Finished a layout and a freebie!

Hey Y'all!

Well, what do you know? I did a layout! WooHoo! My fibro was acting up yesterday so I just sat at the computer and played. I'm beginning a heritage series on my family; this is the first one for Momma:

Beaded Curtain, Locket, Swirl, & Alpha by me (CL Graphics); Bkgnd Overlay-Creased & Cracked 2 by Vickie Fernandez of Heritage Scraps; Frame from Holly Jolly Blog Train by Wimpy Chompers Creations; Butterfly Lady by sherriejd, Winged Things; Copeland Model Behavior 1940 & Girlie Artist Sheet by Tangie Baxter; Easel by Kubivet, Old

See the beaded curtain at the top? I decided to make some more and give them all to you as freebies. The one I used was the pink beaded one and I resized and duplicated it so that it would be smaller and longer than the original. At first I combined the gold one and the silver one but once I made the alpha I decided to stick with the gold only. Hope you can use them on your layouts and cards.

The link for 4 Shared is HERE (if they ask for a password it is Valentines) and the link for Media Fire is HERE.

http://www.mediafire.com/?gm5rydzwoy5
Hope everyone is having a great week.

Hugs,
Liv

Happy Birthday Rose!

Today is my friend Rose Long's birthday and I made her an animated card:


Hope you like it girly! You can click on the image to see it full size.

Love,
Liv

Freebie

Hey Y'all,
I feel like my life is a 'bottom feeder' movie. Enough said. My boy:


For you: 4Shared is linked to preview and the password is Valentines. MediaFire is HERE



hope you can use them!
Love,
Liv

Action Freebie

Hey Y'all,

I have the preview for the size actions finally finished but first the update on Kim.

Kim had to have her gall bladder tested Thursday at Wake Forest. The test was to take a max of 2 hours so of course 4 hours later she finished! It seems that the plan was for the tech's to give her something that would make her gall bladder fill and then something else that would empty it quickly and they would be documenting length of time and such. They couldn't get it to fill all the way and when they went to have it empty it wouldn't do that either! She wasn't told what all of this meant but she has to go back on the 26th to complete the testing for it. She also goes back on the 21st for some other kind of testing. The good thing (we think) is that she was suppose to be in excruciating pain as this filling and emptying were done but that never happened either. I know about gall bladder pain, I had mine removed a few years ago.

I got to see Joshua and Kim yesterday, we went to lunch and then to the pet store to get Joshua outfitted with an aquarium for his room. He has a 1 gallon tank and had 13 little goldfish but his momma got him a crab that decided to assault the poor fish and he killed them one by one! So now the little bugger will have to live alone in the 1 gallon tank while Joshua has another tank for some tropical fish. My grand daughter, Suzy, will be 15 on Wednesday. She didn't go with us yesterday because she had to get 'ready' for her boyfriend. When I brought her mother back at 3:30, Suzy's boyfriend had just gotten there and she walked out, past me, to get into the car with him; didn't speak or acknowledge my presence at all until Kim got her attention and told her to say hello to me. What is wrong with her? She wasn't raised to be ill mannered nor to hurt the feelings of others. I gave her my gift and she didn't even acknowledge it until she called me this morning, after Kim had told her to call me last night! Whew . . .

Here is the preview for the Photoshop CS3 size actions I made you. Anytime you want to resize an element or word you have to do several mouse clicks and you have to enter the percentage points you want. With my actions you can just click on the resize action you want-one click! Hope you enjoy using them-no credit required.

Go Here

The password to the folder is Valentines and the name of the file is CLGs Size Actions.zip. Click the preview for MediaFire files!

Hugs,
Liv

A Blog Award!

Hey Y'all,

My sweet friend, Rose of SimplyRose1, gave me this blog award.

I have been so wrapped up in the drama here at home that I didn't go and pick it up as I should have, sorry Rose, but I really do appreciate it! The rules are to acknowledge the gift and post a link to the giver's blog, then select 5 more blogs that deserve the award and leave them a comment on their blogs. My selections are 1) Flergs of Flergalicious! 2) Brooke of Life On The Hill 3) Karla of Karla's Cottage 4) Kubivet of Kubivet's Scrapbook Freebies 5) the wonderful ladies of Water LO Project Please be sure and visit all these blogs as they are well worth the look/see! Several of them even give out awesome freebies from time to time.

I've got one group of actions ready to upload for you-I just have to make the preview and then I will!

Have a wonderful day,
Liv

PS: You paper scrappers need to keep up with Vicki Chrisman's blog, This Art That Makes Me Happy, because the eye candy and projects are awesome and you will be in the mood to scrap madly once you leave!

Another Update

Hey Y'all,

Kim went to see the oral surgeon this morning about her exposed teeth roots. She will have to have a skin graft from the roof of her mouth performed on her lower gums. She will also need a custom made prosthetic for her mouth, that will have to be replaced every six months, to protect the roof of it after surgery and to also protect the back surface of her teeth from the vomiting that she is having now. The surgery can be put off up to 18 months so we can wait on the gasteoparesis to calm and for her to stop the violent vomiting. The vomiting has exacerbated the condition which the surgeon says is the result of the braces she had at 10 years old! Thanks again for your prayers and kind thoughts!

I forgot to mention that the png files I gave you yesterday can also be used by paper scrappers. Just choose the one you want and resize/recolor if you want then print them out on a transparency to use on your scrapbook pages. This can really save you some money if you like the look of transparencies since the manufactured ones are rather expensive.

Hugs to all,
Liv

Brush Freebie

Hey Y'all,

I got these done this afternoon while watching the playoffs. You can adjust the sizes, colors, and directions if you can use the .abr (brush) files. If you cannot use abr files I included the .png files that can also be resized, colored, and rotated but it takes a little more time and trouble than the abr files. There is also a clipping mask to use with your photos if you'd like to use the brushes as frames. It is done as a vector and can be resized at will.


Please go HERE for the download and the password is Valentines (case sensitive). Click on the preview for MediaFire files!

Please pray for Kim.

Hugs,
Liv

Good News!

Hey Y'all,

Hold on! I'm floating from the high I got talking with Kim after her Doctor's appointment at Wake Forest. Kim was so upbeat after this consultation it made me cry with joy just to hear her voice so happy.

Kim doesn't need a Feeding Tube yet! Hooray! Hooray! Thank you Jesus! And the pacemaker is on hold for now until conclusive tests have been performed.

She saw Dr. Kenneth Koch (pronounced Cook) who is the Director of Gastroenterology at Wake Forest University Baptist Hospitals. He obviously knows exactly what Kim is going through and is prepared to help make her better! No fooling! He gave her Positive Feedback for what she has been doing for herself and has started her on a 'plan for the future.' The plan sounds like it just might work and take some of the mental pressure off of her in the bargain! He stopped two of her prescriptions, the most important one being the Reglan that was suppose to help her with the vomiting and digestion but was making her bowels 'dump' unexpectedly for the past three years. He has scheduled her for two tests to be performed, one on the 15th and the other on the 21st. He gave her a realistic diet that she won't have trouble following instead of the off the wall ones that the nutritionists have recommended to her. Those diets were fine except that they were labor intensive and if you don't have the energy to walk to the bathroom how in the heck was she suppose to spend hours in the kitchen preparing her food? I guess if you've never had to live like Kim and others who go through this you don't take daily living into account-but Dr. Koch does! Dr. Koch has also advised Kim about his desire to enter her into a medical study of diabetes with gastroparesis, if it turns out that it is feasible for her. In any case, we feel very positive about this new direction Kim's health is about to take. Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital is one of only 4 certified hospital programs to deal with this problem in the United States and we are very fortunate to live within commuting distance.

I am so thankful that Kim was referred to a doctor who seems to honestly care about her life. I do not believe this would have come about if not for the hundreds of you who have sent up prayers and good wishes for her. Thank you from my heart and soul.

Love,
Liv

PS: Sorry it took so long to get this info up - I was doing research on the good doctor and his hospital.

Hey Y'all!

Well, another update on Kim. She had to go see the dentist this morning because the root of one of her front teeth became exposed. Now she needs oral surgery that will require the surgeon to graft tissue from the roof of her mouth onto her gums. The vomiting she does with the gasteoparesis is eroding her entire mouth and he also told her that after the surgery if she vomits it will be very, very painful and might undo what has just been done. She is to see the surgeon next week on the 12th for a consultation. I told her to check to see if there is an alternate solution; until the gasteoparesis is under control she will continue to vomit. She also found out that the pacemaker is suppose to stop the vomiting but it will take anywhere from 9 to 14 months after the implant in order for it to become effective. There never seems to be a surefire solution to Kim's problems.

I'm working on my catalog again; building a new one for the vintage elements I've collected. It's one of those mindless things that I can do when my stress level is too high to accomplish anything that takes any thought! I do have plans for some new freebies, coming soon!

Hope you're having a great week.

Love,
Liv

Hi

Hey y'all. Just a note to let you know that Kimberli is due at Wake Forest University Hospital on Wednesday morning. I will let you know what the outcome is as soon as I am able. Hope everyone is enjoying a new beginning---I know that everyone around me is looking forward to a much better 2009 than was 2008.

Keep smiling,
Liv

Happy Birthday Suzi!

Hey Y'all,

Sorry I haven't been around lately; things haven't been going too good around these parts. Kim and the children came down on Christmas Eve and we had dinner and opened gifts and watched the children play. When they left to go back home it was very quiet and it was somewhat unnerving since our Christmas Eve's usually last 4 to six hours but not this year. Kim drove herself and the children down and she was trying her best to put on a happy face and be 'perky.' When she got back home to her husband (who didn't come down here) things went bad. Let's just say that it would be wonderful if everyone was considerate of each other and put their loved one's best interest at heart. Kim and I stayed on the telephone for over an hour and a half discussing her and Joshua's evening. Things have never gotten any better. It is so sad.

Sunday is my younger daughter's birthday. Suzi will be 37! I remember her infancy like it was yesterday; she was the most loving and joyful little toddler you ever saw. She still lives in my home state of Virginia, with her husband and two children. They are a very happy little family but I sure miss being able to see them whenever I want. I made Suzi a web card using elements from Lori Davison's Faerily Moonlit Kit, available at Scrapbook Graphics.com and Newlife Dream's Halfway to Paradise available at Shabby Pickle Designs. These two ladies really know how to put together wonderful kits.

The layout is clickable.

I am planning on uploading the photos like I said I would, it's just that I keep having these headaches and it slows me way down. I also want to make some Photoshop Actions that will help make working with it a little easier for you.

Love,
Liv

Uncle Wilber on U-Tube

Just realized I could put U-Tube on my blog! Duh, what a ditz I am sometimes! The name is spelled wrong but most people spell it with a 'u' not an 'e' like my grandma did. My cousin Kent made this video right after Uncle Wilber died and it has been very popular on U-Tube:

Just thought I'd share!

I have some new photos of Joshua. He was with me these last couple of days so Kim could do a little bit of Christmas for him. We made a gingerbread house, cooked an apple pie, played, watched movies, and had a good time together. He's such a little love; he's nine years old and is still small enough to sit in his old Nanny's lap and be cuddled! I'm sure he will start growing really big soon (my other grandson, Timothy, did!). Once I edit them to a smaller size I will upload and share them with you. That probably won't be soon because I need to finish my Christmas cooking.

Kim isn't doing good at all. She called last night to ask me if I thought she might have MS. She is having problems walking and is falling a lot but I think it is a side effect of the diabetes wrecking havoc with her blood pressure and everything else in her body. I am going to see if I can get her to come down here after Christmas and stay for a while since Joshua will be out of school.

Suzy is back from the Bahamas and is all tanned. She had a really nice time and brought us back some gifts and photos. I will post her 'shipboard' photo soon!

Here is a short video of the 'tree' at night! LOL! Fake packages and all!




Merry Christmas!
Liv

I Actually Finished A Layout!

Hey Y'all!
Can you believe it? I can't! LOL! I finally did a layout! Actually I did two but I kind of cheated: I did one and inserted two photos and reversed one page. Well, at least I DID one! It's been months since I sat here and played with stuff but I just couldn't resist all the beautiful Christmas kits we have at out mouse tips! Don't you just love those snow covered and flocked trees? Gorgeous!

Snowflake Brushes & Paper fromTraditional Christmas Kit by CL Graphics; PineTree by Russian/Dutch Heart Designs;PewterFrame and Paper #13 of VintageNostalgy by NewLifeDreams;Pointsettias & wide ribbon of HappyHolidays by NLD;Birds from Mom's Garden by Helen Ehrenhofer;FlockedTree from Noel Victoriana by Creative Victorian Designs;Red Ribbon of Cultured Prosterity by Creative Victorian Designs;Adobe Photoshop CS3

I spoke with Kimberli a while ago and she was sounding more rested and happy to be alive today! It's always great to get my heart lifted by her being 'perky!' Suzy has already left for the Bahamas and I didn't get a chance to wish her well and tell her good bye because I got my days mixed up and thought she was leaving tomorrow morning. I guess it would have been too much to ask for a teenager to call her grandmother to say good bye, huh? Guess I wouldn't have either, at her age.

Okay, you asked for this so I'm going to share. But NO smart-A remarks, okay? I have a perfectly beautiful seven foot lighted tree in my attic (along with 50 years worth of decorations) but . . . this old lady just cannot get it all down. I refuse to ask my friends to trek up there and bring all that down and then ask them to take it all back up in January when they have all their own Christmas stuff to do. Last year I got one of those Norfolk Island Pines from Costco and mini-decorated that but no lights and it just doesn't seem right to sit in the den and not have Christmas lights. So . . . my light weight, lighted, tacky, tacky, tacky, unstable, Christmas tree:


I told you! LOL! It's so tacky and it's leaning precariously even though I sat it on the hearth for stability! But now I do have my Christmas lights and when I put those fake packages around the base it will be really festive! LOL!

Hope you are all having a wonderful, homey, family December. Merry Christmas and thanks for the prayers!

Hugs,
Liv

Kimberli Update

Hey Y'all,
Thanks so much for all the prayers offered in Kim's behalf! For those of you new to my blog, Kimberli is my adult daughter who is disabled with Type 1 Diabetes. Kimberli has two children, a husband, 3 dogs, and 2 cats (was 3 but we lost Murphy to old age last week). She is the oldest of my two children and lives about 50 minutes away in Concord, NC (home of Lowes Motor Speedway). Here is a photo of Kim and my Dad last February; he passed away in August at the age of 89.


Kim is being released from the hospital today. Last night they told us that Kim would likely have to have another blood infusion because her hemoglobin count was low. Today they say they were 'mistaken.' Anyway, she is going home to be with her family which is a good and bad thing. It's really good because she gets to see her daughter before she (Suzy) leaves on a cruise to the Bahamas with some family friends and she gets to see her little Joshua who has been missing his mommy. The bad part is that I don't feel she is stable enough to head for home just yet. What do I know?
Hugs,
Liv

PS: Thank you from the heart for all your sweet messages and comments on my kits.

Another Link

Had some complaints about my beloved 4shared. I opened an account at Media Fire and uploaded the CATW kit; it took forever . . . . Here's the Link if you need it. Rapid Fire was also suggested but several of the designers are using Rapid Fire and it would only let me download 1 part of their kits! No thanks, thanks anyway.

Kim is still in ICU. They put a new pic line in her right arm and left the dirty one in her left arm. They still have not received the results back on the lab cultures so it might be a couple more days before she can go home. While they were putting in the new pic line her breathing was shallow and labored so they rushed her down to xray so they could check if the tubing had gone in the wrong place! Hospitals, can't live with them or without them.

Anyone have any suggestions for a reasonably priced gift for a 9 year old boy? He's got all the XBox and PSP games anyone could want and every other toy I can think of so I'm at a loss to know what to do for him. Everyone else is getting promises for Christmas but he's too young to understand why Nanny didn't get him anything for Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas! You know I said I haven't had a Christmas tree in years because I'm not able to bring it and the decorations down from the attic? Well I bought a really, really, tacky spiral indoor/outdoor tree today! LOL! I couldn't resist and the price was fabulous. It has really gross green tinsel wrapped around the wires and large orangery red, bright blue, white, green, and school bus yellow light covers with a school bus yellow lighted star on top! LOL! I'd take a photo but I'm just not ready to share this creation with y'all yet!

I see a number of you really like my CATW offering. I'm really pleased that you like it and hope to see some layouts using some of the elements or papers. Hint. Hint. Think you could post me a link or two to your Christmas layouts this year? Thanks, I'd enjoy that. I see where my creations are downloaded by the hundreds but I sometimes wonder if those are real people doing the downloading! I hit the galleries on a regular basis and I hardly ever see my stuff being used. :-( Makes me wonder if I should just stop putting out the effort. Anyway . . . hope you do enjoy this one and don't forget you can use the link above if the 4shared one (last post) isn't working. I've never downloaded anything from Media Fire so I don't know what to tell you to expect. Good luck!

Merry Christmas and Happy Scrapping!
Liv