~~Click on Sample to view full size~~
This Tutorial was written on November 23^rd, 2013 by Ashly
It is of my own creation and any resemblance to any other tutorial is purely coincidental.

Please do not copy and do not post elsewhere.

Do not translate or script.
This tutorial is written as if you have a general knowledge on how to use the program.

***What you'll need***
Program of Choice.
I am using Photoshop CS5

Tube of choice.
I am using a tube by Gary Rudisill

Do not use he work without a license

You can find it HERE

Scrapkit of Choice

I am using the scrapkit, “Jingle My Bells” by Jackie's Jewels

It was made to match this tube and exclusive to Mystical Scraps

Which you can purchase for use HERE

Mask of Choice

I am using WinterMask_1 by Dangerously Delicious Designs

Which you can find for download to use HERE

Additional Filters Needed

Xero – Porcelain

PhotoEffex – Scanlines

Xenofex 2 - Constellation

~*~*~ Let's Get Started~*~*~

Start a new canvas

600px by 600px

Flood fill with white.

Open Frame2

Add it to your canvas

Scale down to about 70%

Add a dropshadow

Open PP7

Resize to 600px by 600px

Add to your canvas and have this below the frame layer

Use your magic wand and select inside the frame

Select → Modify → Expand, by 5

Invert the selection and on the paper layer, press delete

Deselect

Duplicate

Filter → PhotoEffex → Scanlines, change the width to 3

Change the blend mode to lighten

Open Frame4

Add to your canvas

Resize down by about 90%, rotate -15 degrees

Arrange beneath your other frame and papers

Open PP5

Add to your canvas

Resize down and position inside one of the frames how you'd like

Use your magic wand and select inside the frame of the two you're working on

Select → Modify → Expand, by 5

Invert and on the paper press delete

Deselect

Duplicate

Filter → PhotoEffex → Scanlines, change the width to 3

Change the blend mode to screen

Repeat this same process with the other of the two frames

Add your tube to your canvas.

Resize and reposition as you'd like to above the frames

Once you're happy with the size and position

Erase any of the legs that are still over the silver frame

Duplicate this layer

On the bottom layer

Filter → Xero → Porcelain

All a default except the blue channel, slide to 0

Add a drop shadow here

To the top layer

Filter → Blur → Gaussian Blur, 3.0px

Change the blend mode to screen

Lower to opacity to 70%

Add your tube in between the circle frame's papers layers

I flipped one of mine horizontally

Once you're happy with how they look

Erase any of the tubes that are outside the frame

Change the blend modes to luminosity

Duplicate them

On the duplicate

Filter → Blur → Gaussian Blur, 3.0px

Change the blend modes on these to screen

Lower the opacity of both to 50%

Open PP6

Resize to 600 px by 600 px

Add to your canvas just above the white background layer

Apply the mask here

Now if you're wanting to animate follow the next steps, if not you can do it to add some sparkle or skip it, whatever works for what you'd like to do :)

Hide the very top tube layers along with the white background

Ctrl + A (selects the whole canvas)

Edit → Copy Merged

Paste

You may need to reposition your new layer of the merged image so it's directly over the other

Now Ctrl + click on the thumbnail of this image so that you select just around this one

I added a new layer here a filled the selection with black

Now you can delete our merged image

Duplicate the black layer 3 times so we have a total of 4 layer of them

On the bottom one

Filter → Xenofex 2 → Constellation

For the settings just go over to Settings along the top, small star constellation

Change the Background fill to “make selection transparent”

Click okay

Do this for the other 3 layers, just make sure you click random seed once for each one

Hide all but the very first layer of these for now.

Unhide the two tube layers

Open up Puppy and add to your canvas

Resize and reposition where you'd like to

Once you're happy with this

Add a drop shadow that you'd like

Use the Quick Selection Tool and select just the puppy's nose

Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V

You may need to adjust it's position once again so it's back where it belongs

Duplicate this nose layer twice

Change all three blend modes to vivid light

Merge them together

You may need to do a bit of cleanup and erase little bits around the nose

For now though just hide this layer.

Now we're just going to add the elements we want to, to the tag

Do this to your liking with the drop shadow of choice

I used the following from the bottom up with a drop shadow unless stated:

PineBranch

Snowflake2

Snowflake2

PineBranch

PineBranch

Snowpile (no drop shadow)

Snowpile (no drop shadow)

Ribbon1

PineBranch

PineBranch

PineBranch

Sign

Bulbwire

SantaLetter

Bow1

Holly&Berries

Gift3

Bell2

Bell2

Hat

Ornaments

Ornament2

Pinecone

Gift1

RibbonStar

Poinsetta

Bell1

Bow3

Milk

Cookies

Coffee

Bell1

Flower1

Bow2

Bird

FallingSnow (no drop shadow)

FallingSnow (no drop shadow)

Add your name

I short of did a similar style as the Jingle my Bells wordart in the kit

Image → Trim

Top left pixel color all boxes checked

Resize if you'd like to

****Most Important****

Add your copy right information

If you're happy with your result save to your liking and you're done!

Now if you'd like to animate let's get to that, we're all ready and set

Open your animation window, everything should be ready for frame one if you closed out all the ones I mentioned previously so, add a new animation window

Leave the dog nose hid for now but, hide the first frame of the sparkles and unhide the second frame

Add a new animation layer, hide the second frame and unhide the third frame, unhide the dog nose layer as well

Add a new animation layer, hide the third frame and unhide the fourth frame, leave the dog nose layer as is

Add a new animation layer, hide the fourth frame and unhide the first frame, hide the dog nose layer as well

Add a new animation layer, hide the first frame and unhide the second frame, leave the dog nose layer as is

Add a new animation layer, hide the second frame and unhide the third frame, unhide the dog nose layer as well

Add a new animation layer, hide the third frame and unhide the fourth frame, leave the dog nose layer alone

You should now have 8 layers of animation frames

Now set the delay to .2 sec and set to go forever

Press play and watch the sparkles go and the nose blink

Save as a .gif and you're done!

Below is an example of the non-animated tag

~Click to view at full size~