Irish Charm

What you will need for this tutorial.

PSP . I used version X2 but the tutorial can be done in any version

Irish Charm Template from Blue Dream Designs

Scrap kit Irish Charms also from Blue Dream Designs

Tube of choice . I used the awesome work of Barbara Jensen and Sean Shaw. Barbara's work is licensed independently and you can obtain a license and buy tubes from her site Here.

Mask of choice. I used Vix Mask 59 available from her site.

Gaelic Style Font. I used Gaeilge 1


Let's get started

Open the template in PSP and Shift+D to duplicate it, then close the original. Delete the raster 1 layer with the TOU on it.

Make the circle layer active in your layers palette and go to Selections, Select All, Float then Defloat. Open one of the papers( I used Paper 1)from the scrap kit and copy and paste above the circle layer . Invert the selection then hit delete to remove the excess paper. Selections none. Delete the original circle layer.

Merge both the thin rectangle layers together, then select all, float, defloat as before. Open a different paper and copy and paste above the rectangles. Invert the selection and hit delete. Selections none and delete the original layer.

Repeat this process with the remaining layers of the template, using different papers or patterns. Add a drop shadow to each layer:-

Vertical -2, Horizontal 2, Opacity 70, Blur 2, Colour Black.

Copy and paste your tube of choice and position to the right of the shamrock.

If you want to soften the bottom edge, Take your Freehand Selection Tool, set at point to point, Feather 20 :-

Draw along the edge you want to soften and roughly around the rest of the tube, far enough out not to touch the tube when the selection is inverted:-

Invert the selection and hit delete a few times. Your bottom edge will now be softened:-

Selections none.

Now copy and paste the Safety Pin Charm from the scrap kit and position to the left hand side . Drop shadow as before, then use your eraser to rub out a little of the pin so that it looks like it is through the papers and frame.

Now find your Burn Brush:-

Brush just the edges where you erased the pin to give it a slightly burned look and then add some of the embellishments from the kit. Resize to suit your tag, and give them the same drop shadow.

Add the shamrock bling, resize and position to the top right of the tag. Duplicate it twice to give you a total of three layers. Now add some noise to each of the layers. I used PSP Noise :-

Uniform at 50% and Monochrome ticked for the first layer, then 55% and 60% for the other layers. You could also use DSB Flux bright Noise if you have it. Make sure only your bottom layer is showing in your layers palette. Selections none.

Copy and paste one of the papers above the background layer, then apply your mask of choice.

Your tag should now look something like this:-

Now hide your background layer, make any of the other layers active, and find your Snap crop Rectangle Tool:-

Choose the Merged Opaque option on the right.

Make sure that the highlighted area is what you want to crop off , then hit the Green Arrow at the bottom . Open your background layer back up.

Now find an Irish Saying, Blessing or St Patrick's Day Greeting or Wish.

Using your Gaelic Style font type your saying and place to the bottom right of the tag. Add your name in the same font and drop shadow.

If you wish to resize your tag, do so now before adding your copyright information, license number where necessary and taggers mark. (Don't forget to have resize all layers ticked)

This is what you should have now:-

It's now time to animate your tag.

Making sure only your bottom shamrock bling is visible, right click into your image and copy merged:-

Now right click into Animation Shop and paste as a New Animation. This gives you Frame 1 of your animation. Go back to PSP and hide the bottom shamrock, and open the middle one. Copy merged again and take to Animation Shop. Right click into Frame 1, and paste after current frame :-

Repeat this for the top shamrock.

Your tags can now be optimized and saved as a gif.

This Tutorial was written in February 2009.
And the concept of the tutorial is copyrighted.
Please feel free to LINK to the tutorial and/or print it out for your personal use,
but please do not copy it in any way to put online, pass out or re-write without permission.
The image you create using this tutorial is for you to do what you wish except for monetary gains or for merchandising.
© Peachies Designs and Tutorials. Any Resemblance to another tutorial is purely coincidental.