Note: Tutorial written with screenshots from PSCS2 on a Mac.

Open up all of the included PNGs in the ScrapSimple Layer Your Own: Ice Cream Cone Brush Set. Locate PNG 1 in the set. This will be the document that you will drag all of your other PNGs onto.

 

Start by dragging each PNG, while holding down your Shift key, in consecutive order, onto PNG 1. Pressing down your Shift key while dragging will ensure that your PNGs stack perfectly in place while becoming their own separate layers.

 

Here are all of the PNGs stacked onto each other to create your ice cream cone. While you have this file open, you can go ahead and save it as a layered document to use over and over again later. Then you won't have to go through the whole process of opening up and stacking your PNGs again. Make sure you name the file with a different name so as not to ruin your original PNG file.

 

A tip you can use to keep your layers organized is to use a layer folder. At the bottom of your Layer Palette, there's a little icon of a folder. It's the third icon from the right in Photoshop CS2. Press that button, and a new folder will appear among your layers.

 

By default, the folder will be called "Group 1." You can rename that if you want. Select with your mouse all of your layers and drag them into the folder. Save your file again. Another way to group your layers into a folder is to select your layers and type Ctrl+G (Cmd+G on a Mac).

 

I want to make a tall birthday card that will fit into a business size envelope. Create a new document at 4" wide by 8" high, RGB color mode, and 300 pixels per inch. Select your layer folder of your ice cream cone, and drag it onto the new document you made.

 

You'll notice that the ice cream cone is too big for the card size. To make the cone smaller, select the layer folder again, go to the top toolbar and select Edit, then scroll down to Free Transform. You can also get the Free Transform Tool by typing Ctrl+T (Cmd+T on a Mac).

 

Hold down your Shift key (to constrain the proportions of the ice cream cone) and drag a corner of the Transform Rectangle to make the cone smaller. Scale the ice cream down just enough to leave some room at the bottom for text later.

 

Find a background paper you like and drag the paper into your card document. Move the layer to be underneath your ice cream cone layer.

 

Select your ice cream cone layer. Open and drag over a paper for your cone. The paper should be directly above your cone shape.

 

To get the paper to fill the shape of your cone, create a clipping mask. In Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, hold down your Alt key (Option key on a Mac), and hover your cursor between your paper layer and the cone layer. You'll see your cursor change to an image of two circles with an arrow. Click your mouse between the two layers, and now your paper fills the cone layer. Another shortcut to making a clipping mask is to select your paper layer and type Ctrl+Alt+G (Cmd+Opt+G on a Mac) in PSCS2 or Ctrl+G (Cmd+G on a Mac) for Elements.

 

You can move your paper around to the desired position and scale the size with Free Transform if you would like.

 

I've added paper fills to all of my ice cream cone layers using clipping masks.

 

Here I've added drop shadows to all of my layers to add some dimension to the card.

 

Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool in your Tools Palette. In Photoshop CS2, it is the top left button.

 

Make a new layer in your document, above your existing layers. Click and drag your mouse to select the area at the bottom of your card with your Marquee Tool. You should have "marching ants" to show you have made a selection.

 

Select your Eyedropper Tool in your Tools Palette. You can use your Eyedropper Tool to select a color from your ice cream cone.

 

Another way to be more precise with your color picking is to click on the foreground color swatch in the Tools Palette. In this example, the foreground color is brown. A dialog box will pop up.

 

Using your Eyedropper, select outside of your Color Picker Dialog Box and select the pink in the ice cream paper. In your Color Picker Box, you can select any color pink in the window or pick an entirely different color from the rainbow of options.

 

Fill the rectangle selection with the pink color. You can do this by going up to your top Menu Bar and selecting Edit> Fill. Then in the dialog box that pops up, select Foreground Color, Blend Mode: Normal, and Opacity: 100%. An easier way to fill the selection with a color is to simply type Alt+Delete (Option+Delete on a Mac). Deselect your selection by going to the top Menu Bar and selecting Selection> Deselect, or simply type Ctrl+D (Cmd+D on a Mac).

 

I've loaded Ro's fun Digital Fancy Edge Shapers Brush Set Biggie and selected a nice curvy brush. Select the Eraser Tool in the Tools Palette. We're going to erase away some of the pink rectangle to make a fancy edge.

 

Position the brush over the rectangle and hit Delete to erase the rectangle.

 

I really want the card to look dimensional, so I've loaded my Punch Out Styles. Select "Punch Out Style 3" from the Styles Palette while you have your shaped pink edge selected in the Layers Palette.

 

The Punch Out Style automatically makes the pink edge look like it is the inside of the card peeking through. Add your message to your card, such as "Happy Birthday," above the pink edging layer.

Card by Erica Hite

	Note: Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Layer Your Own: Ice Cream Cone, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Punch Out 5401, Digital Fancy Edge Shapers Brush Set Biggie and Lettering Delights Letterpress Font are also available.

Tutorial written by Erica Hite