Tulips Collection Freebie

My Flowers Collection Series has been very fun to design. I have experimented with textures, colors and other effects to try and give you some unique items to scrap with.

Now I am offering my Tulips Collection for you to download for free. Tomorrow I will give you the rest of the kit in the Tulips Collection Add On.

There are 4 more collections in this series. And then who knows what will be next...

Freebie: Add On to Orchid Collection

Good morning! It's MONDAY!!! Ok, I'll keep that to myself! LOL It seems like I blink my eyes and the weekend is gone!

This time I am offering the Orchid Collection Add On. It is part of my Flowers Collection Series.

Grab the Orchid Collection here if you missed it yesterday.

Thanks again to Delicious Scraps for the CU tag I used.

Your Layouts!

Ladypatsfan designed this layout using parts of my Japan Template from my Countries of the World Template Series.

Thanks for sharing another Cat Hat layout.

Orchid Collection Freebie

This particular flower was requested when I first mentioned I was working on my Flowers Collection Series. I do appreciate your suggestions!

Today I am offering the Orchid Collection. I played around a little in Paint Shop Pro with the scripts to get this particular look. I thought it was unique looking.

I used a CU tag from Delicious Scraps in this kit and in the add on I will offer on Monday.

Your Layouts!

Here is a layout from Catmanor using the Nurnberg Template from my Major Cities of the World Template Series.

You can view it in the gallery where she posted it by following this link.

Peony Collection Add On Freebie

I hope you guys are having a great weekend! I enjoy being able to just piddle around the house without anything planned. That so rarely happens in my world anymore!

Today I am offering the second part of the Peony Collection I offered yesterday. I have gotten some nice comments about this kit. I'm glad you like the colors!

Grab the Peony Collection Add On right now and you'll have the entire kit. Remember, I'd love to see your layouts using this entire Flowers Collection Series.

Friday Freebie: Peony Collection

Today's digital scrapbooking freebie is the Peony Collection. I love the way the textures and colors came together for this kit!

As most of you know, I love textures and shadows and anything that makes the paper or element eye catching.

This kit is part of my on-going Flowers Collection Series. I hope you are downloading all of them!

Have a great weekend snagging all the scrappin' freebies on my website! LOL

Calla Lilly Collection Add On Freebie

Today I am offering the second part (or add on) to my Calla Lilly Collection. If you missed the first part just go the link and grab it!

Here is the link for the Calla Lilly Collection Add On. This kit isn't all that big, but it packs a colorful punch with its orange and green scheme.

The Calla Lilly Collection and Add On are part of my Flowers Collection Series. Look for the 10th kit tomorrow when I will offer the Peony Collection!

There are two credits I must give for today's add on kit: Pillow Girl for her CU overlay I used on the orange paper and Gypsy Chick for the CU overlay I used on the orange button.
Thanks!

Katharine Hepburn News

Thanks to Ann who sent me this note when she saw my Calla Lilly Collection post:

Your post was great. If you're a fan of Katharine Hepburn you'll love this news.The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center and Theatre will be opening next year (2009) in Hepburn's beloved town of Old Saybrook, Connecticut.Currently the venue has a blog that has been up since late May with all things Hepburn.Look us up at enjoy!

http://www.katharinehepburntheater.org/

So check out the link and see what is happening with the theatre.

The Calla Lily Collection Freebie Is In Bloom

Ok, another weak attempt at a play on words. If you read my blog yesterday I asked you to see if you could come up with a tie-in between Katharine Hepburn and lillies.

Well, the connection is actually to the calla lilly. In the 1937 movie classic, Stage Door, Katharine Hepburn utters one of her most famous movie quotes when she says, "The calla lilies are in bloom again. Such a strange flower -- suitable to any occasion."

The famous lines in the film about "calla lilies" were taken from the unsuccessful 1933 Broadway play The Lake, in which Hepburn had starred (the dialogue became parody material for Hepburn impersonators for the remainder of the star's legendary career). ~ Tim Dirks

There is your classic movie history for today! And here is your digital scrapbooking freebie for today: the Calla Lilly Collection.

I'd like to acknowledge Gypsy Chick for her CU overlay I used for this kit. Look for it in today's kit and also in the add on I will offer tomorrow.

Remember, this collection is part of my Flowers Collection Series so check out all the kits in the series!

Dahlia Arabian Nights Collection Add On Freebie

Here is the add on for the kit for the Dahlia. I love the colors of this collection! I'm trying to make this entire Flowers Collection Series as diverse as I possibly can. That way there is something for everyone.

Get the Dahlia Arabain Nights Collection Add On freebie here. There are 2 eggs in this kit to go with the one from yesterday if you are still collecting them.

Tomorrow I will be offering another collection for the lilly. It is a very striking combination of orange and green.

In the meantime, see if you can figure out how Katharine Hepburn and cala lillies are tied in together.

Still Pulling For Dale Jr!

Junior had a little set back yesterday in the NASCAR race at Dover, but I think he'll be ok in the long run. He's accomplished so much this season. I just know he isn't done yet!!!

Check out this caricature of Dale Jr. I found by John Rios. Please go to his webiste to download the wallpaper of this drawing.

Also, follow Junior during the Sprint Cup Chase on his chase page. Here is a link to the page from his Infield Parking blog.

Freebie: Dahlia Arabian Nights Collection

Here is another example of extreme differences in a single variety of flower. There are many types of dahlias. I chose the Arabian Nights variety because of the color scheme.

This purple and red (sort of) pattern will be great for anything related to the Red Hat Society.

Here is the Dahlia Arabian Nights Collection. Look for the add on to this kit tomorrow! There is an egg in this kit and 2 more in the add on.

This is the 9th kit in my Flowers Collection Series.

Thanks to Moo Two Designs for one of the tag elements I used in this kit.

Poppy Collection Add On Freebie

Here is the add on to yesterday's installment of the Flowers Collection Series: this is the Poppy Collection Add On.

If you missed yesterday's freebie you can pick up the Poppy Collection right now!

For those of you new to my blog I want to let you know that each kit I offer always has an add on the next day. So if you see something you like make sure to remember to come back again and get more of the same thing!

Most of my links are still active. I consulted a web designer (who happens to teach tai chi at my gym) and asked him if too many active links would slow down the blog and he said "NO!"

So, I can keep my links open for you as long as I want! Whew! I HATE it when I am searching someone's blog and I see something I "gotta have" only to find out the link has expired. So I wanted to make sure that never happened on my blog. (The only exception is occasionally I will close something out that hasn't been doing well in hopes it will boost the numbers before it is gone!)

Anyway, this kit today contains the alphabet I mentioned yesterday. Here is a sample of what the letters look like close up. I think they turned out great!

Freebie: Poppy Collection

Today I'm offering the Poppy Collection as your freebie. Look at the rich texture of the flowers in this kit.

And wait until you see the adorable alphabet you'll get in the Poppy Collection Add On tomorrow!!! It is ideal for flower lovers!

Check out the other kits in this series: The Flowers Collection Series.

Many thanks to Megadoodle Inspired for her paper twirl overlays 1 & 2 and to Moo Two Designs for the CU oval tag.

More Hibiscus: Get Add On Freebie Now

Wasn't the Hibiscus Collection from yesterday bright and cheery!?! I'm glad you liked it!

Here is the Hibiscus Collection Add On so that you can finish your layouts!

These papers and elements will go great with any pool party photos or trips to the beach.

You don't have to go to Hawaii to use them. But what a great excuse for a trip, huh? LOL

Hibiscus Collection Freebie

Aloha! Here is a very colorful kit for you to download today. It is part of the Flowers Collection Series I have been working on.

This is the 7th in the series. I don't know yet how many more will be in the series but I do have 9 more requests to work on!

Today's digital scrapbooking freebie is the Hibiscus Collection. This is SO Hawaii to me. I was lucky enough to have been able to travel to Hawaii in 2007. It was a totally awesome trip! And it was paid for by my fiance's work! How cool is that?

Come back tomorrow and get the rest of this kit!

Also, check out my Hawaii Template if you missed it earlier. And I also have a Hawaii road sign in my Interstate Road Signs kit.

Freebie: Lilly of the Valley Collection Add On

Looks like my traffic is picking up a little bit. Thanks for helping to put the word out so that I can continue to enjoy offering my daily digital scrapbooking freebies to everyone.

Today I am offering the second part of my Lilly of the Valley Collection. It was very well received yesterday! I'm glad you like it.

Here is the Lilly of the Valley Collection Add On. Remember, these kits are all part of my Flowers Collection Series which is growing everyday! Thanks for your great suggestions!

Look for some cool Hawaiian themed papers and elements when I offer the frist of the Hibiscus Collection tomorrow!

Finally: Lilly of the Valley Collection Freebie

Here is what some of you have been waiting for since I announced my Flowers Collection Series: the Lilly of the Valley Collection.

First of all I want to thank Antiqueclipart.com for the picture of the bouquet I used for some of the elements and papers in this set. Then I want to thank The Ephemeral Victorian (now out of business) for the CU bow element.

There is a full upper and lower case alphabet in this kit that would go great with anything spring or even Easter themed.

Look for the add on to this kit tomorrow. There are more papers and elements for this stunning collection! Enjoy!

Daisy Collection Add On Freebie

Sorry if my post yesterday sounded a little negative. I'm just so frustrated. I am perfectly content to have 100 to 200 downloads on my items. But when something has been posted 3 days and it only has 12 hits I get really sad!

I'm supposed to be getting a new laptop so I can design my stuff without having to be at my desk. I am torn between watching the race on my HD TV or on my 13" tv in my office. Most of the time my office wins out because I want to keep ahead of my freebies.

There's no need to spend that kind of money if my design work goes unused. I can just go in the other room and forget about trying to keep my designs stockpiled in advance.

ANYWAY, here is my digital scrapbooking freebie for today: the Daisy Collection Add On. I am still working on your requests so please keep them coming in!

I got a comment on my Daisy Collection from Dana who said she was sorry about not commenting as often as she would like. Thanks for your concern!

I'd be happy at this point for as many downloads as I could get and NO comments! LOL Actually I love your comments, but I see those designers with 1300+ downloads and only 50 comments. THAT is a pattern I see a lot.

I certainly wouldn't take not having as many comments as personally as I am taking this no download thing! (You can tell it bothers me because I just can't seem to stop griping about it!!!)

Here is a link to the other kits in my Flowers Collection Series. I KNOW you probably don't have any of them yet! LOL

Flowers Collection Series: Daisy Freebie

Geez, only 9 people downloaded Friday's Easter Lilly Collection freebie. I could have emailed it to THAT many people.

Well, despite feeling like I am wasting my time, I am going to offer today's digital scrapbooking freebie in hopes that it just doesn't sit here and rot.

This one is one of my favorites because it turned out really cool looking when I started playing with textures.

Here is the Daisy Collection. Look for a couple more papers and elements to go with this kit in Monday's Daisy Collection Add On. (Hint: There are eggs in this add on if you were collecting the ones I have designed before.)

Thanks for the handful of you who have requested flower kits. I'll keep designing as long as someone is asking for something.

So, if you REALLY like my blog then I suggest you start a list of things you'd like and just keep asking for them. That way my blog will remain in business! LOL

Easter Lilly Collection Add On Freebie

Today I'm offering the Easter Lilly Collection Add On.

I especially like the way the paperclips turned out. Check them out (there is another one in the Easter Lilly Collection from yesterday.)

I'm noticing that these kits aren't getting many downloads. That's a shame. Please send a link to a friend you think might be interested. Thanks!

Check out the other kits in my Flowers Collection Series.

More Flowers: Easter Lilly Collection

When I asked for requests for flowers to make my kits in the Flower Collection Series, I mentioned I did not know much about flowers. I love them very much, but I have no idea about the different varities and names and stuff. I just like looking at them and smelling them! LOL

A good example is the lilly. Who knew there were so many varities? I recognize most of them, but who knew they were all lillies? So, I will do several different types of lillies in this series to make everyone happy. The first will be the Easter Lilly Collection.

Later on in the series I will offer Lilly-of-the-Valley, Calla Lillies and Tiger Lillies. Like I said, who knew??!!

So, upto53 (who says she likes Lilly-of-the-Valley best) just hold on a few more days and you'll get your favorites!

And thanks to Scrapgirl for her CU ribbon I used in this kit!

Some Tips From One Of My Clients

DID YOU KNOW?

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream; then beat them.

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!

Pizza Heat leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove; set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the food channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs: Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal; mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy; squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done - easy clean up.

When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size and get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave next to a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Start putting torn newspaper in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants, overlapping as you go; cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic; they will not get through wet newspapers.

Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

A small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! ... static is gone.

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient (peanut butter, honey, etc.) and watch how easily it comes right out.

Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.

To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2 with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load of clothes.) He took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material ... I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh - that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the
box ...well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush at least every six months. He said that increases the life of the dryer at least twice as long!

Freebie: Rose Collection Add On

Here are 3 more papers and a couple of elements to go along with yesterday's Rose Collection freebie. This is part of the Flowers Collection Series that started last week.

Get the Rose Collection Add On here.

Look for more flower kits to go along with this series. I'm working on several right now.

Rose Collection Freebie

Here is the third installment of my Flowers Collection Series . This one is called the Rose Collection. It has some stunning red/black color combinations that I think you'll like.

And if you like roses, check out my Roses Are Red Alphabet. It may not go with this kit, but if you like roses I'm sure you'll find good use for it!

Look for the other kits in the Flowers Collection Series:

• Sunflower Collection
• Sunflower Collection Add On
• Violets Collection
• Violets Collection Add On

Your Layouts!

Thanks to Rita for sending me a layout her daughter, Karen, did using the Elvis element from my All Shook Up Kit Add On.

There is more 50's stuff in the matching All Shook Up Kit and All Shook Up Template if you missed them back in January.

And thank you Rita for your kind words concerning my blog! I will certainly take what you said into consideration as I make my decision about my blog!

A Big Decision To Make

Ok, I am at a crossroads right now. I am very sad about the traffic that my blog is getting. But worse than that, I am very down about the number of downloads my designs are NOT getting.

When you factor in that this blog is available wordwide, then it is a sad, sad thing when my designs only get 20 or 30 downloads after being registered on freebie sites everywhere. I've seen people with a thousand or more downloads on one design that personally I didn't think was any better than some of the stuff I have designed!

It only tells me one thing: not many people like my designs. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Now I know some of you are very faithful regulars on here and you KNOW how much that means to me! But it breaks my heart to see designs FOR SALE that get more downloads than my FREE ones do!

Someone suggested that since I zip in .rar form that it might have something to do with it. But even when I put a link to a free unzip program in my sidebar and even put a note on 4 Shared about unzip programs for .rar, it didn't effect my downloads enough to even notice.

Funny, my "illegal" Disney designs got the most hits than almost anything else. But I don't feel right using a tradmarked design so I won't be offering anymore Disney like that.

I guess what I am getting at is this: I am going to give myself 1 more week to see if anything changes. I am going to go back in to the internet and see if there is anywhere to list my site that I haven't already done. I'm going to do everything on this end to make something happen.

If I can't tell a difference I will simply shut the blog down. Yes, designing for its own sake is gratifying. But why go to all the trouble of putting it in a blog format if no one wants it? I can design for myself and be gratified to kingdom come. Preparing the post for the day is time consuming and it has begun to feel like a burden instead of the joy it used to be.

I know I am not the most talented designer out there, but honestly I have seen some UGLY stuff that people download. Why can't they download MY ugly stuff??? LOL

Thanks again for all of you who have kept coming back and who really seem to enjoy my designs. In the meantime, please download my Flowers Collection Series that I am currently working on!

Freebie: Violets Collection Add On

Here is the Violets Collection Add On as today's freebie. It is part of my new series of kits: Flowers Collection Series. This add on includes a really eye catching violet alphabet.

Yesterday was the first part of the Violets Collection. If you missed it, get it here.

And thanks to The Ephemeral Victorian for the CU lace overlay for the paper in this add on set. Unfortunately, The Ephemeral Victorian shut down their blog. It was truely a wonderful site for designers.

Please send me your requests for additional flower collections. I have 2 more so far, but I would really like to offer as many as I can. I'm just not real familar with different flowers.

Flowers Collection Series: Violets Freebie

Today's digital scrapbooking freebie is the second in the Flowers Collection Series. Here is the Violets Collection.

A special thanks to Megadoodle Inspired for her CU velum that I used for this collection.

Of course you'll need to come back tomorrow to get the Violets Collection Add On. And keep coming back as I continue to drsign more in the Flowers Collection Series.

I'm not sure how many collections will be in this series since I am still working on it.

But if you have a favorite flower just send me a note and I'll try to find a picture I can use to design a kit for you!

Add On to Sunflower Collection is Part of New Freebie Flower Series

Here is the sequel to yesterday's Sunflower Collection. You'll find some very striking color combinations in both yesterday's set and today's Sunflower Collection Add On.

I have decided to design more flower themed kits, so you can consider the Sunflower Collection and its add on as the first in the Flowers Collection Series. This is my first series of kits. My other series have been templates.

I will be designing some traditional kits, as well as some whimsical kits for this series. There is sure to be something for everyone!

So, I guess I better go get started! LOL

Sunflower Collection Freebie

Sorry for the delay in offering you my freebie today. We bought a new router and had some issues last night. I couldn't get my freebie to upload to 4 Shared until this morning!

Here is your Saturday digital scrapbooking freebie: Sunflower Collection. I want to give my thanks to Moo Two Designs for the CU tags I used.

Look for the add on to this kit on Sunday. There are plenty of papers and elements in these two kits to keep you scrapping for days! LOL

School Days template For Friday's Freebie

A few weeks ago I offered a couple of school themed freebies and I got some requests to design something else. So I thought about it and I came up with my School Days Template.

The picture frames go along with the the frames on the Back to School Template I offered earlier. This would make a cute "double page" layout.

The other school themed download I offered about 2 weeks ago was the Eraser Alpha. All of these past downloads are still available for you to snag if you missed them when they were first offered!

Freebie: Last Hurrah Kit Add On

Here is the rest of the Last Hurrah Kit I offered yesterday. Today are more papers, some elements and a tag. This is the Last Hurrah Kit Add on.

As I mentioned yesterday, make sure you check out my corresponding template for this kit: It's Summertime Template.

Keep coming back each day to my blog because in case you haven't noticed, I offer something FREE every single day! I enjoy your comments and I wish more people would leave thier opinions and suggestions.! Hint, hint!

Last Hurrah Kit is Today's Freebie

Of course the "last hurrah" I am referring to is the last trip to the beach for the summer. Use this kit and tomorrow's add on to scrap those Labor Day pictures of your visit to the shore.

Here is the Last Hurrah Kit download. You can also use my It's Summertime Template to go along with this kit.

And remember to come back tomorrow for the add on to this kit. Get some more papers and elements to finish out the set.

Funny Name: Regular Template Freebie

You can tell when the names of things start getting goofy that you've been desigining way too much stuff. I honestly could not think of another name for today's digital scrapbooking freebie.

So with no trumpets sounding or banners flying here is the Regular Template. LOL

This template goes along with another simple but very effective template: Fuzzy Boxes Template. Here is a link in case you missed that one.

Dale JR Qualifies For Chase!

By now most of you know that I am a huge Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan! Yesterday was a big day for Dale Jr. because he was able to earn enough points in the race that he is now locked into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase.

For those of you who aren't big racing fans, it means he qualifies to contend for the championship. It's sort of like earning a playoff spot in football or hockey. This is big because last year, at DEI, he did not qualify. Equipment problems and family issues kept him from competing in the Chase.

New year, new team, new chance for Dale Jr. to finish the season with a lot accomplished this year. He won a regular season race, as well as the Budweiser Shootout and another non-points race.

Good luck, Junior, as you continue to put rack up great finishes and maybe even some more victories this year!

Labor Day Freebie: Nurse Papers

Happy Labor Day! In regcognition of all the hard working people out there, I am offering a tribute to nurses today.

Here is a set of 10 papers with a nurse/medical theme. Grab the Nurse Papers now and be creative as you use them to design your own special tribute to those hard working women and men in the nursing profession.

Have a safe and happy holiday and enjoy the last few weeks of summer. Fall is on its way...it is my favorite time of the year!