Good morning,

Meet Journal-Lane TRAVELER. Traveler is embarking on a daily 2010 journal trip. He's inviting you to join him on this journey.

Answer the questions, either by posting in comments, or take the questions and start your own private journal to leave for your loved ones.


If you're posting in comments, don't tell your deepest, darkest secrets. Those are for your private journal entries.

Just keep it simple ... and sweet. Give it some thought though.

Traveler is posting a question each day for you to ponder and write about.

I just wanted to take a minute, here at HomeSpun Graphics to let you know about his new journey.

The question is posted a day ahead of time, to give you time to think about it. You can post your journey in the comments over at http://Journal-Lane.blogspot.com.

Have a question you'd like posed? Feel free to leave that, too!

And feel free to grab any graphics, if you'd like to scrapbook your journey. Keep it digitally or physically ... just enjoy your journey. You can find some free ones to add to your stash at my website.

Have a great day.

Question for 1/1/2010: What makes YOU smile?

Cj
http://www.easyaspiedailygraphics.com
3 new graphics each day

12/30 Wednesday Theme Challenge

Good morning,

Today's free graphic is one based on themes.

On my website today, there is a poll requesting how you come up with your themes. I hope you'll check it out, and leave your vote. You may checkmark as many as apply.

This creation today is a theme I've read about in numerous blogs. This could either be your cover for your album or it could be your template for the 26 letters of the alphabet.

You would start with A, and choose something that starts with an "a" that relates to you. Me? I'm a big fan of apples, so I could create a page that would say that apples are a big part of my day. If I use this page, I could put an A in the circle ... or spell out APPLE ... or say "Why I love apples."

If I used the creation for my cover, I could put my picture in the circle, and to the upper right, "26 wonderful letters, and what they mean to me."

In the lower purple area, I could put a few pictures for my favorite letters or just one.

How do you choose your themes?

You can find the 3 free graphics a day on my website, and most of these items are on that page. You can find them today. Tomorrow; they will be gone.

For me, I bought a stack of drawers for $20 at Big Lots yesterday. (I finally got my 9-year old granddaughter out of the house for awhile). It is a Sterilite, 7-drawer cart --with wheels!-- that is 14 1/2" x 12 5/8" X 41 1/8" or 36.8 cm x 32.1 cm x 104.5 cm. It's normally $29. I think I will go back and get another today. I can fit 2 of these in my office closet. This should help organize my office pretty good. (Yeah! I'll finally be able to find some things again. I hope I find my craft scissors!!!)

So, I'll be busy organizing today.

Hope you have a terrifc day!

Cj
http://www.EasyAsPieDailyGraphics.com
3 new free graphics each day

Tues. 12/29/09: Style

Good afternoon,

Just a little creation for people who have "style". At some point, I think we all exhibit it.

Use the graphic to pass the compliment.

Busy again today. My granddaughter wanted to go shopping, so after we had lunch, I said, "I'm ready to go when you are."

She asked me if she had time to play a quick minute of Lego Indiana Jones on the x-box. I said, "If you'd like. I just wanted you to know ... that I'm ready to go ... when you are ready to go."

That was about 2 hours ago.

She went from Lego Indiana Jones to Lego Star Wars. And then onto Uno ... and she is currently playing Zuma. Once she sits down, she's like the energizer bunny.

Now. I really don't care if we go out. But. The sun is shining, and the ice has melted. I can go without worrying about slipping on the ice. It's kind of up to her.

I hope you are having a great Tuesday.

My website has a few freebies, if you care to check it out.

Have a great day!

Cj

http://www.easyaspiedailygraphics.com

3 free graphics a day

Mon. 12/28/09: Connected By Love Frame

Good afternoon,

My granddaughter is with me today, and we just finished making our own bracelets. What fun! Working with memory wire was a challenge when finishing up the bracelet, but I just turned the ends back into each side of the bracelet, and that works fine.

We are both now wearing our cute little bracelets.

The creation for today is called CONNECTED BY LOVE.

On my own rendition, I have a wonderful picture featuring my daughter and her daughter as they huddle over her birthday cupcakes back when she turned 8 years old. She's much older now: 9!

I left the picture area blank, so you can fill it in when your own picture.

If you are a friend of mine on Facebook, you can see my finished creation posted there.

Remember to pick up the free graphics at my website today. Some of the items used in my creations are usually featured. Sometimes, there's additional/other items. Whatever is featured, you can add it to your digital scrapping stash.

I turned my finished creation into a physical creation and added a frame. It is so cute, and I've done it to give to my daughter. Maybe she'll take it to work and put it on her desk!

Have a terrific day! I know I am!

Cj

http://www.easyaspiedailygraphics.com

3 new free graphics a day

Sunday 12/27 and Saturday 12/26 Free graphics

Good Sunday morning!

I hope your Christmas was a wonderful time of family gathering, and that the gift exchanges went great!

Well ... now Christmas is a full year ahead of us again. I've already marked my calendar for next year. I'm going to start shopping in September of 2010, and have everything ready to go out much earlier this year. That is my goal.

My sister is having an anniversary at the end of this month. I've also marked my calendar with anniversaries and birthdays. You'd think that because I do cards, I'd be better at getting them out. Well. I admit it. I am NOT! But ... I promise to do better this year.

This year, I'm designing one anniversary set for all anniversaries. If I do others, I will save each one for a future year!

Same with birthdays. I haven't done those yet, but will get to work on it right away. I will have to have several kinds for those: female versions, male versions, and children's versions.

In the anniversary set for this year (featured above), you can see the card in the left hand corner. The first 2 top frames are the front and the back of the card. I cut out the edge of the flower on the front. The 2 bottom frames are the inside. I will cut out the edge of that flower also.

On the inside blue green frame, there is a little house at the bottom. I put this there for my name, address, and cell phone number. I also added this feature to my stationary, which is featured in the bottom right hand side of this frame.

I don't know about you, but I keep all my cards. I imagine a lot of folks do. In this way, all they have to do is find their cards, pick one up, and my contact info is ALWAYS on the stationary and card. It is so maddening when I'm trying to send out my cards, locating the current address. Or when I'm making a phone call, trying to find the number. But, this year, I've put all the addresses for the anniversary in my file for the anniversaries. And I'll do the same with all the birthday cards.

I want to make it as easy as possible for my close friends and relatives to get ahold of me.

Why not add a stick-on address label to the inside of your future cards, and hand write your contact phone number with it? If everyone did it ... it would be one little thing that makes our lives much easier.

The upper right hand corner shows the envelope: front and small picture is the back of the envelope. The blue green sides fold toward the back so the back is framed by the blue green and the dark rose-purple flap. It's quite pretty when you see the finished product.

I am very happy with this card set.


Yesterday, I got a little behind. I had everything done, and this was the creation I had planned for yesterday.

Really, it could be used for a quick note, say, "Love you" ... "Thinking of you" ... or ... "Have Fun" ... and then a sig below the owl box.

Stick an address sticker on it's back, and jot down your phone #. It's small enough to tuck into your purse or wallet for quick location of contacting you.

Or use it as as a gift tag (do the same with the address and phone # info), if you're sending a gift.

I hope you enjoy these offerings today.

Remember to check out my website where you can find "some" of the graphics from these creations. They will be up today.

I hope you enjoy this quiet aftermath of Christmas, but are ready for the big New Year that is just days away.

For me. Today, my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter ... my son and his love ... will be over for our Christmas exchange. I've bought some huge submarine sandwiches which we'll cut up into smaller pieces, and enjoy some chips and doritos with it. I'll also make some chicken since my daughter may not enjoy deli meats while "pg". I will have another something small for my granddaughter today; a gift which she can use while she's here.

She's out of school this next week, and I'm on vacation. She'll find a use for this ... while she staying with me (her parents are not off this next week).

I am hoping to take her to the movies one of her days here. I talked with my middle son, and asked if he thought AVATAR was appropriate. He said, "It has a few bad words "-- nothing I'm sure she hasn't heard before -- "but yes! I think it would be a fantastic movie for her!" He loved it. He says it's going to set the trend for future effects much like STAR WARS did, for my generation. I can't wait. (I will also check with her mom.)

Have a terrific day!

Cj
http://www.easyaspiedailygraphics.com
3 new free graphics each day

12/25/09: Merry Christmas!

Good morning!

It is finally ... Christmas. Merry Christmas to all of you.

This is my final Christmas card for this year. But I won't despair. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are just a week away!

I hope that special "something" you wanted was under your tree today.

And don't forget to pat yourself on the back, and feel wonderful, for all the gifts you managed to buy, make, and put together, to make someone elses Christmas extra special. After all, the season is about "giving" and "receiving".

For me, Christmas is a reminder of Christ, our Savior. He GAVE His life for us, and we only have to RECEIVE His gift. Looking at my own life, I can only say "thank you" for that gift, as I could never be perfect enough ... to live up to what person I should be. As my granddaughter used to say to me, when caught doing something she shouldn't: "But I wanna be good."

I hope my granddaughter's Christmas is wonderful at her dads. I had Christmas with her before she left. She is due to come home, I think tomorrow, and her mom and new dad will celebrate Christmas with her. I'm sure they are missing her this year.

I get the pleasure of her company about 3 days next week while I'm still on vacation. I am looking forward to that, and thinking of things we can do together. I have some ideas. She fills my heart with love and joy ... and I'm in awe watching her grow up. I am so lucky to have her, and all my family in my life.

Before I go, I just have to share something that made me chuckle this morning. I hope it gives you at least a smile.

I was reading my magazine, only to read how you no longer need a stamp to post your letter. You don't have to run out and buy them. Lo and behold .. we can now go to the mail monster dot com and type our letter there. THEY will mail it out for us, with first class postage, and it will be mailed within 24 hours!

The catch? Local advertisers get to put their ads in your letters.

Hey! That's funny to me! Where there is a will; there is a way. There is nothing new under the sun, but packaging it can get pretty creative!!!

Have a blessed day!

Merry Christmas.

Cj

http://www.easyaspiedailygraphics.com

3 new free graphics a day

(There's something extra today; so don't miss it!)

12/24/09: Christmas Eve Day Scrap

Good morning,

This is really much bigger, but this was the large size.

Basically, it's just playtime while I'm on vacation. It was fun.

(The cuckoo clock was not made by me. It was a picture from many years ago, and I tubed it. It was recolorized.)

You can find a few of the items today at my website.

Many people will get off early today due to it being Christmas Eve Day. I know at my work, they only work 1/2 a day. And for the people that go in at 6 a.m., that means they get to go home at 10 a.m. Really short day ... and my kind of day.

My husband is getting off early, but I don't know how early.

Tonight will be the main setup under the tree in everyones house. Oh the fun ... the fun!

When my kids were young, the out-of-town gifts were placed under the tree. Day by day, there were more and more gifts. On Christmas Eve, each child was allowed to choose one of the out-of-town gifts ... and open it. This became a tradition in our house.

Do you have any traditions? Do you open your gifts on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve? Maybe you go caroling.

I did that as a young girl. We didn't do it every year, but occasionally we'd get a bee up our bonnet and go. It was always great fun. We'd use the song sheets that came with Mitch (?'s) Christmas Album. Miller, I think, his last name was? Does anyone remember that?

My dear granddaughter will be home either Christmas Day in the evening ... or maybe it's Saturday; the day after. The gifts received at her dad's house will be left at dad's house. Maybe mom will let her bring home one or two FAVORITE gifts. But, she'll have more when she gets home.

Hoping you all a very Merry Christmas Eve.

Take care.

Cj

http://www.easyaspiedailygraphics.com

3 free new graphics each day