I used a black background with fire and stretched it out the the ruler in Printshop (2"X6"). Then I cut and pasted Darkspell's blurb in my favorite font within the "blue line" (or was it pink?) of a template (it reminds me of a sewing pattern*) provided by NextDayFlyers.com. After that, I added my book cover and then my release date for this fall and website address.
After I made sure everything fit perfectly, I saved it and opened it in Picasa where I cropped it. In Paint, I touched up any discolorations and sharpened the font where the background flames made certain letters vanish (with the magnifier). I had to do this a few times from step one to get it the way I wanted.
Talk about one frustrating night!
Now for my confession:
This is embarrassing for me, but it speaks volumes. Ever since I signed for Darkspell's deal, my hubby assigned the kiddies a dishday for every day of the week. I stopped doing dishes. Then when I started editing and illustrating, my kids made dinner and did the housecleaning. I lost myself in my writing to the point that I felt lost in knowing how to meet my kids' needs come school.
I thought and thought about it and had an idea. As strange as it sounds, I had the strongest impression that I need to take back my housecleaning duty from them. The silly thing about this, is that I can feel my motherly confidence blooming again.
Do you have bookmarks, how did you figure it out? And do you have a strange confession of your own to share?
*I had to outline the "pattern" with a sheet of paper with a pen directly from my screen. After I was done creating my bookmark, I blew it up to match the "pattern" I traced on paper. Okay, so I saved it and uploaded. It came out blurry. I had to go back resize the bookmark, but made sure I kept in perfect ratio so that the upload translated fine.
I actually make my own bookmarks by hand with colored pencils, watercolors, and or fancy markers. Then I laminate. But I like your idea! Then I could make copies of originals rather than give them away :)
ReplyDeleteThe bookmark looks great! My publisher designs mine.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous bookmark!! Love the flames and colour scheme too! Yay!
ReplyDeleteAwww your kids are so good!!! But mum knows best! LOL! take care
x
The bookmark looks lovely, Elizabeth. Good you relieved the kidlets of their kitchen duties.
ReplyDeleteMarcy, great idea! I'd so do that, but I'd want a trillion to help market my crazy book! *sigh*
ReplyDeleteAlex, I find that designing is very easy--it's attaching it to the printer's red tape that make my eyes cross! Lol...
Jennifer, thank you! *hugs*
Hi, Rachna! thank you and thank you! They still help around, but not so much as before. *sheepish grin*
ReplyDeleteAwesome bookmark, Elizabeth! It's amazing! Do you have an actual release date for Darkspell yet? And is that the cover on your sidebar? i want to add you to my blog's Must-Read Books page!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a parent so I can't relate to mommy guilt, but I remember being a kid. And I had house chores! I'd dry the dishes (my sister washed) and I vacuumed the area rugs. I can't remember all my siblings' chores, though. I do remember that my brothers had to pooper scoop after the dog, haha! Chores are good for kids! I'll have to ask my parents if they ever felt guilty, but I'm thinking it's going to be a big fat no, LoL!!!
That looks great. Good job! Looks like it was a lot of work. It can be hard to keep family and everything else in balance. Good luck! I'm sure you'll know just what to do.
ReplyDeleteLaura, I don't have a solid date yet. :( Yes, that is my cover! :) Thank you! <3 Lol! Thank you for sharing your chores adventures with me! I remember cleaning around, too and I agree with you. I doubt my parents felt guilty, too! Lol. Have a great weekend! <3
ReplyDeleteAngie, aw, you're so sweet. Thank you for your vote of confidence in me! :)
I did not understand any of what you told me about designing your bookmark. I only know it's pretty :-)
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed by your hard work and diligence to create your own bookmark! It's so enticing.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your picks for the blogfest on Monday!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great bookmark. My kids are older so they can do a lot of taking care of themselves. I use my crockpot a lot when I'm in the grove.
ReplyDeleteWow, only an hour. That is fantastic! Your bookmark looks super. :D
ReplyDeleteIt's okay for your kids to help out when you are in a literary crunch. You shouldn't feel bad about it. They care about your writing and that is really sweet.
Sarah, sorry it's confusing. It made my eyes cross trying to describe how I did it, but moreso as I actually did it! :(
ReplyDeleteClara, thank you! I matched my business card! I plan to make the next batch of bookmarks a bit different. ;)
Alex, ugh... I had a hard time trying to decide on them, but I bet I'll be saying something like this as I visit the participants' blogs: Oh! I didn't think of that one! ;)
Susan, I <3 the crockpot! :)
Sharon, thank you so much for your kind words! *hugs*
Crazy how much goes into designing a bookmark, huh? Can't wait to see the finished product.
ReplyDeleteHi Elizabeth, your bookmark looks good! I've made them before using Paint Shop Pro, but the process is labor-intensive and I haven't made them in a good while. Not hard to figure out, though.
ReplyDeleteAs for confessions, I think I'll use discretion for a change. ;-)