Rain, rain and more to come? & Touch Of Color freebie

Things are pretty soggy here. Some areas have flooding from a tropical storm that was off the coast bringing high tides and wind. That storm didn't hit us directly but we've been getting rain 0ff and on. Today it rained most of the time. News is now saying that another tropical storm off the coast is gaining strength and is expected to become a category 2 hurricane. Just lovely. And because I didn't do some running today, I will have to tomorrow. Not looking forward to working around flooded sections. But, what can you do? Norfolk is bordered by some major rivers and the Chesapeake Bay, not to mention all the little creeks etc.

I was just browsing through the photos of the dresses worn to the big Met gala. The things some people will wear just because they are called "fashion" or were created by big name dress designers. Unbelievable! There were some seriously weird and wacky designs worn. Some looked pretty uncomfortable too. And then there is the bare as much as you dare trend. I'm not just knocking it because I don't have the figure to wear those barely there gowns. I mean, I wouldn't wear them if I had the perfect body. Seems like exhibitionism, doesn't it? What's next? Women walking into the gala wearing nothing but their makeup and jewelry? Oh, and those bad-for-the-feet, incrediably high Jimmy Choo etc shoes. Whatever happened to class? Okay, off that soapbox.

Today, I've got more Touch Of Color for you. This time it's brown.

Link to papers: http://www.4shared.com/zip/KPuOXQfvba/ws_ATouchOfBrown_papers.html? Thursday, the elements. Hugs!

New week and a little freebie

It's the end of September and the start of a new week. I'm optomistic that this week will be better than last. No appointments scheduled although I got a message my contacts are in so will have to schedule a fitting for those. I managed to finish up a number of Touch Of Color packages over the last couple days so I'll get those scheduled to go out to you. I plan to spend this week cleaning and getting things together for my Red Hat excursion on the 10th. I intend to pace myself but seriously want to get beyond the usual weekly "To Do"s and into excavating the computer room where a lot of overflow ended up while Rachel was here. Also need to go into the back bedroom/craft room and clean up all the stuff I dropped off in there while I was running around so much. Got to organize and contain all those Red Hat fascinator etc supplies. Big plans; just hope the body holds up! Meanwhile, I thought you might like to have some bows to go with the Color Touch packages that have already posted?

Link: http://www.4shared.com/zip/m8uuXvefba/ws_ATouchOfColor_Bows.html? The next four packages coming up are: brown, lavender, purple, red. Once I've loaded those plus an undetermined fifth, I'll provide another package of bows for those colors. Hugs!

Another Week half through and Another Freebie - Think Pink!

Last week was so busy and chaotic! Nothing seemed to go as planned. Thursday evening we went to dinner at Pirates Cove in Chesapeake with my Aunt Sissy and her boyfriend, John, a former co-worker of my husband. The she-crab soup was yummy if a bit too peppery. My flounder was a huge piece and looked so pretty but it tasted more fishy than flounder usually does and the breading didn't seem to have any flavor at all. I liked the hushpuppies best. But if I was disappointed in my dinner, we have to remember I'm not big on seafood. The guys got huge sampler platters and raved about everything. My Aunt got a large Greek salad with a crabcake on top. That crabcake was hamburger size and full of lump crabmeat rather than all the breading most have. She was so happy with that! Friday morning I took my husband over to the hospital to get his nuclear stress test. But it turned out to be wrong hospital and as a result he won't have test until Decemeber and we will have to pay for missed appointment. And from there on to Joyce's house where we were going to have a class on making fascinators from deco mesh. Joyce had coffee and tea ready for us along with cookies and mini scones. After a little caffeine, Karla showed us what to do and we made fascinators for the upcoming Snowball Express. Typical me, I had to complicate things by wanting to use not only the white deco mesh I'd bought but also a wired red ribbon of smaller width. It did turn out beautifully though! Will have to get a photo and show you. Then we had lunch - Mary had brought barbeque stuff for sandwiches and chips and I brought dessert - iced brownies. Don't know what set it off - nothing we could determine - but when Mary and I left, we both had headaches and some chest tightness, which we passed off to sinuses reacting to weather changes. I was sick by the time I got home - headache and stomach pain with nausea. Went to bed and it was hubby's birthday! I was doing pretty well next day however, while Mary had a 3 day migraine and respiratory infection! Saturday we were supposed to meet some people hubby worked with for lunch but BIL came by and wanted to take care of some work we needed help with. Bless him, he patched the roof and explored the situation. Not nails in shingles at all but the nails used to fasten down the wood over the rafters, popping up and pushing shingles up. Weird. He fixed everything he could see but we might have to have another roof put on over this one. BIL also worked on hubby's computer and put a new battery in the car we are holding on to for grandson. Really appreciate all that help! So Saturday night I took hubby out for his b'day dinner. Ynot Italian in Chesapeake makes a dish he loves called Fruitti de Mare (fruit of the sea) - pasta with a marina sauce filled with multiple types of seafood. Only they have stopped offering it so we had to work up something comparable. Got pizza rolls as appetizer. Granted, we were expecting something like we get from Glory's Bakery and these were nothing like that. Looked good but dough was tough, very oily, and worst of all too much garlic! Hubby loves garlic and for him to say it was too much says a lot. Between Friday and Saturday, I have had to stay away from spicey, oily, and garlicky foods for some days. But it is all getting better. Yada, yada, where is the freebie?

How about both papers and elements tonight? http://www.4shared.com/zip/9iaKT0D0ce/ws_ATouchOfColor_Pink_elements.html? http://www.4shared.com/zip/6Y3TMsGsba/ws_ATouchOfColor_Pink_papers.html? Think I actually have a day free tomorrow to get some housework done! Hugs!

Freebie - Touch of Blue_Cobalt - elements

Long day! 10am roofer arrived to look at roof. Says there are a lot of "nail pop-ups" to be fixed. A few minutes for 1/2 cup coffee and insurance man arrives. Roof problem considered "normal wear & tear" and not covered by policy. Ceiling damage estimated at a little over $1,000. After deductible I get check for $742. Time for a bathroom break then I sit down at PC to finish my coffee and doorbell rings again! It was Dad and June on way back from radiation therapy. Had to look up a tax form for Dad, packed up some more of John's homemade chicken soup for June and we visited for awhile. Then it's time to finish up my now cold coffee and head to bank and grocery store. I want to use my home equity loan to pay roofer but am out of the checks. Since I don't have a specific amount I need, checks have to be ordered and will take 10 days. However, if I get a firm quote, I can go back to bank and they will draft a check for needed amount. I decided I'd pop into one of the nearby thrift stores to see if they might have something dressy in red I can wear to the Snowball Express in December. Since I''m not a size 8-10 anymore, it's not easy to find nice thrift clothes in my size and I don't want to spend a lot on something I'll wear once. Nope, no red bargains. However, I found a lovely black velvet gown with beading that should fit and I got excited thinking I could use it for the "Black and Bling" night at upcoming Cary event. Found a purple shirt with thin gold stripe that should fit so that's another for my Red Hat wardrobe. Then I saw the cutest vintge hat. It's one of those open work hats that were popular netween 30's - 50's. Black velvet with some dusty purple moire. This could work with the black dress. I'm so pleased that the total is only $27! Later, as I e-mailed Mary to confirm our Hobby Lobby shopping trip, I'm telling her about my finds and it hits me - the Cary event will be in the summer! BLack velvet sure won't work. Oh well. I'm sure some other Red Hat event will come up I can use it for lol. And now those Cobalt elements:

Link: http://www.4shared.com/zip/92BBUR4Kba/ws_TouchOfBlueCobalt_elements.html?

Freebie time. A Touch of Blue _Cobalt

I've spent the day in doctor's waiting rooms. June had a radiation therapy appointment, short break, then a pulmonology appointment. At least my driving her around gave Dad a little time off and June and I had a chance for some girl talk. Today's freebie is back to A Touch of Color. This time it's a Touch Of Blue _ Cobalt. There are so many shades of blue and some of the major variations seem to deserve their own attention. So, rather than mix the blues together, I've grouped them. Today it's dark blues or what I call cobalt and some call royal blue. Eventually there will be packages of light blue, maybe some medium blues and, certainly, my favorite blue-greens: turquoise to teal. Here is your preview:

Today the papers (4 full size): http://www.4shared.com/zip/y2DwnyNSce/ws_TouchOfBlueCobalt_papers.html? Tomorrow I'm dealing with the insurance man and the roofer about the ceiling but I'll be sure to post the elements.

Oops! Forgot an element in your freebie zip

I forgot to include one of the elements for Summer Fadeout - the lemonaide! Temperatures are still warm so we want to continue enjoying that refreshing beverage, don't we?

Link: http://www.4shared.com/zip/ds-oX4S1ce/ws_SummerFadeout_lemonaide.html? Will have another Touch Of Color for you soon but probably not until Monday night. Going out of town tomorrow with some friends to a craft fair/flea market thing and Sunday having family over. Monday I'm taking June to radiation therapy. Tuesday I have to meet with insurance people about claim. Earlier this week (Tuesday) we had high winds and heavy downpour. When I got home from the radiation oncology clinic, I found that our roof was leaking - right over hubby's expensive recliner! So need to have roof and ceiling repaired. Think I've got a couple days of just normal housework then I'm on call for radiation therapy transportation again. We've got 6 weeks of juggling our schudles with Junes' but we'll make it.

More of Summer Fadeout freebie - the eelments

Oh joy - it's football season. Yes, I'm being sarcastic as I sit here and listen to the Pittsburgh Steelers (hubby's team) and whoever. I hate all the crowd noise and then there's hubby shouting "Throw it Ben!" Men really get into the whole football thing - whether on the field or on TV. "Keep me company," he says but it's not as though I can sit there and read while he's watching. So here I am in computer room . Oh well, need to post the link to Summer Fadeout elements anyway. And I forgot to thank you lovely ladies for your suggestions about dealing with 4shared etc. I do have a Dropbox account that I used to use for my stores and for collaborating with other designers. Never thought about setting up a public folder. Haven't had time to work on putting things there yet. Several appointments for me this week and also helping out getting June to radiation treatments. This weekend I'm tied up with Red Hat stuff and family get together so sometime next week.

Link for elements: http://www.4shared.com/zip/WWtUO2utce/ws_SummerFadeout_elements.html?

Freebie time! Summer Fadeout

Hope everyone had a nice Labor Day weekend? My husband worked Sunday morning driving runners and viewers around at Virginia Beach's Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon. Morning we had my Dad and June over for John's delicious homemade barbeque. And yesterday I took June over for her first radiation therapy treatment. Today has been quiet and easy. Over last couple days I fiddled with the Touch Of Color series but haven't completed another set yet. I took to playing with the color swatch below, just to do it.

The result is Summer Fadeout which I'll start giving you today.

Today the papers - 12 full size papers. http://www.4shared.com/zip/3icBS9Fece/ws_SummerFadeout_papers.html? Tomorrow,, the elements so be sure to come back! Hugs

Problems with 4shared?

Need some help here If you look at comments under A Touch Of Orange, you will see that Carolyn is having trouble downloading. You can also see my reply which didn't help. There is a lot of extra stuff on 4shared page now and that makes things more complicated. I find the same thing at other file share sites. If anyone can help, perhaps by explaining the 4shared downloads another way, it would be appreciated. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to pay for a site that would download to you directly. Suggestions welcome.

What? A CU freebie? It's been ages!

It's been a boring/interesting week. Huh? I've got Chronic Fatigue Immune System Disorder or whatever the new name for it is. And sleep disorders due to other health issues. Usually I have trouble falling asleep and sleep in 4-5 hour bouts. For some reason, this week I've been getting long periods of sleep. At odd times, mind you, like being unable to sleep at bedtime then falling asleep around 5 or 6a.m.. Wake about 11 or so, go to bathroom, but so groggy I go back to bed for 10-30 minutes. Or so I tell myself. Then I'm out quickly and don't wake until 1:30 or 2 p.m. and hustle to get something done before husband comes home. What a messed up "schedule"! But sure have had some amazing dreams! Finally got to England in one and had tea at a fancy venue and went shopping in some famous store (Harrod's?). Other than that, haven't done much except try to figure out how we're going to manage June's schedule of radiation treatments and merge it with my Dad's scheule of appointments and mine. Oh, and a little family history hunting. Collected some documents including an obituary for a great or great-great grandfather that says he was a "member of the BlackHawk 57 tribe of Red Men." Interesting and needs more research. My father's family are descended from the Lambert's who came from England through Jamestown, VA.

When I've been awake and on PC, I've been working on several Color Touch sets simultaneously but none is quite finished. So I put together a collection of shell buttons for you. I left these larger than life size so you have more options. A life size button is rarely over an inch with exception of coat buttons; these are around 2". I love vintage buttons, especially the mother-of-pearl/shell ones. You can't get the same luster, sheen and colors from plastics or glass. I collect them whenever I can at reasonable prices. I use them in quilting projects (especially crazy quilt ) and craft projects. In digital version, I use buttons are buttons, brads, even flairs for the big ones. They can decorate borders, ribbons, and frames. This collection is CU4CU so use them anyway you want with exception of just repacking and selling as a button collection. I left in some that are grungy, like you'd find at the bottom of an old sewing box, even a couple with rough edges and chips. I'd like to hear what you find to use them for or see photos.

Link: http://www.4shared.com/zip/r-PB7pfOce/ss4cu_Shell_button_collection.html?

Quick freebie post - A Touch of Orange

Quick post as I am so behind in all I should be doing. Spent hours yesterday working on ideas for a new tradition for grooms or, more specifically, a tradition I could start for my son. But more about that in another post. Today I've got A Touch Of Color freebie for you - a warm color - orange! This is not a go-to color for me. Orange is too bold and vibrant for my tastes, although I do like soft peach and soft corals. Anyway, if orange is your color, I hope there is something here you will like.

4 full size papers and 9 elements. Personal use only, please. Papers here: http://www.4shared.com/zip/9uWsXH4fba/ws_ATouchOfOrange_papers.html? Elements here: http://www.4shared.com/zip/lVgqz33Fba/ws_ATouchOfOrange_elements.html?