{"id":12322,"date":"2025-11-04T00:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/?p=12322"},"modified":"2025-11-04T08:06:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T13:06:40","slug":"old-signage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/old-signage\/","title":{"rendered":"Old Signage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Last week I talked about <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/off-script\/\" title=\"\">ransom style word<\/a><\/strong> art. Today I want to talk about some old signage \u2013 Letter Boards as word art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">If you\u2019ve read my \u201c<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/about-me\/\" title=\"\">About Me<\/a><\/strong>\u201d page you likely already know I had a long stint in the corporate world. Over the years I planned more than one conference or other corporate \u201cget together\u201d that generally required some form of signage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Way back in the twentieth century, letter boards were a very common form of signage. They were one of the easiest ways to display directions to different conference venues, display titles of topics being discussed, or schedules for the day, just to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Back in \u201cthe dark ages\u201d before all the electronic media these were like theater, restaurant or church marquees such as this one:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"303\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ChurchSignsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Sorrow Looks Back\" class=\"wp-image-12323\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ChurchSignsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ChurchSignsmaller-300x227.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ChurchSignsmaller-356x270.jpg 356w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Most letter boards would come with not just the basic letters of the alphabet but also extensive options of common words, phrases, symbols and sometimes even pictures. They were a vital communications mechanism that became widespread in places like schools, churches, government buildings, and businesses. They served as a budget-friendly way to display official information, business hours, prices, and event details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Today letter boards are most certainly a social media mainstay. Posts of funny silly or sentimental sayings show up everywhere. They\u2019re loved for mixing old charm with new style not just for their unique look but as a flexible way to make a statement. They\u2019ve also enjoyed some resurgence within the scrapbooking world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">You\u2019ve likely seen some at a scrapbook supply shop. Their popularity repeatedly peaks and wanes over time. But they\u2019re never really gone. Some designers call them signs, letter boards or felt boards, some lump them in with their word art and others place them with cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sweetshoppedesigns.com\/sweetshoppe\/home.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Sweet Shoppe Designs<\/a><\/strong> is a great place to shop for letter boards. They even have a pack of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sweetshoppedesigns.com\/sweetshoppe\/Letterboard-backgrounds-by-Amanda-Yi.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">letter board backgrounds<\/a><\/strong> in multiple fun colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Note<\/strong>: The featured image at the top of this post is a letter board from \u201cAutumn Lazy Days\u201d by Just Because Studio (now retired)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><strong>Letter Boards<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DontLookBacksmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Sample Letter Board\" class=\"wp-image-12324\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DontLookBacksmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DontLookBacksmaller-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DontLookBacksmaller-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DontLookBacksmaller-270x270.jpg 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">As scrapbookers, one of the biggest advantages to letter boards, over typical word art, lies in their changeability. You can express yourself as much as you want \u2013 literally, because as long as you keep your felt board and letters handy, you can change things out on the regular. So, from motivational to mad, and snarky to sad, your letter board content is yours to decide, over and over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Note<\/strong>: The image directly above is a letter board I created using supplies from my stash. All of which were accumulated over many years. I can\u2019t even tell you from where I got the original letters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Did you notice how the black \u201cfelt\u201d background in the image above looks like it is grooved? That\u2019s because real letter boards need those grooves for character placement. Creating this grooved background is the first step in building a letter board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><strong>Spoiler Alert<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Well maybe a warning more than a spoiler\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"278\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WhenImInspiredsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"When I'm Inspired\" class=\"wp-image-12325\" style=\"width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WhenImInspiredsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WhenImInspiredsmaller-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WhenImInspiredsmaller-388x270.jpg 388w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">You likely already know that one of my passions is helping people learn how to create amazing things. I love it when I hit on something that inspires me to write a post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I also strive to provide as much detail as possible so as to give you the best possible path to a successful outcome. This is one case where I firmly believe that too much information is generally better than not enough. I hope you agree!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">And sometimes, it\u2019s just a matter of one thing leading to another and I end up covering more than originally intended.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"580\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/OneThingLeadssmaller.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12670\" style=\"width:200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/OneThingLeadssmaller.png 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/OneThingLeadssmaller-207x300.png 207w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/OneThingLeadssmaller-186x270.png 186w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">That was the case with letter boards. As hard as I tried I just couldn\u2019t (or rather didn\u2019t want to) get a whole letter board put together in one fell swoop. All the steps\/images for just the background took up a lot of real estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">So, today we\u2019ll start our letter board project slowly. I want to promise that I&#8217;ll finish it up in one additional post. But it may take two more. I\u2019ll see how things go next week<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Now, let\u2019s make some felt\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><strong>Create The Felt<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Before I get started here\u2019s a quick reminder; I use Photoshop Elements (PSE) 2024. If you use a different version, some of my screen shots may look different from what you see on your screen.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardBlackFeltsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Black Felt\" class=\"wp-image-12326\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardBlackFeltsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardBlackFeltsmaller-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardBlackFeltsmaller-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardBlackFeltsmaller-270x270.jpg 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The image above is a piece of black \u201cfelt\u201d paper that I created using a free <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brusheezy.com\/brushes\/57713-20-fabric-texture-brushes-vol-11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">fabric texture brush<\/a><\/strong> from Brusheezy:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"280\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20-Fabric-Texture-Brushes-Vol.11smaller.jpg\" alt=\"Fabric Texture Brushes\" class=\"wp-image-12327\" style=\"width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20-Fabric-Texture-Brushes-Vol.11smaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20-Fabric-Texture-Brushes-Vol.11smaller-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20-Fabric-Texture-Brushes-Vol.11smaller-386x270.jpg 386w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><a id=\"add-grooves\"> <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I was just going to let you download the paper I\u2019ve created but I\u2019d rather teach you how to make it. That way you can create a collection of felt papers in an assortment of colors if you so choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">If you already have a 12&#215;12 piece of \u201cfelt\u201d paper that you\u2019d rather use, feel free to skip down to the section about creating grooves by <strong><a href=\"#grooves\">clicking here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">And if you already have a piece of letter board felt (with grooves) feel free to forego the remainder of this post and simply join me next week for adding words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Note<\/strong>: If you want to follow along exactly, please download and install the Brusheezy <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brusheezy.com\/brushes\/57713-20-fabric-texture-brushes-vol-11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">texture brush<\/a><\/strong> before going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I\u2019m going to start with a blank 12&#215;12 file and fill the base (Layer 1 for me) with a very dark grey &#8211; nearly black color (#232323):<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-DarkGreyBasesmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Black Base\" class=\"wp-image-12328\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-DarkGreyBasesmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-DarkGreyBasesmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-DarkGreyBasesmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Next, I click the Create a new layer icon at the top of the Layers Panel. PSE creates that new layer (Layer 2 for me) directly above my &#8220;blackish&#8221; base. I\u2019m also going to reset my Foreground\/Background color chips to the default (press D)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Then I open the brush tool and click the down arrow to the left of the current brush. PSE then opens the current brush set (Basic Brushes for me):<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"352\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BasicBrushessmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Basic Brushes\" class=\"wp-image-12329\" style=\"width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BasicBrushessmaller.jpg 352w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BasicBrushessmaller-211x300.jpg 211w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BasicBrushessmaller-190x270.jpg 190w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 352px) 100vw, 352px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I already have the fabric texture brush loaded. If you don\u2019t have it loaded, just click the three dots in the upper right corner of the brush set dialog box and select Load Brushes:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"296\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-LoadBrushessmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Load Brushes\" class=\"wp-image-12330\" style=\"width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-LoadBrushessmaller.jpg 296w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-LoadBrushessmaller-178x300.jpg 178w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-LoadBrushessmaller-160x270.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 296px) 100vw, 296px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Note<\/strong>: PSE may open the system folder that contains the PSE brushes. If you have your downloaded brush stored in a different folder (as, do I), you will need to navigate to the correct folder.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushFoldersmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Brush Folder\" class=\"wp-image-12331\" style=\"width:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushFoldersmaller.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushFoldersmaller-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushFoldersmaller-479x270.jpg 479w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">With the correct brush folder open, I look for the brush named \u201c20 Fabric Texture Brushes\u201d and double-click on the brush name. PSE loads the brush and returns me to the dialog box for the fabric texture brush:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BrusheezyFabricextureBrushessmaller.jpg\" alt=\"@0 Fabric Textures\" class=\"wp-image-12332\" style=\"width:275px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BrusheezyFabricextureBrushessmaller.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BrusheezyFabricextureBrushessmaller-210x300.jpg 210w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BrusheezyFabricextureBrushessmaller-189x270.jpg 189w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I select the brush named \u201cFabric Texture 11&#8243;, the leftmost brush in the third row from the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">These bushes are all sized to 2500x2500px. I cannot change the size to anything larger than that. But that\u2019s not a problem. I can re-size the image after I \u201cstamp\u201d the texture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I swap my Foreground\/Background color chips (press X) so that white is on top. Then, I position the brush at the upper left corner of the file:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushPositionedsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Brush Positioned\" class=\"wp-image-12333\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushPositionedsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushPositionedsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushPositionedsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I click once. PSE \u201cstamps\u201d the texture:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushStampedsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Brush &quot;Stamped&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-12334\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushStampedsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushStampedsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushStampedsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I\u2019m now going to re-size that image so it covers the entire base:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushReSizedsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Full Texture\" class=\"wp-image-12335\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushReSizedsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushReSizedsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushReSizedsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The texture is nice but I want this to be darker. So, I\u2019m going to change the Blend Mode of the brush (Layer 2 for me) to Soft Light:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushBlendedsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Texture Darker\" class=\"wp-image-12336\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushBlendedsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushBlendedsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BrushBlendedsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">That looks much better. I\u2019m going to save this working file first as a PSD file with a unique name \u201cCreateFeltWithFabricTexture\u201d so I can go back to the file any time I\u2019d like to make a different color of felt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Next, I\u2019ll also save this as a JPG file with a unique name for use when proceeding with creating the letter board. I named my file \u201cLetterboardBlackFelt\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">But this doesn\u2019t look like a letter board background just yet. I still need to add the grooves. But before I get to that I want to mention a few things about using different colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">When using a color other than &#8220;black&#8221; for the base background, setting the Foreground (brush) color to white may not always work. Try using a Foreground (brush) color of black with a Blend mode of Overlay. Here\u2019s an example of how that looks using a bright blue (#12acd9) background:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BlueBaseBlackBrushsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Felt #1\" class=\"wp-image-12337\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BlueBaseBlackBrushsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BlueBaseBlackBrushsmaller-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BlueBaseBlackBrushsmaller-262x270.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Another option would be to use a Foreground color that is a darker hue of the base color. Using the bright blue background above with a Foreground (brush) color of a deeper blue (#006296) and a Blend Mode of Normal, I get this:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BlueBaseBlueBrushsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Felt #2\" class=\"wp-image-12338\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BlueBaseBlueBrushsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BlueBaseBlueBrushsmaller-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-BlueBaseBlueBrushsmaller-262x270.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">You may not be able to notice the difference between the two in these small images, but it is noticeable at full size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">One final color note. When using a white base, it seems to work best to set the Foreground (brush) color to a shade of light grey (#c4c2be) and change the Opacity level of the brush layer to something between 40-60%.<\/p>\n\n\n<p><a id=\"grooves\"> <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I\u2019d encourage you to play with different Foreground (brush) colors and Blend Modes when using different base colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Now let\u2019s add the grooves\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><strong>Adding Grooves<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Caveatsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Caveat\" class=\"wp-image-12340\" style=\"width:200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Caveatsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Caveatsmaller-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Caveatsmaller-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Caveatsmaller-270x270.jpg 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Before I go on, I want to stress that everything in this section is driven by the size of the felt background being 12&#215;12 (3600&#215;3600). If you are using a different size you will need to use different settings for the size &amp; number of grooves and bevels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I\u2019d recommend that for the first attempt, please use a 12&#215;12 background. It can always be re-sized later. And you can play with different settings on your own with a different sized base once you know how things are created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Moving on\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In PSE, I\u2019m going to open the LetterboardBlackFelt file I created above:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"415\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlackFeltsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Felt Opened\" class=\"wp-image-12339\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlackFeltsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlackFeltsmaller-289x300.jpg 289w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlackFeltsmaller-260x270.jpg 260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">By default, PSE named that layer <em>Background<\/em>. I double-click on the layer\u2019s thumbnail. PSE opens the New Layer dialog box:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"147\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-NewLayersmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Rename Background\" class=\"wp-image-12388\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-NewLayersmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardFelt-NewLayersmaller-300x110.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I set the name to Felt and click OK to confirm. Then I immediately save this as a PSD file with a unique name &#8220;CreateGroovedLetterboardFelt&#8221;. This will automatically safeguard the original felt file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Note<\/strong>: PSE did not create a new layer. Rather the <em>Background<\/em> layer has just been simplified and renamed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I ensure that my Foreground\/Background color chips are set to the default (press D). Then in the Layers Panel I click on the Create a new layer icon. PSE places that new layer directly above the Felt layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Next, I grab the Line Tool. It\u2019s nested within the other shape tools:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineToolsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Line Tool\" class=\"wp-image-12342\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineToolsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineToolsmaller-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineToolsmaller-216x270.jpg 216w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">In the Line Tool Options, the color chip is already set to black because that\u2019s how my Foreground color chip is set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I then set the Width to 40px, the Arrow Head options to No Arrow Head, and select the Create a New Shape Layer icon:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"121\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineOptionssmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Line Shape Options\" class=\"wp-image-12343\" style=\"width:450px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineOptionssmaller.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineOptionssmaller-300x52.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineOptionssmaller-604x104.jpg 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Note<\/strong>: Depending on the version of PSE that you\u2019re using, when creating a new line you may see an option for Style. If that is the case, set the Style to None.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">On the file, holding down the Shift key, I click and drag a line from the left edge, near the top of the Felt layer so that it spans the entire width of the paper without extending beyond the edges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">As soon as I release the cursor, PSE places the line in that new layer and renames the layer to Shape 1 (at least for me):<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlackLine1smaller.jpg\" alt=\"Line #1\" class=\"wp-image-12344\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlackLine1smaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlackLine1smaller-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlackLine1smaller-262x270.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I know it may be a bit hard to see the line on the small image above. If you right-click on the image and open it in a new tab, you may be able to see it a bit better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">With the Shape 1 layer active in the Layers Panel, I right-click on the layer\u2019s thumbnail and choose Simplify Layer from the dropdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Then I go to the top tool bar and select Filter-&gt;Blur-&gt;Gaussian Blur:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"323\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlurLinesmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Gaussian Blur\" class=\"wp-image-12346\" style=\"width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlurLinesmaller.jpg 323w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlurLinesmaller-242x300.jpg 242w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlurLinesmaller-218x270.jpg 218w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 323px) 100vw, 323px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">In the Gaussian Blur dialog box, I set the Radius to 25px and click OK to confirm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Now I\u2019m going to add a bevel to this line. So, I go to the top tool bar and select Layer-&gt;Layer Style-&gt;Style Settings:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"258\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineBevelsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Style Settings\" class=\"wp-image-12347\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineBevelsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineBevelsmaller-300x194.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">PSE opens the Style Settings dialog box and I click the box next to Bevel to open the options for that setting. I leave the Lighting Angle at 90 degrees (PSE default), set the Direction to Down and the Size to 25px:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineBevelDown25pxsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Bevel Down\" class=\"wp-image-12348\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineBevelDown25pxsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineBevelDown25pxsmaller-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineBevelDown25pxsmaller-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineBevelDown25pxsmaller-270x270.jpg 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I click OK to confirm. I then set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the Opacity to 80%. And here\u2019s how that line looks now:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"406\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlackLine2smaller.jpg\" alt=\"Line Blurred &amp; Beveled\" class=\"wp-image-12349\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlackLine2smaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlackLine2smaller-296x300.jpg 296w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-BlackLine2smaller-266x270.jpg 266w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Again, I know the change might not be easily recognizable at this small size. Try opening the image in a new tab to see if that helps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Next, I\u2019m going to add a slight highlight to enhance the bottom of the \u201cgroove\u201d. To do this I select the Felt layer in the Layers Panel and click on the Create a new layer icon. PSE places that new layer (Layer 1 for me) directly above the Felt layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Next, I grab the Line Tool and set the color chip to a very light grey (#eeebeb), the Width to 20px, the Arrow Head options to No Arrow Head, and select the Create a New Shape Layer icon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">On the file, holding down the Shift key, I click and drag a line near the bottom of the groove, again without extending the line beyond the edges. PSE again places the new line in that new layer and renames the layer to Shape 2 (at least for me):<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-HighlightLinesmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Groove Highlight\" class=\"wp-image-12350\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-HighlightLinesmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-HighlightLinesmaller-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-HighlightLinesmaller-262x270.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">With the Shape 2 layer active in the Layers Panel, I simplify the layer. I then go to the top tool bar and select Filter-&gt;Blur-&gt;Gaussian Blur (I want to use a different blur than I did on the black line). I set the Radius to 10px and click OK to confirm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I then nudge that blurred light grey line up until just a bit shows at the bottom of the groove and set the opacity of the layer to 20%:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineFinalsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Groove Highlighted\" class=\"wp-image-12352\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineFinalsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineFinalsmaller-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LineFinalsmaller-262x270.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The highlighted groove should show up a little nicer for you now!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">And here\u2019s what my Layers Panel looks like at this point:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LetterboardGrooves-LayersPanel-asmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Layers Panel\" class=\"wp-image-12407\" style=\"width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LetterboardGrooves-LayersPanel-asmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LetterboardGrooves-LayersPanel-asmaller-300x270.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The last thing I need to do before moving forward is to merge the two shape layers together in the Layers Panel. Because the Shape 1 layer was the top layer before the merge, the merged layer created is still named Shape 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Clearly, I need more than one groove to complete the letter board look. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">With the Shape 1 layer active in the Layers Panel, I press Ctrl-J twenty-three (23) times. I then end up with a total of twenty-four (24) shape layers (lines\/grooves).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"568\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CountCarefullysmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Count Carefully\" class=\"wp-image-12354\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CountCarefullysmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CountCarefullysmaller-211x300.jpg 211w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CountCarefullysmaller-190x270.jpg 190w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">If you aren\u2019t careful counting it will ultimately throw off the spacing between the grooves. Double check how many layers you have. There should be no more than 24 shape layers in the Layers Panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The top layer in the Layers Panel is now named \u201cShape 1 copy 23\u201d (at least for me).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">At this point, all that has happened is the groove simply looks more pronounced. So, I\u2019m not going to display an image here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I select the Move Tool (press V) and ensure that the \u201cShape 1 copy 23\u201d layer is active (top layer in the Layers Panel). I position my cursor over the active groove in the file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">While holding the Shift key I drag the \u201cShape 1 copy 23\u201d layer down (on the file &#8211; not in the Layers Panel) until there\u2019s about the same amount of space between the groove and the bottom of the felt background as I have between the original groove and the top of the felt:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-TopBottomLinessmaller.jpg\" alt=\"All Lines At Top\" class=\"wp-image-12355\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-TopBottomLinessmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-TopBottomLinessmaller-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-TopBottomLinessmaller-262x270.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">At this point you should be able to see a really dark groove at the top and a not so dark groove at the bottom. Not to worry, there\u2019s a super easy way to spread the rest of those grooves evenly across that background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">With the \u201cShape 1 copy 23\u201d layer active in the Layers Panel, I hold the Shift key down and scroll all the way to the bottom of the Layers Panel and select the \u201cShape 1\u201d layer. What you can see of my Layers Panel looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"252\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LinesLayers2smaller.jpg\" alt=\"Layers Panel #2\" class=\"wp-image-12398\" style=\"width:175px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LinesLayers2smaller.jpg 252w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LinesLayers2smaller-126x300.jpg 126w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LinesLayers2smaller-113x270.jpg 113w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 252px) 100vw, 252px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Then all I have to do is ensure the Move Tool options are displayed and click on the Distribute Center icon. PSE then distributes the remaining lines equally:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-AllLinesFinalsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Grooves Distributed\" class=\"wp-image-12357\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-AllLinesFinalsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-AllLinesFinalsmaller-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-AllLinesFinalsmaller-262x270.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">And there\u2019s the final grooved felt background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">With all of the shape layers (Shape Layer 1 thru Shape Layer 1 copy 23) still active\/selected in the Layers Panel, I click the Create a new group icon at the top of the Layers Panel (it looks like a stack of papers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">PSE then places all of the shape layers into the new group and names it Group 1. I change the name of that group to \u201cLetterboard Lines\u201d. And my Layers Panel now looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LayersPanel02asmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Lines Grouped\" class=\"wp-image-12400\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LayersPanel02asmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LetterboardGrooves-LayersPanel02asmaller-300x177.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I\u2019m now going to save my original PSD (CreateGroovedLetterboardFelt) so I can use it again if I want to create different colored grooved backgrounds. Then I save the file as a JPG with a unique name (GroovedBlackFelt).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Note<\/strong>: If you\u2019re using a color other than black for your felt, you should still be able to use the grooves created using black. In most cases simply changing the Blend Mode of the Letterboard Lines group from Pass Through to either Overlay, Soft Light, Vivid Light or even Difference should do the trick. Depending on the felt color you may also need to adjust the Opacity of the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">That\u2019s it for today. I wish I could have kept this shorter. But come back next week and we\u2019ll work on adding words!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><strong><strong>Lots Of Tips<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ImportantTipssmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Important Tips\" class=\"wp-image-12362\" style=\"width:200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Using letter boards as word art can be really fun. They tend to add a very different level of interest to a layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">When creating a letter board background remember that classic, old-time letter boards had grooved felt backgrounds. There\u2019s no requirement that says you must do the same. You don\u2019t have to include grooves or even felt. It\u2019s all about the look you want!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">If using a brush to create the felt texture, experiment with different colors, Blend Modes &amp; Opacities to see how the texture changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">When using a color other than black for the base background, a brush color set to white may not always work. Try using black with a Blend mode of Overlay. It often creates a satisfactory result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Another option for the texture would be to use a brush color that is a darker hue of the base and a Blend Mode of Normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">When using a white base, a brush color in a shade of light grey (i.e., #c4c2be) and an Opacity level of something between 40-60% tends to work the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">You are not required to stick with black when creating the grooves. In my experience it tends to work the best. But you can just as easily use a much darker shade of the base felt color to create the grooves. Feel free to play around and see what you can achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Don\u2019t be afraid to try creating different colors of the grooved felt background. Once you\u2019ve completed the black one, in a lot of cases it can be a simple matter of changing the Hue\/Saturation by using the Colorize option (Ctrl-U). This may not always work but it\u2019s always worth trying. It will save having to recreate the background from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I highly recommend that you always blur the grooved line. This will not only make it blend in better with the felt, it will also provide a more realistic look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Adding a slight highlight to the bottom of the grooved line is not required. I do this mostly to enhance the realism of the groove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Remember to count the duplicated lines carefully in your Layers Panel. For a 12\u201d tall background a total of twenty-four (24) lines provides the ideal, realistic letter board spacing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">After creating the grooved felt background, keep this one thing in mind. The grooved lines end up with a bevel that will make it virtually impossible to flip the background vertically. In doing so it will completely change the effect of the groove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">If you\u2019re planning to continue by adding words in next week\u2019s post, please save your felt background as a JPG file. It will be our starting point next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Ponder this\u2026I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else. \u2013 Pablo Picasso<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Thanks for reading this week\u2019s Tuesday Tip. Remember, if you have any suggestions or questions please don\u2019t hesitate to &#8220;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/message-me\/\" title=\"\">Message Me<\/a><\/strong>&#8220;. Check back next week for tips about adding the words. Click \u201c<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/yourscrappingcafe.kit.com\/\" title=\"\">Follow Me<\/a><\/strong>\u201d to stay in touch. I hope you have a wonderful week!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/StayInTouch03smaller.png\" alt=\"Stay In Touch\" class=\"wp-image-8460\" style=\"width:125px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/StayInTouch03smaller.png 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/StayInTouch03smaller-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/StayInTouch03smaller-270x270.png 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last week I talked about ransom style word art. Today I want to talk about some old signage \u2013 Letter Boards as word art. If you\u2019ve read my \u201cAbout Me\u201d page you likely already know I had a long stint in the corporate world. Over the years I planned more than one conference or other corporate \u201cget together\u201d that generally required some form of signage. Way back in the twentieth century, letter boards were a very common form of signage&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/old-signage\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"0","landing_page":"","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tuesday-tip-day"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12322\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}