Freebie Friday!

 Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

If you're living in this half of the hemisphere things may be cooling down.  I've been sweeping and raking leaves for two weeks already.

Although I'm sick of leaves outside, I had a great time playing with these leaf templates and other fall type templates from BooLand Designs and GS Creations.

This kind of digital scrap uses Commercial Use products.  Each designer has their own Terms Of Use and explain fully how you are to use their products.  Most allow free rein with a shout out to the designer.  Check carefully before you sell anything using Commercial Use products.

With Personal Use products, you need explicit permission to use their products outside of personal use.

So I designed each piece here and then put together this lovely fall scene.

You are more than welcome to right click, save and use as Personal Use.

I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with this.  I turned it into a tag, too.  I'll be doing some serious hybriding this weekend with some of our projects in between putting a second coat on my huge picture window.  I'm redoing the entire living/dining.  Ugh!

I just put up this free Halloween card on our Facebook Page.  We'd love if you grab it over there and become a fan.  We post several freebies every single day.

If you're into the freebies then check out our newest ones by clicking on the previews.

The Digital Scrapbooking Studio has an absolutely gorgeous store collection, Family with each pack only being $1 and there are so many products to choose from, you won't know where to start!

We've got a lot of free templates.  This is one of our most recent.  You can always head to our Pinterest board dedicated to just the Cherry's freebies and find out what we've got.

Thanks so much for making the time for The Cherry On Top.  We hope you do it again!

How To Turn A Layout Into A Quick Page In PSE

Welcome to another helpful edition of The Cherry On Top.

I often help out the designers I work with by turning my layouts into quick pages and they sell them or offer them as freebies.  Just what it a quick page?  It's a layout that's 99% ready to print.  You just have to insert photos.  Ya gotta love that.

I've got a nifty layout all ready for the Digital Scrapbooking Studio's monthly challenge, Less Is More.   This challenge is where a generous designer creates a mini kit.  Typically, consisting of a half a dozen elements and a few papers.  You must design something like a layout using each and every piece in the mini kit, at least once.

October's challenge is just lovely as usual and this was the layout I designed.

Aren't you just loving those flower frames?  This layout jumped right out at me, the minute I saw the elements.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  I wish it were always like that.

Now, how do you turn this into a quick page?  All you need to do is delete all of the layers in the spot you want your photograph(s) and ditch the background so that it is invisible.

It's just a couple of steps.  Let us show you how it's done in Photoshop Elements.

Choose the elliptical tool.  Then go to the bottom in the tool bar and look for the shape you need.  A square and circle are your two options.

You may have to play a bit before you get the marching ants right where they need be.  Use the esc key if it isn't just where you want it and start over.

Go to your layers and and click on the ones that need cutting by using the back space button on your keyboard.  You can see in this image, all of the layers missing sections that were cropped out.

The last step is to click on your background in the layers bar and click on the eyeball.  Your background will disappear and your quick page is ready.


Wasn't that just too, easy?!

Here's a look at the lovely goodies I used to make the quick page.  It's Studio4 Design works, Shedding Seasons.  You can get this mini for free, by liking on the image and downloading it from the forum at the Studio.

In Cherry fashion, we've got a freebie for you.  It's personal use only and is not to be resold or claimed as your own.  Enjoy!

If you are a freebie hoarder like we are, scroll through our blog and download like crazy.  Then head over to our Facebook and Pinterest where we post freebies every single day.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  Make sure ya do it again!

The Cherry's Most Pinned Meals

Welcome to a delicious episode of The Cherry On Top.

We visit Pinterest nearly every day.  The first step is to check out all of those notifications and see what people like and re-Pin so that we can provide our fans with what they want.  Of course, we keep time, money, ease and health in mind when choosing our Pinned recipes.

Overall, creamy pasta dishes are the most popular Pins on our food board.  We painfully went through the the entire board hehehe...and looked for the ones that were Pinned the most and we can totally see why they were chosen.

We'll give you the best of our Food board in a nutshell. Click on the images for the recipes.

These are lovely, full, one pot meals.  It appears I'm not the only one who likes fewer dishes!

One Pot Mexican Skillet Pasta

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

This one I made on the stove top.

Slow Cooker Hearty Beef Chilli

Chilli is a staple in these parts.

Swedish Meatballs

I've actually made this one a couple of times.  It's really super!

Potato Broccoli and Pepper Jack Egg Casserole

Slap some bacon in this baby and it's a meal!

Spinach and Mushroom Quinoa

Our quinoa recipes are always really popular.  Quinoa is such a sweet alternative to potatoes.

Monster Man Eats

OK!  OK!  I'm cheating a bit here.  This is not one of our most popular Pins, but it should be!  These recipes are just perfect for football season.  These meals are rich, delicious and will have your family singing your praise.  If ya need some brownie points with your man, this is the way to get them.  Perhaps, you've had your eyes on that Coach hand bag and you need to sweeten the deal?  Hehehe...

Now, you are up to date on our most Pinned items on our Food board.  There are hundreds more.  Next week, I'll hit you up with the most Pinned from our Dessert board.

Have a super cook'n day!

Egg-Cellent Tips

Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

We are keeping it short and sweet with this one because it's cut and dry easy. We'll tell you how to test an egg without cracking it.  Have you ever smelled a rotten egg?  UGH!  By far, the worst thing I've ever smelled.  Even worse, breaking a bad egg into a bowl full of ingredients!  I learned my lesson the hard way.  Break all eggs over a separate container or dish.

Plant Seeds from Amanda Creation can be found at the Digital scrapbooking Studio.

Chickens totally rock!  Even in the congested cities of Belgium, you'll hear the cock-a-doodle-doo of roosters and the clucking of the ladies.  I wondered why so many people had chickens.  They eat a lot of left overs as well as the peels and other parts of fruit and veg that we throw away.

We have two garbage bags less, per month since we got the girls and I don't feel nearly as bad giving my girls leftovers rather than disposing them in the trash.  Of course, they also give us something in return, eggs.

We've had chickens for several years now.  I've noticed that when I let the girls walk around the yard and enjoy the grass and all of the critters they can find, that they are much, much healthier and lay eggs all year round, despite freezing or continuous rain.

I have one chicken that always manages to escape and she often retreats to my neighbour's, very overgrown garden.  She often lays eggs there and I forget to get them.

All you have to do is gently drop an egg into water and if it floats, it's bad.  That's it! When an egg starts to turn it emits gas, hence the floating. How convenient that I just happened to have discovered an old egg at the neighbours for this blog?!  Hehehe...

Some other egg-cellent tips I can give are telling the difference between a raw and cooked egg that is still in the shell.  It's all in the spin!  Give the egg a spin if it rotates quickly, then it's cooked because it's solid.  If it hardly moves, it's raw because it's liquid.

There is absolutely no difference between a brown and white egg.  If ya got a white chicken, then you are going to have white eggs.  If ya got a brown chicken, they'll be brown.  Neither is more nutritious than the other.  The best eggs for you are those that are organic.

There is great debate on how to make the best boiled egg.  Here's what I found on HowStuffWorks.

"First, place fresh eggs in a pot filled with cold water and bring to a rapid boil. Then, remove from heat and cover. Let the eggs sit for 20 minutes, take them out of the water, peel and enjoy. If you like your eggs cold, place them in a bowl of chilled water or run them under the tap for several seconds."

If you click on the high lighted link for HowStuffWorks, they give tips on the perfect scrambled eggs, omelets and the most delicious, poached eggs.

There is a whole lot of information out there about eggs and the health benefits from them.  Check out this article from Huff Post.

There ya have it.  You've got the facts and the skills to get those eggs just right and enjoy eating them without the guilt that they are not good for us because they are!

Freebies From the Family Collection At The Digital Scrapbooking Studio

Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

Today, we're bringing on the serious goodies.  The Digital Scrapbooking Studio has a brand spanking new store collection out and it's all about Family.  That's just about my all time favourite scrappy subject.  Hundreds of goodies can be found in this enormous collection designed by the Studio's Design Team.

We've got lovely inspiration and free stuff for you.  Keep scrolling and see what we have.

Here's a glance at some of the marvellous elements and papers you'll find in the Family Collection.  I've mixed and matched several of the designer's goodies to design this one.  I went for bold and bright because it totally embodies these pictures I took while trying to get a nice family photo.  Never thought to take that badge off, dad.  Hehehe...

Here's a different twist in the Family Collection.   I went softer, lighter, vintage and used an amalgamation of BooLand, Valentina and Over The Fence Designs.

I stuck with one designer for this one, The Kit Cart Designs.  It's a more whimsical feel.  Show off those awesome family photos by framing them up and keeping your layout simple.

Here's a nifty pic of my mom and dad.  I think this might be one of the best pictures to date.  I used mostly goodies from LouCee Creations and a free template from Heartstrings Scrap Art.

Here's a free frame cluster that you can get over on the Studio's blog.

This freebie is for you, for stopping by The Cherry.

If you just can't enough freebies, check out our most recent free printables pictured below and be sure you follow us here, on Pinterest and Facebook where we post freebies daily.

All of our freebies are for PERSONAL USE ONLY and our not to be claimed as yours or resold.

Thanks for making time for The Cherry.  Make sure ya do it, again!

Hold On To Summer, Free Template

 Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

We have some more free templates available for you.  Check out our inspiration and find out how you can get more free templates.

We will be providing more tutorials on how to work with templates, too.  Keep your eyes out for it. If you are interested in how templates work, check out this link.

This template was inspired by Key Lime Digi Design's collaborative kit, Summer's Meadow.  If you're living on the other half of the globe, then you are ready for summer and this kit is a great reflection of summer's best.  All of Sandy's kits are on sale at this very moment and until Thursday, the 8th!

Maybe you've got some summer photos that you still need to scrap?  Take a look at this beautiful kit full of thoughtful elements and papers that is perfect for any kind of projects you have in mind.

ALL OF THESE TEMPLATES ARE NO LONGER FREE.  Visit our Etsy shop, Kreative Design Studio. 

Here are a couple of other layouts using Key Lime Digi Design's digital kits.

If you are all about the free templates, check out these. We got loads of free stuff.  The best place to find them all is on Pinterest at our Freebies board.

Click here to download the current, free template.

Please keep in mind that our freebies are for PERSONAL USE ONLY and are not to be resold or claimed as your own.

Happy scrapping!

Free Halloween Printable Poster From MagsGraphics

Welcome to another scrappy edition of The Cherry On Top.

We are keeping things seasonally scary.  We've got MagsGraphics on the hot plate and she's cooking up all kinds of kits for your favourite Halloween photos and hybrid projects.  We have a fantastically frightening freebie for you as well as inspiration and different ways to use your digital stash.

Can you just imagine all of the cool things you can make with Halloween Horror?  Party invitations, drink labels, bag toppers.  Go nuts with all of these creepy goodies from MagsGraphics.

Do you scrap without pictures?  This is just pure digital design in action.  You don't always have to use pictures.  I scoured Pinterest for interesting Halloween quotes and got to work on this free printable poster.  Print it out on canvas, print it and stick it in a frame or modge podge it to a box lid.

Simply right click and save it to your downloads and print.  That's it!

Here's a look at a couple of other  kits from MagsGraphics.

Do you always work around the theme of a kit?  For Across The Galaxy, it's a Star Wars theme, but I didn't use it for my layout, below.  I didn't have any photos that were fitting that part of the theme so I used all of the elements and papers out side of that theme as well as a template from Brenian Designs to make this layout.

Everyone has their own preferences of how they scrap and my main reason is to remember the moments. I love using large photos.  I am all about the pictures and a little bit about the kit and goodies.

If you are looking for more Halloween ideas of all crafty kinds, hit up our Pinterest board.You can also check out some of The Cherry's projects, here.

Our freebies are always for PERSONAL USE ONLY.  Please do not resell them or claim them as your own.  If you are all about the freebies be sure to hook up to our Pinterest, Facebook Page and follow our blog.  We've got freebies daily!

Thanks for taking the time to check out The Cherry.