GIMP Exercise: Winter & Spring Invitations

I used the following steps to create the invitations:

1. Opened the image in GIMP
2. Duplicated the base layer
3. Made the duplicated layer invisible
4. Made a rectangular selection inside the base layer (leaving a border edge around the selection)
5. Feathered the selection
6. Cleared (deleted) the contents of the selection
7. Made the duplicated layer visible
8. Lowered the duplicated layer's opacity to 50%
9. Used the text tool to type the invitation information on a new layer
10. Duplicated the text
11. Used the "Gaussian Blur" filter on the text
12. Inverted the color of the blur layer
13. Moved the blur layer beneath the text layer (this created white text with a black outer-glow / black text with a white outer-glow, making the text easier to read)

Images: