Tutorials Archives - Kayla Aimee Writes

A DIY Holiday | Color-A-Magnet Personalized Gift (+ Free Printable Template)

29 Nov

Since I had a batrillion leftover magnet sheets from my calendar project, I tried to think of lots of different ways to use them up. I decided to make personalized photo magnets that Scarlette could color on and that I could include in our Christmas cards for out-of-town relatives. Basically I just made a little template in photoshop, printed on heavy cardstock and then stuck that to the sticky side of my adhesive magnet sheets. Then I let Scarlette color or paint with glitter paints on them. She doesn't quite grasp the whole "color inside the lines" thing yet since we're still working on things like "how to hold a crayon" and "no feeding … [Read more...]

How To: Make A Rolled Paper Christmas Tree

26 Nov

rolled paper christmas tree, paper back book christmas tree

One of the most popular tutorials on this blog are my paperback Christmas trees. And inevitably when this time of year rolls around I get a lot of requests for a tutorial on the rolled paper tree that is shown in the photo. I included the instructions for that tree in a class I taught a few years ago so until now I haven't made it available publically. But since I no longer teach it, I decided to post it here for those of y'all who asked! This is one of my favorite projects. I will warn you, it is not a quick project but it is easy and cute. I made these three years ago and with proper storage they are still holding up really well- I put … [Read more...]

Free Printable Bookplates + Tutorial

22 Oct

These printable book labels coordinate with these Avery shipping labels or you can print them on sticker paper or cardstock! Cut them out and wrap them up along with a book for your favorite little book lover! Just click HERE to download. To print in Photoshop or Elements: Open the file and click on PRINT, then UNCHECK the box that says Center Image To print as a PDF, select PRINT, then PROPERTIES and then uncheck the box that says CENTER IMAGE. How to personalize your bookplates using a blank template:First, open up your blank template in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements (you can download a free trial of either at www.adobe.com.) If you … [Read more...]

Instagram Tip: Pretty Heart Bokeh For Android

20 Oct

How To Add Heart Bokeh To Instagram Pictures

I've been asked a bunch lately how I get the soft heart bokeh on my instagram pictures so I thought I'd write up a quick little post about it. I have an android phone so I am using a free app called PicsArt - you can download it here. I've tried a few different editing apps for android and I like this one the most. It lets you add text, filters, draw, and change things like saturation or contrast. I like playing around with my instagram photos since I'm not trying to be technically perfect when taking pictures with my camera phone and the heart bokeh is a fun way to frame a shot. To get the heart bokeh, you just go to EDIT and then open … [Read more...]

Five For Friday | Favorite Places For Finding Free E-Books Online

19 Oct

So it's no secret that I love to read. I am what they call a "voracious reader" which actually is a phrase that I am not incredibly fond of because I think it sounds like weird, as though I like to eat books. I mean, I know that's not what it means but I can't help but have that mental picture when I see those words set in type. I never thought that I would want an e-reader because I like the feeling of holding a book in my hands and turning the thin pages in anticipation of whatever is coming next. But then Scarlette was in the hospital and my mother gave me a kindle (I have this one) for Christmas, which lightened the load of my tote bag … [Read more...]

How To: Use Layered Digital Scrapbooking Templates

27 Jun

The really excellent thing about using a layered digital scrapbooking template is that you can create a scrapbook page in just a few minutes! You can use it over and over again and just change a couple of elements + photos each time for a totally different look. Here's a before and after example of it what the process will look like: (You can click here to download template shown above and follow along!) Here is how to customize your template in photoshop & photoshop elements STEP ONE: First, open up your template in your photo editing program. Then, go to FILE > OPEN and open up your photo. Click on your photo and then click CTRL … [Read more...]

No Bake Cookies & Cream Surprise

15 Jun

No Bake Cookies And Cream Surprise | kaylaaimee.com

Thank you COOL WHIP for sponsoring this post. Join us on Facebook for inspiration and recipes for everyday treats. What you add makes it. #coolwhipmoms My freshman year of college found Tiffani and I rooming together in a dorm that had no kitchen. All of the other dorms had kitchens but turns out, we were placed into the oldest dormitory on campus and the only without a place to cook food. Also, apparently our dorm was haunted. It was really a great way to start your college experience. So our RA, in an attempt to distract us from the fact that the communal bathrooms had no shower curtains, decided to have a little party to teach us … [Read more...]

How To: Install Free Fonts

10 May

Here is a quick tutorial on how to install all of those cute, free fonts you've downloaded to your computer! STEP ONE | Click on the font that you want to download and then click OK in the dialog box to open with the default program STEP TWO | It will automatically open a new window. Click on the EXTRACT button and then choose where you want the file to open in the drop down menu (I typically choose DESKTOP) and click OK STEP THREE | Go to your desktop where you'll see the file. Now open up your FONTS folder by going to CONTROL PANEL > FONTS or C: > WINDOWS >FONTS. Click on the font that you just downloaded to your desktop and … [Read more...]

Facebook Timeline Cover Photo Template

20 Feb

I made this image for the cover photo on my facebook timeline. Then I decided to save it as a layered .psd file in case any of y'all want to use it. It has all of the months so you can just switch out the date, background and photos as you like. Here's what it looks like on your facebook page: To use it, just click this link to download the template: fbtimeline_v2_ka Here are the instructions w/step by step photos for adding your own images into the facebook cover photo timeline template: 1) Open the facebook timeline template in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements 2) Also open the photos you want to place in the template 3) Make sure … [Read more...]

How To : DIY Keepsake Ornaments

1 Dec

One of our holiday traditions growing up was having a special ornament for our Christmas tree each year. It's such a sweet memory for me and I want to do something similar with Scarlette. I found these little resin frames in the dollar spot at Michaels a couple of weeks ago and decided to make my own keepsake ornaments out of them. They were really inexpensive to make because I had most of the supplies on hand and they make for great gifts. Here is how I made them: DIY Keepsake Ornament Instructions: First collect the keepsakes or photos you want to use. Scarlette's NICU nurses made hand and feet prints for me last Christmas so those are … [Read more...]