CU Halftone Styles for Photoshop

Hey There Happy People!

As I hinted around about yesterday I got these Halftone Styles in the stores today.

I’ve been messing around with them and came up with this tutorial using the above Halftone Styles and and throwing in some of the semi-new Chalkies: Bold Summer Styles as a base and to recolor.  Its really easy to do and you will LOVE the quick creativity! Talk about kicking out an Element or Paper fast!!

Let’s get started.

1. Open a 5×5  transparent image 300 ppi.

2. Draw out a Custom Shape. Rasterize Layer.

3. Fill in with any Style you like. I used “New Leaves” of  Bold Summer Chalkies.

4. Duplicate the image.

5. Add a Halftone, pick a larger patterns for a larger WOW!

    I used Halftone Style 01.

6. Now,  I want to recolor just the dots. Normally just clicking any Style in the menu will change the color of the entire umbrella. I want just the dots. 

SO…

I will have to affix the style permanently to the layer. Keyboard Shortcut: Shift+Control+N ( Shift+Command+N for Mac) Creates a New Layer.

Click and Drag the Halftone Layer ABOVE the New Layer>Merge Down.

Dragging

Done Dragging

Merged Down

The Style is permanently affixed to the layer. Click any Style in your Style Palette Menu to change it from Black. I chose “Scallop” from Bold Summer Chalkies.

Pretty Great!  You could stop there, but maybe you want more color or more interest? Let’s keep going.

7. Duplicate Top Layer (Halftone 01)

8. Apply another Halftone Style, a smaller pattern this time for a punch of detail. I chose Halftone Style 07.

9. Affix the Style to the layer as above…

         A. Create New Layer.          Shift+Control+N ( Shift+Command+N for Mac)

         B. Click Drag New Layer Below Halftone Layer.

         C. Merge Down.

10. Click any Style to recolor. I chose “Tomato” from  Bold Summer Chalkies.

Mmmm! I likie! I will stop here. You can continue adding more detail using as many cycles of this affixing and re-coloring move that makes your heart happy!

11.  Save as a layered file ( .psd) *** Why? ***

THEN!

12. Save as a single image with transparency ( .png)

13. Quality Check the image for jaggies and you have made a quick element in less than 10 minutes.

Way FUN and this creation only took about 7 minutes! WHOO HOO!

*** Why? ***

Saving a layered file is helpful to fix mistakes, that’s smart, but mostly its just plain FUN! Months down the road you might want to know how you did this. The layered file remembers so you don’t have to. Short-term… Its great to play with!

Open up that layered file back up.

Duplicate it.

Now click on any layer and toggle through the other choices you could have made. See the possibilities? Try another layer, change the color, the style you used etc! WHOO HOO! Now you are playing. In the end, we digital scrap to feed our creativity and have fun!

Don’t forget to have a BIG helping of both! Weeeee! 

Huggins!

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Edited: May 29th, 2010

Banana’s & Butterflies

Hey-ya!

Real quick shout out to Paigea T. who asked about attracting butterflies. If you do not have a plant or ability to have a plant or just want to SEE lots of butterflies. Put out an old mushy banana and they will come in droves!! So will knats, so keep it away from doors and open windows.

This is what we get…

The banana is in there somewhere ( black) I slice it in half right through the skin or I peel half the skin and leave it on like a welcome mat! LOL! They love the skin too! I have done this will melon rinds I think any fruit that is NOT SO JUICY they get wet standing on it will do well.

Shout OUT to Rosemary!

Hey Honey! Those seeds you sent are awesome! Here is the first Morning Glory Bloom! Just this morning and its was still wrinkled when I snapped the picture! SO NEW! WHOO! HOO!! Thank you Darlin! I smile everyday at these plants from your wonderful gift! MWAH!

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us, we are going to be cooking the obligatory BBQ and sizzling ourselves a bit too I expect! Weee! My Jack-man is taking some forced time off so he will be underfoot starting today. WHOOT! He never takes vacation or sick time and every few years his company forces him to take the time or lose it. So he takes it and promptly glues himself to my backside. * eyeroll-laughter* I am not lying…the man hovers…its cute, but in about 48 hours I am going to be screaming for a little elbow room!

This morning when I did my waking up, Jack was snoring and then all the sudden he quit. This man doesn’t just stop snoring unless he flops over or something like that. I put my hand on his chest and waited for him to breathe…an eternity past. When I put my ear to his mouth to test his breathing, just in case my hand was too stupid to feel a chest rise, I guess. He whispers in my ear. " I am holding my breath!"  and bit me on the ear! HOOT! That man knows how to start a vacation!! I am still giggling about that!

I reminded him that a punch in the chest to re-start the heart is how other people react, and that I might try that next time. He quivered in fear, or was it giggles. Fear! Of course he was so scared he literally fell asleep! HOOT! 

Psst! I got a little something coming up in stores tomorrow. Here is a preview.

Hey Y’all, go check out  Shannon’s Blog  today…she made a card for me and I am tickled to the point of peeing my pants! Whoo HOO! Thanks Shannon!

http://www.desertdesignsstudios.com/blog/2010/05/how-have-you-bean/#comment-1509

Hugs Friends!

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Edited: May 28th, 2010

Garden Butterflies & Caterpillars!

I promised to share some garden pics and then didn’t do it. Typical! SideTracked by watching Red Dead Redemption as my boys played. Its addictive! No, they did not tie anyone to a train track and wait for the 3:10 to Yuma! That’s just sad digital cruelty.

Anyway…Garden Madness! Now that is something your eyes want to see, right?

A few years back when we were getting our fruit trees going we fenced them away from the dogs and these curious wildflower plants that looked like Wild Yarrow but smelled like Parsley popped up and what showed up to eat them?

Tons of Swallow Tail Caterpillars! The caterpillars and butterflies get pretty big so it was NOT hard to miss the connection.

So now we carefully mow around these plants and when they dry out, I scatter the seeds all over hoping for more next year…even though I have never bothered to find out what they are.

Meh!

I just decided its Wild Yarrow and left it at that!  

Thanks to Oregon Jon for this image at  left. If you have time to dawdle at his site, be sure to read the article I found this image attached to. About being contrary just to get blog hits. Oregon Jon is saying what many of us say in our heads, don’t start silly hateful trends  or exaggerate wildly just to get attention.

Now on to some plant MURDER by THUG caterpillar GANGS…

Look at this year’s crop of hungry, hungry caterpillars.

                                     … yep, just one plant, we are going to have butterflies everywhere!

YIPPEE!!

_______________________

Found another caterpillar. A Bordered Patch! A first since we started growing bird feed to  attract more birds. Here she is eating away on a Giant Sunflower Leaf and getting testy as I fold it back to see her prickly self! Note: don’t touch fuzzy caterpillars kiddos, they can be poisonous, just ask your Auntie Jodiann! She’s learned the hard and poisoned way by touching everything with “FUZZ” Sometimes fuzz is not fuzz, its a poison spike that makes you throw up everything but blue kool-aid and wish the room would stop hopping sideways or your kids didn’t talk German because you can’t understand their mouth words.  ( Note to the note: They don’t speak German. Don’t touch strange caterpillars.)

Thanks to Bill Bouton for this shot of a what our Bordered Patch Caterpillar will look like  when she is properly turned out! Check out Bill’s Photostream to see more beautiful butterflies, lovely flowers and landscape scenes! Thanks Bill! What a talent!

Okay Folks!  Last snaps…

One of our butterfly bushes went wacko this year and grew 3 feet! Lookie…

And after 4 years of nearly covering everything it climbs on, our Trumpet Vine ( aka Hummingbird Vine) finally set buds and started blooming! Late to the party, but SO welcome!

Weee!!

Bring on the Hummingbirds! WHOO HOO!

Happy Tuesday Garden Lovers!

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Edited: May 25th, 2010

Hold On for the GOODS!

Eye Candy and Some Freebies for you from those glorious CT Girls!

Thank you ladies from the bottom of My Heart!

MoeJoe 

I just can’t get over these lovely Templates MoeJoe made from My Dot Cute Styles. Visit MoeJoe’s Blog for a freebie template with Dot Cute Styles too!

Thanks MoeJoe, Darlin!!

Sandy Pie 

While I was tootling away in my garden, and watching raindrops, Sandy was working her fingers into little nubs! Look!

First off she did a rocking review post of my Strawberry Extraction Pack.

                           To Buy check out the Stores I sell at to pick your favorite place!

Next she made some awesome cards using my Chalkies!

This one with Vicki’s Beach Chalkies

Sandy said,

Made a little something with mostly  Vicki’s Beach Chalkies (Character, layered under dots on shoes and bandana with opacity set lower on dot pieces, even on background behind Gelly Hearts.)with a little bit of the dots (background shapes, shoes and bandana)Robot Princess (large and small stars, long rectangle and dots, behind background shapes.)and the Gelly Hearts in the background.
I just had too much fun!!!

…the tagger template by Bel Vidotti Character by Whimsie Doodles, here name is Hope she was (obviously) the character they created for Breast Cancer Awareness, the rest is all Jodiann!!!

This one with Bold Summer Chalkies…

Sandy said,

Pretty sure with the exception of the sky in the background (as opposed the sky in the foreground?!?) that all are Bold Summer Styles except the Robot Gold trim.

Train Template by GS Creations, LURVE her work!  Number 3 is from Luiza Garay (Digiscrapper’s Brasil) The hills in the background are Edgers by Steel City Scraps. Star trail is by Scrapping with Liz (Scrap Orchard) All CU of course!
But I ( Sandy) made the tracks and steam cloud, both with the style for coloring.

And then, this Layout using Robot Gold Styles and listed at DST  ( so you can leave some love)

Thanks Sandy, Darlin!

Vicki

Vicki made this wonderful freebie kit for Plain Digital Wrapper and I spy a few Vicki’s Beach Chalkies used here and there. As she says its SUPER-BRIGHT! Just in time for summer! You Go GIRL!

While you at tooling around at her place, dig her new Granny’s Trunk Kit! Its awesome!

Thanks Vicki! You keep rocking that Gout! Try duck taping your ankle to your head so you can elevate that leg AND work the mouse at the same time. If anyone can do this…YOU can! HOOT!  Love you Texas girl!!

Shannon

Shannon works like a machine, a beauty making machine! Churning out cards that are so adorable I don’t know where she finds the time. Here is a sample of what she has been up to.

She uses so many different designers stuff, I am just tickled to be on the list. This time around she used my Chalkies Bold Summer Styles. Please visit Desert Designs to see  the entire list and some how to info.

Look at this beauty! What a thank you note this is!

Again with the Chalkie Styles Vicki’s Beach HOOT! on the cupcake papers, for a full list of all the goodies she uses by the most awesome creators in the business…please visit Shannon.

Ruth Melody ( Guest TCT)

Ruth is known for her intricate layout designs at DST and TDS but now she is a new designer making her own kits to delight us all. She has worked in a few of my styles on her new kit adventures!

Here’s a sample…

A freebie too!!

Hey you still with me? * knock knock computer screen*

Phew!

Hugs and Kisses for  an delightful season changing weekend no matter where in the world you are!

One more Hug!

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Edited: May 21st, 2010

Chalkies! Bold Summer Styles For Photoshop

Good Morning Style Lovers!

Lookie what is in my stores for summer…Whoo HOO!

25 Chalkie Textured Styles in Bold Summer Colors.
Beach Ball Bold Colors! WHOO HOO!
These are fabulous for Digital Coloring= filling in doodles and shapes with color. If you are doing this the hard way, try these Bold Summer Chalkies and see if its not a one step solution to speed you on your way! This time around I have added a slight texture to the mix, it changes things ever so slightly. A little more of a hand colored feel to it. I didn’t coin the phrase "digital coloring" BTW. I heard it from my friend, Shannon at Desert Designs. She does this often in making her splendid cards and I am always amazed at her hybrid abilities! Other ideas: Make lightly textured solid papers, backfill behind a transparent layer, recolor an element to suit your needs.

Colors in this set:

Bikini Yellow
Yellow Sundress
Egg Yolk
Mandarin Orange
Papaya
Tomato
Ripe Tomato
Pink Azalea
All Berry
Summer Lovins
Toasted
Iced Coffee
Kahkees ( like Steve Irwin used to say it…something like "Car Keys" without the R.) Miss you Steve-O!
Crown Royale
Grape Punch
Clematis
Banana Leaf
New Leaves
Veritas Green
Cloudless Night
Beach Ball Blue
Montigo
SupaWhite
Ice Cube
Scallop

Photoshop users: will find the inner shadow is where this Style really
changes its look, try tinkering with the "Choke" (double click layer in
layers palette> inner shadow> choke) to expand or tighten the inner shadow
to really make the chalked edge work for your specific project.
PSE users will find the texture added will make manipulating these styles in
your layer palette a bit of a drag, but fear not those who have tested this
in PSE both came back with glowing reports about the usability of these
Bold Summer Styles as is. So you might not want to change a thing. If you
do, try my Chalkies: Vicki’s Beach Styles. No Texture There and more subtle
beachy color shades.

Original Styles created by Jodiann Cates using Photoshop CS3.

PS7, PSCS, PSCS2, PSCS3, PSCS4 and PSE compatible.
Drop Shadow Free.
Quality Checked.

This purchase contains:
25 Bold Summer Styles; Seamless and adjustable in .ASL format 300 ppi.
1 Text Document with Unpacking and Installing Instructions.
CU4CU CU PU S4H S4O Commercial License Included. You may use these PS Styles to create your own products to sell with the exception of using them to build Styles Sets or Patterns Sets for resale.

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Edited: May 21st, 2010

I Gotz The Spring Fever!

“ Me Fail Engrish, that Umpossible”  ~Ralphie

Well it rained, and then it rained some more and a garden grew, and grew and grew. It goes without saying that it has been harder than usual to stand before my computer with the windows all around showing me the pretty garden growing into a Jungle. I have captured some photos, but I didn’t get the skunk family pictures again this year,  not for lack of trying. Spent hours carrying the camera around when I should have been doing something useful! They came I saw them once and then off the went. We did have an armadillo take up residence under my dear Jack’s 442. You know ladies… one of those fast cars from the late 60s-70s that Honey is going to get around to fixing up, but its spent years under a tarp, going nowhere! I got one! Well technically its Jack’s. I just keep pulling the tarp over it when the wind blows its skirt up! Well it saw some action, early this spring, when Mrs. Armadillo checked it out as a good home for her babies. When she discovered we had a houseful of dogs who like to dig, she vacated really fast, nearly knocking one down as she went! Don’t mess with a head-butting armadillo, but by all means keep looking for her long after she’s gone! HOOT! 

We had a tiny finch hit a wire on the fence and knock itself clean out! Nathan held it gently until it came back around. Then of course chaos reigned until we got it on its way again. No one thought of the camera because we were so busy wishing she would wake up and wehn we got our wish she was a hot potato! 

By far the biggest cause for my spring fever has got to be the baby guinea hen Nathan insisted on hand raising, then dragged his brother into it and somehow I got in there too! I didn’t manage to take a single picture until today.

Word or advice, if anyone tells you its easier to raise one guinea hen instead of a handful, don’t believe them. This bird is absolutely spoiled rotten. The boys have hand raised 2 bunches of 4 guinea chicks before this and they keep each other calm, they learn from each other, and they guard each other. Be prepared to do all of this around the clock if you only get one. Sweet Bee Juice! I am ready for“ Grayton” to not need me so much! She chases us all round the house, and is gaga for noodles, mung bean sprouts, and broccoli sprouts. She eat bugs outside, but she doesn’t yet go outside without an escort. She’s got a thing for toe poking.  It used to be cute, now it just hurts a lot. Being what we have made her, she actually gets mad if you put your shoes on or run away when she is trying to make your toes bleed. How inconsiderate of us to keep her from fulfilling her destiny!  Bad Parenting.

Yes, this is the mildly angry look.  Yes, Greyton rhymes with Satan.

So there are my excuses for not blogging and they are all lame as I write them, but it was a wonderful spring! Toe poking and all. Now the weather is becoming too hot or too wet to work outside so its time to focus on the last few projects then turn attention to the indoors for DIY in the store bought air!

Ahhh! Air-Conditioning!

Stay tuned, Those Glorious Testing and Creating Girls are working their fingers to the nubs to bring you beauty! I will get to their creations next!

Happy Wednesday!

PS: don’t forget the freebies from the past couple of weeks…scroll down Happy Scrappers! WHOO HOO!

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Edited: May 19th, 2010

Grab a Cuppa!!

Howdy ALL! I have let the scrap pipes back up! There is so much to tell so sit back and enjoy the eye candy, but before we get started, special hugs and kisses for my MoeJoe, hang in there precious!!

On May 1st Kim B Designs put out this for DSO’s Monthly Pick UP Bits Farmer’s Market.

Super Cool and even though the elements just rocked my world…Rubber Gloves, People!! WHOO HOO! I was trying to do some minimalist doo-dah so I came up with this…

This picture was taken on a Road Trip my family made moving from Sacramento, CA to Litchfield Park, AZ when I was still a little nipper. I have always been a big fan of orange, see I was wearing the ever popular orange sun-suit in the pic. That is my nutty sister Karen in front, a whopping 13 years old! ( she is 51 now and still a light hearted scamp) My brother Dave is climbing the bank and gets only half himself in the picture. He would go on to be a major threat as an Arizonan fisherman on all future camping trips. I remember he saw fish in that fast moving river there and I saw nothin’! LOL!

Pick up Kim’s Pick UR Bits they are super high quality and ridiculously priced at just $2.50! 

Next…Happy Belated Anniversary to Kim and sister, Gaye. Kim has racked up 3 years at DSO while her sister, Gaye has 1 year under her belt already! WHOO HOO! They did a Collab Bundle, Sisterhood to celebrate. As always we all get the presents! Such a beautiful bunch of goodies!

Sisterhood Bundle$12.50 $5.00
Save: 60% off

Warm cozy tones, with a subtle touch of Vintage and a lot of heart make up this kit called "Sisterhood"
Perfect for any occasion both Heritage and Modern pages.
(see inspirational LO’s on our blogs)
This purchase contains:
24 prints and plain papers
2 PNG paper matts
1 Uppercase Alpha
8 Glitter Styles (ASL file)
7 Word art
47 Elements

The Kit (also available separately HERE)

The Papers

The Matts

The Glitter

The Alpha

The Words

Well I hemmed and hawwed over this one, but could not find a picture of my sisters and I like or could alter so I would like it. But luck would have it, My mom ( THANKS MOM!) was working on getting rid of a mountain of pictures. She sent me a bit box of them and in there was one I sent to her years ago that got my attention right away! This was back before digital when I took everything on film and even though I had double prints I still managed to lose my copies sometimes. Mom is my savior! She keeps everything! LOL! Okay not anymore, she is decluttering her life ( GO MOM!) Each Kid and Grandkid got a box of pictures. What a chore!

The mask I used for this LO is also by Kim B Designs its in her Masked 1 Collection. 

Okay on we go!

Happy Birthday Nadya!

Shannon of Desert Designs’ little muffin top turned 3 recently. A child after my own heart, born in the month of MAY! WhooHOO! CA-Yute!

Sandy Pie 

This girl has gone crazy making beautiful things from my Styles! Thanks HoneyBun!

Look at this!

Sandy posted this to DST if you would like to leave her some love!   So Lovely! Sandy!

http://www.digishoptalk.com/boards/2444042-post110.html

TXBubbles AKA Vicki has an adorable freebie for Kim’s Color Challenge on her blog. Its Yummy!! go get some!

Last thing, Friends!

My Strawberry Extraction Pack is on sale at my Stores until Friday, ( tomorrow) Save 30% now at the store of your choice. Mwah!

Happy Thursday!

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Edited: May 13th, 2010

Happy Mother’s Day!

Stopping in quick ( heading to give Robo-Granny a call)

Here is a Mother’s Day Freebie Cluster Frame using Kim B Designs Wonderful Color Challenge color swatch. 

 http://www.4shared.com/file/DQ1mJNZ0/JodiannMothersDayFreebie.html

If you want the green paper backing this one, scroll down a few posts for the matching paper pack…its free too! Weee!

Tootles!

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Edited: May 9th, 2010

Strawberries!

Got Something New for you today!

God made them, we picked them and I did the images and extractions! WHOO HOO! Strawberries are wonderful things, but a little on the slippery side when it comes to getting their pictures made. I was having some virus trouble at the time I started working on these bad boys and thought I had the images set and saved. So I ate them! Juicy, delicious berries, who wouldn’t? Berry half hanging out of my mouth,pecking at the keyboard with one of 2 clean fingers… I looked for the saved images and the virus gott’em! I was stomping around looking for more berries, sorting more berries, cleaning more berries all the time kicking myself for eating the last ones.  They were YUMMY is the only silver lining I can find! HOOT! Moral? Don’t eat your berries before their pictures are hatched!! WHOOT!

Available in stores starting today and at a 30% discount too! Weee!

Psst! Click a store above to buy. To help you choose which one to buy from here is a basic rundown of each store. This page is also available by clicking “shopping” tab at top of page.

Happy Friday Buckaroos!

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Edited: May 7th, 2010

Burp-Day 43!

Food! Lunch out, Dinner out, CAKE!! PIE!!!

Before I go sleep off the Birthday Vittles I am dropping in to give you all a present. I, of course got plants! A lovely Jasmine Vine and a Camellia. I’ve got my eye on a Jacaranda Tree too, but we shall see. I am told ( Ahem!) there is no room in the yard for another tree. If I find a spot I will buy that tree!  Yippee!

As I said I had a birthday present for you all… A Paperpack Freebie. Whee HOO!

This is from the swatch for Kim’s Color Challenge this month.

Click swatch to visit her color challenge, get more freebies,  or make a submission, FUN!

 http://www.4shared.com/file/h7aHCYkJ/JodiannBirthdayFreebie_Papers.html

Thanks for all the well wishes and howdies from all you sweeties out there! Your the Ginchiest!

Big Hugs and Big Kisses!!

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Edited: May 6th, 2010