Tools needed:
PSP 7 - get it here
Blade Pro or Super Blade Pro - get it here
Gold_Shiny Preset (in bladepro.zip file) - get it here - the download is near the bottom of the page
**Note: the changes I make to the gold_shiny preset in this tutorial are done in Super Blade Pro - Blade Pro may be a bit different. If anyone finds that the settings in BP are different, please advise me as to what works and I will post the info. (email link at bottom of page)
1. Open a new image 400 x 4000 and add new raster layer. Name it "Outer Heart"
2. With your preset shapes tool, using the Heart 1 shape, with foreground colour white, background set to null, antialias checked, retain syle and create as vector unchecked, line width 15, draw a heart filling up most of your image.
3. Selections--->Select All. Touch the white rim with your magic wand to select it. Selections--->Save to Alpha Channel. Do not deselect.
4. Apply the gold_shiny preset using Blade Pro or Super Blade Pro. Change the Shape to the bottom rounded shape,
and the glare to 25 to get the effect I used ( you can play with the controls to get a different look if you like). Deselect.
5. Add a new raster layer and name it Heart 2. Selections--->Load from Alpha Channel and load the selection you saved in Step #4. Flood fill with white. Deselect and resize to 75% (make sure "Resize all layers is UNchecked). Selections--->Select All. Touch the white shape with your magic wand to select it and apply the gold_shiny preset with the same changes as in previous step. Move the heart so that it is just touching the outer one as seen in the image below, if it already isn't.
6. Add another raster layer and name it Heart 3. Selections--->Load from Alpha Channel and load the selection again. Flood fill with white and resize by 50%. Apply the modified gold_shiny preset and move into position just touching the middle heart. You may want to Image--->Sharpen this and the next three heart layers.
7. Repeat this sequence three more times, resizing by 35% and then 25% and then 15%, if desired. (Hint: if they are too small to click on to select, try zooming in.) For the rest of the images, I have filled the background layer with black to enable you to see it better.
For the two innermost hearts, I adjusted the brightness by +15 then sharpened to make the gold brighter. (Colours--->Adjust--->Brightness/Contrast)
Note: another way to do this is to take the outer heart layer, after you've applied the preset, and duplicate it twice. Then resize one duplicate layer to 75% and the other to 50%. I found that with doing it this way, though, the ridges in the gold were less pronounced on the second and third layers.
7. Image--->Canvas size. Make it 400 width and 600 height. Center image horizontally checked, center image vertically unchecked. Enter 0 in field for bottom and 200 for top. This will bring the image to the bottom, leaving the top for the chain. If you had flood filled your background layer, go to that layer and fill again to catch the extra space.
8. New raster layer named "connector". With your selection tool, make a rounded rectangle at the top of the outside heart. Apply the gold_shiny preset, I kept the same changed I'd done with my hearts, but you may prefer the original preset.
9. Now, we are going to make the link image for the chain. Open a new
image 25 x 25. Apply the Rope tube from Jasc once. (it should have come with
your PSP) 
10. Colours--->Greyscale. Colours--->Increase Colour Depth - select
16 million (24 bit).
11. Colours--->Adjust--->Red/Green/Blue. Enter "100" in all three
boxes to give it a white colour.
12. Selections--->Select All. Touch the image with your magic wand
to select it and apply the gold_shiny preset.
13. File--->Export as picture tube.
14. Go back to your original image and click on the bottom layer, then add a new layer, naming it "chain". Using your newly tubed gold chin link, set the scale to whatever suits you (I chose 30) and the step to 15, draw a chain. Hint: hold down your left mouse button as you drag the mouse along - this takes practise, it usually takes me a gazillion tries to get anything resembling decent.
15. Add new layer and name it "clasp". With your preset shapes tool set to ellipse, line width 2, antialias checked, retain shape and create as vector unchecked, foreground colour white, background colour null, draw a small circle or ellipse at one end of the chain. Selections--->Select All, select the circle with your magic wand and apply the gold_shiny preset. Deselect.
16. Add a new layer and name it "clasp 2). Draw a circle or ellipse a little bigger than the last one and then draw a very small one attached to it which gives you the "lip" you hold to open the clasp. Selections--->Select all, select with your magic wand and apply the gold_shiny preset.
17. Turn off your background layer and merge visible. Now you have your necklace which you can tube or use in an image.
There are other things you can do with this "hearts within hearts" image, here's one with fewer hearts and a picture in the innermost one - that's my dog, Sasha:
And one with a picture behind all the hearts:
Enjoy!
Tutorial and images © Margaret M. aka MsRosie of Rosie's Graphics
2000-2004 and may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission
by the author. Please see my
terms of use page. If you have any problems or questions regarding the tutorial,
please email me.