FREAKY FISH FRIDAY FREEBIE & MORE!!

Now, I dare you to say that three times fast!  I'm in a whimsical mood, don't know why . . .  I'll be on the road 8 hrs.+ tomorrow heading north, and you may as well start laughing thinking about being in the auto that long with DH and the geriatric dogs.  Mind you, the pooches have always been good travelers; it's just getting difficult 'cause my 15-yr. old Yorkie is totally blind now so she doesn't know where she is on the car seat which makes her more skiddish.  We are planning a few stops on the way up and back, so even though it's a quickie trip, it should be enjoyable. 

I've made you two FREEBIES  to hold you over until I return in a few days.  Always when I get in my creative groove and get on a good roll, I have to leave or something. 

Here's the first; these are so cute and will add a bit of whimsy to your summer layouts!  They are actually called ribbon fish, and I made them from a template from Farrah's Designer Scraps and some of my first papers.  These are all in the same color family, and I'm sure I'll do more of them later in other colors.  There are eight pngs in the zip, and they were just fun to make.  I procured the template at Groovy Scraps if you would like to get your own.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Your second FREEBIE is the first set in a large series of papers I've been working on for quite some time trying to get happy with the finished idea.  It finally came together well enough to suit me with the use of a grungy border overlay by Janice Ward of JW Digi Scraps.  Thanks, gal!!  I'm simply calling this series "Shadow Floral" and there's a view of a single one on the preview so you can get the impression of how each will look basically in the different hues of coloration difference.

 

DOWNLOAD HERE

As usual, these papers are 12 x12 inches and 300 dpi.  I'll have more sets of these coming at you soon in a lovely variety of colors.  Let me know if you like them as it helps to spur me on!

Well, I'm off to finish up my last minute trip details.  I'm carrying my laptop so I can keep designing, but again I'm going to that place where it's so difficult to pick up the internet for the sticks (mountains and valleys).  I'll be taking a ton of pictures, I'm sure; so it's a fun opportunity to be with family for a few short days and gather a lot of scrapping flicks.

Stay safe, and I hope you all enjoy your holiday weekend!

TOOTLES!

SOMETHING I'VE NEGLECTED

Shame on me!  I just finished going through my 4th PhotoShop Friday lesson from Jessica Sprague, and I really can't rave on enough about how great a deal these are in addition to how much fun they are!!  I learned how to make the round digital element (sticker type in the top right corner) that you see in this layout below which I finished during the lesson (and the template, papers, etc. were in JS's download). 

Mom will just kill me if she ever sees I'm putting flicks of her surgical recovery time on the internet!  LOL!  However, when I saw the template, that's the photo that popped into my head to use with the word art on the psd file already.  Well, as usual with me, doing the lesson just inspired me to practice more, and it really spurs my creative juices.  Back to the point of my topic, I also realized at the same time that I've shamefully neglected putting projects into THE MASON JAR, so I created a very special one that I hope you all will like and show me some support in my effort.  I love these and will use them often since I live at the beach and never stop lovin' it!  Here's the preview and price:

PRICE:  $1.00

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I've included 7 different sticker elements with a beachy theme.  They are png files, 300 dpi and are coming to you 2 inches round but can easily be resized larger or smaller to suit your scrapping needs.  I learned so much in this lesson, it was astonishing!  I'm just so excited I had to share!  If you're not familiar with my Mason Jar, please use the labels in the right column to read up on it.  Thanks oodles, and I'll see you next post.  Be looking for a  Friday Freebie if I can stay on track!

TOOTLES! 

RETURN OF TEMPLATE TUESDAY - YEAH!!

I'm really making an effort to be a more regular poster and get all these freebies out to you peeps!  I'm actually "digi-benging" - LOL!  Have I coined a new word there?  My girls used to do that all the time growing up, they practically spoke in a language of their own combining two different words to make a new one of their own or making up a new meaning for an old word and coining it into their time among friends.  For example, "crust" or "crusting" my girls used to mean lounging in relaxed clothes or pj's and watching TV, reading, or talking; simple taking it easy or off totally.  They used the word/words so much that eventually everbody around them used it(them) too! 

My body is tired tonight.  I've been helping my DH paint the interior of a 2-bedroom condo in our neighorhood.  We are trying to finish it up before the weekend.  It's a large one, two story.  I think we will stay on schedule.

I'm packing a duffle for a short trip soon.  My 87-year old Dad is receiving an honor in our hometown for his military service.  My dad is probably one of the oldest veterans living there now.  The organization bestowing this honor on my Dad has arranged for my brother from Phoenix (who is also retired military) to give the speech at the upcoming festival when this will happen.  I figure I'd better make the trip and be there for this.  Afterall, getting an honor doesn't happen every day, at least not in my family.  LOL!  The festival complete with parade, a beauty pagent, and lots of homemade crafts and fine cooking is known in my hometown as "The Dandelion Festival".  Over the years since it's inception, this festival has gained popularity and become an event the tourists appear there to take in.  Oh yes, it's also hosting a mud-bog!  (That's a 4-wheeling, 4-wheel drive race in the mud for you city folks.)  Anyway, I decided just this week that I should attend.  So the clothes are going back in the travel bags quickly, and not so many of them this time.

My oldest grandson did really well during this year's baseball season.  His team got as far as the first game of the championship playoffs before they got defeated.  The important thing was that I noticed how much improved and more relaxed my grandson was playing this season.  It was his second season.  He loves baseball best, then football, and I think basketball third.  The way he can kick a ball, he should take up soccer!

We have had rainy weather for the last two days, lots of storms which don't last long but are very heavy and put down a ton of water fast.  There is one out over the ocean coming at us from north-east from up Cape Hatteras way.  It should be a doozy if it gets here tonight!  Should probably cut my computer off tonight as I go to bed.  We get a lot of quick electrical jolts during thunder and lightening storms here in the tropical south.  Not good for the computer even if it is hooked into a surge protector. 

Oh, enough of my ramblings for tonight, hey?  On to the FREEBIE

I've been designing lots of templates recently, so I hope to keep them coming at you one or two each week.  I think I've already gotten my numbers all messed up on my previews, but I know this one is #4 of mine.  Hope you like it and can use it.  Don't forget to be creative by turning the template to suit your needs or turning off some of the layers in the psd file.  I'd love to see any layouts you create using it, so feel free to email them to me and I'll post them here for all to see.  Here is my preview:

DOWNLOAD HERE

This is the layout I made using this template; my Mom was one week post open heart surgery!

Here are a few of my own recent pages if you need any inspiration.  I scrap for a lot of challenges in various forums I visit, but half the time I miss getting them up in the galleries before the deadlines, so here are just a few. . .

I received inspiration for the above page from another layout I saw in a gallery, so I tried the challenge template which had three photo mats merged together to spread a photo over.  I liked the idea, so this is what came out of it.  The background is my own photo of tire tracks on our sandy beach here.  That turned out cool.  I think the font is called "Waves" and is probably from dafont for free.

This page was made using "Spring Boheme" by JW Digi-Scraps which is available at Divine Digital or probably Enchanted Scraps.  Janice Ward has her designs (which I love) in several great stores.  This is an ode to my camelia.  Long story!  I have a camelia bush which I planted long ago.  The bush looks great most of the year, and here they bloom in January like this.  However, my bush goes through its cycle and then when the blooms come, they all drop off to the ground.  Can you imagine the ground being covered with gorgeous blossoms like this?  If any of you more professional gardeners know the reason for this dropping of the blossom before its time, please get in touch with the answer for me!  Somebody suggested I should feed my bush more iron supplement throughout the year.

This was another challenge template which I filled up with recent pics of the gorgeous wisteria in bloom this season.  Aahh, the blossoms of spring are one of my favorite things!

And this is a very cool Quick Page I came across and decided to insert myself into it as it seemed to fit my spiritual nature.  That's a candid shot of me with no make-up sitting beside my Mom's bed in the hospital right after her surgery.  I'd been days without much sleep traveling and so on.

Well, that's it for this evening ya'll.  I'll be back really soon with more free goodies.  Catch you then.  Thanks every one of you who bothers to leave some love.  It's much appreciated and very inspiring.

Tootles! 

SHARING FUN AND FREEBIE!

OMG!!  Time really gets away from me!  I never mean to be so long between posts!  However, my time is well-spent (at least in my own book)!  LOL!  I've been treating myself to weekly digital design technique lessons from Jessica Sprague, and I'm loving each and every one of them!  They are called "PhotoShop Friday" and each lesson is on sale for just $1.00 each week from Wednesday through Friday.  I ask you, how can a body resist such a great deal?  I decided that, even though I am currently financially challenged, I can afford this treat to help further my PSE skills.  Once you register at her website, you can tailor your email preferences so you don't miss a thing happening.  I get a weekly reminder of what is known as "One-Buck Wednesday", and that's where you'll find these self-paced lessons for only a buck.  Once you purchase the week's lesson, the instructions and video is always in your list of "My Classes" on her site so you can return to review it as often as you need.  Each lesson contains a download of supplies, such as templates, background papers, and a pdf of written instructions.  Each lesson also includes a video tutorial to guide you through step by step!  It just doesn't get better than this if you really want to learn more design techniques, as I do!!  I heartily suggest you check out this opportunity for yourselves if you dabble in digital designing at all.  I've taken the first three lessons to date, and I've learned a ton already and can't stop myself from practicing the rest of each week!  Your creativity will certainly take flight!  Let me show you a few examples:

Above is my finished page from the first lesson where I learned to make a stroke frame, enter text on it, and delete a section of the frame around the text portion.  Wow!  I was impressed with myself.  From this lesson, I went on to create the freebie I'm giving you below!  Goodies come from knowledge!!

In the page above, I learned how to make a stamped design, make a copy of it, merge the two layers, manipulate the size, add a paper to it, and customize the text.  I am talking about that big sunburst shaped element.  Not bad huh?  This was lesson #2.

The page above was from Lesson #3, and I learned to use the drawing tools to make the triangular shaped pendants for the banner.  After drawing the triangle using the grid, we learned how to scoop out or delete a curved portion of the top, then how to shortcut a duplicate, and each one is on its own layer so you can clip a different paper to each one!  I went on from this to make another freebie frame which I'll be giving you in an upcoming post.  I'm really proud of it, so I hope you'll stay tuned in here!

Now for your FREEBIE.  I have a pack of 12 outline type frames for you, which I've called Pitter-Patter frames.  These are all png files at 300 dpi, so they can easily be sized larger or smaller as you desire for your layouts.  I've applied styles to 11 of them, and one is in black which is recolorable or allows you to add styles of your own to it.  Hope you can enjoy and use them.  Spring usually brings about a lot of births, so I figured these would be on target perhaps.  Here's the preview:

DOWNLOAD HERE

I've been busy trying to create, so I hope to jump back on here with a bunch of freebies for you all as fast as I can get my previews together and my zip files zipped and uploaded for you!

In the meantime, HAPPY SCRAPPING!!

TOOTLES!

I'M BACK - CELEBRATING iNSD with FREEBIE!

WOW!  I've missed blogging and feel a bit rusty!  Have you all missed me?  I was hurrying trying to make this post by midnight, but that didn't happen!  But, OH WELL, we can celebrate International Scrapbooking Day all weekend or into next week like most of the real shops are doing, right?  I'll dive right into your FREEBIE since I've been absent for so long, and then we can catch up with the news of my happenings on a more gradual basis over a few more posts. 

To join in the celebration, I've made some photomats for you.  It's a pack of four png files at 300 dpi, easily resized to suit your needs, larger or smaller.  I was in a quirky but cool mood (I'm a Gemini, so one never knows what mood will strike), so I hope you can use these.  I did a layout of me with one of them so far.  Here's the pack preview:

DOWNLOAD HERE

Here's my layout of me in my famous computer corner (which is such a mess) scrapping away!  I used the portrait orientation mat for it and a few papers by Ann Ominous from her kit for CHD Awareness which was part of a collaboration kit, Good As New, found at Lilybelle Scraps.  The floral-heart leaf element is from the Good As New portion of the collab. 

I found that entire wonderful kit, Good As New, to be tee-totally perfect to scrap up my mom's entire surgical event which I did snap a lot of photos throughout.  The timing of me finding that collab kit was just awesome because it's loaded with all kinds of things "medical" to scrap with.  Mom will kill me if I post all her surgery photos, but I will have to put a few up here so you can see what I'm raving about.  Look for those in posts to come.

I'm making this a short post because if I get started yaking, I may not stop and then it will be one of those way too long posts you won't read through.  Suffice it to say, Mom came through the aortic valve replacement just like a trooper, one week prior to her 82nd birthday!  She is so full of grit and vigor that she puts me to shame.  I stayed with her from Feb. 13th to March 20th before returning to home here in the south.  In that time I saw enough deep snow to last me another lifetime!  My brother was in with us for the first week from Phoenix, AZ; and neither of us could believe the amount of snow we had to deal with.  My hubby and I dug my homeplace out at least four different times, and the snow kept pouring for three of my five week stay.  As it did begin to melt, then there was high water and flooding streams and rain to deal with.  However, I must also tell you that beneath the snow Spring arrives anyway, even in those conditions.  There were daffodils four inches tall and crocuses ready to bloom under the snow mounds, so as the snow melted slowly there were signs of Spring to come!  Yeah! 

Needless to say, it has taken me this long to get back in my own saddle here on my homefront.  I think I was exhausted, and it's just taken this long to recoop.  But as my Mom would say when her feet hit the floor in the mornings right after surgery . . . . . "I'm BACK"!!!

Check back soon!  I'll be posting more regularly now and I have lots of goodies to give you!  I hope the Kentucky Derby went to suit you.  We never miss it!  It's a lifelong tradition in my family!  Looking for another Triple Crown winner!

Tootles!