Good Wednesday! I thought I’d come back today with a few more things that I feel need attention. I have thought of so many things I want to write about and, now, I am having trouble remembering them all. Leave it to me and it will be forgotten. LOL

Through one of my newsletters, High Resolution Textures, I learned of a new website, Love Textures. It isn’t huge. The header states they have “177 Free Textures to Download”. What impressed me was the sincerity of the artist, Justin. Photography is his hobby. He enjoys snapping photos of unusual things he finds. It appears, to me, that he snaps with an eye for design. Judge for yourself. What he does offer it a bit different from many of the others. It is as though he is showing us some of the same things, just from a different perspective – his. And, if that weren’t enough, my simple comment garnered an e-mail from a really nice person. LOL That counts in my book!

Okay. This is something that I have needed to do for a long time. Too long! Some of my dear online friends have payed their respect to my blog and/or our friendship with awards. Though I have thanked each person, individually, I want to pay my gratitude here. These good folks took the time to think of me, so, I want to acknowledge their kindness, now.

From Keryn @ ScrappinShaddie

From June @ Cen’s Loft
(June actually gave me this award on another of my blogs, Stories in Hand.)

From Kyra @ With a Russian-Dutch Heart

From Edna, and Tootsie @ Miss Edna’s Place

Then, there also are several “Taggings” from Snowraven and Keryn – ScrappinShaddie. I know I am suppose to pass each award and tag along to another group of deserving individuals. I don’t know. I tell these people how I feel often. I can pass the awards along. I probably will. But, I have always ‘marched to a different drum’. I want to do it my way. LOL

Call me an ol’ sentimental fool, but, these things mean a lot to me. I mean, of all the things my online friends have to do in a day – their designing, work, family, grandchildren, hobbies, spouses, shall I go on? That they took a moment to think of me just really means a lot. I don’t have to be sick or missing(ha-ha) or whatever. They still find the time to drop me a comment on my blog or something.

While I am writing on comments and friendliness, I have been noticing something. The folks I comment to are so pleased to receive it. I almost always hear a reply from people whose blogs I have stopped at and commented. These folks are really grateful that I took my time. With a few, I got the impression that they don’t receive very many comments.

I had joined a group at Yahoo that featured one aspect of design, which isn’t really important, here. Day, after day, e-mails would come through my inbox, each with a new ‘design’. The site owner was creating and posting these beautiful things. This is her ‘thing’. However, I never saw another person post!

You know how groups postings are, they come in to your e-mail in a format. The owner was always the only one posting. I figured I must have my e-mail alerts set wrong. I visited the group site and, lo and behold, the owner and, perhaps, two other people, were the only posters. I checked the group member count. Sufficiently highter than four – the owner, the other two, and myself.

I am firm on doing the ‘right’ thing, so, I replied. I was truely grateful for the gorgeous goodies pouring in to my inbox! The worst thing that could happen is that I get booted from the group! LOL I received a reply within half an hour from one grateful lady! She was so pleased that I liked her designs. She was just pleased to hear anything, it seemed. Another casual comment warranted, yet, another rich response, full of accomodation to me. Then, there came several posts acknowledging my comments, made to the whole group. It was a mite embarrassing, for a minute. Then, I realised what I thought all along – no one else is commenting but me! How friggin’ pathetic! This lady’s things are art! She makes it and puts it out in an e-mail for all the group to use. commercially, even. It is a very lucrative arrangement, by the way. Her site will pop up, here, at a later date. I just don’t think it is relevant to this telling.

There have been several times I have been reading a blog post, often becasue of a found goodie. While reading, something inspired me to comment. It wasn’t always the goodie, either. LOL Often, something the author/artist had written, either struck a chord with me or brought up something I knew something about. My experiences are few, but, some of the wisdom I have learned through out my life bids me well when pondering another’s situation. The things I write are short, inspiring and always soothing. I figure we run in to enough static and irritation in any given day, I prefer mellow. Throw in a sincere desire to just be friendly to everyone I meet and I get some wonderful rewards! That is the payoff! I receive some of the warmest, kindest notes from folks, all over the world, because I stopped to say “I know – you are not alone.”

I see a lot of blogs where the author has added some notice to remember to “say thanks” when downloading their goodies. That should be a given. I know not everyone does and, for some, it seems to be quite upsetting. That isn’t exactly what I mean, in this case. I just mean the casual, friendly gesture, from one regular person, to another. After all, we are all the same in spirit. Right? We are all “scrappers”! LOL

One last thing. I made these papers a few months back for DigiRidoo Scraps. They were made for a challenge using a tutorial from Breeza. It was a very good lesson in blending the layers of patterns, colors and textures to get interesting results. That thread is HERE if you would like to visit.

Click on the preview to go to MediaFire to download.

A sincere “Namaste”, today, to all of you!

Su

(In Yoga: “The Light in Me Honors the Light in You”)