Spring Hello: A Digital Stamp Tutorial

Hi, it's Jean sharing a spring-themed card using digital Neat and Tangled stamps. I've used two free stamps available here.

A few months ago, I described how I use digital stamps in this tutorial. One huge advantage with digital stamps is that the images can be re-sized, which is what I've done with the card shown here. I used the same bird stamp for both the mother bird and the baby bird on this card.

While I love the look of Copic coloring AND I enjoy the process, for this card I wanted to do something different. I printed the images onto colored cardstock run through my printer.

Let's go through the steps. This tutorial explains how to create the card in Photoshop (directions in PSE would be similar). 

1) Create a 4 1/2" square document.

2) Open the digital stamp and drag it onto the canvas.

3) Duplicate the image, position onto canvas, and resize.

4) Open the sentiment stamp.

5) Drag and place the sentiment onto the canvas. Using the rectangular marquee tool, select the right-hand scroll and hit delete to remove it from the design. Repeat with the left-hand scroll.

6) Delete the bow on the little bird layer by selecting it with the elliptical marquee and hitting delete. For the larger bird, select the bow with the elliptical marquee, right-click, and choose "Layer via Cut." This places the bow on its own layer. 

7) Now it's time to print. Create a letter-size document.

8) Drag all of the items from the 4 1/2" square canvas onto the letter-size canvas. Position in one corner of the canvas (in order to save paper).

9) Selectively print the layers by toggling the layers on and off as needed. 

• Print the two birds onto white cardstock.
• Print the sentiment and two birds onto yellow cardstock.
• Print the small bird and bow onto blue cardstock.
• Print the large bird onto pink cardstock.

10) Fussy cut your birds, adhere parts, and adhere the completed birds onto the white cardstock. Die cut the sentiment and adhere. Finish off with baker's twine and a colored cardstock card base!