenge by doing the following:

1. Create your own layout with any kit and show us how you like to use chevron stripes in our Chevron Challenge.
2. Post your individual pages in the Chevron Stripes Gallery.
   
3. Leave some love on the other pages in the gallery. (Not required but highly encouraged!)

This challenge will be open for approximately two weeks. It will be officially closed to new entries on the night of June 2nd, 2013, at midnight (Pacific Time).

We will announce the winner and post the winning layout here on the Digital Scrapper Blog, our Facebook page, and in our forum within a week of the challenge end date. The winner will receive a $10 credit that can be used towards our amazing classes! (Note: Credits cannot be used for Premier Memberships.)

I can’t wait to see what beautiful pages you all come up with for this Chevron Challenge!

Happy scrapping!

~Andrea Graves 

P.S. If you’re looking for some awesome chevrons to use on your pages, we have a few sets in the Digital Scrapper Shop that you won’t want to miss. Check out Chevron Overlays Vol 1 and Chevron Overlays Vol 2, both from Susie Roberts.

In case you have not ridden the vintage camera wave yet, here are some examples of things you can do with them and how creative people have used them on their pages. The camera used in all these examples is a stamp.

Goodie
We occasionally offer free downloads straight from our blog. This is a little vintage camera collection put together by Jen White from Joanne Brisebois’ Photographie kit. It includes a frame, overlay, and cluster all at 300 ppi in PNG format. Click on the orange button below to download the freebie.

Love FREE digital scrapbooking downloads?
Sign up for our Plus Membership and never miss a goodie giveaway or announcement! Signing up is free and only takes a minute. Plus Membership includes a subscription to our weekly newsletter as well as access to tons of free videos, tutorials, and goodies at the click of a button! Learn more about Plus.

Digital Scrapbooking Kit
Be sure to check out the kit that goes with these goodies. This is Photographie by Joanne Brisebois. She is a frequent Premier guest designer here at Digital Scrapper.

Jen White

by lmorris72399

By using a frame within a frame, lmorris72399 created a page that gives the viewer a better sense that the field of bluebonnets stretches far back into the distance, and the monotone color scheme helps to strengthen that feeling.

The little bit of green in the freshly budding trees, the grass, and the bluebonnet embellishment adds depth and draws the eye through the page. Personally, I would like to walk right into that scene!

This is a glorious layout, lmorris72399! Thank you so much for sharing it with us!

lmorris72399, in the next few days, you will receive a little note from Andrea in your Inbox at the Digital Scrapper Forum with your $10 gift certificate code. You can use it in the Digital Scrapper Shop towards Photoshop & Photoshop Elements Tutorials, Digital Scrapbooking Kits, or Scrapbook Templates! (Gift certificate codes cannot be used for classes or for existing or future Premier Memberships.)

If you’re new to digital scrapbooking and want to learn how to create your own digital scrapbook pages, check out our Learn Digital Scrapbooking class, taught by Adobe’s Official Scrapbooking Expert, Linda Sattgast. You’ll learn the basics and get started designing your own terrific, unique pages in Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop!

When preparing for Mother’s Day 2013, I came across this blog post by Documented Legacy. Its goal is to get you and your mother talking about her life and getting it documented. As I read through the list of 20 discussion starters in the post, I found myself wondering how my own mother would answer. So, I Skyped her. . . . This is a small part of what she said:

The time I spent chatting with my mom about the 20 questions was something I will treasure forever. Since I recorded it, I can go back later and write down her exact words. My sisters will also love having the video.

I invite you to browse through the questions on Document Legacy’s blog post. You might find something that sparks an idea for leaving your own legacy. I sure am glad I did.

For Mother’s Day 2013, Digital Scrapper would like to give you the opportunity to WIN PSE11. All you have to do is respond to this question in the Comments section of this blog post:

What has given you the most joy as a mother? Describe it.

Not a Mother? That’s okay. Call on someone else to answer and then write their response. This could be a grandmother, an aunt, an older sister, or even a mentor.

Official Rules of our A Mother’s Day Giveaway
• Leave a comment on this post answering the question.
• Comments left between now and Mother’s Day 2013 will be eligible.
• One entry or comment per person, please.
• Make your comment as long or as short as you’d like.

How will we choose a winner?
• The winner will be drawn Monday, May 13, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. EST.
• The winner will be chosen at random from the comments on this blog post.
• The winner will be contacted via email on Monday, May 13, 2013.
• The winner will be announced in our May 14 edition of the Digital Scrapper News.

Feeling Shy? You don’t have to give real names when sharing your comment. Just make sure the email address you give is correct so we can contact you if you win. Your email address will not appear on your comment.

Note: It takes a little time for your comment to appear on our blog. We approve each one to keep all the crazy people out.

My mom and I wish you luck on the contest, and we look forward to hearing how special motherhood is to you or someone you love.

It’s also a special time of year to reflect on mothers, or the mother figures in our lives. I’m not sure if you’ve had a chance to see this month’s Premier kit, Mother is a Verb, by Krystal Hartley. Here’s a preview:

I think this kit title was so cute, we wanted to have a challenge inspired by the name, Mother is a Verb. I just love the idea of the word “mother” being a verb. I can whole heartedly agree with that!

Would you like to see what gorgeous pages our Creative Team came up with? Check them out below:

Nann:

by Nann

marylc:

by marylc

Barb:

by Barb

Annette:

by Annette

blackkathy:

by blackkathy

blackkathy:

by blackkathy

ouisiekelly:

by ouisiekelly

connieg:

by connieg

simplyhx:

by simplyhx

Aren’t these pages just breathtaking? I think they are all so beautiful in their own unique way.

We hope this helped get your creative juices flowing! Tell us about your mother or mother figure, or grandmother, or how you’re a mother or aunt.

Join the fun in this Mother is a Verb Challenge by doing the following:

1. Create your own layout with any kit and show us your take on the Mother is a Verb Challenge.
2. Post your individual pages in the Mother is a Verb Challenge Gallery.
   
3. Leave some love on the other pages in the gallery. (Not required but highly encouraged!)

This challenge will be open for approximately two weeks. It will be officially closed to new entries on the night of May 19th, 2013, at midnight (Pacific Time).

We will announce the winner and post the winning layout here on the Digital Scrapper Blog, our Facebook page, and in our forum within a week of the challenge end date. The winner will receive a $10 gift certificate that can be used towards our amazing classes! (Note: Gift Certificate codes cannot be used for Premier Memberships.)

I can’t wait to see what beautiful pages you all come up with for this Mother is a Verb Challenge!

Happy scrapping!

~Andrea Graves 

There’s a treasury of frames hidden inside Photoshop Elements that you may not even know about. Yes, you have to plow your way through some pretty silly frames to find the good ones, but allow me to make the process easier by introducing you to my favorites. (Sorry, these frames aren’t available in Photoshop.)

If you like what you see, you can watch my video on how to use them, since they’re not like frames you get in a kit. (I’ll give you the link to the video again at the end of this article.)

Here is my list of frames in alphabetical order. I have examples for some of them:

4×5 Transparency
Aged Chipped Frame
Aged Frame—I thought this frame was perfect for the photo of my mother and aunt on my aunt’s 90th birthday.

All of the “Basic” Stroke Outline Frames (lots of different colors)—This is the only native way of getting an inner stroke outline in Photoshop Elements. After applying the basic stroke outline frame, you can change the stroke size and color by double clicking on the fx icon on the frame layer in the Layers panel.

Basic White Bevel
Distressed Frame
Distressed Gold Frame
Filigree Frame Gold
Filigree Frame Silver Round
Film Scratches 1–3
Frame with Base (similar to a polaroid, only with texture)
Gardening—If you have pages with a gardening theme, this would be a cute frame.

Old Frame—I thought this was a perfect frame for this photo of my friend’s dog!

Paper Frame Holes—Here’s Jocko again, ready to go for a walk.

Photo Strip
Picture Strip Frame
Puzzle Frames—there are a couple of these.

Rustic Frame
Rustic Wood Frame
Scrapbook 04
Small Frame
Stamp 1 and 2—I love the look of stamps, and this makes it very easy to create that look. By the way, the drop shadow can be adjusted on some of the frames, including the stamp frames. The default shadow shown here is a bit high, in my opinion.

Tatter Frame—I thought Sylvester looked quite handsome in the Tatter frame.

Tatterd Snapshot (Yes, that’s how Photoshop Elements spells tattered.) This is my daughter, Allison, wearing my blue hat.

Torn Frame
Vintage Photos 1 through 4—All four vintage photo frames are very nice. This is my mother when she was young.

Wood Frame Large and Small

So there is my list of favorite frames. Frames were introduced in Photoshop Elements 5, and new ones have been added over the subsequent versions, so unless you have the most recent version, you may not have all the frames I’m featuring.

These frames look great on a scrapbook page, as you can see by my page below, which features the 4×5 Transparency Frames.

Want to learn where to find these frames and how to use them? Watch my video called Photoshop Elements Frames.

Page Credits
Page by Linda Sattgast
Photos by Charlie Sattgast
Paper from Crisscross Liquid Amber by Susie Roberts
Map overlay from Travel Mates Map Overlays by Susie Roberts
Stars from All I Have To Do Is Dream by Lauren Grier
Paint splotches from Happy Harvest by Susan Bartolini
Fonts: Jenna Sue, P22 Stanyan Bold, Myriad Pro

(Scroll down to download PNG versions of my top seven PSE photo masks.)

Did you know you have gold mine of photo masks waiting for you in your Custom Shape Picker? In fact, the current version of Photoshop Elements comes packed with FORTY of them! And, guess what? They are not even ugly! They are beautiful.

Today I’ll share with you seven of my favorite PSE photo masks along with a few tips to help you get thinking outside the box. Here we go. . . .

Don’t take the shape at face value. It can be rotated, stretched, sliced up, or even combined with other shapes. Your imagination is your only limit. The masks below are Crop Shape 1 and Crop Shape 25. Psst—Don’t get hung up on the name. A Crop Shape is the same thing as a photo mask.

Photo masks are traditionally used for photos. Once you have the shape in place, simply place your photo above it and clip it down. This works best with a photo that is not already cropped in close. This is Crop Shape 36 with my hunk and me at Epcot.

Consider using Crop Shapes with papers from your stash. These make lovely anchoring backgrounds for placing behind your photos. This is Crop Shape 21 with a paper from Krystal Hartley’s Mother Is a Verb. I duplicated the original shape, rotated it, and then moved it beside the original one to make an extra long mask.

TIP: Remember that photo masks like these require that no layer style be added. They fall into the Things Requiring No Shadow category. Not sure about shadows? Check out my Design Disaster post.

Here are a few more from Elements’ fabulous photo mask collection. These are Crop Shape 12, Crop Shape 20, and Crop Shape 26.

So next time you go looking for a photo mask in your stash, try pulling out one of the 40 provided for you in Photoshop Elements.

Photoshop Users
Because these awesome photo masks are not in your Custom Shape Picker, I have made my top seven favorites into PNG files for you. Enjoy! Download Crop Shape PNGs.

(Photoshop users: scroll down for instructions.)

Ever since Adobe introduced new Type tools in Photoshop Elements 10, scrapbookers have had type options that come close to emulating Photoshop. One of the new tools was the Text on Selection tool. This tool can be frustrating, however, if you try to use it as designed. Here’s where most people start: with the Text on Selection tool itself.

You are offered the Quick Selection Brush for making a selection, but it seldom does a good selection job. Thankfully, there’s an easy workaround:

• Use any other selection technique you desire to get a selection outline. For example, to get a curved selection outline to use with the template pictured below, in the Layers panel, I Ctrl clicked (Mac: Cmd clicked) on the thumbnail of the curved template layer to get a selection outline. Fast and easy.

• Once you have your selection outline, get the Text on Selection tool and click once inside the selection. This tricks the tool into thinking it created the selection outline and gives you a check mark and a cancellation mark.

• Click the check mark to accept the selection. This turns the selection into a path.

Don’t Skip This Next Step!

• At this point, you have no idea what your alignment is. Alignment options don’t appear until after you click on the path, so I recommend resetting the Text on Selection tool.

Warning: If you change the alignment after clicking on the path, the text will jump to another spot on the path—usually the exact opposite of where you clicked.

That’s why I recommend resetting the tool. The default is Left Alignment, so at least you’ll know where to click on the path.

• To reset the Text on Selection tool in Photoshop Elements 11, open the menu to the far right in the Tool Options and choose Reset Tool. In earlier versions, this menu will be to the far left in the Options Bar.

Now You’re Ready To Type

• If you took my advice and reset the tool, hover your cursor over the path where you want your type to start. (Don’t just click anywhere on the path.)

• When your cursor changes into an I-beam with a slash mark, that means you can click on the path to initiate a type layer.

• As soon as you click on the path, a new type layer will pop up in the Layers panel.

• Now type what you want to say. You may need to adjust the font, size, or amount of the type to make it fit in the allotted space.

• Click on the check mark to commit the type.

• After committing your type, you may want to move it. Get the Move tool and use the Arrow keys to nudge it into place. I moved mine below the curve and changed the color to white.

If you want to try the Text on Selection tool using the same template I used, click here to download the template.

Photoshop Users:

• Ctrl click (Mac: Cmd click) on the thumbnail of the curved template layer to get a selection outline.

• Open the Paths panel (Window > Paths).

• Open the Paths flyout menu and choose Make Work Path.

• In the dialog box, click OK to the default tolerance of 1 px.

• Get the Horizontal type tool.

• In the Options Bar, select your font, size, and alignment.

• Decide where on the path you want to place your cursor. Choose a spot that goes with the alignment you selected. If you’re using left alignment, click where you want your type to begin. If you used center alignment, click in the center of where you want the type to appear.

• Hover your cursor over the path where you plan to click. When your cursor changes to an I-beam with a slash, that means you can click on the path to initiate a type layer.

• Once you type your words, you may need to adjust the font, size, tracking, or amount of the type to make it fit in the allotted space.

• Click on the check mark in the Options Bar to commit the type.

• After committing the type, you may want to move it. Get the Move tool and use the Arrow keys to nudge it into place. I moved mine below the curve and changed the color to white.

Here’s my finished page:

Credits

Photos and page by Linda Sattgast
Template from Under the Pier collection by Carol Gilmour (modified)
Paper from Duty Honor Country Kit by Etc. by Danyale and Family Tree Papers by Joanne Brisebois
Photo frame cluster by Jen White using Duty Honor Country by Etc by Danyale
Scattered leaves from Senior Yearbook by Kitty Designs
Type overlay from Travel Mates Post Card Overlays by Susie Roberts
Staple from Travel Adventure by Linda Sattgast
Fonts: Hero Light and Myriad Pro

Quote: “Quiet is peace. Tranquility. Quiet is turning down the volume knob on life. Silence is pushing the off button. Shutting it down. All of it.” Amir in The Kite Runner

High Key
Give your photo a soft pastel look with this Guided Edit. You can choose color or black and white. The effect is pretty strong, but when you return to Expert mode, you can reduce the effect by lowering the opacity of the high key layer in the Layers panel.

Tilt Shift
This effect blurs out all but a strip of your photo, allowing you to define the focus you want. Click and drag the gradient as often as you need to find the look you want. Press the Shift key as you drag the gradient if you want the line to be straight. Again, you can make adjustments on the layer mask when you return to Expert mode.

Lomo Camera
There’s a Guided Edit called Old Fashioned Photo, but for an old, artistic look, I prefer the Lomo Camera Effect. Click the button, and you get an instant Lomo Camera look. You can choose whether or not to add a black vignette.

Low Key
You can get a slightly different old fashioned look with Low Key. I really like what it did with this bright airplane photo! If you prefer black and white, you have that option, as well.

Saturated Slide Film
Need a bit more color? This effect will pump a little more color into your photo. The more you click the button, the stronger the effect. The photo below was washed out, so I applied this effect to make the warm tones of the wood and rust pop a bit more.

Picture Stack
This effect is really fun! Put one photo inside four, eight, or twelve pictures—your choice. I don’t care for the white outline they use, so I change it when I get back to Expert mode. To do this, locate all the transparent and white layers in the Layers panel and click on the visibility icon to hide them. Select all the black layers and add your own Stroke outline layer style. However, to make this work, you must have a 3rd party Inner Stroke outline layer style, since Photoshop Elements only provides Outer Stroke outline layer styles. Plus members can download an Inner Stroke layer style in the membership area. If you’re not a Plus member, sign up—it’s free!

Out of Bounds
This effect is a always a favorite. There’s just something intriguing about seeing part of your photo appear to jump right outside the edge of the frame!
Watch my YouTube videos on how to achieve the out of bounds look and how to manipulate the layers on a scrapbook page:

The Guided Edits in Photoshop Elements are there to make it easy for you to create a fast effect, so take advantage of them now and then. They’ll add a bit of punch to your photos and spice up your scrapbook pages!