15 April 2010

Original, Mini-Scrap Kit Designs by JE McManus

NOTE: All my freebie downloads are provided on via my Rapidshare account in file sizes specifically created to accomodate both
FREE & Premium (Paid) users.
You DO NOT have to have a paid
Rapidshare account to acquire these downloads.

Hi All:

Here you will find the results of many hours of tinkering with a variety of graphic programs I use. On this blog, you will find both custom created, Commercial Use & Personal Use designer resources as well as complete, free, mini-scrap kits that are for personal or non-profit use only. Commercial use guidelines are listed in the TOU (Terms of Use) document provided in each kit (TOU varies from kit to kit).

My mini-scrap kits are comprised exclusively of custom created images originating from FTU templates, heavily altered, public domain images or Creative Commons images requiring a share and share alike copyright upon alteration, and occasionally, FTU CU elements I have picked up from other blogger sites.

What exactly is a mini-scrap kit?

There are probably numerous opinions floating around regarding the correct answer to this question. Since you are on my blog, I will offer up my thoughts on the term since it applies to materials you are about to download.

My kits are upsized tagger sized kits or downsized, industry standard size kits. Confused yet? Let me make it simple. All the papers and elements you might find in a full size kit are included in my free offerings. The difference is, at this time, I simply do not have the PC "horsepower" needed to create the standard sized, 3600 x 3600 pixel kits. Kit sizes vary from 1200 x 1200 to 1600 x 1600 pixels - 300 dpi. Keep in mind that industry standard digi-scraps are 3600 x 3600 pixels @300 DPI --the equivalent of a 12 x 12 printed page. Since my kits are scaled smaller, creating a scrap page with one of my kits for screen viewing on a CD or your desktop will offer you plenty of "real estate" space; however, best results on a printed page will only be around the equivalent of a 5 x 5 photograph. In other words, working with my materials is BEST SUITED for on-screen viewing!

One thing I must stress - I advocate Yahoo & other group sharing efforts with respect to my kits. The kits are free and were made to be shared with all. I DO ask that you do not re-upload my kits in order to share them: Instead, please provide my rapidshare download link along with the kit preview. Checking my download statistics is the only way I can gauge whether there is an active interest in my work. Please respect that!

Of course, it would be nice if you added a link to my blog. I will try to post a new freebie each week.

I hope you like my work and return frequently in order to take advantage of upcoming, free downloads.

I just opened up this blog in order to meet the requirements of various ygroups I belong to that do not permit the posting of direct, rapidshare links. Over time, I will add to and enhance this blog. For now, here are the scrap kits and previews! Enjoy and feel free to leave comments!
Posted by at 12 comments:

18 September 2009

CU Laundry Day Fabrics





(Click on the photos above to view full size previews)


Hi All:

I meant to publish this CU/PU textured overlay, sample paper  & element pack for you about two weeks ago but my volunteer work as a dog rescue facilitator for a rural, municipal animal shelter took precedence....and I've been swamped with work and up to my ears in companion animal fur as of late. I'm also working on a new, PU altered art kit in homage to these dogs. Nonetheless, here you go on the textured overlay end!

 All overlays were photographed and edited by me. This pack includes 16 textured overlays, 7 sample papers and an element pack to illustrate the textures' potential when viewing the raw material! The overlays and papers are created at 2300 DPI (based on camera settings & limitations) and come in an assortment of 1800 x 1800 pixels or 2400 x 2400 pixels. Enjoy this pack and if this is your first visit to my blog, be sure to check out all my other CU/PU free designer resources and PU-only freebies!

This pack is split in to three parts to make it easier for those
with slow connections to achieve successful downloads

Click Here to download the CU Laundry Day Textured Overlays (35 MB)
Click Here to download the CU Laundry Day Finished Paper Pack (37 MB)
Click Here to download the CU Laundry Day Element Pack (7 MB)

Your comments are welcome and encouraged!



Creative Commons License
CU Laundry Day Fabrics by JE McManus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Posted by at 9 comments:

02 September 2009

CU Tin Foil Follies & Other Remnants

(Click on the photos above to view full size previews)


Hi All:

Here is another CU/PU textured overlay & sample paper pack for you. All overlays were photographed and edited by me. This set continues and enhances much of the previously posted CU Cellophane Overlay Pack tradition, although this round I spent time photographing aluminum foil sheets with the addition of cellophane under different lighting conditions. A few random texture additions that don't fit in to any particular category are included in this pack, along with 7 sample papers to use as well as inspire you! The overlays and papers are created at 2300 DPI (based on camera settings & limitations) and come in an assortment of 1800 x 1800 pixels or 2400 x 2400 pixels. Enjoy this pack and if this is your first visit to my blog, be sure to check out all my other CU/PU free designer resources and PU-only freebies!


Click Here to download the CU Tin Foil Follies & Other Remnants Pack.
(93 MB)
Your comments are welcome and encouraged!



Creative Commons License
CU Tin Foil Follies & Other Remnants by JE McManus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Posted by at 10 comments:

26 August 2009

CU Solids, V.I


I am on a roll with respect to textured overlay production and distribution. This set of solids is focused primarily on "found," random elements (both natural and manmade) photographed on the rural property I live on as well as the rural, landfill municipal shelter where I volunteer to help euthanization endangered dogs find rescue.

These textured overlays are created at 230 DPI, based on my camera's highest setting and my computer's limitations. Overlay sizes are assorted, from 1000 x 1000 pixels to 2400 x 2400 pixels (10 inch print quality).

Click here to download


Creative Commons License
CU Solids, VI - Textured Overlays by JE McManus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Posted by at 5 comments:

CU Cellophanes



Hi All:

I love layering! When teaching digital layering to students, I compare layering to the stacking of "window panes" and synergy. Each transparent pane of glass has its own, unique imprint or characteristic that both stands alone or, when stacked, creates a complete, new work reflecting the sum of the parts.

Recently, I photographed several transparent items with the intent to create clear "sheets" of texture to enhance both simple colors and complex works. The result is my CU Cellophanes Overlay Pack, now available for download! Enjoy!



Click here to download
Your comments are appreciated.



Creative Commons License
CU Cellophanes by JE McManus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Posted by at 15 comments:

17 August 2009

CU Border Template Pack with Finished Samples



Hi All:

For my followers, if you are making your way in thinking a new, altered art kit is available, I hate to disappoint you! I have a few, utilitarian freebies to share. Sometimes process flourishes from getting "back to the basics!"

This week, I am distributing a new set of self-designed border templates and finished samplers, seen above and below, for Commercial and Personal Use. Unlike my downsized, 1800 x 1800, full decked out scrap kits, my Commercial Use freebies are and will be in traditional, 3600 x 3600 scrap kit format (my computer can handle an element in this size range - just not digital papers, which send its "energy level" in to oblivion!) The set includes 5 designed from scratch templates along with 10 finished samples & some bonus, angled dividers. All items are CU & PU. Review my TOU to familiarize yourself with the details and restrictions.

Enjoy!


Click here to download this 25 MB freebie!

While NO CREDIT is required, I would really appreciate it if designers would notify me when my CU work is used, as it lets me know that providing it is a useful endeavor I should continue on with in the future.


Creative Commons License
CU Border Template & Finished Sample Pack by JE McManus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Posted by at 13 comments:

10 August 2009

What Nots & Maladies: An Add-On Mini Scrap Kit for On Any Given Day When She Wasn't Really There



Hi All:

It took me A LOT LONGER to develop this add-on set for my most recent, free scrap kit, On Any Given Day When She Wasn't Really There. This particular kit took me in so many different directions, I really wasn't sure where to focus. One of the themes I felt was important to add in is illness. I rarely see scrap kits that deal with illness that don't have what I consider to be a little too much cute and not enough lateral room to journal freely and honestly about living with illness of any kind. Realistically, I don't feel done with this kit and imagine there will be other add-ons over time and not necessarily sequentially (re: Theme A, B, C and D). For now, the Add-On set features numerous elements dealing with illness but also my usual kitsch and nonsense....a download of the absurd, I suppose, but then, that points most to the fodder rolling around in my own head.




This Add-On set features 4 papers & 24 elements worth of altered art, primarily re-worked from photographs gleaned from personal photos taken throughout the past two decades as well as from generous Flickr members allowing alterations of their photos through Creative Commons licensing. The kit is sized at 1800 x 1800 pixels and created at 300 DPI.
Click here to download Add-On Set

Your comments and feedback are GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!

Creative Commons Credit - Original Photographers


  1. Ill Graffiti - Flickr Member Urban Data

  2. Antlers - Flickr Member Orin Zebest

  3. Rave Girl - Flickr Member Mattoly

  4. Infant - Flickr Member Crimfant

  5. Testament Face - Flickr Member Niklas

  6. IV Hand - Flickr Member José Goulão

  7. Rabbit - Flickr Member Carly & Art
Creative Commons License
Dressing Room by Joy E. McManus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Posted by at 2 comments:

10 July 2009

On Any Given Day When She Wasn't Really There




Hi All:

Here is my July 2009 free scrap kit, entitled "On Any Given Day When She Wasn't Really There. Superficially, this kit was created with online journals and diaries in mind. In context, the kit's thematic addresses women and the roles they play in a variety of scenarios - both realistic and imagined. My goal was to alter and create materials that possibly triggered more than cookie cutter cute response inherent in the mass produced digital wares we are inclined to tinker with. Not all of the elements in this kit can be considered "cute." This is intentional on my part. Create from the heart and create with honesty. Some memories are happy. Some are not. Some memories are rooted in fact and others to imagination. Give your memories meaning and substance. Surprise someone generations down your family tree's line. All should be recorded. Tell THE story! Your story.... --JEM

This free, altered art scrap kit is now available for download, below.


This kit is divided in to a 2 part .RAR file.

You MUST DOWNLOAD
BOTH PARTS to unzip the kit!

Click here to download Part I

Click here to download Part II
If you like this kit, grab the free Add-On set that goes with it!

If this is your first visit to my blog, be sure to check out all my other, free, altered art kits!

Original, Flckr member, Creative Commons licensed photographs used to create the altered art elements in this kit are noted below along with CU element credit:
Doll Mask Template, Baby in Gown - Original photos by Flckr member akatrya
Blue Jean figure for Paper - Original photos by Flckr member dkreisman
Pink box trio - Original photos by Flckr member eqqman
Vintage Needle Container - Original photos by Flckr member litlnemo
Box Plant - Original photos by Flckr member Mr. Greenjeans
Garden Statue with hair flower, ruler, yellow flower - Original photos by Flckr member net_efekt
Rose - Original photos by Flckr member Oschene
Checkered Box - Original photos by Flckr member Practical Owl
Girl on rose bedspread - Original photos by Flckr member foundphotoslj
Apartment front on cyan paper - Original photos by Flckr member Futurilla
Gingko leaf & Pencil Shaving - Original photos by Flckr member Geishaboy500
Head bowed teen - Original photos by Flckr member Jamestruepenny
Blasting Zone - Original photos by Flckr member ky_olsen
Royal Flush - Original photos by Flckr member Lokigrl616
Folded Paper Container Template for pot of flowers & Cupcake holder, creased flowers - Original artwork & photos by Flckr member Mélisande
Frog King insert in old, tin box - Original artwork and photos by Flckr member Original artwork by Patricia Laza
Abandoned house interior for paper - Original photos by Flckr member tunnelbug61
Asian Doll Original photos by Flckr member Ian Burt
Older Wisdom Photograph for Paper and sunbathing blonde element - Original photos by Flckr member pierre lascott (wonderful, candid views of people! Go Pierre! You are inspiring!)
Antique Template for Paper Doll - Original photos by Flckr member Embroiderist
CU Credit for striped, semi-transparent ribbon placed on Sappington Road heart element and paperdoll with flag element goes to Redju Designs at http://www.redjuscrap.blogspot.com/


Creative Commons License
On Any Given Day When She Wasn't Really There by JE McManus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Posted by at 5 comments:

12 June 2009

Bonus Add-Ons for Dressing Room Kit


As promised, here are the free, bonus, add-on elements and papers for the dressing room kit, including elements shown in my previews that were not included in the original kit itself. Have fun with these and please feel free to share your final work. I'd love to start publishing followers samples! Comments are encouraged and always appreciated!

Click here to download the bonus Add-Ons for my Dressing Room Scrap Kit.

If you have not yet downloaded the free, complete Dressing Room kit, click here to access it.
Posted by at 2 comments:

08 June 2009

Dressing Room

Noun: A room for changing clothes and applying makeup.

Dressing Room - my latest, free, mini-scrap kit release hints at the myriad habits, idiosyncracies and emotions one experiences in a room designed for transformation.



This kit features 18 papers & 83 elements worth of altered art, primarily re-worked from photographs gleaned from personal photos taken throughout the past two decades as well as from generous Flickr members allowing alterations of their photos through Creative Commons licensing. The kit is sized at 1800 x 1800 pixels and created at 300 DPI.

I hope you enjoy working with the Dressing Room. I would love to see your finished work!

Important Downloading Update - PLEASE NOTE:

In checking my Rapidshare download statistics, I noticed a lot of you are downloading Part 1 of the two part Dressing Room Scrap Kit .RAR file. The two files are interdependent and you must have both Part I and Part II in order to open them. I broke it down in to two parts so that non-premium Rapidshare users could download the kit, which just over 100MB.

Click here to download Part I
Click here to download Part II

Your comments and feedback are GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!
Be sure to grab the Dressing Room bonus, add-on pack, being published
Friday, 12 June 2009. Be sure to click on my logo to find ALL my free,
altered art scrap and element kits for download!

Creative Commons Credit - Original Photographers


  1. Girl with hair spray & book - Flickr Member Nyki M.

  2. Bin paper- Flickr Member Rebecca Sudduth

  3. Dress on wire- Flickr Member Heliotrope

  4. Dressing Room with Vanity Table Paper- Flickr Member Anne with an E (Anne White)

  5. Pointing Arm- Flickr Member Bennylin

  6. Striped Socks & Shoes- Flickr Member Natalia & Gabriel

  7. Little Black Dress Paper- Flickr Member Ssimm1RG

  8. Scissors poster- Flickr Member Teresia

  9. 4 of a Kind- Flickr Member Embroiderist

  10. Drawer- Flickr Member Happy Monkey

  11. Dressmaker & Posture papers- Flickr Member amidfallenleaves

  12. Kinderreime book- Flickr Member Angela Wolf

  13. Blonde bust- Flickr Member Jeremy Brooks

  14. Pin in hole poster- Flickr Member Mulad

  15. Cardboard Chaise- Flickr Member Windell H. Oskay, www.evilmadscientist.com

  16. Game Board- Flickr Member Raveesh Vyas

  17. Dressing Room Hallway Paper- Flickr Member Яick Harris

  18. Nun Card- Flickr Member Robot Zombie Monkey

  19. Ladies Dressing Room Sign- Flickr Member Squid!

Posted by at 10 comments:

23 May 2009

Fish Tales & Memories - Free, Mini-Scrap Kit




For Memorial Day weekend, I present to you my latest, free mini-scrap kit - Fish Tales & Memories - created at 1800 x 1800 pixels - 300 DPI. I'm particularly pleased with the quality of the papers in this kit and hope you enjoy their colors & textures along with the 70+ elements that accompany them. Special thanks to numerous Flickr members for allowing use and alteration of their photographs via a Creative Commons license. PLEASE review my Terms of Use to view original photographer's credits and visit their additional work on Flickr!









Click here to download my Fish Tales & Memories Scrap Kit from Rapidshare!


Your comments and feedback are GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!
Be sure to click on my logo to find ALL my free,
altered art scrap kits for download!

Creative Commons Elements Credit - Original Photographers



Posted by at 4 comments:

01 May 2009

Kitschy Add-Ons for Junque Drawer Scrap Kit

If you liked working with my Junque Drawer kit, you might want to enhance your element collection with these free add-ons:




Click here to download my free kitsch elements





Click here to download my free frames & writing block


If you haven't acquired Junque Drawer scrap kit or perused my other
digital scrapping freebies, please feel free to do so now by navigating
through my blog.

Comments are welcome!
Posted by at 4 comments:

28 April 2009

Junque Drawer - Free Scrap Kit

I spent time working on this one while moving through yet another job interview process. While each scrap element means a little something different to each person using it, I want to convey that my inspiration for "Junque Drawer" was rooted in my lifelong embattlement with maintaining the chaos that comes with holding on to the past versus embracing a more serene, minimalist lifestyle. This conflict touches on many aspects of my life - far more than just the material realm and physical surroundings I exist in.

This kit is 1600 x 1600 pixels at 300 DPI. Per previous blog entries, I do not have the computer tools necessary to produce in the larger, more standardized, digital scrap format. Your creations with this kit will best be viewed on-screen, unless you want to create an ATC or miniature scrap, which should print out quite nicely at 5 x 5 inches.

Since I have been taking advantage of Creative Commons licensed images -acting as the foundation for heavy alteration, I am following through with the "share-alike" mantra (e.g. requirement) by including a CC license of my own in the TOU included in this kit. Please review my TOU when you have the time.



Click here to download this kit. All of my published, scrap kits are free. Be sure to view my other recent releases: Musings for a Rainy Day and more! Just click on the logo at the top of the page to load previews of all my available, free kits!
Posted by at 5 comments:

16 April 2009

Musings for a Rainy Day - Free Scrap Kit

My latest mini scrap kit, replete with a kaboodle of elements, select papers and a few word art style quotes to inspire you! I owe big snaps to Flickr member and ATC artist extraordinaire "playingwithbrushes" for making some wonderful, flea market find, vintage photos available for alteration via Creative Commons licensing. I thoroughly enjoyed making this kit and hope you derive the same satisfaction using it! 1600 x 1600 @300 DPI! Keep in mind that industry standard digi-scraps are 3600 x 3600 pixels @300 DPI --the equivalent of a 12 x 12 printed page. I do not currently have the "horsepower" on my desktop to work at 3600 x 3600. Creating a scrap page with one of my kits for screen viewing on a CD or your desktop will offer you plenty of "real estate" space; however, best results on a printed page will be around the equivalent of a 5 x 5 photograph.





Click here to download!

Reader comments & critiques are welcomed!
Posted by at 6 comments:

The Lady Can Play - Free Scrap Kit

Kitschy assortment based on my four favorite suits! 6 original papers & 28 elements. 1200 x 1200 pixels at 300 dpi. Free for you to use and enjoy - personal and non-profit use only!


Click here to download.

Reader comments & critiques are welcomed!

Posted by at 2 comments:

30 March 2009

Reflections - Free, Mini-Scrap Kit

This is the first, complete scrap kit I have created. It includes 50 items total between paper & elements, and is 1200 x 1200 pixels at 300 DPI. The only item not included is the dog :-) - He's all mine.




Click here to download! (zip format)
Your comments and critiques are welcomed!
Posted by at 2 comments:
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