DIY Valentine Printables

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Picnik is closing. Yep, it's true. My favorite photo editing site is coming to an end. So sad.

No more fluffing clouds. No more picking blackberries. No more buttering sandwiches.

The GOOD NEWS: They will be up and running until April 19th, and all the premium stuff is now FREE! So get it while it lasts. (For those who have been paying for the premium stuff, you're all getting a full refund!)

I used picnik to make the Valentine printable above, and it's soooooo easy to do. I know, I know. A lot of you have been creating things like this forEVER, but bear with me while I share the tutorial. (I ask your forgiveness ahead of time for the pictures. Apparently photographing my computer screen isn't within the capabilities of my camera.)

The first thing you have to do is create a blank Paint document. What is a Paint document, you ask? Paint is a program in your computer (yes, it's there) that allows you to create all sorts of neat stuff, but we'll talk more about the elements of Paint another time. You can find this program under Accessories in your list of All Programs. Simply open it and save it as a jpeg on your desktop. It is a blank white nothing at this point.

Open the Picnik home page  and upload the file you just saved on your desktop. Again, it will look like a big, white, blank page; but trust me, it's there.

From the tabs at the top, choose Effects. Scroll down to Duo-Tone. Click on the Second Color box, and choose your background color. (The First Color box does not come into play in this project.)

Click Apply, and instantly you will see that your file is no longer blank!

Now go to the tab for Basic Edits. Click on Resize. This is where you will turn your rectangular image on its side to that it has a vertical orientation. Uncheck the Keep Proportions box. The first value is the width, and the second is the height. You can play with the numbers until you get the size rectangle that you want. Mine is 800x1200.

Click Apply to save the dimensions. (You can always come back and resize again later if you need to.)

Now click on the Frames tab. Choose what type of frame you would like. Play around with a few of them to see what best suits your project and your taste. You can always click Undo if you don't like what you've created. I chose a Museum Matte. I like that it has two different colors.

                                                 Again, sorry for the picture quality here.

Now you are ready to add your text. Click the Text tab. You will add your text in the box in the upper left corner of the screen.

You will have to create the line breaks, or it will come out in one loooooong line of text that won't fit your project. Once you have typed your text into the box, click Add. You may have to play with it for a while to get it exactly how you want it. You can drag the text box all over the screen to place it. Choose a Font. Choose a Font Color.

Now click on the Stickers tab.  There are literally hundreds of options here, and since they're all FREE, you can choose to add whatever you'd like! I chose the tab for Hand-Drawn Hearts.

You can alter the sticker once it's added by right clicking on it for options. You can change the color of many of the stickers, and you can resize all of them. Drag them to the perfect spot on your creation.

Save your project to your computer by clicking on the Save and Share tab.

Say Ta Da! and sit back and admire your work! Print it out, frame it, gift it to someone special in your world. And don't forget to send me pics of your project!