Free March iWhatever Calendar and Desktop Background

Is your phone ready for a new calendar? Mine is! 

Hopefully you know the drill by now, but just in case there's someone new out there....
Click here if you need help saving this to your iWhatever, and here if you want to see how to design your own calendar. I will add a plain calendar--just the days and dates--at the bottom that you can use if you like.

Here is a calmer version that will work nicely for your computer desktop. There's lots of open space around the edges for all those icons that seem to keep piling up!

And here is the plain March calendar. Feel free to load and use any of these!

That's it for now! I shouldn't be gone so long next time ;)  Thanks for stopping by! 

Free February Calendar and Desktop

***Edited March 9, 2014***
***Welcome to anyone visiting from the Heartwarming Vintage Linky Party! I know there was a problem with the link, so I'm glad you were able to find the right page!  Each month I make a calendar to use as the lockscreen on your phone or other device, and in February I used a tag from a Crafty Secrets Valentine kit. I know it is now March, but I missed February's linky and I really wanted to share! Since the link doesn't work properly, I will try to use some Crafty Secrets digis in my April calendar and link again.
Please feel free to come back at the first of each month for a new calendar!***

 It's time to update your iWhatever with a new calendar! 

I know some of you with iPhones or iPads have had trouble with this since the update to iOS7. My iPad is too full to do the upgrade (shocking, right?!) so I haven't been able to figure out a way around it. I'm not so sure I'd update even if I had the space. While I like some of the new features in iOS7, I DO NOT like it visually. I have 49 year old eyes that don't see the stick-figure-ish line drawings very well. And I absolutely DESPISE the stark white background in the photo albums, but I'm sure millions of minimalists are thrilled with the new look. *insert BIG eyeroll here* Hey, Apple! What were you thinking?! But I digress.... 

I recently broke down and bought an iPhone, so I have been able to experiment and figure out how to make my calendars work!

Here is the calendar you can use if you have a device that does not use iOS7:

And here is the calendar you can use for your desktop or your iWhatever that does have iOS7:

I used Coolibah to make these, as usual. The little angel in the middle of the roses is an image from a Crafty Secrets Valentine kit that I got about this time last year. She started out as a tag, but with a little cropping she looks more like a postcard. 

Now, here is how you make my calendar work in a device with iOS7: 

Save the desktop calendar to your Photos just like you always have--tap on the picture and when a bigger image opens, choose Save Image to send it to your Photos.

 I took screenshots from my phone for the next few steps, because I think it's easier to follow along when you can SEE what I'm doing. (And it makes me feel like a little bit of a Geek Goddess! Heehee....)

Go to your Photos and tap the calendar picture, then tap the box in the lower left corner to bring up a list of options.

Tap on Use as Wallpaper. (See what I mean about stick-figure-ish line drawings? ugh!)

You will only be able to see the edge of the photo, and while you can't shrink it...

...you CAN move it around and stretch it to fill the screen. Once you have it the way you want it, tap on Set.

Now choose where you want it. I put mine on the Lock Screen...

...so it shows up with one click of the Home Button and it doesn't interfere with the icons on the Home Screen.

Alrighty! Got it? Great!

Now, just in case you aren't crazy about my design and would like to make your own, here is the February calendar I made:

Phew! That got kind of lengthy! But hopefully we now have a way to work around an issue.

I would love to know if my tutelage helped anyone, so please leave a message. And if you have another problem with the calendar let me know and I'll see what I can do to help you fix it.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Happy Anniversary!

My husband and I recently celebrated our 29th anniversary! We don't normally exchange gifts, but I did not even make him a card! Well, not until tonight....

It's time for another Linky Party over at the Heartwarming Vintage blog, so I got into some of the goodies Sandy sent me a few weeks ago. I picked out an image from "Romance," which is a digital printable. These are so easy to use! You just order the item you want and the ladies at Crafty Secrets send you a link to it. Follow the link, save it to your computer or Dropbox, and it's there for you to print whenever you want. 

Are you intrigued? Sandy and the ladies on the design team have tutorials that walk you through the whole process. You can start small and experiment. If you like the way it works you can always get more.  ;)

Ok--so back to the card!

I printed the image I wanted to use ("In Loving You...") and a couple of other images to use as backgrounds. The paper with the handwriting and leaves is one that I have used like crazy! It's on cards, clothespins, and calendars! I also embossed a piece of vellum and inked the edges of all the layers.

Then I started stacking. The hardest part was deciding which heart charm I wanted to use. Here are a few that I have to choose from....

If I find jewelry really cheap--I mean reasonably priced--I'll snatch it up and take it apart to use on cards or mini albums, so I have a few charms.

I put just a dot of adhesive on the back of the heart. It's pretty heavy and I wouldn't want it to fall off.

See? It's THAT simple! It has taken me longer to write this than it did to put the card together! And that's not good--I'm about to run out of time for the Linky Party. Hop on over and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!

January 2014 Calendar and Desktop

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Your new calendar is ready and waiting for you to click and download!

Of course there is a desktop version, so you can see all those unused icons that you never get around to deleting. ;)

I'm sure you know the drill by now, but just in case, this post gives a quick how-to. I did that almost two years ago, and Apple has changed their operating system, but I'm pretty sure everything is basically the same. And this post tells how to make your own calendar using Coolibah. I've included a plain calendar--just the days and dates--in case you want to give that a try.

Ok. I think you're good to go! Have a fantastic 2014! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Christmas!

Please read this before you get all hyper-active on me about making a politically correct Christmas card. 

First, have you ever known me to be politically correct? Nope. Never have been, never plan to be. 

Next, have you ever known me to do anything in a timely manner? I'll take the fifth on that one.

I have a very sensible reason for putting "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" on my Christmas cards. I never know if I will get my cards done and in the mail in time for my friends and family to receive them by Christmas. This way I have my bases covered! 

Besides, why put all that effort into wishing your loved ones a single day of merriment, when you can send them wishes for a whole season of joy?!

Feel free to save my card and send it to your last-minute Christmas card email list. I added the glitter backgrounds because...well, because it's glitter! I couldn't decide which color I like best, so I just posted all three! Which one do you like best?

Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year! 

See you next time!

Evolution and a Linky Party

This morning I set out to decide what to do for the Christmas card exchange at "Stamp Club." *sigh* I really wanted to do something that looked like pergamano. If you don't know what that is, look it up. Go ahead. I'm not going anywhere....

Isn't that beautiful? A lot of the designs remind me of the dainty hankies ladies used to carry. My first attempt gave me this card. 

The tree is embossed on vellum, as are the diagonal lines behind it. Actually the first card was all white, but I decided to go with a little color. The card is Pool Party, the white is parchment cardstock, and the vellum is also cardstock.  

I just couldn't get that tree to suit my fancy, so I filed the pergamano idea away for another day, and went with a tree die cut from pearlized vellum. The shimmer doesn't show up in pictures at all for some reason.

I added the embossed Swiss dots behind the tree and moved the stripes to the frame. 

Then I remembered that it's time for the Heartwarming Vintage Linky Party. I just happen to have some adorable Christmas images that I purchased the other day, so...let's see if we can evolve some more!

This little angel is so sweet! It might sound intimidating if you haven't used digital images before, but it's really easy. Really. Just size, print, cut! Maybe I should do a post on the basics of using digi images sometime. Ok, put that on the list with pergamano. The hardest part of it is all the fussy cutting. Not my favorite thing to do. I put him on some really thin dimensional adhesives so he looks like he's stepping out of the oval. 

I liked him so much that I decided to try some cards that would work for any occasion.

These little girls were separated from their four friends. Yes, there are six little girls in cream colored coats, frilly little hats, and button-up boots. 

And this angel fit the horizontal layout perfectly. I used different embossing folders for the white frames on 

the little girls and this angel, but I kept the Swiss dots on the vellum behind them. I really don't think they need anything else at all! 

Sorry to skip out so fast, but it's late and I have to work the REAL job tomorrow! Click over to Heartwarming Vintage and check out the Linky Party. Have a great week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Free December iWhatever Calendar and Desktop

I have had a serious case of calendar-maker's block! I just could not get this calendar to look like I wanted it to look. I think I erased everything and started over three times! It's still not what I was going for, but it's pretty enough to get us through the final month of the year, right? 

Here  is where to go if you need help loading this to your homescreen or lockscreen. And here is where to go if you want to learn how to make your own design. I have a plain December calendar for you if you need it....

 

And we can't forget the desktop version, which makes it much easier to see all the icons on your monitor....

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'll be back in a few days, hopefully with something to get us in the Christmas spirit!

Thanks for stopping by!