Are you looking for a way to end a creative slump? Make a “challenge kit” that limits and defines the supplies you can use, and make art today.

In the slump

Shakespeare wrote “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”

Me?  Lately I’m stuck–I’m an observer rather than a player (And not a cool, mysterious observer like you see on the TV show Fringe).

Every day I see an unbelievable amount of creative inspiration.  I run Creative Passion, meet guest designers each month who are uber talented at Masterful Scrapbook Design, and regularly spend hours writing for or reading the blog here at Get It Scrapped! One would think this would translatee to me being inspired and producing numerous layouts and art journaling pages each day.  But it doesn’t.  I can’t blame time, kids, or money (I have plenty of supplies in my stash). What’s to blame?  Habit.

I’ve gotten in the habit of being an observer and not a player.  I realized the way to get out of my self-imposed slump was to grab a brush, a canvas, anything, and do something.

Moving out of the slump

I can not stress enough: the best way to get out of a slump is to do something.

Seriously. Read that again, because it’s a powerful truth.  It’s one thing to read and study art journaling and scrapbooking, but if you don’t take action with what you are studying, you’re wasting your time.

Use a challenge kit to start creating

On Saturday afternoon, I kidnapped a dear friend, Angie Lourenco, and we headed to the art store.

On return, we used my stash to make a “challenge kit.”  A “challenge kit” consists of the supplies and tools you’re limiting yourself to using. When you take away the number of choices you need to make, it can be easier to get going.

Our challenge kit:

• 1 Canvas (Artists Loft)
  
• 1 Brush (Unknown)
• 3 Colors of paint (Liquitex Basics)
• 1 Spray Ink (Adirondack)
• 1 Stencil (Crafters’ Workshop)
• Gesso (Dick Blick)
• 2 Paint Markers (Sharpie)
• 1 Texture stamp (Unknown)
• 2 Packs of rub-ons (Maya Road)
• 2 Rolls of Washi-tape (Unknown)
• 2 Texture tools

Our “rules:” we could only use what was in the pile, but we didn’t have to use it all.

Start creating

I started with a gesso layer, and as soon as I started doing something, I started wanting to do more.  I received a flood of ideas.  I made textures, wiped the gesso flat with my brush, and started over.  Angie was having a ball doing the same.  We kept talking about how long it had been since we had ink on our fingers and paint in our hair.  When I grabbed the stencil and pushed it into the gesso, I literally giggled with excitement.

The results

Here are our finished pieces.  It was so much fun comparing what each of us did with the same supplies.  We both come from the same “school of art” and have learned many of the same techniques, since we are usually sharing with each other what we know.  Yet, we had different approaches.

Let’s recap

How can you end a creative slump? Limit your supplies and tools and just get up and “do!”

Now that I’ve reminded my fingers of how fun playing in ink is, I can’t wait each day to just do a little something.  It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece or a full canvas – it can be something as simple as a card or a page of doodles.  Just do it.

PS.  I just recently found a video Dina Wakley posted on her blog with the same message of creative exercise. Go ‘”exercise!”

Once you understand layout design principles AND the basic parts of a scrapbook page, scrapbooking gets easier and more fun. 12 lessons cover this territory with hundreds of layouts to illustrate. Click here to get lesson 1 today -- and then new lessons every couple of days -- all at no cost.

You just have to be willing to open your mind and see the potential of your current supplies to be something more.  When you train yourself to look at your supplies in new ways, alphas become butterflies, ribbons become roads, and your memories can truly come alive! 

Looking at your paper scrapbook supplies and tools in creative ways:

• Ideas to build, store and use your button stash | MacGyver’s Button Bootcamp
• Inside MacGyver’s Tool Box: Using Your Craft Knife on Your Scrapbook Pages
• 7 ways to alter the color of your papers
• 5 Ways to Make Your Own Ransom-Alphabet

Looking at your digital scrapbook supplies and tools in creative ways:

• Use Photoshop & digital templates to make invites, announcements & stationery
• 5 ways to make your own fabric using digital scrapbooking supplies
• 10 ways to makeover your photos 
• Use your digital supplies to make hybrid kid projects
• Hybrid solutions for quick cards, gifts and decor

To learn more about looking at your scrapbook supplies in new ways visit Amy Kingsford’s website amykingsford.com–where she offers innovative articles and tutorials aimed at helping you to find creative ways to capture your memories.

Amy Kingsford is a happy wife and blessed mother from Northern Utah.  She teaches at Masterful Scrapbook Design, Creative Passion Classes and also shares ideas, inspiration and instruction on creative approaches to modern scrapbooking and papercrafting at her site AmyKingsford.com

As a digital scrapbooker I’m used to having  a variety of tools and everyday items packaged in kits that make achieving certain effects on my pages a snap.  When I’m making paper scrapbook pages, I often dismiss these looks because they don’t seem achievable or they  just don’t fit into my “physical” understanding of the paper scrapbook page.

Below are three ideas for your paper scrapbook pages that are inspired by some of these overlooked techniques and that will allow you to make use of everyday items from your garage in fun and creative ways!

Use steel wool to create a background glow

This unexpected tool can create a nice subtle glow on your background paper–helping you tone down patterns and to draw the eye in.  This technique is accomplished digitally through the use of masks and blending–but on paper we’re going to achieve this look with some good old-fashioned elbow grease!

To get this look on your paper pages:

1. Starting from the center of your paper begin to work the steel wool around in a circular motion.
2. Apply a generous amount of pressure-but remember you don’t want to tear or wear through the paper.
3. As you work your way out to the edge, use less pressure and let more of your paper shine through.
4. Brush your paper off and you’re ready to start building your page.
5. To really bring out the glow, try dusting a  pearlized-powder over the sanded portion of your background.

Make your own screw-top brads

Screws can be a fun way for digital scrapbookers to secure things to their page or to add detail in their layouts.  Though there are  ”screw-inspired” brads available for paper scrapbookers, why would you look past your own garage?  If you have a few screws and a pair of bolt cutters, then you are ready to recreate this look on your paper pages!

To get this look on your pages:

1. Place your screw in a vice to secure it for cutting.
2. Using your bolt cutters remove the head of your screw.
3. Do a bunch at one time–maybe while your husband’s away at work and he’ll never miss them!
4. You could distress it a bit using alcohol inks if you so desire.
5. Then adhere it to your page using an adhesive dot.

Create dynamic foundations with spray paint

Paint splatters and sprays are easy to come by in the digital world–but paper scrapbookers, have to be willing to get their hands a little dirty!  Like misting, spray paint can be a fun way to add motifs and create visual  interest and texture, but with a more dramatic effect. So grab your painting mask and those leftover cans of spray paint and have some fun!

To get this look on your paper pages:

1. Make sure to wear appropriate clothing and safety gear.
2. Lay down a drop cloth or several layers of newspaper.
3. Work with heavier weight papers–like cardstock.
4. Hold the can further away for a misted look and closer for more intense look.
5. Tip your page on end to let paint run if you so desire.
6. Drag the wrong end of a paint brush through the wet paint to create fun designs.
7. Allow paint to dry before working with a different color or  layering your elements overtop.

Years ago, I attended a home stamping party and the demonstrator taught us about masking: I was in awe.

Masking opens up a whole new world of possibilities for your stamp collection. In fact it has remained one of my favorite ways to work with stamps. Check out these cards to see the cool looks you can get when you mask.

Use masking to put one stamped object inside of another.

Masking makes it easy and quick to put flowers inside a vase event when they are two separate stamps.

Use masking to embed an image into a background stamp.

Could I have stamped the gift onto a separate circle and adhered it over the top of the background as an embellishment? Sure I could have.  Sometimes, however, I prefer the look here that masking makes easy to achieve.

Use masking to split an image.

This is one of my favorite ways to use masking. On this card, I was able to stretch out this little monster I’ve named Milo to peek above and below the banner, giving the illusion that he is a very tall creature when in fact he really is quite short.

You can also use masking to:

• Create both positive and negative images
• Make a forest from a single tree stamp
• Make a whole border of connected circles with one circle stamp
• Create overlapping titles
• and much more!

Masking is a technique that spans all levels of experience–a technique in which the possibilities  are endless!

"Summer Love" by Amy Kingsford

Whether you’ve dabbled in digital scrapbooking yourself or only just admired the look of others pages from afar–chances are that you’ve seen and appreciated a page that utilizes what digital scrapbookers call “brushes.”  Digital Brushes are often used as a foundation to set a page’s inner canvas or focal elements apart from its background and to give pages a dynamic yet airy feel.

Once I started digital scrapbooking I was immediately drawn to the look of digital brushes.  In fact, I was intrigued to the point that using them on my digital pages was no longer enough, and I began to search for ways to translate their look to my paper pages as well.

Suggestive layering is the key to re-creating this light and layered look in your paper pages.  So what are suggestive layers you ask?  Suggestive layers are produced by combining products and techniques that and allow the colors, patterns and textures of multiple layers to shine through without feeling bulky or overpowering.

Let’s take a look at a few of the ways to go about this with some of the paper supplies you may have on hand.

Start with an extravagant printed background.

Printed backgrounds are a great place to start when looking to create the look of digital brushes in your paper pages.  Whether you are going for a whimsical feel or a grungy graphic feel, there are thousands of papers out there that have done the work for you.  All you have to do is layer your elements in a way that operates with in the boundaries of the scene that your printed background has created.

In this layout, I started with a background paper that already had a fun and whimsical foundation established.  I used the brush-like flourishes of the paper to frame my inner canvas and direct the eye inward to my photo.   The pairing of more dimensional accents with my catchy printed background helped the details layered on top really stand apart from the decorative background.

“Cute & Cuddly” by Amy Kingsford 

Utilize your transparencies in smaller pieces.

Transparencies can be another great way to re-create that “brushed” look  because they allow the other layers on your layout to show through.  This mimics the digi scrapper’s ability to change opacity and blending modes to maximize the wow factor of their layers.  While transparencies often come in full sheets to used as more of an “overlay,” they can also be used in pieces to create emphasis and maximize their impact.

Keandra’s use of transparencies in the layout below is a perfect example of how smaller sections of  transparencies can be used to create emphasis.  When used as an overlay, transparencies lend a particular motif or feel to a layout–which is great!  But when used in pieces, they act more like a digital brush, in that they can create a dynamic foundation for the important elements on our page, while still allowing the layers beneath to shine.  These damask transparencies help to ground Keandra’s photos and title, without covering up all of the rich color, pattern and texture in the layers beneath.

“Sweetness” by Keandra Willis

 Create a light and open feel with a little “fussy cutting”  

Fussy cutting is the art of removing a pattern or image from a print with a craft knife or pair of scissors.  And while it requires a bit more patience than some of the other techniques, it’s a great way to introduce an intricate pattern, while keeping the feeling of openness that many digi scrappers find so appealing in the digital brush.

I love the way that Lisa Dickinson has used this technique to create a sense of movement on her page that not only mimics the movement present in her photos, but that is also highly indicative of a digital brush.  Because of their light and open feel, many digital scrappers use brushes to create a sense flow in their layouts, and Lisa has shown us how we as paper scrappers might achieve this very same effect in our paper pages with the help of a little fussy cutting.

“Top of The World” by Lisa Dickinson

Have some fun with paints, inks and mists.

Some of my favorite brushes to use on my digital layouts are all of the splatters, strokes and stains that can make for a very fun and colorful foundation for my page.  The great thing is that this look is just as accessible to paper scrapbookers if you’re willing to get your hands a little dirty!

This is one of hundreds of layouts in which Dina Wakley shows us that these beautiful splatters and stains are not out of reach to paper scrappers, they are merely a wrist flick away!  Whether you use your paints, inks and mists to create bold foundations or to merely give your page that slightly distressed look–one thing is certain–you are going to have fun bringing the look of these types of digital brushes to life on paper.

 “Oh My” by Dina Wakley

Create interesting layers with stickers and rub-ons.

Layering your transparent stickers and rub-ons can be an excellent way for paper scrappers to combine motifs, while giving their layers the distressed or even blended look  that can be achieved with digital brushes.  Both of these can easily be layered over one another or over other suggestive layers, to create interesting accents and foundations for your paper pages.

If you’re aiming to bring the look of graphic-style brushes to your paper pages then rub-ons and stickers may be the way to go.  In the page below I used leftover rub-on alpha sheets to bring some bold and grungy layers to my page’s foundation.  This created a one-of-a-kind photo mat, while adding a nice graphic touch that gave my layout a little bit of a boost in the masculinity department.

“The Son and Heir” by Amy Kingsford

Build foundations using stamps, stencils and masks.

Digital brushes were made to mimic these very same products.  As a result, stamps, stencils and masks can easily be used to achieve not only the look,  but also to re-create many of the effects that are achieved with digital brushes–including fading, gradation, watermarking, and distressing.  They also pose yet another way to create a fabulous foundation with lots of layers shining through.

This is a great example by Doris Sander of how a stamp can be used in the very same way a digital brush is used  to build foundations, create interest and introduce variance.  This series of stamps creates the perfect foundation for Doris’ inner canvas, while allowing the layers beneath to peek through.  And though each stamp is the same image and color, there is still evidence of slight variations due the change in pressure in which each of these stamps was applied and embossed.

 ”The Best” by Doris Sander

Print your digital brushes directly onto your paper pages.

This might be the simplest and easiest way to get exactly the look you are going for if you have even the slightest experience with digital scrapbooking.  While it can be fun to experiment with different techniques, sometimes it can be just as satisfying to hit print and be on your merry way.  Printing your digital brushes directly onto the foundation of your page saves you the guess work and effort of finding a suitable alternative and allows you to get on with the design of your layout.

In Betsy Sammarco’s page below, she printed this beautiful watery butterfly brush onto her cardstock and then layered dimensional accents over top.  This helped her beautiful background to remain dynamic without overpowering her other elements, while establishing a clear sense of flow in her layout .

“Hand on Her Heart” by Betsy Sammarco

Whether you’re a paper scrapbooker or a digital scrapbooker or both, whether you’ve had the opportunity to work with digital brushes or have only admired their many wonders from afar, the fact remains that we all have so much to learn from each other :)

Amy Kingsford is a happy wife and blessed mother from Northern Utah.  She teaches at Masterful Scrapbook Design, Creative Passion Classes and also shares ideas, inspiration and instruction on creative approaches to modern scrapbooking and papercrafting at her site AmyKingsford.com

We spent almost an hour last week talking to Wilna Furstenberg about patterned paper, the quest to balance busy and serene, scrapbooking intuitively, the design of scrapbook pages, and the meaning of them in the end.

Each month at Masterful Scrapbook Design (MSD) we host four in-depth interviews with scrapbook page designers on a focused topic. The webinar format lets everyone look at pages and projects as we talk, ask questions, even browse the internet alongside us to check out inspiration and resources.

In April, we delved into ideas and inspiration for using patterned paper on your pages. We opened up the live webinar/interview with Wilna Furstenberg to everyone — to give those who haven’t yet check out MSD a peek at what goes on.

For those who can’t make the live webinars, we provide audio and video recordings along with a pdf of the slides/images from the talk. Lots of people like listening to the audio and then taking a look at the pdf to see the images. Members also get transcripts of the conversation.

We’d love it if you’d take a listen. You can listen in your browser or download the audio and listen to while you’re on the go.

listen to the audio:

download the audio: download audio interview (right-click and save to download-on MAC CTRL+click)

view the slides: InterviewSlides

watch the webinar:

Get this kind of inspiration every month when you’re a member at Masterful Scrapbook Design. Grab the discounted bundle of back issues and load up your mp3 player or tablet with hours of inspiration and instruction.

Ever since I took “Art Journaling 101″ by Dina Wakley and watched her wield a spray ink bottle, I’ve been an avid collector of stencils.  Problem is, my wallet is not an avid collector of money.

I recently made a canvas that had a sun on it, and every time I look at it, I wish I had a stencil for the sun so I could use it on other projects. With craft knife in hand, I set out on a mission to make my own stencil.

gather your supplies

• a craft knife: it’s very important that your craft knife is sharp
• transparency:  these can be from your local office supply aisle
• paper:  feel free to use the back of a scrap piece of paper it’s going to get cut up anyway right?
• pencil or marker
• masking tape

find a shape/design

Look for a shape that is simple to make the cutting with your craft knife easier.  Some sources for your design:

• use an individual letter/shape from a dingbat font
• use a shape from drawing or photo-editing software
• draw a shape

I chose to handdraw my design: a sun.  I traced the outline of my masking tape roll for the center of my sun.  Then I started making the ‘rays’ until I found one I liked.  I then cut that ray out and used it as a trace for the rest of the rays of my sun.  I used a black marker to make the lines more noticeable as I cut.

cut your stencil

After I was happy with my sun design, I used masking tape to secure the transparency over it.  This keeps the image from moving under the transparency.  Three tips when cutting your design:

• make sure you protect your surface since your knife can ruin it (I used a glass cutting mat)
• make sure you cut all the way through the transparency
• don’t worry if it’s not perfect-no, really, don’t worry if it’s not perfect

After I’m finished cutting, I carefully remove the cut-out pieces.  Be careful: if the cut-out pieces are not completely cut, they will tear the transparency.  It’s best to snip any dangling chads with scissors or slice them with your craft knife.

Now I have a great sun stencil, which I immediately had to use!

What are you waiting for?  Go make a stencil, and I hope you’ll share in the comments how you used it!

Do you love finishing a page and the accompanying sense of accomplishment? One memory down; hundreds more to go!

If you want to be a more productive scrapbooker, check out these ideas for making the most of your scrapbooking time.

1. Speed up your scrapbooking with a digital quick page or paper page kit

A surefire speedup to scrapbooking is to use a paper page kit or a digital quick page.

When you purchase from a paper kit club, you get the benefit of papers (and even embellishments!) that already coordinate all selected for you.

A digital “quick page” is different from a digital template. A template lays out all the spots for papers and photos — which you select. A “quick page” already has papers and even embellishments — you just add your photos.

When I was first starting out with paper scrapbooking and then again with digital scrapbooking I found page kits and quick pages quite useful. Even today, one will catch my eye because it suits my style or is simply too cute to pass up.  This was the case with the quick page Ten Little Fingers by One Little Bird Designs.  It took me all of five minutes to insert my photo and move onto to my next layout. Talk about a time saver!

2. Speed up your scrapbooking with a page sketch or digital template

Sketches can be especially useful when working with shapes you don’t typically use.  Because I don’t often use round mats on my layouts, I was having trouble getting started with my layout Family Man. Instead of pondering this design for the next week, I started out with one of Becky Fleck’s Round Map Sketches. I’m sure glad I did.

Coming up with a perfect design for each individual layout can be a time-consuming process, but when you use digital templates you’ve got a great design to build from and you can easily alter it for a different look every time. This digital template from Kitty Designs was perfect for my layout, They’re Playing Our Song. It offered me those lovely layers I was looking for, as well as the ability to customize the design to fit my needs.

3. Speed up your scrapbooking with a “lift”

When you find a page you like, use it as your inspiration: “lift” it. My Life Is is a direct lift of Laura Bush’s page Duck Landing, I loved how she used her date stick in this layout and wanted to replicate it.  Though I loved these date sticks when I bought them, I always seemed to pass them over because I wasn’t sure how to use them. Scraplifting can be a great way to get ideas for pages that use new product.

In He Said, She Said, I used the same general idea that Maggie Holmes used in her layout Opposites Attract to illustrate the differences between my husband and myself.  When scraplifting you don’t have to confine yourself to the design of the layout: look for inspiration in the journaling, theme or even the title to help jump start your creativity.

4. Speed your scrapbooking by working with one coordinated collection of product

You can save precious moments by confining yourself to using a single kit or collection to create your pages.  Oftentimes too many choices is overwhelming.  Using  collections cuts out the guess work of matching things up and it saves you the time you’d otherwise spend combing through your stash.

I used a digital kit by Danielle Young, in my layout Simply Unforgettable.

The beautifully feminine papers and embellishments included in the November kit from Scrap This Kit were perfect for my layout, “Just Be You.” As a mom of two boys, I don’t typically make overly feminine pages, but it’s nice to have a change once in a while.  That is what I love most about kits–not only do you not have to stress about matching colors and searching your stash for the perfect complements, you also get an opportunity to use colors and products you may not normally work with.  This way you make the most of your time while trying out something new!

5. Use an Inspiration Piece

Getting inspiration from something other than a scrapbook page or scrapbooking product is a great way to get started and make something original.

My layout, “You’re Why I Love Being a Dad,” was inspired by a ruffled messenger bag designed by Donna Downey.  I instantly fell in love with the idea of adding ruffles to my layout. Because they are so dynamic, I was able to use with a simple page design. It turned out the most time-consuming part of this layout was threading my sewing machine!

In A Family That Plays Together…, I was inspired by a photo of a chalkboard and neon colored chalks.  Not only did I want to create a chalkboard effect by using elements that would contrast well with my dark background , but the neon colored chalks in the photo also played a key role as far as color inspiration.  With this layout I tripled up on my time-saving techniques by working with one coordinated collection, as well as using a page template (both by Biograffiti). I completed this layout in under 30 minutes!

The next time you’d like to make the most of your scrapbooking time, give one or even a few of these time-saving ideas a try.  When you save time recording one memory, you be able to spend that time recording another!

Sometimes looking at a blank sheet of cardstock is paralyzing. When I have “scrapbook block,” I love to take a pristine sheet of cardstock and swipe paint or ink on it. I call this paint or ink a “color field.” This color field counts as my starting layer or foundation. I build my layout on the color field, letting bits of the color field peek through and provide visual interest. Here are some examples and things to try:

1. Swipe color in a rectangle in the middle of the page.

On this layout, I used a palette knife to create a large yellow rectangle of paint, right in the middle of the cardstock. When the paint dried, I layered on the large strips of patterned paper, the photograph, and the banner flags. The yellow paint gives a pop of color and is a good solid foundation for the rest of the page.

2. Use water-soluble spray ink to create a watery background.

For this page, I put some left-over letter stickers on the cardstock and sprayed over it with water-soluble spray ink (such as Tim Holtz Adirondack Color Wash or Jenni Bowlin reinkers in a Mini Mister). After I sprayed over the letters, I removed them. Then I took a wet paintbrush and ran it over the ink to dissolve it and make it look flowy and watery. I added a photograph and other embellishments, and I was done!

3. Use paint to continue a thematic idea.

On this beach page, I started with some turquoise paint on the patterned paper. The turquoise paint echoes the idea of water, and even seems to extend the water that is in the photograph. Try using paint to emulate a blue sky, or green grass.

4. Use paint to tone down busy background paper, and as a journaling block.

For this page, I used a broad color field of orange paint right on the patterned paper. This solid color field tones down the busy background. I decided to write my journaling right on the dried paint, too. I layered my photo over the journaling. The result is an art-journaling look, and it’s super simple to create.

5. Paint over page elements.

For this page, I started with the large frame, circular paper accents, and stitching. Then I took a palette knife and some white gesso and wiped some gesso right onto the page. I made sure not to completely cover the patterned paper and the stitching, but I did want it to be partially covered. When the paint dried, I added my photos and title.

6. Create an interesting inky texture.

For this page, I created an interesting background texture with Lettuce Adirondack ink and regular white tissue paper. I crumpled the tissue and saturated it with ink. I pressed the tissue into the cardstock and then removed it. The result is an fun texture that reminded me a bit of the pattern on my niece’s swimsuit. The texture is quite bold, so I added a strong photo and contrasting journaling strips. The layout didn’t need much else.

When you’re stuck on how to begin a layout, try starting with an inky or a painted color field. I think you’ll love the results!

Wrapping your words around or inside of a design element can pack a powerful punch when used in your digital art journaling.  Unfortunately, while newer versions of Photoshop contain text on a path capability, versions prior to PSCS and all versions of Photoshop Elements are lacking this feature.  There IS a way that you can create text circles if you know about the secret weapon hidden in the Polar Coordinates feature however!

(NOTE: Circular text created with this method will be one-half the size of the canvas you begin working with. For example, if your goal is a 3 inch circle … you’ll want to start out with a 6 inch by 6 inch canvas.)

1. From the File menu, point to New, and select Blank File.

2. Enter the following values:

• Width: 6 inches
• Height: 6 inches
• Resolution: 300 pixels/inch
• Color Mode: RGB Color
• Background Contents: Transparent

3. From the View menu, select Grid to activate the grid. This will help you determine the exact vertical center of the canvas … which is where you want to type the line of text.

4. From the Toolbox, select the Text tool. Choose a font and set the font size.

5. Type a line of text that fits snugly against the left and right side of the canvas as shown in the illustration below.

Press CTRL+T (CMD+T) to access the Free Transform tool and stretch the text to meet the edges if necessary.

6. From the Image menu, point to Rotate and select Layer 180. This ensures that the text on the top of the circle will be right-side up when created.

To keep the text from stretching out of shape when formed into a circle we need to adjust the height of the letters.

7. Press CTRL+T (CMD+T) to access the Free Transform tool and look to the Options bar at the top of the screen.

To prevent the width from changing along with the height, uncheck the box next to Constrain Proportions and enter a value of 250% for Height. (Width should stay at 100%)

8. Working in the Layers panel (palette), right click the text layer and choose Simplify Layer from the pop up menu.

This prevents you from editing the contents of the text layer, but is necessary as PSE will not allow you to apply a filter to a text layer otherwise.

9. From the Filter menu, point to Distort and select Polar Coordinates.

10. Check Rectangular to Polar in the dialog box that appears and click OK to commit the change.

Presto! You have a circular element formed from text.

Once you understand layout design principles AND the basic parts of a scrapbook page, scrapbooking gets easier and more fun. 12 lessons cover this territory with hundreds of layouts to illustrate. Click here to get lesson 1 today -- and then new lessons every couple of days -- all at no cost.