Well, after seeing a bunch of splash pages, for example this one, I started to wonder if I can create a similar splash page myself. And this is what I decided to do:

I'm going to make a splash page freebie! I'm not sure what it will look like, but it's so exciting to start something new.

OK, let's make a shabby polka dot background. There are two ways to achieve a worn, shabby look. The first is to use a combination of overlays on top of your background pattern. The second is to use erase brushes to erase some parts of your background pattern. I prefer overlays (it's much less work compared to erase brushes method).

Overlays:

The most commonly used overlays to create a shabby look are: old paper, crackled wall textures, sand/stone/concrete textures, old fabric/canvas. I often use sand/concrete textures.
Open the file with your background.

Add a texture (usual high-res photo) on top and change the layer mode to screen, soft light or overlay. Adjust the opacity. You might want to add several layers to achieve a desired look.

Eraser:

Open the file, click on the quick mask icon on the layer palette. Now you have to choose black as your foreground color. Select the quick mask layer on the layer palette to be able to edit it.

Choose a grunge looking brush, adjust its opacity and brush over the areas you want to erase to create a shabby look. If you don't like how it looks, just brush over with the white paint to restore it to its original state.

I suggest you try both methods to see the difference, and then post your results. ;)

This is a simple tutorial for you, Michelle :).

Create a 250x250 pix file with transparent background.
Now choose a round brush, make sure the brush settings are set to 100% hardness. Choose the color you'd like to use for your dots.

Now make one dot, place it right in the center of the square. Then go to Edit and choose Define Pattern. Name it, for example, Polka.

Create a 5x7 document, make sure the background is transparent.
Create a new layer, and then click on the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer icon , and choose Pattern. You'll see Pattern Fill options, and all you have to do now is choose the dot you've created earlier, adjust the Scale and click OK when you
like the pattern.

Now rasterize the layer, fill the background layer with the color you want, and that's pretty much it!

My new Wet Paper Asuka:
Geesh, this one is heavy! I'm trying to reduce the size of the files, otherwise it will be almost impossible to download them through the store.

Anyway, it's ready, and I can finally move to my other asukas.

I have several new collections on the way, some previews have even been displayed on ILP and ProPs already, but I didn't have time to finish them and send to the store.

It's a bit frustrating, because I don't like to have things hanging.

But then again, we've bought a new house with lots of old charm and work to do, and it needs a lot of attention.

I've always loved Shirley's scrapping kits, and now we have a whole bunch of her cards in the store.

I think her templates are awesome and very original.

I think I've had one more blog before, but can you imagine, it's nowhere to be found!