Scrap Potpourri

Winter's Icy Grip

I have vague memories of a few mild, snowless winters.  Sadly, this isn't one of them.  Seems we're getting socked with winter storms every few days...depressing to put it mildly.  I will say I did have a glimpse of how beautiful this season can be.  We had an ice storm early last week and for several days we were privy to sparkling crystal trees, and as the ice shattered and fell it looked as though the ground was strewn with diamonds. Bitter cold on the way by week's end.  Despite my griping, I'm forever grateful that I have a warm house and lots of warm clothing, to help me muddle through.  Some are not so blessed.  

Spent some of today working on the valentine heart below.  The preview is smaller than the png file. Hope someone can find a use for it. You can download it here

Earth

Well as my vacation winds down, thought I'd get another kit up.  In a few days, my play time will be limited to very short evenings and weekends.  Unfortunate that real life has to get in the way of fun.  I'm lucky in that I've been at my same job for 21 years this month so I get a lot of vacation...all tolled about 7 weeks.  I'm known for my long holiday weekends.  Holiday coming up?  Let's tag on another day.  This is one of the reasons I'm there for the duration.  Couldn't even think about being low man on the totem pole and having to settle for two weeks.

In case anyone has noticed, I don't size my kits in what's considered the traditional tagger size.  Since I don't know what you all do with them (layouts you don't print, stationery, tags, etc.) I just feel it's best to make them a little larger.  If anyone has any comments to this effect, I'd love your input.

I titled this kit "Earth."  I have always reveled in earth tones (rich golds, olive greens, shades of brown)...my home, my closet, and my blog. I'm really in my comfort zone when I'm working with these colors and I think it shows.  If anyone ever sees me wearing a pink shirt, I'd like them to take me in for an evaluation because I surely have gone off the deep end.  LOL  No offense intended, but I just ain't a pink person.

Enjoy the kit and once again, if you use Firefox, you need to "right click and save target/link as."  You can download it here

Happy New Year!

As the year comes to a close, I tend to look back on all the things I've learned, things I wished I had learned, and things I yet hope to learn. Life is really all about growth.  I've always found it amazing that that process never stops no matter how old one is and that while your physical body ages, your spirit remains forever young.  In my head I'm still 25 and on most days I still feel 25 physically.  What a gift!  

Have enjoyed my vacation immensely!  Have gotten in lots of computer time (lots), read a few books, didn't knit as much as I would have liked, spent quality time with the CIR (I always hate going off to work and leaving him all alone for so many hours even though he spends much of the day sleeping), and took lots of naps so I could stay up half the night.  I've learned that I abhor living by the clock and that I'm happiest when my days just go as they go.  Someday, God willing, someday......

A note about the graphic tablet....I've decided that I definitely should have gone for the larger one.   Most of what I read said that the larger size was for professionals but right before I ordered it I did read that the smaller one was really better for taking notes.  I shoulda paid attention.  Live and learn.  Eventually I think I'll go for the larger one.  I can't imagine ever again trying to draw anything with a mouse.

I spent much of today working on the kit below.  A bit early for Valentine's day, but at least I can get that out of the way.  LOL . If you use Firefox, please remember to right click and save target as.  You can get the download here   Enjoy it!

May you all have a happy and healthy new year!  See ya in 2009!

Merry & Bright

Lazy, snowy Sunday....have a big pot of spaghetti sauce on the stove since early afternoon.  I'm one of those people who cooks the life out of my sauce.  The longer it cooks, the better it tastes.  I think tomorrow, I'll bake some cookies.  Haven't baked for Christmas in years, but there are some old family favorites that I've been wishing for, one of them being Lebkuchen.  

Have I mentioned how happy I am to be on vacation?  :-)  Not having to live by a clock is sheer bliss.  Up until all hours, get up to feed Jonah the CIR (cat in residence), and back to bed until whenever.  Life is good!  I lost two of my oldest cats seven weeks apart about a year ago and still miss them terribly.  I'm the world's biggest sucker when it comes to animals and have been known to shed tears over roadkill.    

Wishing you all a blessed and safe holiday season!  For those who left comments, they're much appreciated.  Merry Christmas everyone!  May it be all you wish for and more!

I am officially on vacation until January 5th!  Yaaayyyy me!  I tagged on an extra day yesterday because we were hit with about a foot of snow with more expected tonight.  My attitude about the white stuff changes dramatically when I don't have to be out in it.  I can almost agree that it's pretty (did I just say that??). 

For anyone who may be interested, AMC will be showing A Christmas Carol starring the late George C. Scott at 10:30 p.m. on December 23rd.  It's my all time favorite version and I try to watch it every year.  I have never seen anyone play Ebenezer Scrooge better!  You can just feel the damp and bone chilling cold as Ebenezer leaves his office to head home for a solitary Christmas Eve.  Marvelous movie!

I got my graphic tablet this week and, surprisingly, I haven't found it that difficult to get used to.  It's a beautiful thing...very sleek looking and just fits where I would ordinarily keep my mouse pad.  I'd definitely recommend it to anyone into graphics.  It came bundled with PS Elements 6 and Corel Painter....new toys to keep me occupied for the next two weeks. :-)

Just finished up the Christmas kit below.  Usually I'm tired of looking at a kit by the time it's in the bag...not so with this one.  Had a lot of fun creating it and I hope everyone enjoys it. Please remember if you use Firefox to right click and "save target as." Regarding alternate browsers....I just started using Google Chrome and was pleasantly surprised. Explorer was giving me nothing but headaches...black, flashing screen, and way too many crashes.  I immediately thought virus, but all my scans kept coming up clean.  All the above is now fixed and then some...very fast and so far no bugs.

You can get the kit here

Savor Each Moment!

Is it just me, or did Christmas sneak up very quickly this year?  I blinked my eyes and I went from floating around in the pool to Ho, Ho, Ho.  In less than two weeks, it'll all be over   :::sigh:::  life goes much too quickly.  When you're young and raising a family it sometimes seems as if it's never going to end....messes, squabbles, "ma, he pinched me," "ma, she cut my Barbie's hair all off," and then come the wonderful teen years which each seem about ten years in length.  In retrospect it all went by in a blur.  I tell my oldest daughter to cherish these times, even though it's not always easy and you sometimes feel as if you're living in a bottomless pit filled with dirty laundry and assorted debris.  Live in the moment and savor it! 

Yesterday I ordered myself a Christmas present....a Bamboo Fun graphic tablet.  Have been wanting one for a long time.  Dell just notified me that it was shipped today so I'll have something to amuse me while I'm on vacation over the holidays.  I'm anticipating endless days of creativity with no clock to punch and no deadlines to meet.  Life is good!

Made a few rusty, primitive looking Christmas signs which can be downloaded here.  Enjoy them!

New Kit

Cold weekend with our first snow of the season....just an inch or so which suits me fine.  I'm a real house cat in the winter and spend as little time outdoors as possible.  Spent my free time working on this new kit (Hearts & Flowers) and decking the halls.  Now that my girls are grown and on their own, and the Christmas extravaganzas of days gone by are just a memory, I can decorate as much or as little as I want.  I have a tiny little tree, some greenery and lights, and that's it.  An hour to decorate and even less to put it all away.  Works for me! 

Hope you like the kit which you can download here .  There are a few extras in there that I couldn't fit in the preview.  It was just getting out of hand.  Remember, if you use Firefox, you have to right click and "save target as."  Enjoy it!

Countdown To The Weekend

Once Wednesday's over, the rest of the week is a piece of cake.  As long as it doesn't snow, I can handle anything.  As the winter wears on, you'll hear me grouse and groan and gripe about the "S" word over and over and over.  The first snowfall is nice (for about five minutes) but that's about it.  Snow is meant for people who can stay in, sit by the fire with a glass of wine and a purring cat on their lap and never have to venture out.  Unfortunately, that isn't me although I pile up my personal days and use them as snow days so I manage to escape a lot of the misery.  I heard a great song recently...All I Want For Christmas Is A Real Good Tan.  That about sums it up.

Was just doodling around and came up with this.  Hope you can find some use for it.  Please remember that if you use Firefox, you have to right click and "save target as."  The file can be downloaded here 

 

Back To Reality

The long weekend I anticipated is waning fast.  :::sigh:::  No matter how long they are, they're never long enough. 

Today I came across a cute handmade snowman line that someone had given me eons ago, and the lights went on.  I thought that If one ginger man is good, a whole line of them can be even better.  So...here ya go!  I guess the png file can be made much smaller and two could be joined together.  Whatever you decide, have fun with it.  You can download it here

Have a great week all.

 

It's A Wonderful Life!

Lazy day....spent it creating this new kit (tagger size) and trying to get my desktop icons back to normal size.  I was typing an email and all of a sudden everything just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger until only about 4 icons were showing in the desktop.  I freaked!  After messing around with it for much too long, I realized that I must have hit the zoom button on my kb.  Never used it before.  All is now well.  The thought of being with a nonworking computer is too much to bear.

Anyway, back to the kit.  I think it's cheerful looking, hence the name....It's A Wonderful Life!  If you use it, I'd love to see what you do with it.  I'm always amazed at all the differet takes people have on the same kit.  Enjoy it!  You can download it here