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Community > Articles & Projects > Thena's Article

Thena's Article

Thena Smith

Thena's Bio

Thena's Archives

It's My Party...

The fact that I am celebrating my 61st birthday caused me to reflect even more this month on the power of the card. February is a dual celebration for me-Valentine Day and “Thena Day”.

Most of us love that one day of the year that is ours “alone” (well, if you don’t consider the other 1-2 million folks whom we don’t know who were actually born on the same date.) This is the day when we begin, even as toddlers, to call attention to “our” special day. As soon as we learn to hold up those little fingers that denote which birthday it is, hear our first version of the Happy Birthday song and see that first cake with candle on top-we look forward to the yearly acknowledgement of the excitement our birth brought to friends and family.

Cards are such a fun way to express your love and concern on every special occasion as well as an excellent way to express yourself creatively. With all of the computer technology of today, we can decorate the whole house (or maybe the entire neighborhood) in any theme of our choosing. We can create cards, invitations, gift-wrap, all carrying off the theme we desire. We can create birthday, valentine, sympathy, inspirational and even change of address cards.

The days of searching for the perfect card and finding nothing that fits, need never be your plight again. Now with a little bit of effort you can create the card you want, that one of a kind card with the sentiment created with your loved one in mind.

Let’s create some pages that can be used for scrapbook pages or cards or just to decorate your office or home. Below you will find a gift card, a Valentine, an inspirational card and fun pages that are easy to create. I am having a lot of fun playing with artwork by Teresa Kogut this month. Be sure to check out her work.

Project 1: For My Favorite Teacher

Back to Class by Teresa Kogut
By creating this page in a square, you have a template that you can use for various gift items or even for various teachers.

Open a new page and create a 12 x 12 square at 300 dpi. This will allow you to use it as a large printed page as well as a smaller item.
Add rectangular shapes and fill will color to form the ribbon and bow at the top. Add shadows for depth. We will keep the bow very simple so there is so stress.
Add shape (ellipse) at each end fill will black to create the hole for the ribbon.
Add your image and add a shadow to make it pop.
Add you text and make it fit the occasion. For My Teacher, Happy Valentine Day, Happy Birthday Teacher, etc.

This will make a nice scrapbook page for the teacher, a wall hanging or reduce it in size and make it the front of a memo pad or a cute little match book flip open note pad.

Project 2: Seat Chart Blues

A Taste of Paste poem and Back to Class Creatable

In my classroom books, I included verses that could be used to illustrate routine classroom matters such as the seating chart. This could be used to create a scrapbook page about your child’s year and include a photo of their seatmates or neighbors in the classroom.

Create a new page and add a shape, which you will fill with your choice of background color.
Add your bear in a chair and add a shadow (and a bevel if you desire) to give it more depth. You can experiment with various metal textures to add to the metallic look of the chair and some effects to make the bears look furry. Copy and paste chairs to make classroom with larger chairs in front.
Add vellum by adding white shape and making it semi transparent. To give it the highlights instead of flat, use the transparency eraser and leave some darker areas.

Project 2

Project 3: When I Grow Up

Poem from A Taste of Paste and Clipart from Back to Class

The clipart is the page background for this page. It is then placed on a large background to which texture is added.
Books were added in layers and a bevel effect applied.
A poem was added on an added shape and parts of the shape was erased around the arm.
Cut out the apple and paste it back on top of the original. Add bevel to apple and shadow.
Child’s photo can be tucked in among the books. This can also be used as one side of a two page layout with the other page holding the classroom photos.

Project 4: A Book Fell Open...

Poem from A Taste of Paste and Clipart from Back to Class

Create a new page and fill with color.
Layer stacks of books.
Add photo and add white border to photo.

Project 5:

From Quiet Thoughts Creatable and Letters to Heaven

I created an inspirational card by using a Quiet Thoughts background and adding a verse from Letters to Heaven. The same rose background could be used to create a birthday card or even a Valentine.

Project 6:

From Quiet Thoughts Creatable and Whispers

Create a Valentine by using the background and adding a verse from Whispers.

Add photo from Creatable as your background.
Add text to photo.

Project 7:

A Fun Project to create a one of a kind background for card or scrapbook page.

Create a new page and add some random marks or shapes.
Use the distortion effect (kaleidoscope)
Do the distortion effect again.
Now you can use this as a patterned background paper or as an overlay on other pages.
Now experiment and have some fun.

Now for your assignment if you should decide to accept it:

Go out of your way to be kind.
Go out of your way to be happy.
Make the best of every situation.
Be quick to forgive.
Enjoy your hobbies and keep them fun. Don’t take them so seriously that you can’t enjoy them.
Meet me back here next month.

Hugs,
Thena

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