Recoloring PNG overlays in Photoshop

Here is the first in a series of tutorials to recolor png/psd transparent overlays. Other tutorials will follow for programs such as GIMP, Word, and Elements users.
There will be a free overlay with each tutorial. Click HERE to download todays free PNG transparent overlay. It is commercial use friendly.

Once I have my transparent png open in Photoshop I like to go to Image>Mode and choose the color mode I would like to work with (RGB for printing on my home printer or CMYK for printing at my local Staples). Then I save my file with a new name so that I will always have my original overlay without any changes.
The next step is to choose the foreground color for the snowflakes. With the overlay layer selected go to Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color. Check off "Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask" and then OK (If you forget to check the box choose the color layer then Layer>Create Clipping Mask). Now your snowflakes should be the foreground color on a transparent background. Now we will color the background. With the overlay layer selected, create a new layer. Drag this new layer to the bottom of the stack. Choose a color for the background and use the bucket tool to fill the layer. Save your file and you are done!

This is just one way to recolor the overlays. Get creative with adding texture layers to the snowflakes, or background, or both. With this layer "sandwich" you can quickly create a series of different colored snowflakes by simply using your bucket tool to fill the color layers any color or texture you want. You can get extra creative by playing around with the layer blending modes too.
Tutorial Summary:

1. Image>Mode>RGB Color
2. Choose color for the pattern
3. Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color  check "Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask">OK
4. Layer>New> Layer (uncheck "Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask")
5. Drag newest layer to the bottom of the layer stack
6. Choose color to background layer
7. Use Paint Bucket to fill the background layer
8. Save

Enjoy creating!

Thinking inside the box

A Christmas in July sale wouldn't feel right without a few free gifts. I've been collecting lots of boxes lately...cereal boxes (we love our cereals), frozen pizza boxes, waffle boxes, and cracker boxes. When you cut these boxes apart...they each have their own krafty goodness inside them. After scanning them and cropping them in Photoshop they make great textured backgrounds. A few other papers were added...and a couple of pictures of the wood shed too. I then combined a few of my chevron overlays and these cardboard textures to create another free set for you. All are for personal or commercial use. But I couldn't stop there. My daughter and I have been playing around with paints lately...her current favorite paints are watercolors. Lots of watercolor experiments have been happening around here. I made some drip, splatter, and spritzed Photoshop brushes to go along with these kraft backgrounds. I just love this look! My daughter had lots of fun spritzing her papers too. The brushes were created in PS CS6 and tested in Elements 11. They are all 2500px or less. I also included most of the brushes in black transparent PNG format (24 pngs in total). The preview only shows a few of the brushes in this set. All are high quality created at 300dpi for print. Enough of the technical stuff and on to the free gifts!

Download the free texture backgrounds HERE from Mediafire

Download the free Krafty Chevron backgrounds HERE from Mediafire

Download the free Photoshop Ink Brushes HERE from Mediafire

Hope you enjoy creating with these as much as I had making them. Please do not redistribute as is...work them into your own projects.

Spring Sale and freebie journal cards

Spring was in the air here last week...but today we got snow! In the hope that spring will return I have created a set of spring floral journal cards. I have them in PDF, 8.5x11 inch jpg sheet,  and for those that are digital scrappers as individual png cards too. When printing either the PDF sheet or the jpg 8.5x11 sheet be sure to print it at 100% in order to fit your photo pocket pages. There are a few extra cards in the png set as a little bonus for the digi scrappers.

My 35% off Spring sale in my etsy shop will run until midnight EST April 30th 2013.

For personal use only please. Links to download the free cards are below the preview photos. 

Click HERE to download the 3x4 cards as a PDF

Click HERE to download the 4x6 cards as PDF

Click HERE to download the 3x4 cards on a 8.5x11 inch jpg sheet

Click HERE to download the 4x6 cards on a 8.5x11 inch jpg sheet

Click HERE to download the whole set in PNG format

I would love to see any layouts you create with these. Enjoy creating!