Palm Tree Sunset Art To Print

I love bold, bright, color-blocking watercolor painting! This is one of my favs where the 2 palms stand out in stark contrast to the fiery sunset. Click Buy Now below, or visit Printophoria Shop for more paintings to print. 

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Free Image Monday: Vine Flourish & Wreath

 

Today's free image is a black vine flourish in anticipation of spring designs. The dimensions are 728 x 191 px and it is a PNG file, so it has a transparent background for easy application.

Download It Here From My Files At Microsoft OneDrive:

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AucUJVHYQ3s5jEtyxY5g_LtAc6QJ

Then click the download link at the top of the OneDrive page.

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The bonus image is a wreath of a variety of moss green foliage with a tiny, pink butterfly at the bottom center. The dimensions are 1920 x 1920 px and it is a JPEG file.

 

Download It Here From My Files At Microsoft OneDrive:

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AucUJVHYQ3s5jEpfng5t8GmMwY_C?e=NPRcWx

Then click the download link at the top of the OneDrive page.

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Comment if you have problems getting the images.

HAPPY CREATING!

 

 

I suggest that you edit the images or add them to your own designs to make them unique to your brand. This is important especially if you are using them in products that you are selling. 

After all, free images may be currently used, as is, by any number of sellers. Editing them or adding them to your own designs will help prevent your potential customers from confusing you with another seller.

You want your customers to return to your shop because what you have is unique. Don't lose them to another shop because they mistakenly thought they were buying from you because the products have duplicate designs. 

I share images from the Web and from my own studio. While I cannot guarantee that my internet-obtained, free images are copyright free, I only share images that are labeled on the internet as being for personal and commercial use, without need for a commercial license, compensation or attribution. You can always do your own research on any free image that you obtain from Printaphoria & Creative Living.

Image Sources:

PublicDomainPictures.net

Pixabay.com

Kitchen Minute: Bake The Best Biscuits

One of my fav things to bake is biscuits! I've loved them with the tang of real butter and homemade blackberry jam since I was a child. I learned the importance of cutting shortening into the flour but it wasn't until recently that I learned to ensure that the ingredients are cold, or chilled. I go a step further and chill all of my utensils and my baking pan in the fridge as I'm preparing to bake my biscuits.

Below is the link to a good article on how to bake mistake-free biscuits. It's straightforward and easy to read. 

The tip I most like is to lay the biscuits on the pan touching each other. They tell you why. The most challenging tip to me is to heat the oven to 475 degrees. It makes me nervous to think of baking them at that high of a temp but I'm going to try it.

11 Ways You're Ruining Your Biscuits

By Lisa Cericola for Southern Living

Images: Pixabay, Unsplash

Floral Paper Printable In 3 Scaled Patterns

I was inspired to create this floral bunches design through a video tute that I watched. I took separate elements to create each bunch then combined the bunches to design the paper. I then scaled it up and down to get the trio pack that I'm offering. I am very satisfied with my first try at this technique. This Cool Field Flowers design is coercing Mother Nature to hurry up and send spring to us! 

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Innovation, Adaptability, Persistance: David's Bridal

Consistently, we see innovation, adaptability and persistence as the kingpins of enduring business success. Those traits have made David's Bridal the lone, national, wedding dress chain today.

While David Reisberg decided to begin selling his privately-designed wedding gowns in 1945, innovation began 20 years later after he sold his south-Florida salon. In 1972, Phillip Youtie bought the boutique and around 1988, brought in the retail expertise of childhood friend Steven Erlbaum.

Stores at this time stocked only sample gowns in a standard size. Youtie and Erlbaum changed the store model in the late 1980s with this warehouse off Interstate 95 where they stocked designer gowns, discontinued dress and manufacturer overruns at below retail prices. This chain of bridal stores was like none of its kind. David’s Bridal was all about making a no-frills shopping environment for those who need an expensive wedding dress for a fraction of the price. Stores were not comfortable, but more plain and warehouse-like. Although there was little to no comfort in the stores, brides-to-be could expect a bargain.

Adaptability resulted in finding ways to acquire new stores:

Years later, as the business grew even larger and larger, small stores were starting to go out of business while more David’s Bridal stores were being put into the business. Between 1994 and 1995, 12 stores were added to the bridal corporation...In 2000, the May Department Stores Company bought David’s Bridal from Youtie and Erlbaum for $436 million. By this time, David’s Bridal was the largest retailer of bridal gowns and wedding-related merchandise.

Persistence

David’s Bridal is the largest American bridal-store chain...and the only nationwide competitor of bridal stores...One in four American brides are dressed by David’s Bridal.

Successive acquisitions and emergence out of a two-month bankruptcy did not kill the dream. While Mr. Reisberg worked faithfully for over two decades and did not financially enjoy the astronomical success of his brand, the point is this; David's Bridal endured through the innovation, adaptability and persistence of all who believed.

On October 11, 2012, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice announced the completion of its acquisition of David’s Bridal, Inc. in a deal that valued the company at $1.05 billion.

David's Bridal is currently in 49 states, 5 Canadian territories and the United Kingdom. As of 2018, it was worth $2.5 billion.

Opportunities to innovate surround us everyday and many of the commerce giants that we recognize are still owned by the innovators. Those who do not own their flagship brands have taken the fortunes made through them and built new ventures. You may not be seeking colossal growth for your brand but the methods that lead to this kind of proliferating success can help you to reach your goals. 

How can you innovate your brand so that it will stand out and attract a robust market?

Is your growth lagging for lack of adaptability to an ever-changing society?

Do you cling to pet projects and ideas that do not inspire persistence?

 

Sources:

David's Bridal Locations

David's Bridal - UK

PRNewswire - David's Bridal

The List - The Truth Behind David Of David's Bridal

The New York Times - David’s Bridal Files for Bankruptcy, but Brides Will Get Their Dresses

Wikipedia - David's Bridal