• Paint Shop Pro (written in version 9)
• Animation Shop
• tube and font of choice
• Scrapkit of choice, I'm using "Secret Escape" by Krissy's Scraps, available for purchase at Artistic Minds Inc.
• WSL_Mask26 (save to your masks folder)
• Alien Skin Xenofex 2 Constellation
• My Template

The artwork I am using is © Elaina Wagner and is for example purposes only. If you wish to use the same image, you must purchase a proper license for the image, available through Artistic Minds Inc.

Let's Begin:

1. Open up a new 700x700 transparent image, flood fill with white. Don't worry about it being too big, we'll resize it at the end. This will be your working image. **Be sure to name your layers as you go along, this will save on confusion in the long run.

2. Copy and paste template as a new layer. Select template (Selections > Select All > Float > Defloat). Create a new raster layer and flood fill with paper of choice (I used KSSEPaper1). Deselect. Delete the template layer and rename the filled template layer as frame. Add a drop shadow of choice. I used horizontal/vertical : 0, opacity : 75, blur : 5.

3. Using your magic wand, select the center of the frame and expand selection by 5 pixels (Selections > Modify > Expand > 5). Create a new raster layer and flood fill with paper of choice (I used KSSEPaper8). Drag this layer below the frame layer and rename it filled frame center.

4. Create a new raster layer above the white background layer. Fill with paper of choice (I used KSSEPaper5). Apply WSL_Mask26 (Layers > Load/Save Mask > Load Mask From Disk) using the settings as shown below. Don't merge mask layer yet :)

5. On your layer palette, make sure the mask layer is active (as shown in screen shot below). Resize the mask layer 85%, smart size, making sure that "Resize All Layers" is unchecked. After resizing, right click on layer and Merge Group (Merge > Merge Group). Rename this to mask layer.

6. Duplicate mask layer and rename to twinkles. Duplicate again until you have a total of four (4) twinkle layers. On the original mask layer, change the blend mode to difference (only change this blend mode if you are going to save this as an animated tag using the white background; if you plan on saving it without a white background, you need to leave the blend mode set to normal). On the first twinkle layer, apply the Alien Skin Xenofex 2 Constellation filter using the following settings. For each twinkles layer, use the same settings, only click the "random seed" button each time so you get a different number.

7. Add your tube, drag layer to top so it's above the frame layer. Add a drop shadow of choice. I used horizontal/vertical : 1, opacity : 75, blur : 5.

8. Add a new raster layer, rename it sparkles. Drag it under the frame layer. Once again, using your magic wand, click in the center of your frame and expand by 5. On the sparkles layer, flood fill it with KSSESparkles1. Deselect. Duplicate this layer and rename it sparkles2. Rotate it to the left by 40 degrees (Image > Rotate > Free Rotate > Left/40 Degrees). Duplicate this layer and rename it sparkles3. Rotate it to the left by 40 degrees. Duplicate this layer and rename it sparkles4. Rotate it to the left by 40 degrees.

9. At this time, your layer palette should look like this:

10. Turn off the white background layer and using your crop tool, pick the snap crop rectangle to: merge opaque then click on the checkmark on your "tools option palette".  Turn white background layer back on.

11. Add any additional embellishments that you'd like. Now is a good time to resize your tag (make sure "Resize All Layers" is checked). You should always do your final resizing before you add your copyright information as resizing afterwards will make it hard to read. Add your text as well as your copyright information.

12. Turn off all three copies of the twinkles layers other than the original one and do the same with the sparkles layers. Copy Merged (Edit > Copy Merged) and paste into Animation Shop as new animation. Back in PSP, turn off the original twinkles and sparkles layers and turn on the next twinkles/sparkles layers (we are working upwards on the layer palette). Again, copy merged and paste into Animation Shop after current frame (Edit > Paste > After Current Frame). Continue until you have 4 frames in Animation Shop.

13. In Animation Shop, select all frames (Edit > Select All). Change frame speed to 25 (Animation > Frame Properties > Display Time > 25) and save your tag as a gif file.

Thank you for trying my tutorial!   :)