Tested and approved for Adobe Photoshop & Photoshop Elements Users. Click the thumbnails to enlarge the screenshots.

If you’re anything like me, you enjoy a good tip or two, which helps your scrapbook pages look real. That’s what keeping it real is all about! So join me here every other week for a new keeping it real technique demonstration. Let’s jump right into our first tip.

I am a stamper at heart though I do not enjoy the “mess” real stamps create. I do not enjoy the time it takes for stamped images to dry. I don’t like having to purchase so many different ink colors to match my layout colors. And I don’t enjoy the cat tracks left on the carpet when I forget to close a stamp pad tightly. I digress.

I do love the look of stamps especially on textured paper, cardboard and anything ‘stampable’. And now that such nifty stamp pads like Versamagic and StazOn exist, everything pretty much is ‘stampable’.

My solution for sidestepping the messy ‘inking’ business is just to create pages digitally. But how do we re-create that textured, stamped look on a digital layout? I’m glad you asked!

Here’s a close-up of the technique we’re going to recreate. (Click the thumbnail to enlarge it.) In this image, the date has been ‘digitally stamped’ on to the cardboard piece. The letters and numbers are rigid and seem to match the tearing and creases of the cardboard.

Get that Cardboard

First, you’ll want to find a nice piece of cardboard or patterned paper. The piece used in the example is from a digital collection no longer in circulation but don’t let that stop you! Visit your favorite digi-store to grab a few. Now, create a new document or add your cardboard piece to an existing digital layout.

Choose the Font & Type the Text

The next step is to type the text. Choose a font that looks ‘stampish’. Dafont has great ‘eroded’ free fonts. I also recommend MyFonts and scrapNfonts. Also, choose a font color to compliment the paper — that’s the key! Sometimes darker is better but you can get lovely results from a lighter shade (like pink) on a darker paper (like brown). Experiment! Rotate the text until it fits nicely on the cardboard. Make sure the text layer is directly above the cardboard layer in the Layers panel. If in doubt, refer to the screenshot below.

Choose the Blending Option and Create a Clipping Mask

Now, here’s the trick. Highlight the text layer in the layers property menu and choose the “Soft Light” blending option. Then, move your mouse cursor in between the two layers and hold the ‘ALT’ button. Two connecting circles should replace the cursor. Left click to create the clipping mask. The text should now look stamped! Here is my final layout.

Finish It & Alternative Ideas

Add another stamp under the cardboard, print it, and use it on your paper/hybrid layouts or projects. Download dingbats, black & white vector images, or clip art to create a custom look. Layer the stamps, choose different colors and play with the blending options to really step it up a notch! Just work it! I hope you like the trick and will take a moment to try it out. Until the next Keeping it Real tutorial – Happy Scrappin’!

Materials Page Template by Tiffany Tillman • Pattern Paper by Michelle Coleman • Alphas by Jackie Eckles, Shabby Princess • Stitching by Shabby Princess • Cardboard (discontinued) by Lisa Warren • ‘You’ Stamp by Katie Pertiet from Designer Digitals • Fonts: Hand Stamped Alpha, Mom’s New Typewriter.

Tiffany Tillman

Tiffany Tillman is a graphic designer and illustrator internationally noted for her colorful and technique-inspired creations for the scrapbooking industry. Tiffany is also a popular instructor here at reneepearson.com.

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Tags: Keeping it Real | scrapbooking