Holiday Monogram Time

Happy Holidays Everyone! I was feeling very inspired by the holiday season and I wanted to extend a very specail monogram offer to all of my blog readers. From now until December 30th, you can order one monogram for a $1.00*. To get started I need:

Any Monogram you like from my blog

You and your FI full names (make sure to mention if you are not taking his name>

Wedding Date

Wedding location (optional)

Monogram Color be very specific

Anything else you want included; images, fonts, etc

*The $1.00 price includes one edit, once the design is approved another $1.00 chrage will be incured for additional changes.

Email: Brianna.fabulous.morrow@gmail.com to take part of this special offer.

Reader Emails

Ug, I have to tell you guys how very, very sorry I am! Not only have I not been blogging, I have not been answering my email! I know I have just not gotten back to anyone. If it makes you all feel better I have not be blogging much on my personal blog either. Since I have been so bad at getting back to emails I thought I would answer some emails I received on my blog so others might benefit from it too. Here goes:

Email From Sarah
How would I create embellished / ornate fonts and flourish designs.

I know you cannot see the images she attached so I will explain them. She is looking for an ornate letter as the back of her monogram.

BriannaNichole
The best, and easiest, way to have an ornate design is to use a dingbat or a font. Learn more about Dingbats. One of my favorite dingbat sites is Houseoflime.com.
Here is one that I created using the Ornate Initials B font.


I simply added a box to make it a little fancier. You can find similar instructions on my How to Create a Border tutorial.

---

Email From Ashley
So first off, I LOVE your site! You are soo freaking creative! OMG I have been on photoshop for hours playing with my monogram! I have a few questions though because I'm having some problems. My colors are Red and White. So its been hard to do monograms with it cause they are boring, I have tried incorporation black and grey and like a beige but Im having alot of difficulty. Does it have to match my color theme or can you think of some other colors I can throw in with red? Ugh its super aggravating. Also our names are Ashley & Matthew soon to be last name Donovan. These are such hard letters to work together! Exceptionally the D!Im trying but Im not having much luck. My wedding is 05/30/09 si I still have time, but Im getting pretty frustrated. Is there any way you could help me come up with a good idea? Thanks.

BriannaNichole
First off I have to say thanks so much for the compliment on the site. You will have to thank my old boss who let me make monogram tutorials when I should have been working ;).

To answer your question I think that there are a lot of colors that you can do with red and white. I love the idea of doing back and grey with some red for an accent. It just screams chic and modern to me. I don't think you have to 100% match your color scheme. If you add punches of other colors no one would even know. In fact you could do invitations and STDs that are a totally different color pallet than your wedding. No one would be the wiser. Another great way to work with a 'boring' color pallet is to go monochromatic. Why not use several shades of the same color.

I do agree that some letters are harder to work with than others! My monogram consisted of B, D and another D for the last name. I could not pick harder letters to work with than those. What I figured out was that by adding a different type of font (cursive swirly vs. modern serif) you can overcome those difficult font issues.


By using a serif, or plain, font for the D I was able to get around the fact that it is hard to find a good 'fancy font' D.

That is all of the emails for this time. I hope you found this helpful. I am going to really try to make an effort to post lots more monogram tutorial annnnnnnnnd to answer my emails.

Happy Planning,
BriannaNichole!

I swear I will Post Soon!

I will, I will, I will!

BriannaNichole!

I'm a Big Fat AW

For those of you not in the know, that is attention whore. I just had to toot my own horn because I just got a shout out from Card of The Week for Tutorial Tuesday.

Her blog is pretty cool, go check it out.

BriannaNichole!

How To Draw Lines

If you look at a lot of my monograms, or other designs, you will notice that I have included lines in them. I think they add a lot to a monogram. The are especially good if you want to have a lot of elem nets to a monogram, they help to separate the monogram and make it look 'cleaner'. In this tutorial I am going to show you how you can create one of my favorite monograms that include lines.



Step 1 Open Photoshop and create a new canvas: File > New or Ctrl + N.


Step 2 Create a new Layer by clicking on the Add a New Layer icon and select the Rectangle Marquee tool.


Step 3 You are going to use the Marquee tool to draw your line. Just Left-Click on the canvas and drag the line to the side until you are happy with the length of your line. Don't worry if it is too thick or long we can fix that later.


Step 4 Select the Foreground Color Tool and change it to the color you desire. Select the Paintbucket Tool and click once on the line to add the color.


Step 5 If your line is too thick; use the down arrow key on your keyboard to move the section (dancing ants) down. When the line is as thick as you want it hit the Delete button to remove the excess. When you are finished hit Ctrl + D to remove the selection (dancing ants).


Step 6 Create a new layer, select the Type Tool and type the: Bride and Grooms Name, Wedding Date and Location. I am going to use Times New Roman, All Caps, 16pt and I am using 4 spaces between each word. You may need to play around with this a little until you are happy with the result.


Step 7 Duplicate the layer that has the line: Ctrl + J. Select the Move Tool and move the Line layer copy under the text you created.


Step 8 Create a new layer, select the Type Tool and type the last name of the bride and groom. Make sure to select a script font that is a bigger size. This text will sit on top of the line.


Step 9 Use the Crop Tool to remove the excess canvas.


You are finished. Try being creative and adding some elements to the monogram. I added some dots and a Palm Tree dingbat to mine.

Monogram Contest Winner!!!

I just wanted to thank all of you that participated in the monogram contest. I got so many amazing entries that it was super hard to choose. Here are some of the AMAZING things that you have been doing with my tutorials:

Karneisha created some beautiful invitations using my Get This Look Invitation,Photoshop Brushes and the Dumask Design Tutorials.



Gina made some cool Mr. and Mrs. signs and a great monogram using my Mr. and Mrs. and Letter Behind Monogram Photoshop Tutorials.




Shelley created a shabby chic damask invitation using Damask Photoshop tutorial.


Laura made one of my favorite monogram styles with the Letter Behind Monogram Photoshop Tutorials.


Thanks to everyone who sent in designs. You guys all did an amazing job! Too bad there can only be one winner. I think I have to say my favorite design, both for creativity and beauty has to be Karneisha. I loved that she took the a few tutorials and combined them to make some really great invitations.

Thanks,
BriannaNichole!

Monogram Contest Update

Hi all! The entry period for the monogram contest is now over. Please keep checking back for your monogram entries, the free monograms and for the contest winner.

Plus, there will soon be lots of new tutorials.

BriannaNichole!

Paid Monograms

Good Morning Brides. You may notice that I removed the information on how to purchase monograms. I have just been so busy with creating monograms for people that I have not had time to create any new tutorials. So, for the time being I will not be taking any orders to create paid monograms. I will be focusing on creating tutorials and the monogram contest.

Also, if you are looking for Photoshop Tutorials on how to edit pictures, check out my personal blog FabBriannaNichole.blogspot.com.

Happy Planning,
BriannaNichole!

Free Monogram Contest Reminder!

I wanted to thank everyone who has already participated in the free monogram contest. All the designs I have received look amazing, you all are doing a great job. I want to remind you that Thursday April 24, 2008 is the cut off for entries. Once I receive all the entries I will pick the winner based on creativity, overall look and difficulty of the design. The winner will receive a set of table number designs custom to your wedding. Everyone who enters will get a free monogram.

Thanks Guys,
BriannaNichole!

Monogram Contest...Free Monogram

I would love to see all the monograms/Invitations/Table numbers/Mr. and Mrs. Signs/Reception Menus/Etc. That you created by using one of my tutorials. All entires will win a Free Monogram. My favorite design can win Free Custom Table Numbers/Names for their wedding.

All you have to do is email me your design and allow me to post it on my blog. I will email you back with all the information I need for your free monogram. The winner will be announced next week.

Email Monograms in a .jpg format to WeddingMonograms@gmail.com

Good Luck and Happy Monogram-ing!
BriannaNichole!

Keeping Your Last Name?

So, you are getting married but you want to keep your last name? It's not a problem, there are still lots of monogram options; You can have a monogram with just your first names/initals and forgoe the whole last name thing, or you could create a monograms that includes both of your last names. I say go for the second option. It still shows that you are blending your lifes together, but it lets you display your last name.

In this blog entry I am going to show you a couple of monogram choices for ladies that want to keep their last name...and display it proudly on their monogram.

Here are some that I have already created:










You can pretty much do this with any monogram. Go ahead, pick one of my monogram tutorials and try it.

Good luck and Happy Monogram-ing,
BriannaNichole.

Reception Menu Tutorial

If you are like me, you enjoy the little touches that paper products can add to a wedding. I love when people include table numbers, escort cards, seating charts, Mr and Mrs signs and such.
For this blog entry I wanted to show you how simple it can be to create a dinner menu for your reception. They look so pretty on the table and they, just like flowers, add a nice touch of color to your reception.

Your menu cards can range from the very very simple, to the super ornate and fancy. Here I am going to show you one that falls somewhere in the middle. I will, also, be giving you the link so you can download the template and edit it with your info.

I am sooooo in love with black and lime green right now (like you couldn't tell from new blog look), so those are the colors I am going to be using. You will be able to change the colors to match your needs.

Step 1 Open Photoshop and create a new canvas: Ctrl + N. I am going to make mine 4.5x6.5, because I am going to add a border. If you don't want a border, or you want your menu a different size, enter your values here. Make sure the resolution is set to 300dpi.


Step 2 Change the foreground color to White > Select the Paintbucket tool and click once on the canvas. This will change the background to white.


Step 3 Change the Foreground color to Black and the Background color to Green. Add a new Layer: Layer > New > Layer.


Step 4 Select the Text tool and change the font to Frames and Headers and use the following settings. Download Here


Step 5 Type Q, on your keyboard. Select Ctrl + T and stretch the image to make it wider. Click on the green check mark when finished.


Step 6 Create a new layer (Layer > New > Layer or use the Add New Layer Icon) and Select the Text Tool.


Step 7 Change the font to Times New Roman (or a similar serif font) and change the size to 32. Type in Dinner Menu. Don't worry about it being centered, we can change that later.


Step 8 Highlight the text and select the Character and Paragraph Pallet. Change the spacing to 100 and click on the Small Caps button. Click the Green Arrow when finished.


Step 9 Create a new layer (Layer > New > Layer or use the Add New Layer Icon) and cut and paste your whole dinner menu into the new layer. Don't worry if the formatting is all messed up, we are going to fix that.


Step 10 With the Text too selected, highlight all the text you just pasted into the canvas. Change the font size to 14 (you may need to go smaller or larger if your menu is bigger, but you can adjust that later). Select the Left Align Text button. Select the Green check mark when you are finished.


Step 11 Select the Move Tool to center your text.


Step 12 Select each Header, like Entree, 1st course, Desert etc, and change the font, color, text size, remove small caps and spacing.


Here is what it should look like after step 12.


Step 13 In this step you will fix the formatting. Move all the extra spaces between lines, move text to new lines and just overall fix the formatting. Play around with font sizes until you are happy with the results.

Step 14 Create a new layer (Layer > New > Layer or use the Add New Layer Icon), select the Text tool and change the Foreground color to black. Select Times New Roman with 22 as the size. Select the Character and Paragraph Pallet and click on the Small Caps button.


Step 15 Type in you and your FI's name.


Step 16 Create a new layer (Layer > New > Layer or use the Add New Layer Icon), select the Text tool and change the Foreground color to green. Select a Script font with 22 as the size. Select the Character and Paragraph Pallet and click on the Small Caps button.


Step 17 Type in your wedding date, and use the move tool to position it where you think it looks best. I am going to make it look like the date and names are twined. Check out my Twine Monograms Tutorial for steps.


I added a border as a finishing touch. You can find the steps in my How to Create a Border Blog entry.

Here is the finished product:


You can download my template here

Note: This is only a photoshop (.psd) file, it will not work in other programs.

Désolé, Spiacente, Traurig...Sorry

I'm so sorry for the lack of tutorials posts!! I have been super busy creating monograms for brides. My next blog entry will be a tutorial on how to create a menu for a Wedding Reception. I will make sure to post the file so you gals can download it as a template. In the future I'll be creating some more 'Get This Look' invitation tutorials, with the file so you can use it as a template, as well as the inserts for the previous Get This Look invitation. I will, also, have a tutorial for those gals that are keeping their last name and want it on their monogram.

I wanted to clear up some Photoshop Elements questions. I don't have the program, but from what I undersaatnd you can create monograms and invitations in this version of Photoshop. The program is about $500.00 less than the full version of Photoshop.

As always, feel free to email me with tutorials you would like to see or Photoshop questions you might have. I may not know the answer, but I might be able to point you in the right direction.

Big Hugs,
BriannaNichole!

Wedding Maps

I just found this really great wedding map site called http://www.weddingmapper.com/. It lets you location where your Ceremony, Reception, RD etc are located on a map. You can show your guests where local hotels and attractions are. Which is really prefect if you have a lot of out-of-town guests or you are having a destination wedding. Its totally free and really cool. I just wish I knew about this when I was planning my wedding!

Happy Planning,
BriannaNichole!

Mr. and Mrs. Signs

The Mr. and Mrs. or Bride and Groom signs are a great way to let all of your reception know just who you are, like the big white dress and glowing faces were not a dead give away. They are designed to hang on the back of your chair and announce to the world your newly married status. Here is an example of some that I created for Chastity and Albert's beautiful wedding:


What is so easy about these signs is that they are designed to be the size of standard paper....so no cutting!

Step 1 Open Photoshop and create a new Canvas: Ctrl + N or File > New. The canvas should be the following setting:


Step 2 Select the Type Tool and a Script font. For this tutorial I am going to use the Carpenter Script, which you may remember from a previous blog entry. Set the font size to 250pt.


Step 3 Type in Mrs. You may need to use the Move Tool to center the type on the canvas.


Step 4 Create a new layer and Select the Rectangle Marquee Tool.


Step 5 Hold down the Left mouse button and drag it to the side, creating a line.


Step 6 Select the Paintbucket tool and fill the line with the color of your choice.


If the line is too thick you can use the Down-Arrow, on your keyboard. This will move the selection (marching ants) down. Hit the Delete button.


Step 7 Select the Type tool and change the font to a block, or serif font. In this case I am going to use Copperplate Gothic Bold. Set the size to 50Pt.


Step 8 Type in 'The Bride' and highlight the text. Select the Character and Paragraph pallet.


Step 9 Change the width to . Depending on the font you use you may need to play around with this setting.


Step 10 Select the layer with the line and duplicate the layer: Ctrl + J.


Step 11 Select the move tool. Move the duplicated line layer to the bottom of 'The Bride' text.


You are finished. Just change the text to 'Mr' and 'The Groom'.

Try adding a border or a Cardstock backing to the sign. to add some depth.


Use ribbon to attach it to the chair, or get creative!

Thanks,
BriannaNichole!