Layout Ideas

Idea for a scrapbook page or card
Everyday there are more and more people "Getting Connected" in one way or another. With on-line communities, blogs, and texting you can pretty much keep up with whomever, whenever. Often you will see these cute Emoticons pop-up in the on-line arena. Teenagers are not the only ones who have a license to use them. For those of you who have no idea what an Emoticon is, they are the icons that show your emotions in text, sometimes they are created using symbols from your font-library examples are ;-), wink :0), smile. Add them to your scrapbook pages along with texting lingo like LOL (Laugh Out Loud), BRB (Be Right Back), IDK (I don't Know) etc.... Use a die cutting system and cut them from your favorite font-library, and piece them together on cards, scrapbook pages, or tags. These can be a lot of fun on your pages, and it will introduce some pop-culture to your designs. They may even make your kids think your SICK!
*** side note: sick is cool ;).***

Computer Graphic Design Tips

WordArt Tricks
Ideally you would want to use a vector program to generate these cute icons, but that isn't always an option. MS Word offers you an economical alternative, but with limited options.The medallion at the right was created using MS Office 2003 Word Art. Once you master the concept, you can do this in all kinds of shapes. Think arrows, curly brackets, etc. Here is a tutorial I put together so you can practice. Circle Tutorial in MS WORD

* TIP * Instead of text, try using symbols from your font library to create objects. In the flower icon below I use a period in Times New Roman font made it bold and 72pts. When the circle was drawn it elongated the period to form a petal. Keep the circle the same dimension as a circle punch that you currently own, and it will be easy to trim and use on your scrapbook pages. You may also want to print this on a clear label so that it becomes transparent.