Friday, February 27, 2009

Patterned Papers from Niagara Falls Fencing

Papers
Commercial Use
Niagara: Fence Papers
-FREEBIE-
  
Today's freebie is another from a photo I took at Niagara Falls.  The photo, shown below, is of a portion of the fencing along the walkway where the Canadian side of the Falls can be viewed.  The papers are 12x12, 300 ppi, and are OK for commercial use.  They are offered in dark and light grayscale, to re-color as you wish, and also in the 12 colors that coordinate with my previous CU freebies.  I hope you enjoy them!
 
Click HERE to download grayscale versions.
Click HERE to download Colors Part 1.
Click HERE to download Colors Part 2.
Click HERE to download Colors Part 3.
 

  
This is the photo I used to make the papers:
 
Notes for the day:
It's been a busy week, as usual.  Lots of appointments and paperwork to continue preparing for our upcoming adoption.  Making great progress, though!
 
I do plan on releasing the same pattern used for today's papers as an overlay so you can make it in a contrasting color to the background if you like - I will also prepare a border with the same design.  Should be to you in the next few days.
 
A question for you - I have read some concerning news that some people have been having trouble with viruses from 4Shared files - I am not sure how that stands, or whether it may have been fixed by now.  So far, I have found 4Shared the most convenient format to offer files to you, but would be happy to consider other options, if anyone has suggestions.  I do need to make sure it has affordable storage space, and it would be great if I could find one that notifies you of new comments without having to sift through each and every file looking for new ones! Any information you could share with me would be helpful - just click on the link below my photo at top of this page to e-mail me.
 
Many thanks to everyone for you wonderful comments on the last post - it's so nice to hear that I was missed!  :) 
 
Hugs to everyone,
Jeanie

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Papers - Icy Vines at Niagara Falls

Papers
Commercial Use
Niagara: Icy Vines
-FREEBIE-
 
Today's freebie is a set of commercial use textured papers made from a photograph of icy vines at Niagara Falls, Ontario. The papers are at 300 ppi, 12x12.  They are in 12 colors (coordinating with my previous CU designs), and in two shades of grayscale, so you can use color overlays to make them any color you like.
 
 
 
Click HERE to download grayscale papers.
Click HERE to download colors Part 1.
Click HERE to download colors Part 2.
Click HERE to download colors Part 3.
 
 
Notes for the day:
 
Well, hello again to everyone!  Thank you for all your messages of concern, wondering where I've been. Here's the short story - basically, I got so busy with my mommy duties that I was not able to find time for designing. Also, honestly, I felt so guilty about not having managed to find time to properly address and pass to others the tags/awards I had so kindly been given.  But, I do intend to try to keep designing, at least once in a while, and I plan for all of it to be OK for commercial use.  I will not be able to take time to go through all the 4Shared files to view comments, and my apologies for that (they just don't have any efficient way to see just the new comments), but any comments you leave directly on my blog post will go to my e-mail, and I read every one of those!  :)
 
Now for the longer story, if you're interested...
When we had our three foster children, things became very hectic as they prepared for returning to family right when we were preparing for the holidays, as well as my trying to keep up with the girls' homeschooling.  Right before Christmas, we became a family of 4 instead of 7 again.  After Christmas, the girls and I took a month-long driving trip - we went to see a friend in Nashville, then to my parents in North Carolina (where we hiked in the mountains and visited the Cherokee Museum. After that, we spent a few days learning early American history in Colonial Williamsburg, then spent a week skiing in the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts. (My husband was hired to do video production for a ski resort there, and we were invited to tag along!) Then we headed to Niagara Falls and learned about erosion and geology, then North Buxton, Ontario where we visited a museum at one of the endpoints of the Underground Railroad.  Next, we visited my uncle at the farm in Michigan that was built by me great-great-great grandfather. Finally, we learned to quilt at my mother-in-law's house, then came home.
 


Today's freebie comes from our visit to Niagara Falls - there was heavy snow while we were there, and the mist from the falls freezes everything facing it!  It made for a beautiful winter wonderland, with lots of interesting patterns of ice formation.  As you can see from the photos below, only the side of objects facing the falls was iced over, but the other side remained visible. Isn't that lamppost funny??  
 
 
 
The papers in the freebie were from the following photo of some vines coated by the falls' icy mist.
 

 
A special bit of happy news - another reason things are hectic for us right now is that a surprising and wonderful turn of events is happening for us.  For the last three years, we have been planning to adopt a child, expecting it to happen via foster care eventually.  However, a series of events took place that led us to a lovely young lady, orphaned in Ghana (in West Africa). She's about the same age as my oldest daughter, and very sweet.  We are well into the process of adopting her, and I hope to be traveling to Africa to bring our new daughter home in the next 6-8 weeks.  We all feel so blessed by this, and are very grateful for this path that God chose for us!
  
Hugs to everyone,
Jeanie


 

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Floral Wreath (handmade for my wedding)

Embellishment/Frame
Commercial Use
Floral Wreath
-FREEBIE-
 
This was one of the centerpieces I made for my wedding reception 10 years ago.  Inside it, we placed a glass ivy bowl, with water and a floating candle. It is a vine wreath, on which I hot-glued a variety of dried flowers.  I scanned it and modified it some for you - the download includes the original wreath, a wreath with some of the center removed (to make it easier to use as a frame), and a frame made by linking a series of wreaths together.  All were created at 300 ppi and are in png format.  Commercial use OK - see TOU.

 
Click HERE to download.
 

 
Notes for the day:
 
Well, I only have one more day of home IV antibiotics left.  I'm feeling pretty tired this week, as my husband unexpectedly had to leave Tuesday for a 2-week trip to California.  He produces a TV show, and he had a cameraman back out at the last minute.  But, we're catching up a bit on Lydia's homeschooling, and I'm managing to keep everyone fed, get them to school on time, etc.  I'm not doing a whole lot of cooking, but there's only so much I can do on my own!  :)
 
I have yet to find time to address all the kind folks who have left awards and layouts for me - I PROMISE I will post about them as soon as I can.  I hope I'll have some computer time tomorrow, but it may just be wishful thinking.  I wanted to at least get one little freebie out to you today, since it's been a while.
 

Hugs to everyone,
Jeanie

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Scrapdoctor Returns (finally!): Braided Ribbons and Wrap

Template/Embellishment
Commercial Use
Braided Ribbons and Wrap
-FREEBIE-
  
Well, another major illness kept me away from blogging for a while (see below if you want to know more), but I'm back now (though may be slowed down for a bit!) I have a freebie for you today - it is a set of embellishments offered in both light and dark grayscale for easy recoloring, as well as in my typical 12 additional colors as samples.  I have also included a metallic gold version.  The set is all made from narrow, braided ribbon, and includes a 12-inch straight ribbon, a ribbon wrap with bow (also 12 inches but can be trimmed down to fit your objects), and the wrap and bow each as separate pieces to allow you more creative flexibility.  All were created at 300 ppi, and are png files.  The photo frame is not included in this download, but is available (free) in my June 8 post.  (The photo itself is not included, either - I don't guess you have a use for a picture of MY kids!  LOL)
 
 
Click HERE to download the grayscale versions.
Click HERE to download the colors, part 1.
Click HERE to download the colors, part 2.
 

 
Notes for the day:
 
Wow - it's been a long time away!  I apologze for that - I would certainly like to keep you consistently supplied with freebies.  However, I have been quite ill for about a week and a helf, and in the hospital (again!) for the past week.  I am doing better now, and scheduled to go home tomorrow.  For those of you who have been following my blog for some time, you may recall that in April, I was hospitalized with a bladder infection that happened to be from an ESBL-producing bacteria (these are the newest "superbugs," which can only be killed with IV antibiotics - and often requires the most powerful antibiotics in existence.)  I had a week of home IV antibiotics at that time. 
 
A little sidenote to teach about bladder infections: most are caused by e. coli from the person's own digestive system.  We pretty much all have e.coli in our colons, and is considered part of our normal flora.  It doesn't cause problems unless it gets into the wrong place (i.e., the urinary system.) 
 
Well, this time, I developed a kidney infection, with high fever, chills, pain all over - was pretty doggone sick.  The culture eventually showed that it was the same ESBL-producing e. coli again. Apparently, this organism can colonize the gut, and become part of the "normal flora," which is not possible to eliminate with medication. When I had my surgery, the incisions probably made an easy-access route for the bacteria to enter my bladder, and voila! Back on IV antibiotics again.  This time, I was transferred to a different hospital to have the Infectious Disease specialist involved (because ESBL's are quite deadly).  I felt better being under the care of someone who is very familiar with this organism, as most doctors I've talked to are not even aware of it yet.  I'm stable now, and tomorrow am having a PICC line put in so I can go home on IV antibiotics, which I will need for 2-3 weeks. So now, I'm afraid that every time I get a bladder infection, it is likely to be the same organism and require IV's.  NOw that we know about it, though, I hope they can just set up home health without having to hospitalize me first. Of course, I'm missing my kids terribly and can't wait to get home.  I'm too far away for them to visit me here.  There's no place like home...
 
Additionally, there are many people I feel I have neglected lately - to those of you who so kindly bestowed awards on me, tagged me, and left links to kits you made with my designs,  I am very grateful. I DO plan to address all of these as soon as I can, but wasn't able to do more than post a freebie at this time.  Hopefully I can catch up this week. HOPEFULLY........
 
Hugs to everyone - I've missed you!
Jeanie

Creations Using My Designs