My way.   You will be needing Filter Factory's B set of filters and Eye Candy to follow this tute.  If you need one of these filters, the links are provided here.

Step 1:  create a new image, settings:  width=150pixels; height=150 pixels; resolution=72; background=transparent; image type=16.7 million colors.

Step 2:  fill the image with your choice of colors using your color fill tool - in PSP, this is a bucket.

Step 3:  under the Effects (different places in different versions), add noise: random at 15 to 30%

Step 4:  From the Effects category, find and select Filter Factory's B set and then 'Fluttering FLag' filter and set the settings to: Hor.Freq.=163; Hor. Scale=12; Vert. Freq.=255; Vert. Scale=152; Shading offset=1; Shanding Amt.=173.

Step 5:  Using selection tool set to no feather and anti-alias unchecked, set cursor at point 35,0 watching the coordinances in the lower left-hand corner of you status bar and drag the selection all the way to the lower right-hand corner of your graphic (dragging line past boundaries of the image will not hurt), then crop to selection.

Step 6:  Minimize this image for now and create new image with the settings: width=20 pixels; height=11 pixels; resolution=72; background=transparent; image type=16.7 million colors.

Step 7:  Using the zoom tool (magnifying glass), click about 8 times on the graphic to increase viewable size.

Step 8:  Now you will select a foreground and background color for the border tubes (later you may choose to use the tubes or not according to your preferences according to the pad colors),  chose one darker shade of the background color you used and then one just a bit lighter, but not pale.

Step 9:  Now you will set up your flood tool  (the bucket) to flood with a gradient according to the appropriate image below

PSP5 & PSP6:  first tab;  fill style=gradient, blend=normal, paper texture=none, match mode=RGB Value, tolerance=20, opacity=100.  Second tab; gradient=foreground to background, angle=0, repeat=0.
PSP7:  gradient name=Foreground-Background, angle=0, repeats=0, invert gradient=unchecked.

Step 10:   Now,  if you're graduating foreground to background, the foreground will be at the top in this case, So switch the foreground/background colors so that the foreground is the darker color (hope that's not backwards);  using the selection tool, section off the bottom 5 pixels the full width of the image (starting at the 0,6 position) and then flood the color in using the bucket tool;  dark is at bottom.

Step 11:  Reverse the foreground/background colors by clicking the line connecting the swatches of color.

Step 12:  Using selection tool, starting at position 0,0 select through 20,5.

Step 13:  Using flood fill tool, fill selection with color;  dark is at the top .

Step 14:  Change foreground to white or pale tint of color used;  change flood fill type from linear gradient to solid color;  using magic wand selection tool, select the center section that is not colored.
(Note*   white gives a sharp highlight while a lighter tint of the same color used for the rest gives a satiny look)

Step 15:  Using flood fill tool, flood selection with white (or other color you chose).

Step 16:  Rotate you image by 90 degrees either direction.

Step 17:  Create a new image, using these settings:  width=11 pixels;  height=250 pixels; resolution=72; background=transparent; image type=16.7 million colors.

Step 18:  select the image area of the rotated image by using the 'Select' menu and choosing 'Select all' then click in the center of the image using the selection tool.

Step 19:  Set up fill tool settings as:  tab 1; fill style=Pattern; blend mode=normal; paper texture=none; match mode=RGB value; tolerance=20; opacity=100.  tab 2;  set pattern source to  the squatty image you just rotated.

Step 20:  Flood the new image with the flood tool then kill the squatty rotated image.

Step 21: Maximize 'padded' image;  while new 'border tube' image is active ;  copy (CTRL + C) image then make padded image active and paste (CTRL + E) tube to it, slide it to the left.

Step 22:  Now we will use Eye Candy using the settings:direction=0; distance=6; blur=36; opacity=100;  color=black - then hit checkmark.
Note*you can play around with the settings later if you wish.

Step 23:  The tube should still be in the clipboard, so paste it to the padded image again and slide it to the far right.

Step 24:  Back to Eye Candy/Drop Shadow and chage only the direction;  direction=180.

Step 25:  Your Pad side border is complete.  Use it how you wish, or continue for further instruction.
 

Step 26:  Now we will increase the image to full length and add a sub layer
Using the Canvas size function, settings are:  new width=1024; new height=150; center hor.=unchecked; center vert.=checked;  top & bottom are greyed; left=0; tight=909.  Click OK.
(*Note:  you now have a one layer horizontal tile with the Pad at the left end.

Step 27:  Add layer using the layers menu; settings default to blend mode=normal; opacity=100 and this is fine.

Step 28:  Using Layers menu, select Arrange/Send to bottom.  The bottom layer is now active.

Step 29:  What you do here is up to you.  You can flood fill with a pattern, a solid color, a texture or a muted image.  I will offer a few helpful hints to help you along.
Note*  If you flood with a pattern, make sure the pattern is already tiled and sized to a height of 150 pixels.  If you fill with a solid color and then texturize, make sure the texture doesn't need to be tiled.  If you fill with a textured tile, first resize it to 150 in height. As a personal preference, I Always create a texture tile to fill with and then deskcheck it for tiling, then resize it to fill the background.  Trying to texture a background en route is just too messy for this ole girl.

Step 30:  Use 'Layers' menu and select 'Layer 2' to go back to the Pad layer.

Step 30:  Eye Candy's Drop Shadow can be applied to this layer without selecting a portion of it, settings:  direction=180, distance=6, blur=18, opacity=100, color=black; hit checkmark.
*Note:  I actually like the opacity set to 50% or less in most cases.

Step 31:  Desk checking the imaging before merging can tell you if it is going to tile properly at this point while it's still easy to activate the bottom layer and change it.  You do this by getting a new image with transparent background set to width of 1024 pixels and height of 600 pixels.  Then you follow above steps for flood filling with a pattern and choose your completed border as the pattern, then flood fill the new image.  Check to see if you can spot the tiling easily; if you can, back up and fix it.

Step 32:  Using Layers menu; select Merge/Merge all.

Step 33:  is once again up to you, the adding of the trim on the border if you want trim and then your padded border tile is complete.

*Note:  As with all tutorials, this is just a guide line and once you are comfortable with it, you may find many ways that make it a more natural process for you. Basically, the tutorial is just to step you through the way I do it and not to say this is the ONLY way it can be done.

This tutorial is now complete and your background tile should be ready to upload to your site or use in your email.
 

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