SCARY PINK SATURDAY

It's nearly Halloween - so it's time to dress up your blog with something scary! Here's a not-too-scary freebie blinkie I just made, especially for you Pink Saturday fans.



<center><a href="http://1stfloorflat.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><br /> <img border="0" alt="1stFloorFlat" src="http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu313/1stFloorFlatComputery/3b69622a.gif"/></center></a>

 If you scroll down you'll see some new freebie backgrounds (also archived on Blogology - see the sidebar for even more scary stuff) and these are very scary!

Have fun...



Finally, please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see all the other wonderful Pink Saturday posts!

PINK SATURDAY - ON THE FIRST WEEK OF CHRISTMAS...

My article for Craft Stamper magazine - read about it here

It's officially the First Week of Christmas in our household - both Peter (my long-suffering husband) and I adore Christmas! I intend having the tree up and decorated on the 1st December, and will be shopping for tinsel and lights even as we speak...

Vintage Robins - copyright Susie Jefferson

So my first gift to you is this brand new Christmassy background, header and email button set, so get you in the mood. 

This background will fit any 3-col blog and also a wider 2-col one, plus the new Designer Templates (see my post as to which will fit the best). Just copy all the code below exactly as you see it, and pop it into an html widget right on your blog. 

<style type="text/css">
body {background-image: url("http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu313/1stFloorFlatComputery/8227bc5b.jpg"); background-position: center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; }
</style>
<div id="tag" style="position:absolute; left:0px; top:50px; z-index:50; width:150px; height:30px;">
<a href="http://1stfloorflatblogology.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">
<img border="0" src="http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu313/1stFloorFlatComputery/9061ddc2.png"/>
</a></div>

WordPress user? Yes, you can use this one as well! Go to Appearance, Background, then Upload Image. For Position, click 'center', for Repeat just click 'no repeat' and for Attachment click 'fixed' and it'll fit most freebie WordPress blogs. Ditto the header and email button - jut add the code as normal.

HEADER

Vintage Robins header - copyright Susie Jefferson

Copy the code below and enter into your Header box, either behind the title if you want to use Blogger's default header and descriptions, or copy to your computer and add your own customised header using your favourite graphics programme.

http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu313/1stFloorFlatComputery/cd568a11.png

EMAIL BUTTON

The email button is also a png image (so it will show with a clear background).

Email button - copyright Susie Jefferson

Just copy the code and paste into an html widget box in your sidebar. Put your own email address where the code says email me and make sure there aren't any spaces between the : and the " or it won't work.

<a href="mailto:emailme"><img border="0" src="http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu313/1stFloorFlatComputery/d422aac7.png"/></a>

We're now winging our way to Christmas! Only a couple more weeks! Where did the time go? Last time I turned round, I swear it was only July... mind you, I've been polaxed by flu (in spite of having an injection against it 3 weeks ago - obviously what's going around isn't what they were inoculating against) and still feeling very weak and wimpish.

However, I'm getting somewhat into the holiday spirit, having finally finished a marathon scrapbooking commission - so am having a massive tidy-up, clearing the decks ready for Christmas proper. Tree, lights, camera, action!

This year, I'm determined to take some decent photos of the decorations - I'm tired of looking at everyone else's wonderful photographs and then seeing my pitiful attempts. I have a great new camera (12 mg or whatever) and still can't work out how to use it - I just leave it on automatic yet closeups still end up totally blurry. Ah well...



Finally, please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see all the other wonderful Pink Saturday posts!

A HALLOWEENY PINK SATURDAY

I'm sure everyone is amazed to see I'm on WordPress - in fact, I've already moved my Techniques blog over, and am in the process of moving 1stFloorFlat as well. still here!

Why? Two reasons: the first is Blogger's continuing security issues and constant tinkering with their templates (some of my images now won't open up larger) and the second is that WordPress supports downloadable pdfs - so I hope to have some downloadable projects for you soon.

Meantime, I've been busy: a brand new blog background which will also work on WordPress blogs (I've tried it on the Bueno template) as well as Blogger blogs, including the new templates.

May I present STEAMPUNK...

Steampunk

You'll see it full sized as the background on my Computery blog, and also find the freebie download links and codes on Blogology, as always. The set includes two sizes of header plus a 'Thanks for visiting' button to go in your footer section (it's big).

Thanks for visiting button

Isn't this fun? And all thanks to Cecilia Swatton, who's got a massive new downloadable Steampunk image collection available:

Download from DigiScrap

Cecilia has kindly given me special permission to make these freebies for you!

AND NOW - A  HALLOWEEN VERSION OF 'LIBRARY'

Library - not just for Halloween

Here is my Halloween version of my Library background set (by popular request). Not too scary... for those of a nervous disposition who still want to join in the fun! Redolent of a Gentleman's Smoking Room, this is a little Steampunk-ish in itself.

Again, go to Blogology to get the download codes and installation instructions.

ENJOY!

Finally, don't forget to visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound to see all the other Pink Saturday posts.

PINK SATURDAY POST: BUTTONS

This week's Pink Saturday post is all about buttons!

This is cheating a little, but I couldn't resist! It still features buttons.... of a sort...
Image from Art-e-zine


I've always been fascinated by buttons.

I'm sure most of us had grandmothers with button drawers (mine also had a thread & ribbon drawer and a jewellery box with odd earrings, brooches with stones missing, and broken neckalces) and kept us quiet for hours by letting us sort out, play, admire and generally drool over their collections ... only if we were good, mind!


Image from Art-e-zine



So I was delighted to find this interesting little article written by Lorine Mason in the current Sewing Savvy Newsletter.


When Did Buttons First Appear on Clothing?
A Fun History Lesson

Buttons have been around for over 3,000 years and although recognizable as buttons, they were not actually used to fasten anything. They were fashioned from bone, horn, wood, metal and seashells and were purely decorative, more like a brooch as pins were used for the closures. That remained the case until clothing became more fitted, creating a need for a closure using items less likely to cause injury, i.e. the pin or the brooch. The button was first used as a closure with the addition of a thread loop sewn on the opposite side of the garment. The buttonhole slowly evolved, starting out as a simple slit in the fabric just large enough to pass the button through, holding the clothing closed. Inspiring a fashion revolution, the button quickly became big business. More elaborate buttons and button holes were created, and their popularity quickly became a driving force in clothing design.


OK, not strictly buttons although she's wearing them, and this advertises a different fastener... but still fun! Image from Art-e-zine






All Buttoned Up

Why do women button their clothing from left to right and men from right to left? The thought is that while men generally dressed themselves, and most were right-handed, it only made sense for buttons to be sewn to garments along the right-hand side. Women who could afford buttons at the time employed dressing maids who were mostly right-handed, requiring a mirror image of the button placement on a man's garment. The tailors of the 15th century were accustomed to this and following this thought pattern, fashioned men's and women's clothing accordingly. The custom of placing buttons on a particular side of clothing for men and women remains in place today.

Well, I never knew that!

And of course it makes perfect sense: when we are dressing the male sex (little boys, partners struggling with too-tight shirts etc) that being used to the buttons being on the LEFT (correct for us) that of course their buttons would now be in what WE consider the proper place!

To read everyone's Pink Saturday posts and to find out how to join in the fun, go and see Beverly's site, How Sweet the Sound for the full list of participants.

It's a great way to find new blogs! Much fun!