Lifestyle Blogs

Brusheezy logoBrusheezy and the Eezy network are such great resources for designers (especially beginning ones like me). The Eezy network includes:

- Brusheezy (Free Brushes and Patterns)

- Vecteezy (Free Vector Graphics)

- Flasheezy (Free Flash)

- Fresheezy (Free Website Themes)

On all of the sites in the network, you can filter the gallery for what you need. You can filter by category, program and version, as well as, top rated, most downloaded, etc. You can also share the free love by submitting your own brushes, patterns, vectors, flash and website themes.

brusheezy brushes

There is something very special about good Vintage design. In this ultra modern world, Vintage sticks out. Well, if you're looking to create some vintage graphics, these free textures from Deviant Art just might help.

Be sure you read the terms for each texture before using it.

Simple Vintage by ~Fi2-Shift

Deviant Art - vint

Grunge Wallpaper 1 by ~R2krw9

Deviant Art - Grunge_Wallpaper_1_by_R2krw9

Vintage Polka Dot by ~aeiryn

Deviant Art - vintage_polka_dot_texture_by_aeiryn

Vintage Grunge Texture by ~funerals0ng

Deviant Art - Vintage_Grunge_Texture_by_funerals0ng

Vintage Strip Texture by *DyingBeautyStock

Deviant Art - vintage_strip_texture_by_DyingBeautyStock

+texture by ~T-a-g-g-e-r

Deviant Art - _texture_by_T_a_g_g_e_r

Victorian Grunge IV & V by ~Myruso

Deviant Art - Victorian_grunge_IV_by_Myruso

Deviant Art - Victorian_grunge_V_by_Myruso

Antique Script Texture by ~SolStock

Deviant Art - Antique_Script_Texture_by_SolStock

Art Nouveau Pattern Texture by ~Enchantedgal-Stock

Deviant Art - Art_Nouveau_Pattern_Texture_by_Enchantedgal_Stock

CG Texture Screen CaptureCGTextures.com has been one of my few must have sites since I started diving into graphic design a few years ago.

Here's the how the site founder Marcel Vifwinkel describes CGTextures: "CGTextures strives to be the world's best texture site. Being a 3D artist myself, I know how difficult it is to create textures without good photo materials. Making textures should be about creativity--not about frustrating hours looking for images on the Internet. By supplying good-quality textures in an organized manner, I hope your everyday work will be easier and more enjoyable."

Textures bring your design off the page, adding a virtual "feel" quality to your work. New to textures? No worry. CGTexture.com has many tutorials on how to properly use and enhance textures into your design.

This site saves me hours searching the internet for good photos to use as texture. All the textures are FREE, so this site saves time and money.

Flickr Screen Capture

Flickr is a great resource for designers and bloggers. If you're a designer or photographer, this site is a fantastic place to show off your work, and get feedback from fellow artists. I actually discovered my new favorite designer Barton Damer when I was perusing Flickr for inspiration on a design for an upcoming sermon series.

Thousands of images are loaded up every minute, so this is a great place to search for free images to use in your designs and stock images for blogs. You'll find everything from textures and landscapes to personal family photos and elegant design work. Artists and photographers use Flickr's Creative Commons labeling system to let users know how their images can be used.

The site can also drive traffic to your personal website(s) by increasing your search rankings and adding your site to image searches in addition to web search results. DoshDosh.com has a comprehensive guide for using Flickr for just this purpose.

 

I first heard about this movie on KLove Radio. I have to be honest, I haven't had the chance to see it in theaters, but I hear it's a really great movie with an amazing message.

Worship House, parent site of Worship House Kids, is giving away a clip from the movie for churches to use.

Here is the film synopsis from imdb.com:

The film tells the story of Jake Taylor, a young man who has it all: a basketball scholarship, the ideal girlfriend, and the right friends. But faced with the demands of the in-crowd, Jake has written off his childhood best-friend, Roger. Isolated and mistreated, Roger finally takes his anger to the extreme when he shows up one day on campus with a gun.

Jake's last-ditch effort can't stop Roger. And the events which follow rock Jake's world. He begins to question everything. But most of all, he cant stop asking: Could I have saved Roger?

In his search for answers, Jake finds himself looking for the next Roger. He reaches out to geeks, losers, and loners. But crossing the strict high school caste lines threatens everything Jake values. And pushes him to answer the most important question of all: What do I want my life to be about?

This film doesn't shy away from the real struggles facing our teens.. It is rated PG-13 because it portrays some of these issues accurately: from teen sexuality, to abortion, to cutting, to drug and alcohol abuse, to suicide.

But because it does so, teens are praising this film for its realistic and relevant portrayal of their world and responding enthusiastically to its message. As teen author and speaker Zach Hunter comments: It conveys the raw emotions of life and the ups and downs of high school. My friends who have seen the film are already talking about it and encouraging others to go see it.

Photobucket