Inspiration from multiple sources-

This is the layout that I submitted for LOAD today.

I was inspired by several people. I was inspired by Ali Edwards title treatment on the layout she posted for her blog today.

I learned how to make this type of font in Tiffany Tillman's 25 Days of Templates Holiday 2010 class. The steps are fairly straight forward:
Open a new blank document (12x12 inches, 300ppi, transparent background) then select the Horizontal Type Mask Tool. This tool can be found in the drawer of the Type tool, just click on that little triangle in the bottom corner of the Type tool button and the drawer should pop out so you can see the other type tool choices.
I set my type size at 2 inches and chose the font Adobe Caslon Pro. When you click on your document to type the background turns pink, don't freak out - it will go back to normal once you are done. Type your word (I tend to type phrases one word at a time so I can change individual word sizes later.)
You will see marching ants all around your word. Click the check mark and then go up to Edit and from the drop down menu click on Stroke (outline) Selection. A box will pop up allowing you to choose the width of your stroke (15-20 pixels is a good range) and the color of the stroke. Make sure the center radial button is selected for location, the blending mode should be set at Normal, and the opacity should be 100%. Leave the Preserve Transparency box unchecked. Click Okay.
Your selection should now be outlined and there are still those little ants marching all around your word. To finish up go to Select and from the drop down menu choose Deselect. The marching ants should now disappear.
You can then use your crop tool to get rid of excess background around your word. Be sure and save your work as a .png file so you can use it whenever you want. I use PSE 7, but it should be the same process for other versions.

I used to ooh and ahh over this kind of word art whenever I saw it and wish I could afford to buy it all. Now I can make my own. It takes a little time but I am so happy with the results (and dh is happy with the bottom line.)

I also was inspired in making this layout by Stacy Julian's Library of Memories class. I will admit I had a hard time wrapping my head around some of the things taught in that class, but with time and use I can see great things coming out of it. I was able to pull photos from lots of different time periods to illustrate the love and comraderie, the bonding, that I see going on between all my guys.

And finally, I was inspired by that style known in the scrapping community as minimalism. It's still not easy for me, but I am getting there. Practice makes perfect-ish, and I am always happy for an excuse to practice this craft.

Let me know if you try this technique out how it works for you!

Credits for this layout:
All A Flutter Neutrals by Julie Bullock
 Everyday Stuffs Papers by Captivated Visions
 Vanilla Creme by DeCrow Designs