(All images in this post are linked to the website of their origin.)
Well, hello there! I made it! LOL These past few weeks have been strange, for lack of a better term. The holidays and some things that are going on in my life just got the better of me. I'm feeling much better now, though. Hopefully, things will stay on an even keel for a while. It's a new year. Perhaps it will be a better year. Here's to hoping the same for each of you!
One of the websites that I like a lot is
Kim Klassen's Cafe. Kim is an artiste with textures. She weaves her magic with her products which lend an air of beauty to any simple photograph. In the days leading up to the New Year, Kim wrote about assigning one word that will identify this new time. She went over the past year and what it had brought. Ultimately, "build" became the word. She says that, no matter what we are doing, we should look at each event in our lives as a step in the building process of our being. Or, that is how I interpreted what she writes. LOL With each step, we build our character, even in times where we feel we have gained nothing from an experience. Life little lessons. Sigh. We can use these experiences to improve future situations. That is what it is all about. We get hit with something and how we handle it determines how we do so in the future. Right or wrong, there is still a lesson there, as a rule. Plus, Kim's textures are awesome! If you sign up for updates, you get free textures by e-mail, which are just gorgeous! Here is one she did recently, along with a photo in which she applied it.
(You can download this on her site - click on image)
Isn't that something else? Who knew a simple shed in the snow could be so lovely?!
This next site is one I have written about before. I just love
Vintage Vectors! There's that 'V' word again.
Yes, you can use vectors in Photoshop! LOL The sitemaster, Eric, is starting something new this year. In addition to the really neat vectors that have been offered, free and with liberal terms, he is adding colored versions of the pieces as well. In his files, I noticed he has both, the black and white vector and the colored version in both the .ai and the .psd format. What more do you need! The subject of the vectors is widely varied. There are antique images, cherubs, beautiful flowers and ornaments and some rather interesting items, such as an old pipe organ, which looks as if it just came from the pages of a Poe story. Below, is one image of recent offerings:
With the new format, here is what just came out:
See what I mean?! Pay these good people a visit. I promise that you won't be disappointed!
In my travels around the net, I scrutinize links. If you visit a site that has some awesome designs, pay attention to their lists of followers, friends and their blog-rolls. Check out some of those links! There may be treasures there. I found such treasures recently at
PeHaa's blog. She is an Illustrator artist with a unique style. She creates vector patterns that are absolutely to die for! LOL The artist lives in Poland and, from the looks of her style, many of her pieces are based on native folk design. That is how I interpret them. Here is an ornament she offers:
Isn't that sweet!? She has some Photoshop patterns and other pretties, so, go have a look-see. Also, her
Flickr pages are chock-full of these goodies and more!
While looking at PeHaa's blog, I noticed her "friends" list. One of those,
Pink on Head, attracted my attention. The link will direct you to an article where she reviews her patterns and brushes. It will give you a good idea of what it is she does. Her brushes are unique, several following artistic images of vintage ladies, fashions, even some vintage postcards.
With vintage being so popular, I thought her goodies rated a link. Go see for yourself. Again, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
So, that is what I have found that I want to share.
Starting next Monday,
Miss Edna and I will be at it again! I want to take a minute, here, and say that I have truly been blessed with a friend in Edna. That lady! In my absence, bless her heart, I had her so worried and I feel so bad about it! It wasn't intentional. God knows this year has been a hard one for her. She lost her dear brother back around Thanksgiving, so, this Christmas was difficult, I'm sure. She is an amazing friend and an awesome designer! She just sent me her previews and, well, just wait! You'll see! This collaboration is "A Very Merry New Year". Along with several "timely" references to the New Year, she includes some gorgeous elements! That's all I am going to say, for now. Monday, you will see what I mean. On that day, we will start with two(2) parts each for you, free to download. Then, for the next few weeks, two, most likely, we will continue until you have all of the parts to both of our contributions. In the recent past, we've done some awesome collections. The posts with all the links, both on my blog and hers, are still there, if you missed any or want to go see them yourself. Miss Edna is also doing some other stuff and posts it on her blog,
Miss Edna's Place. Click on over if you've never been blessed with what she contributes to this community. She is also an awesome photographer
and she's one hell of a lady!
So! There ya go! These links should keep you busy for the rest of the afternoon. Pay attention to the links when you come upon a blog or website that you like. Chances are, their friends and associates are into similar or supportive content(resources). There are more sites to tell about and I will get to them. But, rest is calling. My weary body needs it. Before I leave, though, I have something for ya. Back in December, I promised you all a gift before Christmas. I must have started two(2), maybe three(3) posts on this and, every time, I got distracted with all that was going on. Anyway, here are some textures that I made. I hope you can use them and enjoy them. I had fun making them! LOL
(click on image to go to MediaFire for download)
Please note that I put these in .jpg format due to size. The .pngs were HUGE!! If you find that these don't work like you want, please leave me a comment and I will re-post them as .pngs.
Yay! I finished a post! LOL Ya'll have a wonderful week and I will see you on Monday!
Until then, you can be the one who makes a difference when you smile!
Hugs,
Su
