Digital Art by Steph

Snow Animation Tag tutorial

2011-12-11T14:21:00.001-08:00

Just wanted you all to know that the tutorial is up at my tutorial blog. Take a look!

Autumn Scrap as promised

2011-12-11T11:54:00.001-08:00

Well, it is later than I said I would get it up but you know how that is! Also I wrote a new tutorial that I will be putting up on my tutorial blog after this. I hope you can enjoy both. This kit has 12 papers and a bunch of elements PLUS a quick page. More on the quick page in a bit.

Before I show you the quick page, I want to give credit for the fall flowers in this kit. They are freebies from "Justie" at Just Creations. She does give commercial use for her freebies but please check her Terms of Use completely if you use them. There are no posts on her blog now but you can still reach her using Comments. I hope she isn't ill! There are two zips for the kit just to make it a bit easier for downloading. Zip 1 and Zip 2 at my 4shared.
Okay now on the Quick Page, the preview has photos of my two oldest grandchildren, Mikey and Aly. Let me tell you the frames I made are BIG so I had to use the biggest photos I could find of them. I wanted to leave the frames as they are in the kit but please remember that you might want to open the photos you want to put in them as well as the frames so you can make sure they fit right.
The link for the Quick Page is here.

Aly was on the junior varsity tennis team of her high school this year. Mikey is a senior and he plays on the varsity baseball team. I am really proud of them both. I hope you enjoy the kit and quick page. I will announce here when the tutorial is ready. It is not a scrap tutorial but an animated tag one. Special credit to Donna at Learning PS for All Yahoo group for the tutorial on the cluster frame!

2011-11-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

Hello all! We are back to my favorite season...autumn! I just had to do a new alpha for you that I call "Goldleaf". The capital letters have a leaf but I have also included lower case and numerals that are plain gold. I hope that you enjoy and I am also working on a new kit for the season that I hope to upload at the end of the week. There is no drop shadow on the letters so you can add them. The letters are large not only in size but are 300 dpi if you want to print them. I hope you enjoy the alpha. You can download it here.

Old Iron Alpha

2011-04-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

I bet you thought I had fallen off the edge of the earth! Besides doing my normal "life" stuff, I decided to take lessons in Photo Impact. I have to tell you that I really like how realistic things look when made in PI. Anyway, I am hoping to make more things from "scratch" to share here. However, this alpha was done using an action and I love its old, rustic look - you can almost smell the rust, can't you? lol

These letters are very large but feel free to size them down for your needs. You can download the zip here. Please enjoy!

Help Jan's Granddaughter!

2011-02-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine has a granddaughter who has the opportunity to go to modeling school. We are trying to help her raise the money to do so. Click below and donate! Thanks.

Here is a photo of Kristyn:

Beach Mini-Kit

2011-02-13T23:48:00.000-08:00

Hello! It has been some time since I have shared anything with you and I decided to take some of the things I have been learning in Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro to make and/or finish some kits. I could have gotten caught up in the holiday thing but there are already so many holiday kits out there and more are made each year, right?

So, I am going to create what mood strikes me from now on so I don't make myself crazy trying to come up with something that is seasonal when I really don't want to do it. Make sense? Anyway, I had shared a quick page so I could show off my granddaughters to you a while back and I decided to make a mini-kit with the beach theme colors. I will share some other beach-specific or marine-specific add-ons later.

The kit is about 13mb so it shouldn't take you long to download it. As usual, there are no drop shadows on the papers or elements. You get the kit at my 4shared here. Please enjoy!

New Quick Page

2010-10-10T16:59:00.000-07:00

Hello, all, last weekend my family went to Santa Cruz and my daughter-in-law sent me some wonderful photos via email. Well, I just had to make a layout using the photos, didn't I? The preview below all contain their photos but the quick page itself, of course, has no photos. The title bar is on a separate layer and can be deleted...it is just for placement if you want/need it. There are two sizes of this quick page: 12x12 inches and 6x6 inches. You are welcome to size them smaller for your use.

Here are the links for you: 12x12 link is here and the 6x6 link is here.

I do have some sad news. The only store that I sell design for, Secret City Treasures, is closing its "doors" on October 31. A number of issues came into play that made the decision for the owner and it is with reluctance she has to close it. However, everything in the store is on sale. All my stuff is 50% off as well as other designers' creations. Be sure and take a look for the end of the month. You don't want to miss out on any bargains!

Oak alpha freebie

2010-09-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

It is sure easy for the week to spin by, isn't it? I hope you enjoyed the gold alpha and here is the alpha I made a few nights ago. Again, the letters here are quite large that can be headers or re-sized for other use on your scrap pages.

There is no drop shadow on the letters and they are created at 300 dpi as always. You can pick up the file here.

Gold Light Alpha

2010-09-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

Hi, again! I promised you some freebies so here is the first one. I have no idea why I didn't finish the steps necessary to send this alpha to you. I created it in June but didn't upload it to 4shared or make a preview, much less upload it to Photobucket!
In any event, I now have TWO alphas to share. This is called Gold Light since I had previously made a gold alpha and this is a lighter gold with fancy designs in it. The alpha was created using a style by Graphics by Liz (the link will take you to the Secret City Treasures store where you can buy the styles). I tested this style for her and there are several in the group that are truly awesome.

I have uploaded the zip file to my 4shared account and you can click this link to get the file.

I have another alpha that I'll be sharing in the next day or two depending on my time here. Hope you enjoy this one!

Purple Petunia

2010-09-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone....I took a break during the summer from all things related to scrap stuff. The last item I shared was my spring alpha. I have a new flower tube that I have put in the Secret City Treasures store just now that I hope you like. Hubby went out and bought more petunias not knowing that the end of summer wasn't a good time for their lasting very long. Thankfully, I did get a photo of this purple one before it withered in the heat. :)

This flower is nearly 2 inches by 2 inches, saved at 300dpi. There is no drop shadow on the tube itself. It is saved in PNG format and you can get it for only $2 here. Be sure and take a look around the store. There are some wonderful designs. I will have a new freebie for you in a couple of days.

Americana scrap kit

2010-06-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

Well, finally, I bring you my newest freebie, the Americana scrap kit. I wanted to get this posted on Saturday but I had too much to do and it took all day to create my preview. Why? I had my "resize" settings wrong in Paint Shop Pro and the paper samples looked awful. Why does this happen - that it converts itself to a default setting? I have heard and read of others with the same experience...not so much the resizing but save options. Oh, well! Here is the preview:

This is a large kit - 24 papers, clips, buttons, bows, flowers, journals, tags, etc. that add up to 105mb! So there are 3 zip files for easy download. Independence Day is coming to the U.S. soon (July 4th) but I am hoping that all of you around the world can use the kit. Obviously, the word art is America-specific but other than that, you can use the majority of it no matter where you live. Head on over to Secret City Treasures, login and take a look at all the new stuff. Just click on my store or this preview which will take you to the download page. You can also get this at my 4shared account at link 1, link 2, and link 3. Please leave a comment or share a layout with me! Enjoy.

Purple and White Pansies

2010-06-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hello, all! I finally got the cast off and start physical therapy on Friday. I can, at least, two with 2 hands which is a major benefit. Below is my newest scrapbook tube (element or extraction, whatever you want to call it). Again these a part of the wonderful flowers growing in our yard.

It is on sale at Secret City Treasures for only $2. As always, there is no drop shadow on the element. Head on over there and be sure and look at all the new goodies. Also, there is an awesome grab bag for purchasing $5 or more at the store.

I am working on a new kit for you which I hope to post on Saturday. Be looking for it!

Spring 2010 Alpha freebie

2010-05-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone! I am managing with one arm but typing is a real challenge. My good friend, Liz of Graphics by Liz created some new styles (a Photoshop feature which I love) and she asked me to test them. They are awesome and I particularly like the Wind Chime style which is in her store right now! I am slowly working on a new kit but last night, I just had to make an alpha to go with it using the new style. In her product description, she says, "Windchime Styles for Photoshop By Graphics By Liz A set of 25 Photoshop Styles made in CS3. Range of soft colors. CU/PU/S4H/S4O". With so many colors, I was able to use one to make this FREE alpha! The best news is that if you hurry over to Secret City Treasures, you can grab this for 50% off!
Just login at the store, click on "Graphics by Liz" and take a look. As usual, you can pick up the alpha there and at my 4shared account here. The letters are about 1 inch high and various widths depending on the specific letter. Enjoy!

Blue Pansies

2010-05-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hi, all - I managed to get a new tube done for you. Hubby bought a bunch of flowers for our planter boxes and these are another of our pansies. It is almost 3 inches width and height and I love the water drops on it. You can get this pretty tube at Secret City Treasures for only $2.00! Head on over to the store and look at ALL the new goodies the designers have made! Aren't they pretty?

Thinking about you!

2010-04-27T20:22:00.001-07:00

Just a short note to let you know that I am limited here on the computer - I fell on Friday and broke my left arm. It is not fun at all to be unable to use both hands! :) I see an orthopedic doctor next Monday so hopefully will get something less bulky, So I won't be doing a whole lot of designing for a while and wanted you all to know why.

Thinking about you!

2010-04-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

Two New Flower Tubes

2010-04-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

I finally got the flower photos off my camera and tubed a couple today for you. Hubby bought a lovely basket of flowers which included pink petunias. That is the only flower I actually know. lol The price for this tube is $2.00 and it is approximately 2 inches by 2 inches, 300 dpi and no shadow on it.

The next flower is an iris. Although there are several in the yard, this is the only one that has finally bloomed. I almost missed taking a photo of it due to the rain. It is so pretty and, let me tell you, this is a BIG tube! It is a little over 1 mb and at least 3 inches by 3 inches, again 300 dpi and no shadow. It sells for $2.00 too.

Head on over to Secret City Treasures, log in and take a look! I think these will be pretty in any kit but especially those featuring nature or flowers.

Baby Brights Alpha and new template

2010-04-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

Below is the newest alpha I made for you and it is free! You can pick it up at Secret City Treasures as well as purchase the gray scale of the alpha for only $1.50. They are two separate files, just so you know. :)

See the gray "A" at the left-hand bottom? That is a scaled down version of the alpha for sale. These letters are over an inch wide and over 2 inches tall so you can use them as titles or resize for other uses. The gray letter has been resized 35% and the red letters have been resized 50%. You can also pick up the free alpha at my 4shared account here.

Don't forget to take a look around at Secret City Treasures to see all the newest kits, scrips, etc. Have fun with the alpha!

Baby Brights Tagger Kit

2010-04-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

Well, better late than never, I say. I didn't realize that I hadn't sent the post notifying you that the tagger kit for the Baby Brights Scrap was ready for pickup until a friend said she hadn't seen anything about it. There was a good reason for that - I hadn't posted it yet. lol Anyway, I have one more item to post so I'll just give you the links below after the preview:

You may get the file at Secret City Treasures simply by logging in and clicking on my name or you can pick it up at my 4shared account here. Enjoy and be looking for another blog entry this evening. :)

Baby Brights Scrap Kit

2010-04-04T18:14:00.001-07:00

Hi, everyone - I bet you thought I'd fallen off a log or the earth or something. I have been busy, that is for sure, but I have also been creating this new kit for you:

There are 18 papers, and a little bit of everything else including some baby toys. Why did I call it "Baby Brights", you ask? Well, after watching my children and grandchildren and other newborns/infants, I noticed that the colors that drew their eyes (does that make sense?) were bright, vivid, primary colors. Everything in the stores for new babies is usually pastels, am I right? I wanted to give you (and me!) some bright colors for scrapping stuff for the new babies in your family. There are pastels too, have no fear there!
Remember, you can get this kit at Secret City Treasures by logging in and clicking on the preview. It should be included in the new products. Don't forget to check all the other new things the designers are offering! You may also get the two zip files for the kit at my 4shared account: File 1 and File 2 . I would love it if you'd share your layouts or quick pages when you use this kit. I will be uploading a kit for the taggers tomorrow. Have fun!

New March Flower tubes

2010-03-22T16:20:00.001-07:00

Hello, everyone! The bulbs have finally started peeking up. I have been waiting for them and, so far, we have had purple crocuses and orange tulips. However, the orange tulip that bloomed has a gorgeous black center. Needless to say, I took photos and have now tubed them. Below are the previews:

Orange Tulip 1

Orange Tulip 2

Purple Crocus 1

Purple Crocus 2 - my personal favorite. I love how the light hit the center.

You can purchase these tubes at Secret City Treasures for only $2! Once you log in, be sure and take a look at all the wonderful new scripts, kits and other stuff. All our designers have been busy.

Hanna Update

2010-03-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

So many of you have emailed me with thoughts and prayers for Hanna. She met her goal (lol) and got to come home yesterday. I stopped over there with Aly yesterday and she looked really good. She didn't go to school today so that she could stay quiet but she is so much better that it'll be hard to keep her down, I think. She is still hoarse and coughing quite a bit but that is normal and to be expected. My daughter was just exhausted since she stayed with Hanna in the hospital and didn't get a lot of sleep while she was there. I am sure she was in bed by 8 last night. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts for our sweet girl. :)

New Flower Tubes

2010-03-10T23:13:00.000-08:00

Wow, I meant to post this announcement two days ago but have been involved helping my daughter with Hanna, who has been very ill. In fact, she is in the hospital and has been since yesterday. She has pneumonia and was not responding the antibiotic prescribed for her and took a turn for the worse yesterday afternoon. That was when Sue (my daughter) took her back to the E.R. and the hospital admitted her. So I took care of Joshua both Monday and Tuesday and Aly today - been crazy here. I am pleased and blessed to tell you that Hanna is doing much, much better. When I went to see her late this afternoon, she had color back in her face, was no longer on oxygen and not running any fever. Her goal, she told me, was that she wanted to go home tomorrow. She says the food isn't good and she didn't sleep well last night. :)

Anyway, I uploaded these two new tubes to the store at Secret City Treasures over the weekend and had intended to tell you all about them on Monday. The first is another lavender rose - can you tell how much I love these? The funny thing is that the actual flower is not all that pretty; it is the opening bud that I love so much.

The second tube is one I did from a photo of one of the beautiful orchids that my daughter-in-law has grown from my mom's orchid plants. Both she and my son take good, loving care of the plants and the results are stunning. It is normally not a warm enough climate here for them but they fixed up a "lean-to" type thing along with shade cloth to protect them from the hot sun and keep them warm in our cold winters. My son then put a mister system over them. Well, they are just lovely!

Click on over to Secret City Treasures, log in and take a look at all the designers' new items while you are there. Oh, just so you know, my friend, Liz, is the owner of Secret City Treasures and she offers a service of tubing elements for you. She is an awesome tuber too. Come check my new goodies!

St. Patrick's Day Addon

2010-03-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

As promised, I have made some more papers and flowers for the St. Patrick's day kit. I also created some accents and linen backgrounds that are included. I will be posting tonight some new "professional" tubes that I will be placing in the Secret City Treasures store later today. I'll send the previews through then.

You can pick up the zip for the above (everything is shown here, by the way) at Secret City Treasures by simply logging on and, after looking around :), click on this preview to get the download. Also at Secret City Treasures is the kit for the taggers, both the main kit and this addon.
If you'd rather pick these up at my 4shared, here are the links: Addon kit here and the addon kit for taggers is here. The main kit for the taggers you will find here. This should you all busy, I think! Please enjoy.

St. Patrick's Day kit - FREE!

2010-03-04T23:07:00.000-08:00

Hi, everyone, I trust you all are well and busy as I am. :) I realized last weekend that my goal of doing a kit for St. Patrick's Day wasn't going to happen until I started! I intended to do a mini-kit but, as usual, I got carried away and the kit is over 65mb. What can I say? That is the reason for only 9 papers. I will create some more papers and perhaps some backgrounds for you over the weekend.

Also, there aren't that many flowers and I want to make more of those. The preview is a sample of what is in the kit as far as elements. There are lots of each category for you.
You may get the kit at Secret City Treasures - just click on the link and log into the store to get the files. There are two zip files which I hope helps those of you on dial-up. Be sure and look around the store at the beautiful work of the designers and script writers. There are also services being offered now. The kit is also uploaded to my 4shared account - the links are zip1 and zip2. Have fun with the kit!

Fixed the Sales on the Tubes

2010-02-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

I am sorry, folks, I totally forgot that I had to go in and change the prices on the tubes and some of you saw that I hadn't. It was just too easy for me so I figured something was going to go wrong for me. lol Anyway, they are now marked $1.00 and you can buy them until the 28th at this price. Go to Secret City Treasures, log in and check it out! Thanks for your patience.

Showing Off and Tubes/Extractions in store

2010-02-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hi, all, I have to show you what my 9-year-old granddaughter, Hanna, made last weekend for her parents using my Lovemusic kit. Now, you should know that she has never used any kind of image manipulation software in her short life but she wanted to make something. We opened Paint Shop Pro (version 9) and I showed her a few basics like how to open a file, copy, paste, move, etc. She caught on so quickly that I added very little instruction past that. Then she sent it to her parents from the program. I was so proud of her and amazed at how quickly kids in this generation learn technology. It is not just her....my 12-year-old granddaughter helped ME use new software for creating slide shows. The two of us got the first slide show done in about an hour but it would have taken me hours to do it since I had never worked with this software before. Aly has something similar to it on her laptop so had no problems showing me what to do. Anyway, here is is Hanna's card:

The rest of the new flower tubes are next. First is a grape hyacinth. I think it looks like it has ruffles along the edge. Bear in mind this flower is very tiny in real life....maybe 3/8"? It does look similar to grapes too.

Next is a tube from a photo taken last summer of one of the lavender roses. The buds and partial opening of the flower are much prettier than the completely open flower, for some reason. I love the color too. It will flower for months as long as we keep it cut back.

Last is a pink rosebud from the other rose bush we have. What is really strange about this bush is we never know what color the flowers are going to be each year. Why is that anyway? Last year was pink, year before it kind of a dark red, another year dark red with pink inner petals. Always a surprise! We have a new rose bush that promises peach roses and I can hardly wait to see them!

Remember, there is no drop shadow on the tube. Please read the Terms of Use carefully if you purchase the tube. They are all $2.00 but, if you buy before February 28, they are half off! Only ONE DOLLAR! Click on over to Secret City Treasures and see what is inside. You'll find my tubes in my store, Digital Art by Steph. We also have new designers so, if you haven't checked us out, do so!

A Freebie and News

2010-02-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

Hello, everyone - I realized today that I hadn't sent you all the link for the Lovemusic kit for taggers! I hadn't even zipped the file yet. Wow, am I lagging. Below is the preview to refresh your memory. Your link is here.

On to the news! As I mentioned in a previous post, I will be offering tubes for sale at Secret City Treasures. I finally put together a Terms of Use for the tubes which is what was holding me up as far as putting them in the store and posting the previews here. I have four ready to go but I will just share the first one tonight so this isn't a long one. Below is a preview of a daffodil that I photographed last year and tubed last month. All my "professional" tubes are 300 dpi. There is no drop shadow on the tube, of course. I will share the other three previews tomorrow night. I am eager to see what you all think of this idea too!

New Announcements!

2010-02-14T20:28:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't been around, folks, but things have been a bit crazy and I have been waiting until I could finally share my news with you. First of all, I am a designer with Secret City Treasures previously known to you as GBL Creations. Graphics By Liz is still around but all of us are now designers in the new store. The blog is beautiful as you will see when you visit. Be sure to log in and take a look around. There are many new kits, designs and scripts for you to see PLUS, right now, every designer has her products on sale - some up to 60% off! I have been unable to mark my prices down but I will try to do so asap. This sale goes from today until February 28th. All of my items in the store will be 50% off. Like I said, I'll see what I can do to have that work.
Second announcement is that I am venturing into some new things in the new store. I will be offering to you some of my flowers that I have not only photographed but tubed (extracted, as it is known in Photoshop). There will be no copyright infringement since the photos are flowers in my own back yard or ones I have taken while riding in the car (wildflowers). I will be uploading some into the store as soon as I finish the Terms of Use for them. Yes, commercial use is acceptable with certain conditions that I will spell out in the TOU. Don't worry, they will be reasonably priced!
Lastly, I will be offering some services through Secret City Treasures that I will announce once I have the necessary details nailed down. I have had problems with my eyes all week then babysat all weekend so haven't been able to get much done. On the right here, you will see all the designers of Secret City Treasures. We do have some new designers so be sure and visit them. Be looking for my new tubes and the announcement of my services!

Winter Snowflakes and Showing Off

2010-01-29T17:25:00.000-08:00

Hanna and I spent an afternoon at my friends' house during Christmas vacation and my friend took a pretty good photo of us. Well, naturally, I had to scrap it somehow so I took the papers and elements from the Winter Cocoa kit and the snowflakes from 2008 Christmas 2 kit. I put together a zip file of just the snowflakes for you that I hope you can use in the your winter pages.

You can pick up the snowflakes at GBL Creations or my 4shared account here. Since there is nothing above that indicates the snowflakes are a freebie, they ARE a freebie that you can use for commercial use. Please see my Terms of Use included in the zip. I want to make it clear that I did not put together this quick page for your use but, rather, the snowflakes. I realized too late that I could have easily made this a quick page unfortunately. The snowflakes are large enough to go onto a 12x12 inch page. In fact, the preview you see above is a greatly reduced one from the 3600x3600 quick page. I hope you can use them and thanks for looking at us! :)

Love Music kit

2010-01-25T22:46:00.001-08:00

Hello, everyone! Sorry I didn't get this to you as promised last week but I had unexpected grandma duty from Thursday night through last night. This is a large kit - four zip files that total about 114 mb, give or take a bit. There are 18 papers, backgrounds, bows, frames, etc. but some really fun stuff you can use for Valentine's Day or any other romantic moment. There are hearts, straps, buckles, candy, heart suckers, 45 rpm records (some of you may have never seen these!), etc. I got carried away making ribbons - there are 16, I think. lol The preview below is ONLY a sampling of the elements and the elements are greatly reduced in size. There is, of course, no drop shadow on the elements.

There are two ways to get this free kit - you may log in to GBL Creations and navigate to my store or you can download the zips at my 4shared account. Zip 1, Zip 2, Zip 3, Zip 4. REMINDER: These zip files will be available for two months then taken down. I will try to remember to give you a heads up before they are removed though. Fair enough? By the way, be sure and take a look at all the new Paint Shop Pro scripts at GBL Creations from Bonnie, Cindy and Joanne (I am sure there is at least one other person but I can't remember her name). Enjoy!

New Alpha and Changes!

2010-01-15T22:23:00.000-08:00

Hello, everyone! I have decided to make a few changes in the new year that I hope you will like. First, I will be offering for very low cost templates you can use in creating your kits. They are all to be grayscale and items I have created from scratch. I have my first venture in 2010 in the preview below. It is called Puffy Felt Alpha Template.

In this preview, there is a gray scale letter so you can see what they look like before colorizing. For purposes of making this preview, I had to resize each letter by half. The letters are at least one inch wide and/or one inch high so they will look great and be highly visible on your pages. You can use them on children's pages, holidays, whatever. The best part? It is only ONE DOLLAR! All the letters of the alphabet and numbers are included in the zip. You can find the alpha at GBL Creations in my store. Be sure and look at the awesome new scripts and kits that we have now too! Don't worry I will still be sending lots of freebies through here and I hope to have one ready for you by the end of next week
I had mentioned to you that there are changes in the works for GBL Creations and there will be a general announcement soon. I am really excited about what's coming in yours and my way! I can't tell you any more just yet but soon! I am confident you will like what the owners are doing.
Lastly, it is the 15th of the month and I had said I was going to delete a bunch of zip files from 4shared. Since I didn't remind you like I said I would (I just forgot and the 15th got here so fast!), I will leave them in place until Sunday, midnight PST (I guess that is actually Monday?) before deleting them. I will be removing some old posts too. My new policy for freebies will be I will leave the zipped files at my 4shared for two months, then remove them. Please note though that you can STILL get them at GBL Creations through the store. So take a look over the weekend by going through earlier posts and grab what you want. Have a great weekend!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T21:04:00.000-08:00

Hi, everyone, and happy 2010 to you. We had our usual quiet evening but I have to tell you how lame we are. I was getting my pajamas on and hubby said, "Do you hear that?" I said, "it sounds like rain" and he says "no, hail!" I came into our computer area as he opened the sliding glass door and we see nothing. It was then I looked at the digital clock above my desk and we both felt dumb....it was midnight and we were hearing fireworks! Slipped right up on us, it did. :)
I apologize for not getting this kit to you earlier this week but I did have a busy one and it was all I could do to finish it, keep up with email and stuff here in real life. I hope you can use it to scrap your photos you took last night - oh, you did take photos, right? Besides 18 papers, there are the usual elements plus some hats, crepe streamers, and other party elements you can use. I have uploaded the two zip files to both GBL Creations (some news about that in a minute) and to my 4shared. You MAY experience some difficulties at GBL since there are changes in the works but just go to my 4shared and get the zips there or, if you see some other things you'd like to grab/buy, contact the webmaster, Liz. I am not going to announce the upcoming changes until they are "official" but look for great ones! I think you will be pleased with them.

Here is the link for my 4shared files. There are two zips: zip1 and zip2
Have fun with the kit and I pray that the New Year will be joyful, prosperous and healthy for you all.

Christmas Addon

2009-12-22T21:54:00.000-08:00

I bet you all thought I had fallen in a hole or something. Nope, just been busy with Christmas stuff. Today was the last event until the "BIG DAY". The girls (Aly and Hanna) came over and built/decorated gingerbread houses and had a wonderful time. This is the 5th year I have done this with them but the building part is a first for them. I figured at 12 and 9 that they could put the houses together, right? They did pretty good too. Photos later - I want to scrap them, of course.

Two things to share with you. First, I uploaded the CmasJoy taggers' kit this evening to my 4shared site. In case you want a reminder of what the kind includes, see previews below. You download link for the taggers' kit is here.

Papers:

Elements:

For the taggers, there is just ONE zip file, however. I didn't upload this zip to GBL Creations so 4shared is the only place to get the file.

Second, I made an Add-on kit for you over the weekend. I recently updated the tuts by Dizzie (Dizzinc) and she has lots of fun, new things to do. Check this page for a preview of all the tutorials included for $20. When I first started learning Paint Shop Pro, I found her website with tons of tuts. Most were way beyond my ability at the time but loved her creations. She is a very talented tutorial writer and each tutorial in this zip (you can also get them on a CD) has plenty of screen shots and the steps are explained very well. Be sure and took a look if you want some great tuts. There are not only things for scrapping but furniture and other things to make. Below is the preview of the Add-on:

This zipped file is available at GBL Creations AND 4shared. Simply log into GBL Creations and navigate to my store and pick up the free download. The link for 4shared is here.
Reminder! I will be deleting zip files at my 4shared on January 15 so be sure and take a look at previous posts to see if there is anything you'd like to have.
Please enjoy all! :)

Finally! 2009 Christmas Joy kit

2009-12-05T23:35:00.001-08:00

Well, I hope you didn't give up on me but this has been one hectic week through today even! With the normal weekly pick up of grandchildren, I had Christmas and birthday shopping to do plus I had a get-together today of the Local Chapter of Paperback Swap. I came home after that (and thank God we broke off early) and worked on my laptop so my daughter could use it as a DVD player tonight for the BIG slumber party. Hanna turned 9 on Wednesday and she is having her first, ever, slumber party tonight. She has had a big week. Oh, for her birthday present from her parents, she got her ears pierced. She was SO excited by that.

Okay, now on to the kit. I actually finished it a few days ago but just wasn't here at my computer long enough to get all that needed to be done to get it published here. It is now ready. Whew! As I mentioned, it IS a big kit (almost 200mb) and I hope you enjoy all of it. There are two sections to it: first the papers.

There are 24 papers and I honestly don't know why they are so big in kb size but they are. There are TWO zip files that you can get at GBL Creations - once you log in, click on "add" and proceed through the checkout pages, you'll see both zips to download. I split them up for those of you who have slower connection speeds. Freebie is no longer available. Now the elements:

This is just a sampling of the elements because there are so many different things in this kit that you'd get a fuzzy idea of what it all is if I put everything in this preview. As usual, there are no drop shadows on them - ever! Again, just hop on over to GBL Creations and grab the files there. Freebie is no longer available. I do hope you make some fabulous pages for your scrapbooks with all this stuff. I really had fun learning new techniques and using shortcuts. I love making grayscale elements and then colorizing away! :) Please remember if you have any problems getting the files at GBL Creations, you can email me or Liz, the store owner for help. Please enjoy! Oh, the letter ornaments are in a separate file that I'll send you tomorrow night. I can barely keep my eyes open here.

First Christmas Alpha

2009-11-28T22:10:00.001-08:00

Hello, everyone! I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving (those of you who live in the U.S. anyway). Did anyone brave the shopping on Friday? My daughter thought that she'd drop by Walmart on her way to work and get a couple of items on her shopping list that were on sale for a good price (just in case Hanna reads my blog, I am not saying what - lol). The WalMart by her work is right off the freeway so she is thinking she can just hop off, zip in there and get the stuff and get out. Foolish woman that she is! When she was telling me this story, I was smiling, knowing what was to come. First of all, there was NO parking at all. I need to mention here that it was 5:20 a.m....yes, you read that right, and there was NO parking! She cruised the parking lot until she finally got a spot, ran to the place in the store where the items are sold. On her way there, she notices that the lines are clear to the back of the store. It took an hour to get two items! Oh, by the way, the items she wanted to buy were not in stock but she could get the next model up (of course) for a greatly reduced price. She went ahead and bought them since the gifts are a major part of the kids' Christmases. Once Christmas is behind us, I'll tell you what they are. :)
Anyway, I got off track here. I have been working on a huge Christmas kit for you all and, in fact, may have to send it to you in parts. I keep getting ideas for it and, if I don't know how to make it, then I try to find a tutorial in either PS or PSP for it. Slows me down some, needless to say. Your first item is the alpha I made. I saw these sparkly initials for sale at the drugstore and actually found a tutorial for something similar. This alpha is also part of the kit but as ornaments on the tree - I have added a small gold ring for "hanging" the initial.

I will make one more alpha for Christmas later for you. You may download the zip file at GBL Creations. I hope you enjoy the alpha.
Please NOTE: since everything from apples to zucchini has gone up in price, money is tighter in my household. I don't believe I will renew my large folder at 4shared in March and will have a regular sized folder. Due to that reason, all my zip files will have an expiration date from now on. This file will expire January 15, 2010. To give you all time to grab whatever you want at my 4shared, I will not retire any zips until January 15, 2010 and I will remind you at least one more time of the coming expiration. I am sure you understand since all of us are feeling the bite of our worthless dollar. :(

More Autumn Frames

2009-11-22T22:11:00.000-08:00

Hello, everyone, hope you had a great weekend! It rained (finally) here on Friday and it was, for us, a cold rain. The last two days have been unusually cold for this time of year. We normally don't get cold weather until the end of December. I guess we will have a longer winter than normal. I am not complaining either about it since the heater takes less money to run than the air conditioner. :)

I made some new frames using the papers from my Autumn09 kit. I seem to need frames that are "unique" or different on a page instead of using the same ones over and over. I hope these are useful to you. I did learn some things recently...in order to cut out things like these frames you need a special knife (Exacto is one brand name I know) and a paper punch. If you do cutting like this, make sure you have a "self-healing mat" under the design you are cutting out to avoid damaging your table or desk. You probably already knew this but I didn't! I decided to have a look around some scrapbook sites to learn what is done in "real life" and really got an education.

With regard to my little survey, most of you wrote that you have no problems getting files from GBL Creations. However, there were a few of you who had various issues with the store, all of which I totally understand, having had problems myself at other stores out there. So, with both sides in mind, I have put the files in both places so you have a choice of where to download. If you wish to use GBL Creations, that is great - you know what to do: log in, and click on my designer name and click on this preview for downloading. Freebie is no longer available. I hope you enjoy the frames!

A little survey for you

2009-11-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

I would love for you to leave a comment here and let me know if you have problems downloading files at GBL Creations, whether you even TRY to download them and/or would rather I go back to using 4shared for sharing my creations. I know a couple of you have written to me and had some issues so I'd like to get a sense from you what works. Thanks so much.

I was going to make a Thanksgiving kit but I realized last night that Thanksgiving is next week! Gosh, what happened to this week, this year, even!? So I will start on my Christmas kit instead and I saw a great idea for a special alpha.

Oh, for those who leave a comment, you can have the train alpha for free! Sort of a motivation to get your input. lol

Autumn Taggers Kit

2009-11-13T17:42:00.000-08:00

No, I didn't forget the taggers! I hadn't resized the items in the Autumn kit until today. Just for a reminder, here is the preview of the kit.

I uploaded the taggers' kit to my 4shared account. Remember, the papers are still large (1200x1200 pixels) so you probably will want to resize them more for tags. Freebie is no longer available. Oh, you might have noticed that I finally made a new signature tag for my blog. I loved the one Jeanette made me but I think it was time for a change. Please enjoy the kit!

Another Autumn Alpha

2009-11-12T22:08:00.000-08:00

I told you all that I had made another alpha that goes with my Autumn kit using Paint Shop Pro. I think I actually like it better than the first one...looks grungier or something. The grungy effect was created by applying a brush to the finished letter. If anyone would like a tutorial on it, let me know and I'll do one. It isn't hard at all.

You can pick up the zip file by logging in at the GBL Creations and clicking on my designer name/store. It is one of the newer previews, I think. Again, I did get an error when I put this in the store so please let me know if you have any problems getting the zip. My email address is on the right here. Oh, I forgot to tell you that both alphas are at least one inch in size so they look great at the top of a page or whatever. Please enjoy.

Autumn Quick Page

2009-11-11T20:29:00.000-08:00

Hello, all! No grandchild today since it is Veteran's Day so I did some tubing (extracting) but will be a good girl and not do any more for a couple of days. Hands hurting is not fun but I sure do love to tube! Bummer. Since it is Veteran's Day, please take a moment and thank God for our military. I know it isn't "fashionable" to do that any more but many men and women have lost their lives in wars and skirmishes. I am a war orphan myself. My father, who was in the Army Air Corps, died one month before I was born. The only information I have about him is stories told to me since I was little. There are thousands out there like me. Some of you may be one too. Remember this: many, if not most, of the people serving in the military in the past and now volunteered to put their lives on the line for US. They are not fighting for a person, or a superior officer or a political party...they were and are fighting for their nation.
Your freebie today is a quick page that I made after looking at a scrapbooking magazine. What an eye-opener that was! I had NO idea that this was such a big thing. There are all kinds of tools you can buy for cutting, crimping, gluing, etc. not to mention what you can make sewing or on your computer. Wow. Anyway, the quick page is 12x12 inches at 300 dpi so you can print it. Inside the bookplate and frame is transparent for you to place your photos.

The people in my quick page are my son and his family. The photos are a few years old but it is hard to nail them down for photos. :) Mikey is now 15 and about 5'10" and Aly is now 12 and my height (5'6") and both are growing like weeds. I have a feeling that they both are going to be very tall. I mentioned above about my dad - well he was 6'7"! His brother was 6'4" so the genetics are there for the grandchildren to be tall. I suspect Hanna and Joshua will be tall too. My son is 6'2" and my daughter is 5'10" so, tall is it! I am the short one now. How did that happen? lol
You can get the zip file for the quick page at GBL Creations by logging in, clicking on my designer name and then taking a look. It should be on the first page. Be sure and look at some of the other new things my fellow designers have put together while you are there. I did get an error message when entering my new items at the store so please let me know right away if you have any problem downloading the file.

Autumn09 Alpha1

2009-11-09T21:30:00.000-08:00

I played yesterday in Photoshop. Using a style that I created, I came up with a new alpha that uses the colors of the Autumn09 kit that I shared a couple of days ago. I did the letters so that every sixth color is repeated - so there are six of the dark green, six of the dark brown, etc. Hope that makes sense. I used a brush that ships with Photoshop for grungy look. I made a quick page today using the kit that I'll share in a day or so. THEN I made another alpha today in Paint Shop Pro. I really like alphas on scrap pages...I have seen some awesome layouts using large letters around the 'net and in magazines.

I also have made some new elements and papers for the kit. I am using this kit to test new ideas so I hope you like them! As usual, you can get this alpha FREE at GBL Creations. Log in the store and you'll see all the new things I made! Be sure and look at the new items and scripts; there are some awesome ones! Enjoy.

Autumn09 Freebie

2009-11-05T21:06:00.000-08:00

Hello, again, and, as promised, here is my newest kit for you. I think I have mentioned this many times but autumn is my favorite season. The weather is getting crisp so I can bake and cook things in the oven without overheating the house, holidays are coming and the trees are beautiful. I recently saved a new photo taken by a professional that had the prettiest autumn colors in it. I used the photo for my kit colors.

The kit isn't huge but it does have 12 papers, bows, brads, buttons, flowers, all kinds of other fasteners, ribbons, frames, etc. A little of everything. You can download the kit at GBL Creations right now. Head on over there, log in, look around then click on my designer name: Digital Arts by Steph and click on the preview. Add it to your "cart" and check out. There are some beautiful new scripts by Joanne (JDD) and Bonnie (Cancer Moon Creations), tubes and kits by all the designers so be sure and check them out. Please enjoy the kit!

Apple Basket

2009-11-04T17:42:00.000-08:00

Hi, well, my babysitting is over for the week and I can get caught up a bit. When I was looking at my 4shared account, I noted that the least set of the backgrounds I did for the Apple Basket kit was sitting there and I had never shared the link with you or the preview. Without further delay, here is the preview:

Freebie is no longer available. I will be sharing the new kit with you all tomorrow. :)

November!

2009-11-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

Hello, all. I apologize for being away but had a busy week and took a break from creating. Instead, I did a lot of tubing (extracting in Photoshop) and now have to take a break from THAT! My hands started hurting because I did so much. Anyway, I wanted to let you know I am back. I did complete a new kit today but before I send the link to it, I wanted to let you know that I made tagger's version of the Feminine kit. Here are the previews again for you:

I have uploaded the tagger's version of these files to my 4shared. Freebie is no longer available.

I have a bunch of stuff to share with you all but this is a good start for tonight. Please enjoy. :)

Sorry about Delay

2009-10-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

I tried to get to my Dashboard on Thursday night and got a very weird error message three times. Couldn't get my blog page to open either (any of them). Finally I went to the Help Forum and typed in my error - apparently Google was aware of it because there was a post from a Google technician that some of the blogs were down and they were working to get the problem fixed. I didn't get on here last night since I had to get to bed early and get Hanna up for her soccer game.

Anyway, here is the last zip of the Feminine kit for you.

You can (really!) get the zip file at GBL Creations. It is fairly large and remember there are no drop shadows on the elements themselves. Just head on over there, log in and take a look around! There are some beautiful new kits and scripts there. To get the zip, click on my designer name (Digital Arts by Steph) and this new kit should be on page 1. Please enjoy!

Shirley told me!

2009-10-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

I am SO sorry that I sent you all on a wild goose chase. See, I have trouble remembering all the ins and outs of what to do at Zen Cart too. So although everything was uploaded (the zips), I hadn't entered the information Zen Cart needed for the previews to show up in the store! It is now fixed and I am also introducing the papers below.

For real this time (lol), please go to GBL Creations, log in and click on my designer name (Digital Arts by Steph) and the Feminine kit stuff is first to see! I checked it just now so I KNOW it's finally right. I really appreciate Shirley sending me an email to let me know the previews and links were missing. Please, don't hesitate to email me if you have any problems getting my freebies. I may not answer immediately but I DO answer eventually (within a couple of days). My email address is always on the right side of the blog here. Please enjoy and I'll be sending the elements tomorrow.

Backgrounds #2 for Feminine Kit

2009-10-20T00:41:00.000-07:00

Here you go - past midnight too. I am sorry - I am just dragging tonight. I am not sure why either. Normal Monday, I guess. Here is the preview for the second zip of backgrounds I made:

There are 18 backgrounds in all. You can get them by going to GBL Creations, logging in and clicking on my designer name "Digital Arts by Steph" (yes I know that it is wrong since I use Digital Art by Steph but Liz didn't know). Most of these backgrounds are 2400x2400 pixels at 300dpi. Take a look at my tutorial/thoughts blog; I updated it using items from the Feminine kit. Enjoy!

First Feminine Background Set

2009-10-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

Hi, happy Sunday. lol I hope you had a nice weekend. I did and really didn't do anything all that spectacular. Well, that is not true. My daughter and her husband took hubby and me to dinner on Friday night as a "thank you" for helping out while she was in Texas. Yesterday I went to Joshua's soccer game and saw him get two goals! Those boys play so hard. Today, I literally just played. I finished a book and then we watched "Sunday Night Football". It was a pretty good game too.

I once again made backgrounds to go with this kit and they are big. I divided them into two zips and this is the first one:

These are once again backgrounds from Thaty Borges. Gorgeous, huh? I hope you like them anyway. :) Again, you can find your FREE backgrounds at GBL Creations. Once you log in, click on my "Digital Arts by Steph" and it'll take you to my "store". I would love to see what you create!

October 17 freebie

2009-10-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hi, all! I wanted to share my newest alpha with you that features one of the color of the Feminine kit I finished today.

The alpha was made in Photoshop using a couple of different styles that I created! I was pretty proud of that. This is a full alpha, which means it has upper case, lower case and numerals. The background I put the preview on is one of the backgrounds I made in the kit. I will share the link for you tomorrow to get that. Head on over to GBL Creations, click on me on the left there and you'll find the link for the alpha.

Before I forget, you DO have to register to see the items in the store. They do NOT share your email address with anyone so don't be concerned that by registering you are going to get lots of junk mail. Oh, one more thing, because this is Zen Cart software, to get the freebies, you must add them to your "cart". It involves clicking through several pages but if you will look, you'll see there is zero in the store total. The first time I went to a store like this, I have to admit I was a bit leery that I was buying something instead of getting something free as advertise...you know, like a "bait and switch" kind of thing. I assure you that it is not that at all. When you get to the last page, you'll see your download link, click on that and your download will start. I don't like all the clicking either but Zen Cart is the cheapest there is and for small businesses such as scrap kit stuff, it is the best we have.
I will be back tomorrow! Don't forget, your download for the alpha is here.

New stuff!

2009-10-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I have a few goodies for you and I apologize for not posting sooner. As I have mentioned, Monday and Tuesday are my "grandma days" and although I didn't pick up Hanna yesterday, I worked at the school. I really had fun too. You really can't call it "work" at all. I read the kids several chapters of the book Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Then today, Hanna's mama called to ask me to pick her up at school because she wasn't feeling well. She definitely didn't look good and was running a fever. Daddy picked her up about an hour later and kept an eye on her the rest of the day.
The first thing I wanted to give you is the preview of the full Apple Basket kit. There are 4 downloads at GBL Creations - one for the alpha, another for the papers and backgrounds and (I think) two for all the elements. As I said, this is a HUGE kit! I tend to get carried away once I start creating. :)

This is (obviously) the preview for the papers and backgrounds.

Head on over to GBL Creations and get the full kit. It is faster than 4shared, for sure. Be sure and take a look at the other designers' creations while you are there. I'll be sending a new alpha tomorrow. Enjoy!

Last send for Apple Basket

2009-10-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone - I hope you had a great weekend. We did and the weather was lovely on top of it. Today is the last zip for the Apple Basket kit. As I mentioned, I uploaded ALL of it to GBL Creations I have a snag with getting the stuff in the store so I can give you the link. No, it is not for sale; it is still free but you can get all of it (there are 5 or 6 zips) all at once. As soon as I connect with Liz, the store owner, to get the information I need, I'll let you know the links. I have also been working on a pretty new kit that I am calling Feminine. I hope you like it too. Here is your preview for the last of the elements for the Apple Basket kit:

I love the apple ribbon! Freebie is no longer available.

More Elements

2009-10-09T21:38:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was another busy day but, hey, it is over! My daughter is home for good and all of us are glad she is. I apologize for this being so late but apparently 4shared was down last night. I was finally able to upload the zips a bit ago. Maybe they were doing maintenance or something? Below is a preview of the elements in this zip.

Sorry for the delay! I have one more blog post to send you the last zip file and preview and the entire kit will have been uploaded. If you have missed any part of the kit, go through my recent posts for the zip locations. Freebie is no longer available.

Day Late!

2009-10-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

I am sure sorry but I totally forgot to send you yesterday's papers...completely gone out of my mind. I didn't even remember until I came back from the dentist. It was not fun...the extraction required stitches and I was hurting pretty bad this afternoon. I did the old ice pack thing and, you know what? That really works! I applied it twice and the swelling is way down tonight and the pain is nearly gone. I still can't bite down to eat but I am amazed at how well the ice did the job.

This previews shows you the rest of the papers in the Apple Basket kit. I finished the kit this afternoon/evening. I got a little wild with this one - it totals almost 200 mb!! It is hard to know that it is that big until the end, I guess.
I have another announcement. As I told you all, I am no longer a designer with Groovy Scraps and have been on a leave of absence with GBL Creations. I have decided that I simply want to give my designs away but will be offering them, FREE, through GBL Creations. This way I will also not fill up my 4shared with kits but can use it for quick pages, etc. This will be the last kit that I'll be sending with a 4shared link. The one I am working on now will be offered at the GBL Creations store. Still free! Be sure and take a look at the other designers there and we have two great script writers too - Bonnie and Joanne. They do fabulous scripts.
Oh, one more thing, there are two more zips for this kit which contain the remainder of the elements (flowers, ribbons, etc.). I WILL be sending them through here so, let's just say starting next week, I will be sending links to new kits at the store. I plan on sending the last two parts tomorrow and Friday. Let us hope I remember! :) Freebie is no longer available.

Apple Basket papers, part 1

2009-10-06T00:18:00.000-07:00

Hi, I realized this evening that I had never shared the papers with you. In an effort to keep the downloads from being too large, I split them up into two zip files. Today, I am sending papers 1 through 12.

There will be twelve more tomorrow. Freebie is no longer available.

October 4 - Apple Basket stuff

2009-10-04T23:44:00.000-07:00

Hello, all - I hope you had a great weekend! Too short, right? :) Today's freebie consists of the frames and dishes I made for the Apple Basket kit. The dishes, as I mentioned, I made using a tutorial for Photoshop. I think they would be prettier if the original image had been larger. Fun to try, though.

Freebie is no longer available.

A New Free Kit!

2009-10-03T23:38:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone...I am working on the remainder of the Apple Basket kit and have started another kit that I got involved in today. I am sharing with you tonight a kit that was previously on sale at Groovy Scraps. Since I am no longer a designer with their store, I am now giving it to you all, free! Again, I do thank those of you who purchased it. :)

I don't remember if the papers are 12x12 or 8x8 since it was over a year ago that I put this kit together. In any event, I hope that you enjoy it. Freebie is no longer available.
I am still a designer at GBL Creations but on a leave of absence at the moment. This kit is NOT in this store. I left Groovy Scraps due to cutting off more than I could chew. They are a wonderful group of women and so very talented. Be sure and check their store from time to time. Remember, they have great sales too!

October 1 - Borders etc.

2009-10-02T00:07:00.001-07:00

Well, I forgot to post this earlier and there was no reason keeping from doing so - just forgot! :) I had a great visit with a dear friend today after going to the dentist. Does anyone else hate going to the dentist like I do? It always means pain for me and today was no different. Next week, I get the tooth extracted. Oh, yea, I get to go without eating for a few days. Well, I need to lose weight so I am not going to complain about that part. :)
Today's freebie contains the brads and borders I made for the Apple Basket kit. Once again I included a paper (the background on the preview) too.

I have another "free" day tomorrow and, if it is cool enough, plan on doing some cleaning on the porch. Really needs it. It was beautiful here today and yesterday - in the mid-80's, light breeze and cool nights. I love it! Freebie is no longer available.

September 30!

2009-10-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

Lord, have mercy...we are at October 1 already! Where HAS this year gone??? I am late with your freebie but I was just plain pooped today and took a break I needed. I see the dentist tomorrow...I'd appreciate your prayers and thoughts...have another bad tooth. Ugh!
Today's freebie contains all the bows I made for the Apple Basket kit plus one paper (the background on the preview).

I have mentioned a bunch of times that I love autumn and that it is my favorite time of year. This kit has some of the autumn colors I love as you can see. I hope you enjoy the bows. More tomorrow night (not bows but stuff - lol). Freebie is no longer available.

September 27

2009-09-27T23:57:00.000-07:00

Ooooh, cutting it close for 9/27, aren't I? lol Once again, I am on grandma duty but the end is coming. Ten more days and my daughter will be home. Joshua came today and is spending the night. He had a very loose bottom tooth and asked me if I had some "string". I found some crochet thread, made a loop. He put it around the tooth and had Grandpa tie it to the door knob. He swung the door and to his amazement, his tooth came out! I wish I could have taken a photo of the look on his face. He was surprised that it worked. I asked him if he thought the tooth fairy would know he isn't home. He informed me that the tooth fairy was like Santa and knows where he is. Of course, the tooth fairy is coming - I mean, I am not going to let him down, now am I? :)
Freebie is no longer available. She does beautiful work and I encourage you to visit her blog. Her prices are reasonable and she has lots of freebies. The site is in Portuguese, I believe, so you will have to use a translator page to read it.

The only thing I add for enhancement is apply a light bevel to the finished background. There are no drop shadows on the backgrounds...the ones you see in the preview are just to make them stand out a bit. Freebie is no longer available.

New Kit!

2009-09-26T22:29:00.000-07:00

Hi, all, this has been one heck of a week and I apologize for not posting much but being a grandma is a precious thing to me and I really like to give each child my undivided attention as much as possible. Grandmas can do that and I know that had a very special relationship with my grandma and have lots of warm memories with her. I want that for my grandchildren too. So, I do have to brag a bit. Joshua, the 7 year old, had 7 large warts on his hands that he wanted to go away. He has been to the doctor once before...yes, you read it right, once! He is one healthy boy. However, I was a bit concerned that he would associate pain and horror with his first "real" visit and I was the one to take him! The pediatrician was great, nice younger gal, and very down to earth. I have to tell you that boy amazed me.....he didn't cry, yell, or flinch! I KNOW it had to hurt him. He really, really wanted those warts gone and so was very motivated to get through it. Can you imagine this? Wow, he just left me speechless.
Okay, enough bragging. :) I am slowly putting together a new kit called Apple Basket which I think I mentioned previously. Today's freebie are some linen backgrounds I made for a start. I have ten other backgrounds that I will share in two days because they are very large. To start you off, here is a preview of the linen:

I also started another new kit that I am calling Feminine that has some really pretty colors. Because my time is limited, I won't be just zooming through and making things quickly. Freebie is no longer available.

Ten Day Give

2009-09-26T00:53:00.000-07:00

I think you all know that I love to give stuff away. Ever since I started learning Paint Shop Pro and meeting others who were in Yahoo groups, etc., one thing I noticed is that people in the graphics community love to help and share with others. Yes, I know there are some who do not and are ugly about it, on top of it. But, for the majority, due to others' generosity, I create today things that others have shown me how to create. The same is true for Photoshop now.
I am truly grateful to those of you who have purchased some of my kits, alphas, etc. I don't want you to think that I am not grateful. I just love to give better than charge for my stuff. That is why I started making freebies for you all. I apologize for so little that I have shared this week but I have had grandma duty every day this week and am hardly keeping up with email much less doing any creating. I plan on doing some this weekend but my time is limited there too.
Regarding the giving, I wanted to invite you to join me in the "Ten Day Give" promoted by Bob at Christian Personal Finance. Beginning October 1, for ten days, those of us who have signed up, have committed to give something (money, time, objects, etc.) to others every day for ten days. See this site for details. I think you'll have fun doing this and experience the joy of giving right along with me!

I hope to see you join me! Look for new goodies over the weekend too. :)

Back again!

2009-09-23T23:45:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone...wow, lots of stuff going in my real life but I actually created your freebie over the weekend. I made two alphas, one of which you already have seen. This one goes with my new kit I am working called Apple Basket. I think this one looks like wood, don't you? Both of these alphas were made doing tutorials from Nanson Graphics. Besides tutorials, she has lots of goodies she gives away like gradients, seamless tiles, etc. She has been around a while and I invite you to check out her site.

I have more things to share tomorrow from this kit. Freebie is no longer available.

Back again! September 18 freebie

2009-09-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone, I had one heck of a week and today was the only day I was home all day. I was gone all of yesterday until dinner time. I have more done on my new kit and I have to brag on myself a little bit. I tried a Photoshop tutorial and learned how to make plates and cups (vases). The only thing I had to do in Paint Shop Pro was apply a plug-in by Xero. I will be posting some goodies from the new kit tomorrow evening.
Today's freebie is to honor my anniversary on Sunday. Hubby and I will have been married 12 years on Sunday and it is also his birthday. lol I picked the day since I knew he wouldn't forget our anniversary if it was on his birthday, right? I made a new alpha today called "Shell". It is supposed to look like tortoise shell...what do you think?

The photos are when we got married (we went to Lake Tahoe and were married outside in the pine trees...so wonderful!) and when we went to Crater Lake outside of Medford, Oregon (fairly long drive though). As you may be able to tell, this is a complete alpha...meaning there are upper and lower case letters as well as numbers and some symbols. I used Times New Roman for my font - always a simple, good choice, don't you think?

Freebie is no longer available.

September 15 freebie

2009-09-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone...well, another busy day behind me. :) I put together a complete preview of the Petunias kit for you. There is a couple of each element shown and all the papers. I didn't include the miscellaneous freebies, however, like the accents and others.

The freebie tonight is the kit for taggers. Everything has been reduced by one-third so the papers (backgrounds) are 1200x1200 pixels at 300 dpi and so on. You are welcome to use the kit for tutorials or whatever. Freebie is no longer available.

September 14 surprise

2009-09-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

Wow, do I have a great surprise for you! Last night, I received a new Quick Page from Myna using the Petunias kit. So, I had to change my freebie for you, of course!

This is Myna's granddaughter - isn't this just gorgeous and the granddaughter precious? I love what Myna did with this - don't you? Freebie is no longer available.

September 13!

2009-09-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

Hello, all. I apologize for skipping out on you for the weekend. I had "grandma duty" Friday night/Saturday for Hanna and didn't get on my own computer until late last night. I had a few more things I wanted to make for the Petunias kit before I sent the final zip. The things I made were the tags. I had some fun playing with templates as you'll see.

The tag on the far right was a layered template that I added my own stuff to...I wish I could think up these things but I am like that with decorating my house too. My daughter and daughter-in-law are so artistic and come up with the neatest decorating ideas....I just have to look at others' stuff and copy their ideas...so the same is true for scrap stuff. I am just glad there are great ideas out there!
Tomorrow, I will be sending you the link for the taggers' kit and a complete preview of the Petunias kit. Freebie is no longer available.

September 10 freebie

2009-09-10T22:09:00.001-07:00

Well, the cool weather appears to be gone for a while again. It was 102 in our back yard today. I really am so, so ready for fall! At least I had a good day - had lunch with my son and that is always good. :) Today's freebie is all the ribbons I made for the Petunias kit. The zip file is a little over 11 mb, which is bigger than some of the other zips but I hope it won't be a problem for you.

These ribbons are about 11 to 16 percent of the size of the actual ribbons. I had to really reduce them in size for the preview. Some are 5400 pixels (18 inches) wide and some are 3600 pixels (12 inches) wide. I tried to give you a little variety...lace, grosgrain, satin, etc. I hope you enjoy them! Freebie is no longer available.

September 9 freebie

2009-09-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

Today's freebie is more of the elements....frames and the rest of the paper clips. I really botched the file name on one of them. Oh, well. The frames are large and this preview doesn't do them justice in letting you see just how big they are.

The zip file is almost 6 mb, I think so it should download for you quickly. Freebie is no longer available.

September 8 freebie

2009-09-09T00:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, talk about getting too close to September 9! Sorry this is so late but it has been a hectic day. Today's freebie is another set of elements from the Petunias kit.

As you can see, you get the brads, buttons, clips and flowers. Tomorrow's freebie may be late too since (actually today's since it is past midnight here) I have to be gone most of the day. I hope you enjoy these! Freebie is no longer available.

September 7 freebie

2009-09-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day to my friends in the U.S.! I hope you had a good day. We decided to barbecue some tri-tip (California thing), bake potatoes and boil some fresh corn on the cob (yes we did shuck them - lol). It was really good.
As I mentioned yesterday, today's freebie is a small add-on for the Worship kit. Please note that there are three charms with words on them. I made the words just using the cut-out effect in Paint Shop Pro. It was surprisingly easy too!

I'll be back tomorrow with more elements from the Petunias kit. Freebie is no longer available.!

Grandma Brag Time

2009-09-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

I finally got a chance to do something fun with Hanna's and Joshua's school pictures. The sad thing is that I won't be able to get it printed so will have to be satisfied to put it in my digital scrapbook. The photos are considered to have copyright privileges. How do I know this? Last year I created one for the kids and took it to Walgreen's to have it printed. They refused because of the copyright issues. I don't blame them; I just didn't think about it when I asked them to print it.

Their photos this year are great! I used my School kit that I made last year. It is a pretty small kit and the papers are 2400 x 2400 pixels or 8 inch by 8 inch. I was selling the kit but have removed all those that have papers that not the "professional" size. If there is interest, I will upload the kit to my 4shared folder. Please email me if you are interested and I will upload and notify everyone here. What do you think of my layout here?

Thanks for looking! :)

September 6 freebie

2009-09-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone...I hope you are having a great 3-day weekend. Those of us who live in the U.S. celebrate Labor Day tomorrow and most businesses (other than retail) are closed. It is a federal and state holiday. Be careful driving tomorrow since all those who went away for the long weekend will be coming home. :)
Today, I am sending the first zip of the elements. You'll see in the preview what is included in the file.

I am going to digress from sending more elements tomorrow to send you one more add-on to the Worship kit. I completely forgot about it until yesterday. I made a few more goodies in order to make this new blog stuff. I can't think what you call it. lol Anyway, I am sharing it with you tomorrow and then I'll continue on with the Petunias kit stuff. Freebie is no longer available.

September 5 freebie

2009-09-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

As promised, I am sharing Myna's beautiful quick page (the second one) that she created using the Worship kit. I hope you love it as I do.

She is so creative, isn't she? I remind you again that that Myna's quick pages are 8x8 inches or 2400 x 2400 pixels. Although not a typical scrapbook size, it is great for printing it on to one that has a plain background (no patterns is what I mean). Freebie is no longer available. I hope you enjoy it!

September 4 freebie

2009-09-04T22:46:00.000-07:00

Here is the last set of papers for you. It was hot again today...just not as bad. It was "only" 98. I had to go shopping for Joshua's birthday present so I was out in it sort of. I mean from the car to the store and back. :) Tomorrow, I am sending you another quick page that Myna did using the Worship kit. I know you'll love it!

File is no longer available.

September 3 freebie

2009-09-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, it seems like you all like the kit so far and especially those accents! Awesome. We had another brutally hot day here...103, I think. Unfortunately, I absolutely had to go out...doing a mission of mercy for Hanna by picking up photos at Walgreens that she needed to complete a project at school and to get us some groceries. I am so ready for cooler weather.

Today's freebie is the next six papers on the Petunias kit. Tomorrow will be the last six and then we'll start with some elements. Remember I already shared the backgrounds I made. If you missed them go to the posts for last month and you can grab them there.

I changed the look of my blog for September and I don't think I like it. The flowers and stuff are too big and you can't see what I made. At least my header is centered this time. I am grateful for that and honestly don't know how it happened. :) Freebie no longer available. Have fun!

September 2

2009-09-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Today, my youngest grandchild turned 7. I remember so clearly his birth since I was there. Joshua was born at home with his family members all in attendance. Yep, I cried too. :) He is looking more and more like his daddy these days and he is very smart. How many 7 year-olds do you know who can add 3-digit numbers in his head? He is already reading at least 3rd grade level too. Amazing boy. Yes, I know, I am prejudiced. I am going to make a quick page using one of my kits to show him off. I just got their school pictures last night and they turned out really good this year.
Today's goodie is six of papers of the Petunias kit. There are 18 papers in all but I am sending in small chunks so as not to overload you. I'll send six more tomorrow. I have made a ton of stuff for this kit and I sure hope you enjoy it.

File is no longer available. Have fun with it and I'd love to see whatever you make with this kit!

September 1 late

2009-09-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

Hi, gang, well, yesterday was nuts...I had grandma duty in the afternoon then last night until after 10. I wasn't feeling good at all when I got home, so I didn't even get on here. Total washout of the day for me. Anyway, the first thing I am sending is some accents I made for the Petunias kit.

This preview shows the accents greatly reduced in size, by the way. I have one more to send you tonight and that is today's download. Be looking for it, okay? No longer available. Enjoy!

August 29 freebie

2009-08-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

We had a scorcher today - 105 in our back yard. However, the barometer is dropping so we are hoping that means a change to cooler weather. If we lived in the midwest, it would probably mean thunderstorms but we rarely get that, especially in the summer time.

Your freebie today is a some borders I made for the Petunias kit. Again I played with the clipping mask and I also learned something new today that I sure wish I could explain to you - lol. I was tickled I figured it out. I told hubby tonight that if I had opened Photoshop at the beginning of getting interested in graphics, I would have said forget it and never learned a thing anywhere. Fortunately I had a copy of Paint Shop Pro 7 on my computer and took lessons on the internet (free ones), bought some books etc. I have been using it (all the way up to version X2) for 8 years now. It has definitely made learning Photoshop much easier had I not learned basic stuff in PSP. Photoshop is still complicated but I am learning and don't feel intimidated by it like I did.

I have been working all day on lots of goodies for this kit so be looking for the new freebies starting September. Have fun with these borders...oh, they are 3600 pixels long and various widths. I know it is hard to tell looking at the preview. Your download link is .

August 28 freebie

2009-08-28T22:43:00.000-07:00

Here is another alpha made using one of my new actions from Atomic Cupcake. The action is called Carve Gold. I really like it and the font I used is called something princess, thus the name of the alpha!

Again, the background here in the preview is a paper from the Petunias kit and it is included in the freebie zip file. I was hoping I had a little diamond tube but all I found was a pearl - I put it in the little hole in the S and added a sparkle to it. :) Just having fun with it. You can get the file (no longer available). Enjoy!

August 27 Freebie

2009-08-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

Yep, I know it is a day late. I got it all ready then forgot to post it! I thought of it after I had shut down last night and it was just too late to get back on the computer. This freebie is a lovely quick page from Myna using the Worship kit.

I so love her work and her ingenuity in putting the papers and elements together. I hope you enjoy this one. I have another freebie ready for today but I'll post it later. You can get this quick page (no longer available). Enjoy!