Free Customizable Valentine’s Day Cards

Love is in the air; I can feel it!  With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I thought I’d offer YOU some free Valentine’s Day Cards!  These are for those that will be printing their cards at home or know of a fabulous printer they’ve already worked with in the past!  You can steal my cards in one of two ways.  Either by downloading the Adobe Photoshop .psd file to customize yourself or by completing my form to have me do the work for you!  That’s right!  I will insert your images into my template and personalize with your family name(s). 

Happy Holidays (see you back here on 12/30)!

In the meantime...

Feel free to catch up on some oldies, but goodies!

Free Customizable Photo Gift Tags for the Holidays!

I’m going to share a little quirk about myself.  Now, I’m trusting that after you hear what I’m about to say, you don’t think I should be committed or something.  Okay, so here it goes.

There is something about a beautifully wrapped gift that puts me in an immediate trance.  The world around me could be in shambles, but I would have no idea if you just plopped me down in front of some beautiful presents like a little kid.  Scary, I know.  In fact, I’ve thought about wrapping empty boxes and decorating them with some lavish embellishments just to put around the house and use as holiday décor.  I’m still not sure why I haven’t done it yet.  Of course, there is still time!

Anyhow, this year, I was inspired by the many beautiful gift embellishments that I have been seeing online.  And in the process of crafting my very own embellishments, I thought why not design some photo gift tags to accompany them!  Especially considering that this blog of mine has been way overdue for some freebies!

Vacationing in Cape Cod, MA

It’s nice to be home from vacation but only for dependable and fast internet access so I am able to do what I love: BLOG.  Otherwise, I rather be basking in the sun under a clear blue sky with nothing to worry about other than sun protection.  Alivia and I had such a wonderful 3 day vacation in West Yarmouth.  We couldn’t have asked for better weather.  And unlike previous years, the ocean was exceptionally warm and inviting.  Even better than warm ocean water and sunshine was Alivia accomplishing some HUGE milestones!  After struggling with her for 2 Summers, I finally got her to walk on the sand!  It took some serious persistence and a thick skin when she began to melt down, but I stayed strong and was relieved to have it pay off!  Of course, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get her to do it  with bare feet so I came prepared with water shoes.  And when her shoes filled up with sand, I was pleasantly surprised it only took a little distraction and some mild coaxing to keep her from obsessing over it.  In no time at all my baby was playing in the sand comfortably!  She even, for the first time, played in the ocean water (something else I had been struggling with getting her to do)!  It was amazing watching her enjoy activities that once had her running for dry land, a shower, or my arms.  And if that’s not enough, on the very last day of our vacation, my sister handed her a water bottle and she drank out of it like a PRO!   What?!  It was as if the milestones kept being thrown at my baby but she continued to hit them right out of the park!  I was so proud of her!

Blog tools you should definitely consider

I know in blogging, taking programs, applications, widgets, etc. for granted is easy to do.  I know with me, my main focus is getting the task at hand completed.  Whether it be wrapping up a post, running an analytical report, rolling out a blog hop, setting up ad spots, creating a giveaway, updating my blog design, etc., the most important thing is to get it done in a timely fashion ‘cause, let’s face it, there’s always more to do!  Today, I’d like to take a step back, take a breather, and remember the tools I currently use that help me tremendously with the various aspects of blogging.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that these tools are what makes it all come together; what makes me be able to present to you Cropped Stories!

Just when I think I don’t have a topic to blog about, it hits me like a ton of bricks.  Just because I know of the existence of these blogging tools doesn’t mean everyone does.  And why shouldn’t you know about them?  If it’s going to make your life easier, than I’m going to share them with you!

Dayz of Summer Photography Checklist (will you take the challenge)?

Yesterday as I was riding in the car with my hubby we drove past a couple of farms.  I was practically kicking myself for not having my camera with me to catch the cows grazing and the horses galloping.   I don’t know what it is about the Summer months that makes me want to pick up my camera and take pictures of, well, almost everything.  With my country music playing in the background and the air from the window blowing through my hair, I thought what better time to start compiling a list of the things I’d like to capture on camera this Summer.  While some things I wanted to take pictures of came incredibly easy to me (like a hammock, horses, a canoe, the lake, etc.), I had to put in some effort to remember the small but wonderful things about Summer that are often taken for granted.  Stuff like iced coffee, fruit salad, a grilled hot dog, the ice cream truck, a tire swing, etc.  Once I started thinking smaller, it was hard to stop.  The ideas kept coming and I realized that my once modest checklist was quickly becoming endless.  Isn’t Summer the best?

Free 4th of July Storyboard/Collage Template (holds 12 photos)

Are you guys getting ready for the 4th of July?  Or should I say getting the camera ready?  I don’t know about you but I’m the type of person that can’t let a holiday pass without snapping some pictures (even if they are only taken with my phone camera)!  And since holidays make such perfect photo opportunities; you’ll definitely find me behind the lens!  There are so many amazing moments to capture.  Whether they be of family and friends you haven’t seen in awhile, your Aunts homemade ice cream, patriotic tablescapes you’ve strategically designed, water activities like sprinklers/pools/slip-n-slides, little ones running around in diapers and bare feet, a volleyball or badminton tournament, a hula hoop competition, etc.; you’re sure to catch some great expressions like smiles, laughs, giggles, maybe even happy tears?  Have I painted a pretty enough picture?  No?  Let me fast forward to the evening then.  How about glow sticks, sparklers, cracker snaps, and FIREWORKS?  Sharing some champagne with your significant other under a glowing sky?  Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!  I’m getting myself all fired up for the holiday (pun intended)! 

Free set of Number Flash Cards!

Does your tot know his/her numbers yet?  I know when my little one was learning her numbers that she responded very well to flash cards.  Very well is putting it mildly too.  She used to walk around everywhere with them asking me over and over again "What's this mama"?  I loved her enthusiasm for wanting to learn.  Of course Eric Carle and Dr. Seuss helped tremendously.  Their flash cards were by far the cutest I have ever seen! 

FREE set of 5 digital Polaroids & Frames!

While the hubby was cleaning out the trunk of his car, he came across some old photos of when he was younger.  I couldn't wait to get my hands on them to be reminded of just how adorable he was.  As I was looking through them I was delighted to find some great Polaroids and bordered photographs in his collection.  They were distressed and discolored and I absolutely loved them!  I couldn't help myself, my brain immediately switched into art mode.  I chose my favorite Polaroids and bordered images and scanned them to my computer.  I opened them in Photoshop, made a few adjustments, and created digital templates.  I am so happy with how they turned out but even more excited to present this NEW set of Vintage Polaroids and Frames to all of you!  I hope you'll love them as much as I do!  Oh, and did I mention they are FREE?  That's right.  So go ahead and download the entire set!  All I ask in return is, if used on your website, credit with a link back to my site would be absolutely fabulous and much appreciated!

Free 8 x 10 customizable photo template to print!

I had this idea for a word search photo frame.  Initially my design contained the child’s name which I thought was kind of cool.  Then I thought it would be a little more difficult to customize with a child’s name especially for those that are unfamiliar with their text and format tools/layers/etc. in Photoshop and Elements.  With that said, I decided on this ‘Be ONE in a Million’ theme! 

With all my templates, this is a .psd file that can be opened in Photoshop or PSE.  It is an 8 x 10 customizable photo template and is very easy to use.  Once open, find the ‘Place Photo Here’ layer (highlighted in RED) and make sure it is selected with your mouse.  Now go to File / Place.  This will allow you to choose an image from your computer files.  Once you have placed your photo in the square, you may adjust its size to fit the frame. 

4 Free Customizable Photo Bookmarks (to print)!

I’ve got a little something different for you today!  Customizable photo bookmarks!  The template is a .psd file and can be opened in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.  It is an 8.5 x 11 inch wide template and includes 4 different designs.  Each bookmark contains frames for 3 images to be inserted into.  The images of my samples were printed on HP 8.5 x 11 premium soft gloss photo paper.  I recommend using photo paper for best results as you want them to be thicker and more durable than your standard paper.