Head's Up

Thought you might be interested in the following:

http://www.auntieannes.com/auntieannes.aspx?pID=97

Freebie: California Template

Today's template is for California. It is a little bit "different" as far as templates go. To the left side of the page is a strip of film that already has pictures in it. These are b&w pictures of places of intrest in California. The idea was to make them look like negatives of 35mm film. I used some styles in Photoshop to try to get that effect.

If you can't do anything with them, or if you don't like them you can delete the individual pictures by layer and insert your own photos. Each layer is labeled so you can identify them easily.

Well anyway, I hope you like the effect I was going for here. There was so much to choose from in California that I wanted the theme of the layout to be as open as possible.

Both the Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop versions are included in the California Template download.

Win RAR

For those of you who can't open the state template files because they are RAR files, you can get another program to open them. I use WinRAR, but I have heard that you can open these files with Unzip Them All 1.3.

Template Schedule

Ok, so far I have a total of 8 states and 2 foreign countries on my "to do" list. Make sure you add your requests in the comments either here or on 4 Shared and I will add you to the list. As I get the requests I add that state to the list. There is no particular order. I am doing states first and then the countries.

Already uploaded are North Carolina, Texas and Georgia.

Tomorrow I will upload California.

See you then.


P.S. Texas is kicking NC's butt right now (see this post if you don't know what I mean.) But I think there are a few more people living in Texas than in North Carolina! But that is no excuse, NC! Get off you rear end and download our state! LOL

Georgia Template Feebie

You have Kimberly to thank for this new template, Georgia Template. This is the thrid in what looks like will be a LONG series! I don't mind though. It means you like my work and want more. That's a good thing!

The picture here is of my son and me when we went to Atlanta with my fiance' for a fitness convention for my work. As you can see, the look on my son's face shows he is about feed up with sight seeing! But then I had to sit thru a game at Turner Field for him and my fiance'. So we were even by the end of the day. (I am a sports fan, but baseball is NOT one I like.)

We were so lucky to visit Stone Mountain when they had a display of artifacts from the movie Gone With The Wind. I saw original scripts and costumes plus an Oscar from the movie! I LOVE old movies! You may recall from another post that I just read the book Rhett Butler's People. I highly reccommend it!

Next up in the state template series is California. Lidia asked for it next. Hawaii is on the horizion as well. I just have to think up what to do. I try to keep them simple so that the designs don't take away from the photos you want to display.

Going, Going, Gone!

Thanks to SaraP for emailing me about the cross stitch patterns. I hope you enjoy them!

Announcement!

Back "in the day" when I didn't work and had a ton of time on my hands and there was no such thing as digital scrapbooking, I was an avid cross stitcher. Ok, so I have substituted one addiction for another!

I was into the fabrics you had to use 4 holes to make one X (I think it is called "over 2 threads" or something like that.) I had books and magazine subscriptions and tons of leaflets. I had at least 2 cross stitching calendars a year for several years. I made gifts like afghans and tea towels. I cross stitched on sweatshirts using waste canvas for my son. I even tried my hand at duplicate stitch...following the "stitch" of a knit sweater.

Well, alas I have lost my hard earned ability to cross stich like I used to be able to and have little time to take it back up full scale anymore. I have to balance my time between paper and digital scrapbooking, reading and of course, my job. I keep wanting to work on it, but it has been at least 12 years since I did anything of merit. One day I will sit down and pick it back up. I keep promising myself at least.

Which leads me to my announcement. I have a box of patterns I know I will never get to cross stich. Some of the patterns are still in the magazines they came from, while some are just copied patterns thru the years. I will GIVE THEM to the first person who contacts me by email and asks for them. All I ask in return is that you send me a little something by return mail to help pay the cost of mailing them to you. Yes, the box is THAT big.

So, as soon as I press "publish" on this post, I will look to see who asks me first. Remember, I will need you to use my email address that is located on my Blogger.com profile. Just go to my sidebar and click on "view my complete profile."

By Request: Texas Template Freebie

Never let it be said that I don't aim to please! When Pat from Houston jokingly asked when I was going to make a Teaxs template I thought that since I had lived in Texas at one point I would need something for future layouts.

But then I went hunting for photos of my time in Texas and couldn't hardly find any that hadn't already been paper scrapped. My ex was stationed with the Army at Ft. Hood and we moved to Killeen when our son was 3 months old. A few years ago I made a baby scrapbook for my son and all the good pictures of that time frame are already in use.

This picture was taken at a park near our apartment in Killeen. As you can see, my son (who is 20 now) was just a little baby! Unbelievable how fast they grow!

So here is the Texas Template. Let's see which downloads the most times...the North Carolina template or the Texas template!

Yarn Alphabet Freebie

Today's digital scrapbooking freebie is a hand drawn alphabet that looks like it was made by scrap pieces of yarn. It is very rustic looking and can add a casual touch to your layouts.

Once again, if you knit or know someone who does, this is a great accent to make a title that just pops off the page!

Check out the details on this alphabet. It is simply amazing what Photoshop can do!

Download the Yarn Alphabet here.

Nothing Could Be Finer...North Carolina Template Freebie

Today's freebie, North Carolina Template, comes with a disclaimer! I searched high and low and even tried to make one myself, but I could not find a border with dogwoods on it. The mask I used is supposed to represent dogwoods which are the state flower of NC. I know most of you don't know, don't care and/or didn't notice. But for the few of you who take North Carolina seriously, I wanted to let you know in advance! LOL
This template can be used if you are a native of NC and you want to scrap something close to home. It can also be used for those of you who have traveled to the great North State and have been looking for a way to display your photos to show where you have been without having to use all your journaling space trying to explain where the event took place.

I have encluded a "you are here" star so that you can "mark your spot" on the map of NC (like I did in my layout of the Outer Banks.)

You might even consider using this template if your child has a project due in school. I know around the 3rd or 4th grade we studied everything about our state. Or maybe you child has to pick a state to do a report on. North Carolina's about as good as it gets!

If you haven't been to North Carolina you should seriously consider it. We have beaches, mountains, theme parks, NASCAR, football, basketball, Revolutionary War history, a professional hockey team and even pirates!

The Freebie I Promised: Our House Template

I am uploading the Our House template this morning. I put both the Paint Shop Pro and the Photoshop versions in one zip this time so when you download it, you'll get both. I usually offer them as seperate links, but I thought this might be easier.

I am very excited...I had an email when I got up this morning from the creative team at Make It Scrappy that said they had selected my Our House layout as the lay out of the day (LOTD.)

If it weren't for the really friendly people at Make It Scrappy I wouldn't even be doing digital scrapping at all! Tracy was the one who "taught" me how to actually fill in a template. She answered my email questions and was so sweet!

At that time I was just downloading elements and alphabets so that I could print them and use them in my paper scrapbooking. But I liked the templates (and Tracy has some wonderful ones) so I decided to send an email and see if she would help me get started. I had Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro but had no idea how to get started.

With just a few tips and tricks under my belt I was able to follow a logical sense of how things worked in each program and little by little I advanced myself. Right now I am working on using an action with a mask! It's a slow process of trial and error, and sometimes the result of my experiments is not even what I had imagined. Sometimes that's a good thing! It opens new doors for me.

Anyway enough patting myself on the back. Have fun "building" your house!

What You'll Get Tomorrow

I just finished a layout using a new template that I will have for you tomorrow. I wanted you to see how I used it.

Come back again tomorrow and grab this template. Then let me see what your house looks like!

Slide Mounts: Today's Freebie

This afternoon I have some more "essential" elements for you. This is a collection of Slide Mounts that contains over 30 styles and colors to use whenever you need to find just the right element for that perfect picture.

If you aren't familar with slide mounts, they are like minature picture frames. So if you haven't ever used them, try out this package and see if you like them.

It's just another way to display a picture or even journal in them if you want to be different!

Round Tag Freebie

Today I am uploading a set of Round Tags. This is a single type of tag with 13 different color and texture variations.
This is a good set to have around in case you need to fill in a blank spot on your layout. You could put these in a folder marked "essentials" so you would know where to grab them without having to search forever. If you are like me, I have thousands of files of digital scrpbooking stuff! (And my paper scrapbooking room is just as full as my computer!)

I learned a long time ago (in both genres ) to grab it when I saw it or it would be long gone when I went back! In the case of digital elements, I might not even be able to find the site I saw something on!

It's Time To Celebrate!

I'm so excited! Yesterday for the first time I had one of my designs reach 500 downloads! It seems that my Cedar Chest Set is by far the most popular design I have offered.

Thank you so much for continuing to come back to my blog each day to see what I have to offer. Sometimes it falls flat on its face (like my Flourish Template that has only been downloaded 43 times since Saturday ...did you miss that one maybe???)

Thanks again for all the support and the inspiring comments that you leave!

Clip art is from the Chilly Tilly collection by Janie Dawson and can be purchased at pccrafter.com

Freebie of the Day: Classic Bows

Aaarrrggghhh!!! Ok, I feel better now. Man, I am SO tired of reloading everything onto my computer! But when you have to, you have to!

Today's download is made possible by the wonderful people at The Ephemeral Victorian. The bows I am using come from that site that is a resource center for would-be designers! I just can't ever say enough about how much that site is an inspiration to me.

The bows are filled in with Photoshop styles. I was trying to use styles that allowed the knot in the middle of the bow to show. There are a couple where you can see where it is supposed to be...

But there are several where the knot looks wonderful! Thse bows are sort of dark and have more of a vintage look. But, who knows how you may end up using them!

So here are the Classic Bows. Enjoy!

Back Up and On Line

Just to let you know I am back on my computer. I will be installing programs all night, but it is worth it! I fixed the problem I had.

I'm not exactly sure what was causing the problem, but it is gone now. I had tried everything I could think of AND everything suggested to me online and still couldn't figure it out.

The problem was just on this computer so I knew my last resort was just to reload the operarting system. Thank goodness it worked!

Today's Freebie: All Shook Up Kit Add On

Here is the add on to my All Shook Up Kit. This kit has 2 more papers, more poodles, another bow, a round tag and of course, dancing Elvis! There is also a neon '50's sign.

If you missed the beginning of all this Elvis madness, you can pick up my All Shook Up template here.

Get the All Shook Up Kit Add On now!

A Big Thank You

Thanks so much to hbl on the Blogger Help Group for helping me find the right html to change the size of my titles for my posts.

Clip Art from Leere' Aldrich's At The Cabin can be purchased at pccrafter.com

I think it is really neat that people are willing to help out even if they don't know you. I've learned that these help groups are a lot easier to deal with than the customer service of most companies (like Dell, for instance.)

I'm getting ready to post today's freebie in a little while and then I have to re-format my computer. I spent most of last evening backing everything up. Hopefully I won't run into any major issues and I will have tomorrow's freebie right on schedule.



Keep your fingers crossed!

A Layout By Cheryl

Cheryl sent me a layout she did using my All Shook Up template as an inspiration.

I changed it a little, hope you don't mind. I used it for a signature
tag challenge.

Hugs,Cheryl

Of course it is perfectly ok to change whatever you like on the templates. After all, templates are really just a guideline to inspire you.

Thanks, Cheryl, for sharing your work. It looks great!

All Shook Up: The Kit...Freebie

Better late than never...here is the kit I told you about yesterday that goes with the All Shook Up template I posted.


There are 2 different color schemes in this All Shook Up Kit: black/gold and pink/dk blue. Tomorrow there will be an All Shook Up Kit Add On and there will be more of both colors. The dancing Elivs is in tomorrow's kit.

Let me see your layouts!

Too Bad...Good Try

My worst feelings came true today when the San Diego Chargers lost this afternoon. I really respect Philip Rivers for playing the entire game eventhough he has 2 seperate injuries.

You Asked For It

Well, you didn't really ask for it, but there has been such a HUGE response to my All Shook Up Template that as I watch the San Diego football game I am working on a kit to go with the template.

I'm glad you guys like the template so much.

Go Chargers!

All Shook Up Template Freebie

If you remember my post from January 8th, you will recall I am a big Elvis fan! Although I didn't make it in time for his birthday, I have designed a template to show my love of eveything Elvis! (Well, I'm not too thrilled with "fat Elvis." LOL)

Actually the All Shook Up Template is really more about Rock 'N Roll and the time frame when that type of music was just being born. So pull out your parents' old photos (ok, YOUR old photos wink, wink) and start Scrapping Aound The Clock. (Ok, that was corny!)

Anyway, have a blast with this. You can do all sorts of things. You can use the 45 records for journaling on the labels or you can put your favorite songs and artists on the label.

This template would go great with any photos from a trip to Graceland (maybe for the 35th anniversary of Elvis' death in 2007) or photos of your kids dressed up for 50's day at school!

PLEASE send me some layouts so I can post them!!!! I guess you guys don't think I really mean that! But I mean it!

Get your Photoshop version here and your Paint Shop Pro here.

Floruish Template Freebie

Well, here it is, my new template, Flourish Template. It was made using a mask from "SG" for the frames.



Paint Shop Pro

Photoshop



Please let me know what you think once you start using the template since it is the first one I have made using a mask as a pattern. Is it difficult to work with? Do you like it more? ETC.



If you missed last night's layout preview here is the layout I made using the template.

TEASER!!!

Here is a layout I did tonight featuring my newest template design, Flourish Template. I hope that by seeing the layout tonight, you will come back tomorrow and grab the download of the template!

The pictures were taken on our trip to Denmark this past September. We are fortunate to know the US Ambassador to Denmark, Jim Cain and his wonderful wife, Helen from when we lived in North Carolina. We stayed at the Ambassador's residence while we were in Copenhagen.

One day I will do a picture layout of the beautiful mansion, Rydhave, which is the official residence of the US Ambasssador and his family. I'm still trying to paper scrap that trip!

Friendship Word Art Freebie

Hello. This morning I have uploaded some Friendship Word Art for you. This set contains 9 phrases that can be used as page titles or just captions for photos.

The word art is made with different Photoshop styles so they have depth , as well as color.

Take a look at the preview and see the detail up close. You'll be suprised at how they jump off the page when you get them open!

Have fun scrapping your memories of special freindships.

If You Knit: A Stitch in Time Alphabet Freebie

A few days ago I posted my Green Apple Set and it had a knitter's apple in it. There was so much positive response to that Photoshop style that I have created an entire alphabet with the cable knit pattern.

Credit goes to Raymond Dukes for his Photoshop syle, Ray's Vest. Here is a link to the freeware download of his style. If you know how to use styles in Photoshop then you'll be able to create whatever you want with this download.

Here is the alphabet freebie I made, A Stitch In Time Alphabet. Enjoy making your digital scrapbooking layouts as lovely as your knitted masterpieces!

Freebie Frames!

There are several things you can never have too much of as a digital scrapper. Alphabets are one. Frames are another! My Assortment of Frames freebie has 8 totally different styles of frames. Some are classy, and some are fun.

You really can't see it in this preview, but the detail on some came out VERY NICE! So download them and take a look. If you don't like all of them you can simply delete them! Of course you would never do that, huh? LOL

Freebie on Tuesday: Butterfly Bonanza

Well, I've been messing around in Paint Shop Pro again (which is a good thing) and I've taught myself some things about using masks. I don't understand but about half of it so far, but I plan to keep plugging away until I get that "aha moment."

I was looking at some masks on a site called Essexgirl and I found a butterfly mask. I have used that mask to create 40 different butterflies. Some are embossed, some are see-thru, and some are a little more solid.

Take a look at my Butterfly Bonanza and see if you can find the butterfly that is just right for that empty corner of your layout!

Tomorrow Is The Last Day

Remember, tomorrow is the last day to download the Holly that will be discontinued! I'm sure some of you are still scrapping your Christmas photos (from last year...LOL!)

Freestyle Flowers Freebie

Today's freebie is something you can have a little fun with! Freestyle Flowers is a set of different textures and patterns on the same flower style. I included a basic black stem with a leaf on it that I drew with the paint brush in PSP.

As you design your own flowers, you can fill the stem with a color or pattern to match (or contrast) the flower you picked. Flowers don't have to be just the colors they are in their true habitat. Use the flower to accent a color in your photo that needs a little help getting noticed.

Think "outside the box" as you put your flowers together. Here are some samples of the 35 styles in this set:

Layout Using Cedar Chest Set

I put together a quick layout using my Cedar Chest Set and Cedar Chest Add On kits. I hope it gives you some ideas to use for your layouts.

This is the photo I had in mind when I designed the kit. I left the photo all "vintage" looking by not trying to restore it for this particular layout. However, I am glad we are able to "fix" photos theses days on PSP and Photoshop!

Odds and Ends...and My New Blinkie

To start things off, I'm so excited that Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers won today! Philip played at NC State when I worked at their football stadium. He's sort of our "home boy" (eventhough he's actually from Athens, Alabama.) Isn't he a cutie!

Good luck next weekned against the New England Patriots (you'll need it!)

Next, I did unsubscribe to Google Groups so you wouldn't keep getting emails from them when I tweak my blog. Sorry for that! I know it would drive me crazy if I had to deal with it!

Ok, after many tries, here is my newest blinkie. Let me know what you think about it. If you haven't figured it out YET, I am all about trying to do something different! So I used some different styles from Photoshop to make this sort of 3-D. I'm not sure the name is dark enough, but I'm done messing with it for awhile. All those butterflies were each on an individul layer! AAARRRHHH.

I hope you like it.

Cedar Chest Set Add On Freebie

First of all, I want to say I am sorry for all the emails you group members are getting as I try to tweak my new blinkie. I am fed up with Google Groups and I am going to unsubscribe. Everytime I edit a post it sends you guys an email.

Ok, here is the add on for the Cedar Chest Set I offered yesterday. Here's where you download the Cedar Chest Set Add On. I hope you enjoy it as much as you did the original set.

Freebie: Cedar Chest

Today I have an all day indoor cycling training so I wanted to upload your freebie before I left. I know I'll be too tired when I get back home tonight to do much of anything.

Besides, I am reading Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig and I hope to finish it up when I get home. It is the story of Rhett Butler of Gone With the Wind fame and I am enjoying it quite a bit. If you are a Civil War buff, this has some good detail in it. Some of it is made up, but most of it is based on fact.

So, before I run out of time let me give you your freebie. It's called Cedar Chest Set. I decided to do a kit that was a little "less bright" than my Psychedelic Set or my New Year's Collection. This set will be great for those heritage layouts!

And don't forget to come back tomorrow to get the add on set for this freebie!

Hoefully I'll be able to walk when I get back tonight!

70's Psychedelic Set Add On Freebie

Here is the add on to yesterday's 70's Psychedelic Set. This set includes another egg, so pick it up if you are collecting them all.

You can get the 70's Psychedelic Set Add On here.

Please send me your layouts so I can show everyone how you have used the sets. If you aren't sure how to send the layouts, email me and I'll help you.

Groovy 70's Psychedelic Set Freebie

Finally I am getting around to posting a freebie today. I was playing with my blog layout again. This time I figured out how to dess up my block quotes to make them more eye catching. My appologies to those of you who subscribe to the blog. I think you got an email everytime I "undid" something!

If you have been following my designing at all, you may have discovered I have a sort of pattern I follow (not really on purpose, but there it is none the less.) If I like the way something turned out I may use the style, texture or shape in another way for a new set.

Today's digital scrapbooking freebie is the 70's Psychedelic Set. I got the idea from my Parchment Package Add On. I was designing the car element in that one and decided to do a set with a 70's theme.

Also, there is another egg in this package.

Another Pattern I follow is that I always have an add on to the kits I make. (Gets you to come back to the blog again, huh? LOL) So look for the add on to this set tomorrow.

P.S. There will be a second egg in the add on kit!