Pretty Place Cards Made Fast

Friends, there is something you should know about me.  I frequent the Templates and Clip Art section of MarthaStewart.com the way celebrities frequent rehab.  It is one of my favorite spots for inspiration and quick, pretty projects.

In other news, I recently helped put together a party for the women at my church.  Cupcakes in every variety were on the menu for the evening ( you can find the recipes here).  I needed a quick way to label the different offerings- after all, we wouldn't want someone mistaking Red Velvet for Rocky Road, that would be sheer madness.  So Martha came through for me with her printable place cards.  The only problem is that they were designed to be printed as blank cards and filled in by hand.  With a dull Carnation Pink crayola as the only writing apparatus currently in the house, this wasn't going to work.  Besides, I wanted to use a pretty font, print them, and be done.

So I took Martha's pdf into my own hands, and five minutes later, I had my pretty printed place cards.  They are so versatile.  They could be used for weddings, birthday parties,  gift tags, organization projects, dinner parties, showers- the possibilities are endless. Oh, and Martha has many styles of place cards too.

Here is a quick tutorial, using Photoshop Elements,  to show you how to change the color and add text to those Pretty Place Cards and put them to work for your next creative endeavor.

1. Go to the Place Cards Templates Page on MarthaStewart.com and select "Templates in Color."

2.  Save the file to your computer (I'm using a Mac, so your screen may look slightly different if you are on a PC, but the steps should be the same)

3.  Open the file in Photoshop Elements. Be sure to select page 2, which has the most vibrant color,  and then click "OK."

4. From the Enhance menu select "Adjust Color" and from that menu, select "Adjust Hue/Saturation"

5. Move the slider bars to adjust hue, saturation, and lightness until you get the color you want.

6.  Select the Text tool from the side menu and place your cursor inside the place card.

7.  Add your text, adjusting the font and size if you like.

 

8.  Print  your place cards ( I used a textured card stock)

9. Marvel at your quick cleverness and for heaven's sake, have a cupcake!

I'm sharing my project on  Savvy Southern Style and these fun blogs this week!