False Start but Coming Soon (No, really.)

I am quite sure that no one has actually read this blog yet but I do comment on a lot of scrap freebies
as any self respecting Freebie Hunter should.  It's been a very busy freebie bonanza with all the contests for best Designer - first Designer Survivor then Digital Scrap Addicts (in it's third round now and IMHO the best of the bunch) and The Studio too. I also source from pretty much everywhere on the Internet and then some.

I have been collecting digital scrapbooking supplies since, oh.. May 2010 according to my first file date.
I have currently a LOT of zip files and a rapidly diminishing harddrive - although I must assure you that I have refined taste in what I like also, otherwise I could easily have double or triple the amount of have!!!
My amazed yet supportive partner stopped counting after I passed 150 GB.  But it's been a big year for freebies and I had 2008, 2009 and 2010 to catch up on.  Plus, every night and I mean every night, I hunt for about seven hours. (Edit- Correction I make sure every night has been hunted but I may do three nights catch up - if I have been unusually away - abducted by aliens, that kind of thing.)
I swear by my Craft Crave and about 10 other essential sites for the bulk and then I work on a folder list of about seventy blogs and websites and then I do the newsletters, shoppes and forums. Phew!
Can you see now how it adds up? Of course, you don't have to be as keen or as obsessed ;)

I am really amazed at how I can (and must) keep a memory of every scrap freebie, but I also have a good system that will tell me if I am doubling up before it downloads - all information and tips I taught myself.
I had no freebie fan club - but you will.  I am hoping to maybe even learn some tips or two from other Freebie Hunters !!!

To be an effective digital scrapper you must be organised and committed.  Make the so called "hobby" real. I have a very good plan and a very good set of tools. I have a lot of respect for the designers and the community. I participate in the community, I join Facebook pages, Google, Twitter, I Chat on forums and participate in customer feedback. I try and give back something that is worth something as I get something for free from them.
You must have all of these things going for you if you are serious about getting good quality, time limited freebies and an excellent collection of tutorials, photoshop actions, styles, tools, templates.
I estimate my collection is worth at least $3000 Australian.  Especially with our weak dollar :(
Everything in the good ole USA is double for me, and triple if it is in Europe.
I am on sickness benefits, but have goals and very real dreams of working in this Industry. I am a super geek and as you are probably starting to figure out - I'm pretty high energy and love passion in what I do.
Because of my mental illness, working from home as a designer or something related has become a necessity for me. I could curl up and give in to my illness or I could choose to really go after my dream, and my dream is to help people capture special moments in their life and create beautiful things that I am proud of and that make people happy.  I know the path is long, but I am ready for the journey. Hell, it has already begun.
This blog will no doubt document this too - I cannot help it, I am a chatterbox!

I am very proud of my collection, and it is all 100% legit. That's important as I want to design myself
and I need to keep track of what can be used where and when.  The better freebies are only offered for a short window of time, to allow the designers to make money off their hard work - however I also know amazing designers who give away all year round - and I believe firmly that this has not hurt their brand in my opinion as I know their logo, products, style and even life details and feel connected by the gift - you cannot buy that kind of advertising from a web ad.  I am loyal to the brand like nothing else - if anyone asks me who to go for an amazing photoshop style - I know who.  Why?  Freebies.  Pure and simple.


But take note -  you have to give and take.  I worry this doesn't happen enough. Hence this web blog will help me know at least I am giving something back, if that makes any sense?  Freebies are not our entitlement - once they are gone - they are gone.  This would close off this amazing creative energy for many people that simply cannot afford or justify using the small amount of grocery money or budget on digital scrap supplies as they start to learn and the greatest thing is you don't have to spend heaps of money to do this awesome art.
I cannot reduce this amazing community and talent to just calling it a "Hobby".  For some of us, it is exactly that. But to many it is a career of creation, a way of life - to make something beautiful for people to record precious moments of their life they will treasure for as long as they live - pretty freaking awesome I think!

The feeling of kinship that has developed (albeit a little onesidely as I am yet to really know these designers) as I have seen who is the earnest, who is brilliantly talented, who is trying damn hard, who is on low mojo and who is just so lovely and open and welcoming and helpful that you feel like they are almost like a friend.
That just doesn't know your name, lol.   Well, this blog will change that.  I love spreading warm fuzzies and I am sure that is why I love freebies, as it is more the gift of giving and I love that - it makes me feel good to say thanks and to take a little time to really let them know I appreciate it.  Not enough downloaders do it.
But - hear me out - we are all not like that.  This blog is also our chance to say "Hey, some of us actually really appreciate the freebies and always comment - and hell we would buy heaps if we could but we cannot at the moment, so we pay in thanks and appreciation.  I also spread word of mouth about designers that, because I have beautiful freebie samples, I can personally attest to quality. Plus, I know where to spend my money when I do have it.  It goes straight to my favorite freebie haunts. You betcha!

I do it every night, and I am blessed with a great cable bandwith plan, an excellent set of tools, good grasp of what's on and where and I believe in always creating good karma and fuzzies, so I try and thanks to every one at one stage or another and this of course will become more noticeable once this blog is finally in full swing.
I will then share with you my tools and my adventures of being a digi freebie hunter (with a heart and a polished set of manners) and hope you will share your adventures with me.  I won't of course be sharing the actual freebies, as this is totally against the principles of the designers and the community and I would appreciate if people did not approach me for direct links or swaps/shares.  That is not the purpose of this blog, it is more a place for me to record my thoughts and feelings as a passionate digi scrapper and hopefully one day a designer - that is reason for me being so passionate and dedicated to building my tools.

I am however, hopelessly shy about actually doing layouts - isn't that funny? I feel like I want to be a cluster queen and a layering genius on my first attempt - and yet when I did try it my results were embarrasingly amatuer that I felt I had actually made the beautiful elements look worse!  So, my blog is also to document (as a return thank you to my designer friends) what us customers and fans and community feel about hot topics and hot designers and also for me to allow them to explain to us a few things about freebies and why they are done or not done and we can let those know who we adore (with some cute awards that I will create) that we LOVE the freebies and the content and the newsletters and just spread around some warm fuzzies - sound good?

I have been so impressed with the community friendlyness but I am yet to really establish myself
as a community figure, I just leave a comment here and a comment there and although I have joined almost all sites and shops and forums (my bookmark folder is really the most amazing sight and I have plenty of tricks to help you - with making 4shared work in under 30 seconds to how to make shop freebies a painless process
with the help of a few essential tools.   Those links and tips I will share, that is not being a digital pirate.
Digital Piracy (although to be honest I have never encountered) is considered a big threat to our Industry and I can totally understand that this robs designers of hard earned time, skill and most of all - earnings.
Many designers do it for sheer love of being generous and creative (freebies that is) and I want them to really know just how much we appreciate them - because lets face it - it is not always nice to be bundled in with those nasty no commenters ever (I can understand not commenting every time) I certainly don't want that to be the lasting impression they get of a freebie hunter, because a true freebie hunter is just as passionate about the creative arts and freebies do lead to better things.  Sales, brand recognition, word of mouth advertising and brand loyalty are all valuable benefits to be gained by offering freebies.
Let's all be honest - Everyone loves a freebie.  Well, I want everyone to love a Freebie Hunter too.
So, that's the mission - whether the bigger community choses to accept it or embrace it (and I will be doing freebies of my own as soon as I can - just have to give back I feel!)  is up to them but this will be my little place to send those designers so they can see my thanks and appreciation for everything they do.
Hopefully we can learn a little bit more about the designing world and what goes into making our Freebies and perhaps even listing a top ten - who knows!   Me.  But I'm not giving it all away just yet.

I suggest you follow this blog as updates will be a little scattered until next week.
I want the blog set up right, so I need to make a design and clarify my marketing approach.
It is my goal to cater for experienced and newbie digiscrapper freebie hunters and designers who wish to have some insight into what you think of certain freebies and even other aspects of our community - like newsletters.  Who has the best ?  Who do you wish gave freebies but doesn't... Why don't they?
All shall be revealed my friends....

Speak Soon xx That's a promise.
Hey comment if you ever do read this - I see four people have followed this blog - I promise it will get better and it will look totally different next week.  Do not be frightened away by the uglyness! LOL!

Miss Renee
Miss Behaving has been my username for so long but I am intensely aware of a beautiful designer by the same name and I do not wish to be confused or cause any distress, but I need to settle on a consistent name and brand - hence the little delay.  I'm a little bit OCD but you will get to know all about me soon.
But you probably guessed from the amount of freebies - right?

MissBehaving.