Still here.

Good morning, I hope you are having a wonderful day. Any day that I wake up is a wonderful day for me. I have this ear infection that some days makes me wish that I could sleep through the whole day. Every new antibiotic seems to make it worse than it was before. Needless to say, I stay up many nights playing around with Photoshop, which is hopefully a good substitute for gambling or drinking. The world just does not need another old drunk with a gambling habit. Thank you, Adobe. So, this morning I woke up and looked at what I created last night. Perhaps, I would do better as the little old drunk. This red page looks like I took a cake decorating class at the tattoo parlor.
http://www.4shared.com/file/72508536/9d5c1704/Teaberry_Tree.html
And the blue one reminds me of a night when the sugar plumb fairies vandalized the forest after an experiment in the meth lab. http://www.4shared.com/file/72508838/723ca950/Crystal_Forest.html

So, if I fail to wake up tomorrow; don't fret. However, I would seriously hesitate if your physician wants to put you on antibiotics for ANY reason. They (the two injections, one in each arm and ten days worth of orals) have caused disturbing changes to my artistic endeavors. Who knows, the Crystal Forest or Teaberry Tree might appeal to someone. As for me, I need to do some house cleaning and leave the artistic stuff to the ladies over at BusyScrappin.

Christmas Angel

One thing about digital is that you end up 'playing' with old stuff and seeing where it takes you. I guess it beats playing solitare. This little lady is one of those old pieces that I have been playing around with and I am going to put her out there. Some people might like her and find a use for her. I think of her as a Christmas angel. So, I cleaned her up and polished her wings and used her as an Overlay. But you could use her with a gradient or add any number of blends. See what you can do with her. What the heck, she's an angel; see what she can do for you. I know, I'm a little bit whacky. No terms of use on this one. Use her for personal, commercial, scrap for hire. No credit required.

http://www.4shared.com/file/71256701/2f43d76c/Christmas_Angel_4.html

Holy smokes. . .

That's what I said, Holy smokes; it is snowing here in Michigan. Very light snow, but snow; nonetheless. We usually don't stay in Michigan once the snow starts falling, but we had some late appointments this year. It turned out that we were able to attend a funeral last Sunday, which was very important to Gary and I still have another dental appointment coming up as well as my mammogram. Mammogram, it always reminds me of a Telegram where someone answers the door and is presented with little black and white pics of my mammary glands. Then it seems as though Bob Hope should come shuffling out to sing, "Thanks, for the mammary".
But, of course; you are probably way too young to remember such things as telegrams and Bob Hope. I remember. Little ole ancient me, I remember it well. Old people, how they babble on. and on .. and on ...
I think I promised a freebie tonight. And you thought I forgot! This is an action freebie. Oh my gosh, there is another one. The action figure doll. You might remember those. . . Action Figures!! Okay, okay, I'm back. An action freebie that will turn a photo into an wrinkled, grungy mess. Sounds like the good gift that heaven bestowed on me.

http://www.4shared.com/file/68899733/8f5a7eff/SW_Aged_Action_Freebie_Kit.html
I highly, highly, highly recommend that you download the Tutorial that goes with this freebie.
http://www.4shared.com/file/68900057/6066f5bb/SW_Aged_Action_Freebie_Tutorial.html
I would also highly recommend that you unzip and print out the Tutorial BEFORE you jump in head first, unless; of course you are a whiz that can dance around this little ole lady. And there are surely some that can. I hope you enjoy this freebie and if you like it tons and bunches, you may just want to purchase a kit that I will posting in the store over at Busyscrappin by weeks end. I want you all to concentrate on having a sugar coated Halloween and then when all the parties and trick o' treating are over with, you can relax and make yourself familiar with Photoshop Element Actions.
Please do remember to get onboard for the Busyscrappin Halloween Blog Train on Friday. There will be soooo many freebies from all of the designers there, that you will forget all about rippin off the Snickers and Tootsie Rolls from your kids. Enjoy the holiday everyone!!!

Just a little preview

Hey ya'll,
I have not been around much lately and I need to apologize for that. However, I am working on something really fun for you; so please be patient. I am leaving a little ad for the Halloween blog train coming up this week. I know that I have worked really hard on this and from the previews that I have seen; so have all the girls over at Busyscrappin. So, I am back to work now. Have a wonderful day. I will be posting a freebie on Wednesday night, so check back.

Thank you . . .

Yes, I would like to thank the two people who voted one way or another. Since they voted differently, here are both pages. Enjoy.



http://www.4shared.com/file/67901273/184d90c2/Blankie_Sample.html




http://www.4shared.com/file/67901720/faf8f7d6/Little_Prince_Sample.html

Battle of the sexes . . .

Yes, I'm going to slap another election on you. I have been working on a new kit, "Simply Newborns"; to put in the store over at BusyScrappin. The problem is, I cannot decide which QuickPage I want to give away as a Freebie Add On. I have one for baby boys which I named "Little Prince" QuickPage and I have one for baby girls which I named "Baby's Blankie" QucikPage. So, I need you to please vote for which one should be offered here as a freebie on Wednesday. I would say Tuesday, but I have another dentist appointment on Tuesday. This appointment will only last two hours, but I am dreading it soooo much. Anyway, please help me out by leaving a comment below as to which one you want. Don't you wish the national elections were so easy? No lies. No voter frauds. No back stabbing. No standing in line for hours to vote. Just leave a comment, either boy page or girl page. Thank you and have a wonderful day.

For baby girls

For baby boys.

Add this to your calendar.

I'm a bit under the weather right now, but; please click on over to BusyScrapping and check out some of the goodies. This will be my very first blog train, and let me warn you that my offerings are not for the faint of heart!

Let's talk about Overlays...

I could sit here for days and make overlays. I love them. Some of them are more like templates rather than overlays. I like them all. I love the fact that you can make overlays from any patterned paper that you are fond of. For instance, take a look at this page that I did of Taylor. The background paper is an overlay made from a paper pack created by Anna Benjamin over at Paper Moon. I used a JPEG of one of her 'Brocade Papers' and converted it to black and white image and then I save it as a PNG. Now, how simple is that? And it looks great. That is one way to make a simple overlay.
Then I used one of my 'Ragged Overlays' from the Ragged Overlay Kit that is listed over at Busyscrappin. These are PSD files that have just two layers. The bottom layer, you use as both an overlay and also a shape template. The upper layer, you use just as it is to provide the back side of your torn paper. You can also use that layer for a colored backside or even the patterned backside of double-sided paper. The number of combinations are almost endless. If you are unfamiliar with using shape templates as overlays, I have added a freebie below. Nothing fancy, it is made from a basic shape provided within your Photoshop Elements. It is a great example of how you can create shape overlays of your own. If you like the looks of the Ragged Overlays, go with the link to BusyScrappin and purchase one or all of my Rugged Overlays for just $1.00 each. You can absolutely make your pages super standouts with double, triple and even quad overlays. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend.


http://www.4shared.com/file/65586898/51714338/SHI_Black_Filagree_Overlay.html

One of my favorites.

This is truly one of my favorite photos of Izabel. The kids took Izabel on her first cruise last summer. Well, do you know how the towels are folded like origami animals on your bed? This is Izabel having her first encounter with the towel animals. I just love the way she is being so hesitant as she 'sizes up' this critter. Also, I like the little curl that forms at the nap of her neck where she smells so 'Izabellish'. Anyway, I personally have never been on a cruise and have no desire to do so; especially when there are real life pirates out there.


Did you notice the stitching on the shabby fabric frame? Cool, huh? That is a brand new kit that I just listed over at Busyscrappin. As a bonus in that kit, there are two golden charms, one for little girls and one for little boys. Just for stopping by today, however; you can download the 'Little Man' boys charm here. Have a wonderful day!
http://www.4shared.com/file/64954191/a45007e6/Little_Man_Charm.html

A piece of candy for my sweet . . .

I have been playing, as you can see. But, lots of you downloaded 'Scream in the Dark'; so I thought you might like another spooky page. Please, this page is not for commercial use. Enjoy!



http://www.4shared.com/file/64504040/d8196c01/SHI_Piece_of_candy.html

Oldies, but goodies.

Some serious house cleaning going on here. No, I did not wash the windows. I have been packaging up a few goodies for you to take home. This is my complete golden charm collection and for today they are free. Tomorrow, who knows. Enjoy.



http://www.4shared.com/file/63928159/3b6f9dfe/SHI_Charm_Collection.html

Last Day of Summer

Well, here in the United States; we have about seven more summer hours. Tomorrow is officially the beginning of autumn. We call it Indian Summer here in Michigan. Of course, this is beautiful country settled by the Ottawa, Chippewa and Kickapoos. Hence, we still have our Indian Summers. My favorite time of year when there is a crispness in the air that I cannot explain. It is like the deep sign coming from all the trees and plants as they release their last bit of energy in preparation for the coming winter. And you DO NOT want to get me started on Michigan winters! Enough of my rambling!

This has been a busy week for me. The routine fall stuff like closing the pool and trimming down the plants. But beyond all of that, I had a big change in my scrappin world. I got an offer to join the team at BusyScrappin'. I suppose that you might have noticed the new blinkies. So, with change comes . . . always more change. Hey, it keeps me young. BusyScrappin' is a relatively new site with twenty or so designers and lots of new products. They have plans in the works for free collaboration bags and Halloween kits as well as reasonably priced digi items. That makes a difference to me, I just simply cannot afford a lot of the digi stuff out there. At BusyScrappin', the prices are within my spending range. Since I might actually have an opportunity to sell some of my products, I will be moving all of my complimentary products (freebies) into my boutique after the first several hundred free downloads. Or there abouts. I am not about to sit and watch my download screen and count the downloads, but you get my drift. Most designers, will preview their complimentary items for a day or sometimes a weekend. After that preview period, they move that item to their stores. Anyway, that is the plan. So, if you do see my very identifiable SKDesigns Product Page on DigiFree or one of the other preview sites, don't hesitate. He who hesitates. . .well, you know.

The good part is that I still get to do what I love, I still get to ramble on and now I get to be part of a real team. Cool, huh? So, go through my archives and snag whatever is there to snag; because tomorrow it may not be there. Actually, I have had a lot of people looking for that Halloween page I did last year, so I have listed the link for 'Scream In The Dark' below. Also quite a few people have missed my Bows with Pearls, so if you want those; please take them now. For the time being, I wish you all a pleasant day. Go over to BusyScrappin' and take a look around.


http://www.4shared.com/file/24660985/9ebf2ae/SHI_Scream_in_the_Dark.html

CT Call over at BusyScrappin'

Okay, this is not even out in the public yet. Just thought it would be a heads-up for anyone who has been thinking about joining a Creative Team. Everyone over there is super sweet and easy to get along with. FYI

Murder at the Deadwood Saloon

We have started a new tradition in the neighborhood where my husband and I spend the winter months. It is a Murder Mystery Night and we have a blast! So, I found it neccesary to create a vintage western kit for our Murder at Deadwood Night. Now, I have more news. . .the Deadwood kit is actually being listed over at BusyScrappin'. How cool is that? I actually am now part of the Design Team at BusyScrappin'. They invited me onto the team this weekend and it is sooo much fun! So, if you like the looks of this page; you can look for the Deadwood kit over at BusyScrappin'. It is quite a new place for digital scrappers and I am really impressed with how well it is coming together. Lots of fun and more in store. . .forgive the pun!
Now for a little Post Script: Since it would be highly unethical for me to post my neighbors dressed up as Saloon Girls from Miss Kitty's Place; I used this photo of my daughter and son-in-law instead. It was taken about 19 years ago, so I hope they don't get too bunged!

This is the reason . . .

This is the reason that I need a 12 inch printer!
I love digital scrapping because it is so relaxing, it kicks my instant gratification needs and I feel more creative than I do when I simply cut out paper. I love digital scrapping, because there is no way that you can "Put Time in a Bottle" (below), or fit a huge clip within a page protector such as in "Izabel" (below). But, I wanted to make this page special; so I used an overlay of Emily's High School as the background. Then, I added a snapshot of her following her commencement ceremonies. The picture was taken in front of Kennesaw Hall; which is located on the campus of KSU. And of course, she now attends KSU as a freshman. So, if I had a twelve inch printer; I could have done a "Virtual" scrap page that would have been soooo bum sweet. I guess, until I am ready to part with some money; I will just have to keep having fun in "Digital".


Time in a Bottle ~ You can still purchase The Transparent Bottle Kit at my boutique.


I love this FREE Quick Page from Raspberry Road Designs. It is part of Susan Darter's Nantucket Briar Collection.

Little old lady in lockdown?

Well, I have not been napping as anyone would think. However, I did get locked out of my blog because of a spam issue. Actually, I even heard something on the news this morning about Google locking down some blogs. As an after thought, I will bet my bottom dollar that mine was included because of my little "The Shack" promo. I might consider removing it, if I have any more problems. However, it is a wonderful book that I can recommend wholeheartedly. That's it for today, I was just checking to see if I was "Out of Quarantine" yet.

Victorian Boot Kit

I had so much fun designing this kit. These boots would make a darling addition to any vintage OR modern page. So, head on over to my boutique and check out the Victorian Boot Kit. Very reasonably priced!
(This kit INCLUDES a PSE Beginners Tutorial)
$2.00.

The Dark Knight

Wow, we just got back from the theater. The Dark Knight is actually a fantastic movie. Of course, there will be lots of little crazy freaks trying to imitate the Joker for Halloween. Lovely role model! For the life of me, I do not understand why we continue to do this to our children. My children were terrified of the clown doll from the Poltergeist movie. Come to think of it, did I not just recently post a scrap page of my darling son (Ted) taking my grandaughter (Zuzu)Trick or Treating. Now, you cannot tell me that children are not affected by the scary things in movies! Look how he turned out! Actually, I am extremely proud of my son; he is one of Atlanta's finest . . . a Fire Fighter! And my daughter is another one of Atlanta's best . . . a Cardiac RN.
So, now back to my subject of the day . . . On The Dark Side, oh yeah! Big John Cafferty fan, here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgloaS4NGyM What else grows on the dark side, besides The Brown Beaver Band? Mushrooms, oh yeah! You asked for em, you got em.


http://www.4shared.com/file/55831755/503f2a21/SHI_Mushroom_Medley.html

Summer Scrapin Freebie QuickPage

Download it here:
http://www.4shared.com/file/54895078/7a52a6d9/Summer_Scrapin_QuickPage_Freebie.html

ShaZAM from Jessica Sprague

BEFORE
AFTER

I love a good challenge. So, when Jessica Sprague added a little goodie (like a really stupendous camera strap from Cotton Candy); I had to follow through. If you go to her SpragueLab site, you can read the PhotoShop Friday challenge that she put out there. The camera strap is super cool, but the tutorial that she has named the ShaZAM Technique is well worth the trip. I liked the camera strap so much that I even made my own paper kit to match it. Of course, the winner will be the one and only one to have their name drawn from a bucket on Monday, July 14th. So, go and add some ShaZAM to your scrappin' techniques. Can't say that I didn't try!
By the way, you can purchase the expanded kit in my boutique section.