Amazing Blog Design

Hey

After surfing the web as I do I have come across a really cool blog design. When I first saw it I was blow away. It seemed so unique and simple. Anyway if you head over to Cocoia, you can find all of the design. As well as this it is also quite a good blog.

Amazing iPhone/iTouch Wallpapers

Hey

I can't remember where I came across this but it is one of the coolest sites for iPhone and iTouch wallpapers. I think some of these designs are really cool and I wish that some of these could be widescreen so I can put them as my main background.

If you head over to this site your can find all of them. They are updated every so often with new designs. Below is one of my favorites.

A fresh new look for Spring!

My thoughts have been turning towards the new season which will soon be upon us and so it was 'out with the old and in with the new' in my kitchen at the weekend! Well, of course nothing is actually new - except the look! I decided a fresh and Spring-like appearance was needed for one of my dresser tops - plus it was a good opportunity to give it a good clean!!

I rummaged through some of my pretty chintz and cottageware china and re-dressed the dresser! It is looking just a tad minimalist for me - but I'm sure I can work on that!


All that light space really sets off my stunning amaryllis which is in full bloom. This was a Christmas present and has turned out to be a real stunner! It is called Red Lion - a very appropriate name!


All this early Spring cleaning has put me in the mood to do some painting - not the artistic kind though! As soon as I can decide on the right shade of green, my old 1940s kitchen cupboards will be transformed!

Have a wonderful weekend!

New Idea: Massive Mac Desktop

Hey

I was mulling over an idea a couple of days ago and it was about one large desktop for a Mac (I suppose Windows and Linux to). The ideas behind this is that the desktop is one large desktop but the user only sees a small proportion of it. Its very similar to spaces except you don't have to use any mouse keys to move between them.

The reason behind this is that the user can move quicker. Using the mouse near the edge of the screen the visible screen will move to a new area and preserve the old area. Its similar to moving in a 3D game. I have included an image below of what I thought.

Please leave a comment with your ideas and comments.

Creating An Apple Style Advert

Hey

This is going to be a simple tutorial which will show you how to make an Apple style advert. Its pretty simple and fun to do. It only uses a couple of effects and as a result you can probably do this within an hour. The source pack is included here if you want all the materials.

Step 1) The first step is to create your canvas. I have chose a 600 pixel by 750 pixel canvas size. Chose any style you want. Colour the background in #2c2c2c.

Step 2) On a new layer create a rounded square. The corners are 30px in diameter. It can be any colour you want. Align the square with the centre of the canvas by selecting the two layers, clicking on the transform tool in the toolbox and then selecting the align center in the toolbar. After you have done this nudge, with the arrow keys, the square up. This is so you can add in some extra text at the bottom.


Step 3) Create a new layer again, in the layers palette (Window > Layers) right click on the layer and select clipping mask or you can go to Layer > Create Clipping Mask.

Step 4) On this layer fill it in with a back to white gradient. Move the markers closer together and move slightly to one side. Add this to the new layer. Slightly ignore the image below because I was going to do this as a layer style, but it didn't work with the later steps.


Step 5) Create three new layers. On each layer draw a circle with purple, blue or green in it. Let them overlap the edges and be different sizes. Draw the circles so if there was an imaginary triangle between the three the centre of this triangle is approximately centre on of the square, check out the images below for a better idea.

Step 6) Select a layer and apply a Gaussian Blur, increase the blur dramatically. Apply this to all three layers using the same amount of blur.



Step 7) Merge these three layers by selecting all three and going to Layer > Merge Layers. Change the layer to a clipping mask.

Step 8) Create a new layer fill this in black. Go to Filter > Render > Lens Flare. Select the default option and adjust the brightness so it appears a medium brightness.

Step 9) In the layers palette change the blending option to screen. Move and transform the layer so the bright part is in the centre of the coloured circles.


Step 10) Create a new layer, add a clipping mask. Draw in a black square at the top of the rounded square. Add in a small dark grey stroke of 1px to finish.


Step 11) Repeat this process but with white at the bottom.

Step 12) Add in the main image. I have chosen an Apple TV. A transparent .png can be found in the source pack. Insert the image so that it is centre.

Step 13) Create two new layers below the image, draw in a dark and light blue ellipse and add a large Gaussian Blur as before.

Step 14) Duplicate the Apple TV layer. Go to Edit > Free Transform. Select the flip vertical option, move the new image so that it lines up with the bottom of the original image.

Step 15) With the new image selected go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal all. On this layer add in a black and white gradient so that only the very top of the image is shown. This is also known as a reflected shadow.


Step 16) Finally add in text. I have used Lucida Grande. Change the colours so they fit and look good. The Apple logo was included in part of the font on a Mac and is found by pressing Option + Shift + K. It may be available on other operating systems, have a look at your font maps for more information.


Step 17) You can always finish it off by adding in some small images and extra text. Both of the images below are in the source pack. The very bottom part is a small area for the small print.


It looks quite effect and could definitely be used as an advert. It could do with some minor touch ups. But otherwise it is quite cool. You can download the source here which includes the final psd.

Happy Valentine's Day to you - Happy Anniversary to us!

It's hard to believe that exactly a year ago today we launched the Vintage Home website. We have been overwhelmed with the response and would like to extend our sincerest thanks to everyone who has supported us along the way.

In celebration of our anniversary and keeping with the mood of Valentine's Day we have updated the website today with some really gorgeous vintage treasures! There are roses galore and pretty Durham quilts...



...even a beautiful red eiderdown for added passion!!


Also, we have launched our latest additions to the Man Made range of handmade goods...



why not pop along and have a browse...



I hope you all have a Valentine's Day to remember!

Designing A Magazine Cover

Hey

This is going to be a simple tutorial to show you how to design a magazine cover in Photoshop. The topic is going to be about photography although you can change it to what ever you want. It is really simple to do and involves a lot of composition and not any advance Photoshop techniques. You can click on the pictures for the full version. The final .psd will be included at the end.

Step 1) The first step is to create your canvas. I have picked A4, although you can pick any size you want.

Step 2) Insert you picture. I have found mine from here. Insert you picture through copy and paste or File > Place. Resize your picture so the main focal point is the spiders head, there is plenty of resolution in the picture.

Step 3) Create a new layer. On this layer select all using Command + A. Go to Select > Modify > Contract, reduce the size by about 15 - 20 pixels. Reverse the selection using Command + Shift + I. Fill this selection with white using the paint bucket. This is used as a small white border.


Step 4) Working from the top down, insert some text. I have chosen Lucida Grande. Make the first half bold and the second half normal. It just adds a little to the effect. Add a drop shadow for that extra effect.



Step 5) Since "Photouser" sounds a bit dull I have added a small amount of text. Keep your colour scheme to a minimum of of about 3 colours.


Step 6) Add a small amount of text above the main header and a tag line below.



Step 7) Create a new layer above the current layers. Using the marquee tool to draw a small box along the top of the piece. Don't go into the boarder. Fill this with red.

Step 8) Using the rounded shape tool with a 40px corner insert a box that takes up the other half of the piece. Fill this yellow.

Step 9) Add in some text, add a small drop shadow to any text that since black. I have added 3 small ticks to give the list an extra feel.


Step 10) On a new layer draw a yellow circle. This will be used as a small sticker.

Step 11) Using the marquee tool cut a piece out of the circle onto a new layer. Use the transform tool to move this away from main circle. Use the paint bucket tool to colour this a light yellow.

Step 12) Use the transform tool to flip the piece. This is done by right clicking on the layer and selecting flip vertical.

Step 13) Add in some text. I have got a bit bored here so I have justed added in Lorem ipsum. Add a drop shadow to the circle parts to set it off.


Step 14) Continue working down the page. Add in some text. The larger part in white is size 20pt, the yellow mini text is in 12pt. The very small text is in size 6pt. Space the text out so it looks good.


Step 15) The penultimate step is to add in the big piece of text at the bottom of the page. This is done in a very similar way to the main text. Add in a small amount of text below. The image on the right is taken from here. Use the magic wand to delete the white background.


Step 16) The final step is to add in a barcode. I have taken one from here.


It looks cool and could probably be used on an actual magazine. You can find the source here.