Step 1: Open a blank document in photoshop! (You can choose a white or transparent background, transparent backgrounds are great for making logos or watermarks!)
Step 2: Pick a font (wide or thick fonts are better for this so that the image is visible).
Step 3: Pick a shape of some sort with a transparent background (it will look like a checkerboard).
Step 4: Pick your pattern or image! I selected two leaves and bark.
Step 5: Drag the shape into photoshop and then drag it onto your document using this tool
NOTE: This is how it will look when you place it in photoshop. Using the tool above you can click on the image and drag it to your other document.
Step 6: Drag the image you want to overlay onto the document as well, the same way you did the shape.
Step 7: Place the image over top of the text so it looks like this:
NOTE: You may have to resize the image or shape. If you want to do this press Command + T on a Mac or go to "Edit" then click on "Free Transform" and you can manipulate the shape. If you want to maintain the shape but make it larger press Shift to keep the shape intact.
Step 8: Make sure your layers are like this. The image you want to overlay must be over what you want to be overlay on.
Step 9: Right click on the leaves image and click "create clipping mask".
Step 10: This is how it should look!
Step 11: Do the same thing with the bark image and the shape. Place the bark image over the shape. Make sure the bark image is above the shape in the layers. Right click on the bark and press "create clipping mask" voila!
Step 12: (Optional) Then select both layers (the overlay and the text or shape) and click "merge layers" to make them one. That way it becomes a single layer on your image and you can move it around together on your document.
Final: I hope this helps!
The options are endless. Here are two examples of what I have done (screen shots). I am working on rebranding my photography and playing around with logo design so I thought I would share how I do this. I hope you enjoyed. If you have any questions feel free to ask away.
xoxo- Nicole