Cathy Zielske's Blog

(It was) National Scrapbook Day Celebration! Download a free template and 3 x4 card file + a video tutorial

Note: this post went up on National Scrapbook Day but I'm leaving it up a few more days so people can snag the free downloads. Enjoy!

To celebrate International Scrapbook Day, I designed a new template (both in 12 x 12 and 8.5 x 11), along with a 3 x 4 Project Life card as seen above (available in PNG, PDF and layered PSD for those of you who want to add your own custom colors.) 

If you are new to digital scrapbooking, I encourage you to download the free template set and watch my 20-minute tutorial. It walks you through the basics of making a digital layout using Photoshop Elements. Click on the link below the video to watch it over at Vimeo in a larger format.

Digital Scrapbooking Basics with a Layered Digital Template from Cathy Zielske on Vimeo.

  

Here's the page I made with the template, a story I touched on in Project Life, but wanted this for my All About Cole album.

Click on the link below to download this free set, including the two templates and the 3x4 card files.

Download CZ_NSD2013

This template uses a free font called PT Sans. Download it by clicking here.

You can also snag more freebies like the little photo flag that is part of this template by clicking here.

Have an awesome day making pages, wherever you create.

DIGITAL SUPPLIES: 

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I choo choose you!

I first blogged about the iPhone in 2007 when I first caught wind of its impending release.

For all my insane fan girl longing, I didn't actually own an iPhone until July 2011 on account of that whole AT&T exclusivity thing (Verizon girl here) and being frugal and constantly talking myself out of actually needing one. (And yes, I documented that fateful, joyout day here.)

Long story short: when my iPhone 4 became eligible for an upgrade, I beat a swift path to the Apple Store, credit card and giddiness in hand.

It's so light. So thin. So sexy. I am yet again in love.

Although I didn't need the upgrade, I am really looking forward to the improved quality of the camera, especially considering how many photos I take for my Project Life album using my phone.

And speaking of photos, today I want to show you a cool little app called PicTapGo, from my favorite photo filter makers, Totally Rad.

Here's a short video showing you how it works.

 

I used Totally Rad Actions on all of my photos that I shoot with my Canon 5D. I primarily use Rad Lab, and what's so great about PicTapGo! is that it feels just like Rad Lab. 

Here's a very short video I made using a new fun app called Reflector that lets me screencast my iPhone screen.

PicTapGo Demo from CZ Design from Cathy Zielske on Vimeo.

Remember: freakishly long arms and a high shooting angle. Thank you.

 

 

Video Tutorial: Working with my Week in Review Layered Journaling Cards for Project Life

I've been getting a number of emails from people who want to use my Week in Review cards for their Project Life albums, but need a little help in getting started.

I put together a video tutorial which shows you how to:

1. Change the color of the card frames.

2. Clip digital papers into the card frames.

3. Change the fonts.

4. Change the color of the fonts.

I hope this helps those of you who need a little help with the digital processes. Once you get these few basics down, you can do just about any digital project in time. If you have any questions, please post in the comments and I'm happy to answer them.

Working with my Layered 6 x 4 Journal Card Files from Cathy Zielske on Vimeo.

 

 

Video Tutorial: Customizing PNG Journal Cards

I released a new set of journaling cards over the weekend, and someone emailed me and asked how to add journaling blocks in Photoshop. Today I'm going to show you how to do it, as well as how to set up a document with four journaling cards, each with its own journaling block, that you can use time and again for your hybrid projects like Project Life.

Even though these printable cards are set up to just print and add your hand journaling, I find that when I type my stories in, I have more to say and there are generally fewer typos. (Yes, I make typos every single time I journal by hand.)

Here's a video walking you through the steps of working with predesigned PNGs using Photoshop Elements 10. Note: to see this video larger and in HD, click on the link below the video. If you have any questions, leave me a comment.

Adding Text to Predesigned Journal Cards + Creating a Re-Usable Template File from Cathy Zielske on Vimeo.

 You can find the journaling cards by clicking here.

Create your own custom Facebook cover photo using my free template + video tutorial

I'm not sure why it took me so long to realize that if you can upload your own photos to serve as your Facebook cover photo, then you can upload multi-photo templates to display more than one images. Yes, there are services out there that will also let you make your own, but I like to be a little old school and do it the digital scrapbooking way.

Today, I want you to be old school with me by using this:

It's a Facebook cover photo template package that includes step-by-step instructions on how to use it. 

Download the package here:

Download CZ_FBCoverTemplate

For those of you new to the whole digital scrapbooking world, if you know how to open photos and clip them into shapes, you basically know the key to digital scrapbooking. Plus, this is a digital project anyone with Photoshop Elements or Photoshop can make.

Here's a step-by-step video for those of you who prefer to watch along, rather than read along. Just know the instructions are included in the digital package.

Creating a Facebook Cover Photo Using a Template from Cathy Zielske on Vimeo.

Note: click on the link just below to video to watch it in HD at Vimeo.

 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to post and ask. 

Also, if you haven't visited my Facebook page, I'd like to invite you to join in. I'm going to start doing some exclusive Facebook giveaways, as well as post some hopefully entertaining content over there for scrapbooker eyes only. I know, it sounds salacious, but trust me, it's all just good clean fun.

Once you visit and Like the page, if you click on the Like tab and select "Get Notifications," you will see most of what I post in your Facebook feed, avoiding those selective Facebook algorithms that sometimes let things come through and sometimes don't.

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Speaking of putting your digital skills to use, the Designer Digitals 4th Quarter Sale is going on now! Save 30% off the entire store. It's a great time to stock up digital products. The sale runs through Thursday morning at 6 a.m. EST.

 

Project Life, Week Ten + a video tutorial

OBSERVATIONS: Another week of Project Life is done, and last week I swapped out a page protector style for one reason and one reason only: I had a vertical postcard that I had to use.

Last weekend, Narnia, The Musical opened at the Wellstone Center in St. Paul, starring none other than Aidan Zielske as the White Witch, and Coleman Zielske as Mr. Beaver. They've been in rehearsals for the past 7 weeks and opening night was a pretty big deal. And I know they're my kids and what not, but holy crap, they were GOOD. The anticipation was so great that it more or less eclipsed the fact that last week was also the Dan and Cathy birthday show. Here are my pages from Week 10.

I used one my my 4 x 6 journaling cards to work in the page protector, while still maintaining the look I'm going for in March. I also included some of my new Tiny Text Templates to tell the story of opening night.

I have to stress how much keeping notes throughout the week is helping me to compile my journaling at week's end. I'm using the Day One app on my computer and phone. Every Sunday afternoon, I just open it up and there's my weekly recap ready to go right onto my journaling card with just a bit of editing.

Yes, that's right. I was in a pissy mood on my birthday. Sometimes, it just happens. But I managed to shake it off and move right back into AdultVille, where I'm trying to live these days.

Here are the journaling cards sharing the story from opening night.

And here's Cole and Mrs. Beaver. (Seriously, I could have watched them all night long. They bicker throughout the show, all in cockney accents. So much fun!)

And last but not least, in last week's Project Life post, I shared a card where I featured one of Dan's Facebook status updates and I promised I would show you how I capture those for my album. Here's a short video showing you how I do it.

 

Here's the link to the post that contains my handy Fraction Conversion Chart.

For you tech nerds, here's a link explaining the difference between Resize and Resample.

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

SUPPLIES:

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Project Life, created by Becky Higgins, is a flexible, easy-to-use, highly customizable way to save your memories in a fun, stress-free way. Learn more about getting started with Project Life by clicking here.

PHOTOSHOP GIVEAWAY: You can still enter to win one of two copies of Photoshop CS5 by clicking here. The contest will close at 9 p.m. CST on Thursday night. Winners announced on Friday.

 

 

Hey, how do you do THAT?

The number one question I've received in the past few weeks is: How do you get that weather image like that and how can I do the same?

I decided to record a very non-fancy video showing you not only how I do it on my phone, but also how I use DropBox to upload all of the images I shoot on my phone (including my Instagram photos).

Of course, my steps only apply iPhones, but I would imagine that any smart phone with apps would let you take screen captures of your phone screens as well.

I'm also going to show you how I edit the weather image in Photoshop Elements, and size it to fit into a Project Life Design A pocket. Sound good? Good!

 

Questions? Comments? Leave them today and I'll do my best to answer! Enjoy your Monday.

Project Life, Week Five + a video tutorial

OBSERVATIONS: Five weeks in and I'm still on a roll. Want to know a secret? This is as far as I got last year. Somehow, this year feels different. It's different because I'm comitted to having this project be the main story telling vehicle for my entire year.

It's true that my scrapbooking is more sporadic in terms of making traditional (or digital) pages. I tend to bounce from story to story with lots of time and space in between. The thing I love about Project Life is that I'm honing in on the minutiae of my life and it's really bringing me joy.

That's it! I'm feeling joy about story telling again. Even during a week where it seemed like not much happened, I found little things all over the place to save and record. From a piece of packaging from a new gadget I bought, to sharing a 5-second exchange about something funny Cole said, life is just sitting there, waiting to be noticed.

I think Project Life is making me more aware and far more grateful than I have been of late. And that is a pretty cool thing. Here are my pages from last week.

Here is the Weekly Wrap Up (and I am loving this process of typing out what happened during our week.)

And here's a close up of the Boy Who Missed a Week of School:

Here's the second page:

This week, I decided to add a little packaging from my favorite spice shop, Penzey's, onto a Project Life grid card. I'm trying to add a bit more of the ephemera from our lives into this album, but you know me: this requires baby steps. I am just now getting used to staples!

Here is a close up of of my journal card with a great, short story about Cole:

Yes. My boy has seen and memorized much television. We are so proud.

Today I have a video tutorial to show you how to take a PNG file as you see above and customize the color for use in your own Project Life albums, or other hybrid projects. If you have any question, please don't hesitate to post in the comments and I'll do my best to answer. To watch the video larger over at Vimeo, click here.

 

SUPPLIES:

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Project Life, created by Becky Higgins, is a flexible, easy-to-use, highly customizable way to save your memories in a fun, stress-free way. Learn more about getting started with Project Life by clicking here.

To visit Designer Digitals, click here.

Video Tutorial: How to Recolor PNGs

I designed a new set of 3 x 4 cards last week called Check Cards. The cards are perfect for use in your Project Life pockets and some might say they're kind of adorable.

The set comes as a PNG and ABR set, but also includes sheets of printable PDFs (cards come in black ink only) for those who don't have Photoshop. Today I wanted to show you how to change the color of the PNG files in Photoshop Elements. Once you have this basic approach down, you can apply it to any PNG file you can get your hands on. Following is a short video that demonstrates the steps plus also how to size the cards down for a perfect fit into Project Life Design A page protectors.

 

Watch the video at Vimeo by clicking here.

STEP BY STEP: RECOLORING A PNG
1. Open the PNG file.

2. Go to Edit > Fill Layer. Under Contents, click on Color….

3. From the Color Picker, choose a color you'd like to apply. Make sure "Preserve Transparency" is checked. Click OK. Then click OK again. The color will apply to only the image content.

STEP BY STEP: SIZING DOWN 3 x 4 CARDS in PSE
1. To change the width of the card to 2-7/8 wide (the actual width of Project Life cards), or 2.875, go to Image > Resize > Image Size. In the Width field, type in 2.875. Make sure that Scale Styles, Constrain Proportions and Resample Image are all checked. Click OK.

2. To change the height of the card to 3-15/16 (the actual height of Project Life cards), or 3.9375, go to Image > Resize > Canvas Size.

3. Click on the Center Anchor Point. Change the height to 3.9375.

4. This will add an equal amount of extra space to the top and bottom of your page. Your card is now sized correctly.

STEP BY STEP: PRINT MULTIPLE CARDS ON AN 8.5 x 11 DOCUMENT
1. Take your finished PNG file and flatten the file (Layer > Flatten Image), then double click on the locked Background layer to create a new Layer 0.

2. Create a new 8.5 x 11 document (File > New > Blank File).

3. From the upper control bar area under the Arrange Documents icon, choose Float All in New Windows.

4. Click on the PNG file window, then go to the Layer 0, click on the layer and drag over to the 8.5 x 11 document and release. The file should copy into the new document.

5. To add a trim line to the card file, go to Layer > Layer Style > Style Settings and check the box before Stroke, then change the stroke weight to "1 px." Click OK. Repeat for more cards.

FRACTION CONVERSION CHART
As mentioned in the video, I have this nifty little chart I use all the time when working on digital and hybrid scrapbooking projects. It converts fractions to decimals and millimeters which is very handy when converting for sizing in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. Download, print and enjoy!

Download CZ_Fractions2Decimals

Questions? Comments? Post in the comments and I'll do my best to answer. And look for my full Project Life post on Thursday.

This set is on sale today at Designer Digitals. To purchase, click here.

Project Life—Week Three + a free download card and tutorial

And Week 3 is on the books, people. Welcome to my Project Life post for the week. Let's dive in, shall we?

OBSERVATIONS: I love this project. Can I just say that? It really does combine the best of what I love about scrapbooking (stories+photos+design) but breaks it down into little do-able chunks. Heck, it's even making me realize my own handwriting is pretty acceptable.

Aside from being more attuned to pulling out my camera (or my phone) and taking more pictures, I am also finding myself listening more, both for stories and for the things people are saying. Last week, I quoted Aidan from an overheard conversation. This week, I pulled a quote from an essay Cole had written about why he feels his school should do away with their uniform policy.

That I am proud that he referenced Pink Floyd should go without saying.

I also found myself out in a scrapbook store seeking out things I could use and add to my album. Imagine that! I bought stickers and staples. Some say I was completely out of control.

I'm still using the Day One app to jot down notes four times daily. This is making it really easy to sit down and type up my Week in Review card every Sunday afternoon.

Here's a look at the full pages:

I like the idea of quotes so much that I have a free card download for you today to start capturing some of the quotable phrases from your daily life!

This layered PSD file uses a free font called Museo Slab 500. Click here to download. Make sure to find the Museo Slab 500 font. The others cost money! Here is the file to download:

Download CZ_quotecardfreebie

This is a plain card on a white background. You could easily drag your finished quote onto any digital card file, such as my Days and Holidays 1 3 x 4 cards. Here is a quick tutorial showing you how to set the type and drag it onto a layered card file.

 

To see the steps for sizing 3x4 cards down to fit into Project Life pockets, click here. Questions? Comments? Be sure to leave them and I'll do my best to get back to you!

SUPPLIES:

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