Versions of Photoshop

I just got home from a day of training and why I was possessed to check my email, I have no idea! I should be hightailing it to catch some precious ZZzzzz's.

However, dear sweet Grambie's email caught my attention. I'm always touched by Grambie's words -- she's such a source of inspiration, strength, encouragement, and prayer. Her emails never fail to light up my day.

Tonight was no exception. This is an excerpt of what she wrote in her comment from Layered Template #33: "To ALL OF US WHO HAVE BENEFITED FROM YOUR DESIGNS, I propose a donation of love from each one of us to help Sarah defray the cost of an newer version, even if it is from Ebay. Many have said that they bought version 7 real cheap, and then later upgraded. She can do the same. But at one time, they would accept the lower grades below 7."

Thank you SO much for thinking of me in such a sweet and generous way -- but I really must clarify! In my Layered Template #33 post, I referenced Photoshop 5.0, which I WAS using to create that template (and a few other templates while I travelled). However, I DO have Photoshop CS2 loaded on my computer. I just use Photoshop 5.0 when I can't travel with my personal computer (because I share it with my husband and don't take both my personal and work computer with me on business trips). Photoshop 5.0 I just have as "barebones" to use on disc with my work computer, because I can't load programs onto it. So while I truly do appreciate your thoughtfulness and generousity, I've got a great version of Photoshop already. If you were next to me, I'd give you a big huge hug! :) I'm so sorry for the confusion! :)

(And yes -- scrapping with just Photoshop 5.0 during my first 6 months of digital scrapping was agonizing! No PNG file usage is nearly debilitating! But it made me a better designer, because while I couldn't use others PNG files or export mine, I could still make elements of my own! And that's how I had to do all my designs when I first started, since I couldn't use anyone else's elements. Probably also why I have a love for paper! It's all I could use at the beginning.)

OK, now that that's cleared up... I'm going to bed! G'night all!

Layered Template #33 - 7 Photo

Alrighty, here's the first of the 10 templates I'm working on. All of these have the same "feel," so could potentially make a really cute set for a book (hint: more Christmas gift ideas).

A few things about each of these to keep in mind:

1) The white grid lines and border are a layer unto themselves -- very easy to remove if you want no grid lines.

2) If you want to have no borders on the edges, just select all layers and expand it so they're off the page.

3) Each template can be rotated, so you can really have 4 different designs. Or flip them for even more "looks" to the design.

As I've mentioned, I'm not really an "elements" scrapper -- I can just never make them work. Also, the Photoshop I'm working with is version 5.0, which doesn't support PNG files -- makes it REALLY hard to scrapbook! And the computer I'm on is definitely not intended to do graphics. In other words, it keeps crashing. So my LO in the example is for example only -- I'm definitely going to spruce it up when I get the chance. That said... if anyone else has examples using this template (or any)... include a link in the comments section, so that I (and everyone else) can see how you used it! Inspiration is a wonderful thing! :) I'd especially love to see how you work papers and elements into these designs.

Download the file HERE. (link removed)

(Let me know if there are problems with the file -- as I mentioned, I'm using an old version of Photoshop.)

An Exciting Update

Well... I'm away from my family this week....
BUT...
I figured out how to bring Photoshop WITH me without loading it onto my work computer.

And what does that mean for you, you ask?
TEMPLATES!!!

I don't have any ready tonight, but I will by tomorrow (I hope)! I'd like to do LOs with each one, as I've done in the past.... but I'm just not sure that I'll be able to swing that one. I didn't bring enough photos on my thumb drive (I don't think). Anyway, these are the templates I sketched out back in September. There will be 10 of them. They're all very "color blocked" and could go together to make a really great book.

OK.... and now for news on the home front -- hold on -- vent coming! :)

My daughter, as you know, had her tonsils out on Monday of last week. Monday and Tuesday were both really rough. She did sleep all night Tuesday and Wednesday. Then on Wednesday, she had a reasonably good day with me. On Thursday, I sent her to her babysitter (the sitter has just my kids, so I knew it was OK -- if it was a center, she wouldn't have been ready). She had another good day. Friday, same thing. Each of these days/nights, she took codeine in the morning and evening only, and used regular strength Tylenol during the day.

This weekend: complete 180. Ugh! The doctors warned us that tonsil recovery is a bit of a roller coaster. However, I thought that when she was doing so well early on, that perhaps we wouldn't get the downsliding. You know.... I really don't think tonsil removal is any easier for kiddos. I think the difference is that they don't remember the pain. But my poor girl is miserable and she just doesn't understand why. So instead, she's whiney, crying, clinging, completely annoying -- and I know WHY she's doing it, but it still drives us nuts. It was a miserable and challenging weekend for all of us -- especially since we were trying to do major house-prep.

Add to it the fact that the anesthesia made her nose itch. When her nose itches, she rubs it in her sleep and ends up scratching her face. It has happened many times over during her life. Once she gets a scratch -- she keeps scratching. Soon she's got a nickel sized sore on her face. You got it: that's what she did. Right on the bridge of her nose. It's huge and gross and painful looking.

So this weekend -- both nights she woke at around midnight because her throat hurt and she was coughing. Then on Monday, I had to wake up at 2:45 am to catch my flight out -- she woke at 12:15. Yes, I'm beat tired! I called my husband when I landed to ask how the rest of the night went. She apparently woke at 6am -- 1-2 hours earlier than normal. She has scratched her sore again and blood was literally running into her eyes.

Then the sitter called and said that her daughter has a cold and we can bring the kids if we want to, but we don't have to. Yeah... Jon's a single dad this week and has got to wrap up his programs before we leave, too. For his own sanity, he took the kids. They probably already have been exposed to the cold anyway, since they were there last week.

So I called tonight to check in again. Amara's throat felt a bit better today (thank God for small mercies), but now she has "a boo boo on my bottom." Because her diet has been so weird due to the surgery, she's constipated! So off to the store for children's laxatives.

Can I just tell you how thankful I am for my husband and his hands on approach. He's totally my Rock, and I don't know what I'd do without him. God is too good to me for His gift of my husband. Anyway, obviously keep my daughter in your prayers, but keep my husband in your prayers as well -- he's got a long week ahead of him!

Piggy Back Kit - December

I forgot to link you all to Lisa's kit! I'd ask where my mind went... but I know where it is, and it's not in my head! :)

Lisa did a great kit as an add-on to December's Joy to the World. I was just over at her blog, and she's got a bunch of other wonderful freebies there, too -- all new! Many templates and kits for your pleasure! :)

Give her a big shout of thanks for all her great work!

HERE is the link to Lisa's add on.

December Kit - Joy to the World

And here it is... the final kit of the Planner series! Whew! That's several months worth of you guys visiting me at my blog, encouraging me, praying for me -- what a wonderful, friendly, uplifting community the digital scrapbooking world is. Thank you to everyone for your support -- it has been a very fun ride!

As you all know, I have accepted a new position within my company, and we will be moving -- probably in January. Our goal is to have the house on the market by Thanksgiving (or at least the end of the month). I will probably be largely absent during the next two months. However, scrapping is my stress relief, and you can bet I'll have plenty of stress!!! But I'll likely just stick to templates for the near future. Who knows... maybe somewhere down the line I'll get the inspiration for another longer project such as this one. In other words, I hope you guys keep checking in, because I'll miss you if you don't! :)

One other reminder -- if you click on the "2008 Planner" link to the left side, you can see ALL the planner templates. Remember that at the beginning there were templates for the planner cover as well as the weekly filler pages.

And without further ado (and because I've got to go clean), HERE (link removed) is the December kit (62+MB). This one is paper rich -- 17 of them! There are 5 that are supposed to look like felt fabric. Then there are some plaid ones (with a sort of fabric texture), some stripes, polka dots, and grunge. Also there are some felt Christmas trees with embroidered ball ornaments. I converted the word art to look like it's embroidered as well (remember the original word art is included in the template). And finally, there are 15 chipboard word tags -- thanks to Atomic Cupcake for her chipboard action.

Enjoy!!!

Color Scheme December - Joy to the World

Predictable, I know. But here are the December colors. I'm all about the "traditional!" ;)

Layered Template - December 2008 Planner

We're almost there! The last month, the last template, and you may just be able to finish your Christmas gifts before Thanksgiving! Now wouldn't that be nice!?

I have to laugh at mine - these pictures are from LAST year, so I'll need to take some Christmas-y shots here soon, so that the planners aren't 2 years old by next Christmas.

In good news, my daughter slept pretty much all night (woke up at 9:30pm is all). She's doing alright with lower doses of pain meds today, which is great, since I can't get her to take them anyway! Now just to get her eating/drinking some more! Thanks for all your prayers!

And now for the December Template: HERE it is! (link removed)

November Kit - Thanks be to God

I'm wiped out! Last night was a LONG night -- I ended up sleeping next to my daughter in the hospital bed. It was the only way she didn't wake up panicked. And of course between her outbursts, the hospital beeping, the nurses in and out, and the plastic pillows -- lets just say I didn't get a good night's sleep. She's hanging in there, though she broke my heart this afternoon as we came into our house. Her painkillers were wearing off, and she whimpered to me, "Mommy, I don't want to be a big girl anymore. I don't want to be a princess." According to her standards, those titles require too much pain. I nearly cried, but instead just held her tighter. As we picked up her brother from the sitter, she told me, "Mommy, I not so happy right now," and "I'm not feeling so much." (that's how she says she's not feeling good). Poor kiddo! And of course, she associates eating/drinking with hurting her throat, so it's impossible to make her eat. Add to it that her meds (the pain killers) are nasty tasting, so she cries buckets taking those, too. I've been bribing her with Reeses PB Cups (the mini ones). I know... bad Mommy... but it's literally the only thing she'll eat.

*sigh*

Oh... then add to it that I changed the TCP/IP settings on my computer last night so I could log on to the hospital internet through the ethernet cable. I spent at least 2 hours trying to get it fixed. My ISP said they couldn't help, because it was with the router. I could SEE that the wireless was working and my work laptop was connected, I just couldn't get there. So tonight I was on with the router service tech. The nice woman had a super thick accent and talked impossibly fast. AND my office doesn't have a light in it (don't know why -- never put one there because I only work in it during the day). So I'm operating by computer light trying to read sereal numbers and all that good stuff.

In hindsight, I guess the day is quite funny -- and I hope you guys are giggling and shaking your heads! I know I will one day soon, because it is quite funny. But for now, I'm just worn out!

OK, so on to the good stuff -- or at least I hope it is! Here is November's kit. It's mostly papers, because I'm officially stuck (still) on elements. I did put a few chipboard journal tags (thanks Atomic Cupcake), and I had fun creating a painted look for some leaves and acorns. Also, the word art has a different take on it -- you get the converted, but I also included the original layered PSD (Photoshop) file. The reason for this is that there are so many different color combinations or effects you might want to use on the words, and I can't begin to guess them all. So with the layered file, you can decide for yourself what works best on your layouts.

I'll stop talking now... you can get the kit HERE. (link removed) (59MB)

Piggy Back Kits - October

I almost missed this one! I am so far behind from vacation (300+ emails), and I was tempted to mass delete. I'm so glad I didn't, because I'd have completely missed this fabulous freebie by RCMama. It's only her 2nd freebie, but isn't it wonderful. I just love the swirls and rich textures. My favorite is the super-realistic ribbons. That's a weakness of mine, because I'm absolutely awful at ribbons!

Head over to RCMama's blog HERE to grab her freebie!

Piggy Back Kits - October

Andrea has given you a beautiful freebie full of papers to coordinate with the October "Bountiful Harvest" kit. She's had a busy month herself, so special thanks to her for sharing her talents with us!

Please head on to Andrea's blog HERE to grab this great set of papers!

November Color Scheme - Thanks be to God

Here is the color theme for November. I realized a bit late that it's nearly the same as October's was, but hey, that just means you get an extra big fall kit! I hope to have it uploaded (the kit, that is) sometime tomorrow.

Layered Template - November 2008 Planner

Well, she did it! She's a trooper and the surgery went well. Thank you so much for all the prayers. The only time she even asked for food was when she discovered a wayward M&M in the car and when the nurse asked what foods she likes for recovery. Other than that, she didn't ever even mention she was hungry. Amazing! And now she's in recovery watching "Cinderelly" and eating a popsicle. All things considered, she's doing wonderful. Hopefully the coming days will be speedy recovery as well!

And another hurray -- I have an internet connection in the hospital. That means I can upload the November Calendar page! Wohoo! :)

So HERE it is. (link removed) We're almost done with the year!

Quick Check-In

Just wanted to quickly check in and let you know I'm still here!

We took a family vacation from the 26th til today (just got home) -- and it was blissfully full of friends and internet free. So I haven't even checked email yet -- and probably won't be able to until Monday or Tuesday.

I did get a good start on November and December -- so those should be up by week's end. Yes, BOTH of them! Then the travel of a job transfer begins in earnest.

Quick prayer request: My 3 year old is having her tonsils out on Monday at 2:45EST -- lovely time. Try telling a 3 year old she can't eat after 6:15 am! Yeah... that will work well! Anyway.... if I can get wireless at the hospital, I will!