I  installed the new browser by Google call Chrome last night and have been testing it out. This browser is really a nice experience and is getting better the more I use it. I have been a faithful IE user for years and years, but after about 5 minutes with Google Chrome I closed my IE and may never look back.  Google Chrome is lightweight and fast, all the buttons seem to be in the right place other then the bookmarks folder which is on the right side of the screen (wish it was on the left), which is only a personal preference. It is just a nice browser that is worth a try. You should download it and give it a spin!

• It will automatically import your bookmarks from your current default browser.
• When typing into the address bar it will automatically give you different options on how to search or go to your entry.
• It is easy installing plug-ins and downloading items

When trying to download clip art images from GraphicsFactory.com is was a pleasant experience and I’m sure you will find it a better download experience then with other browsers. It even has a download history page so you can easily re-download previous downloaded items again.   I expect Google Chrome to take at least 75% of the browser market share within 2 years if not 1 year.

Clip art can help so many people in so many ways. Downloading clip art from www.graphicsfactory.com is the first step. It seems that we live by our planners, and PDA. For those of us that still use a calendar here is a way to spice things up.

There are always activities that we repeat on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Use clip art to choose a happy image even for the worst of chores. Cut out the image and use a pushpin to attach it to the day it should happen.

Here is a list to get you started:
Shopping
Gym
Doctor or Dentist appointment
Teacher Conference
House Cleaning
Guests coming
Children’s activities
Work related events
Church or bible study

Clip art is so widely used and available there are now allegations that do to individual creativity and the inexpensive nature of most clip art that Greeting cards are disappearing at major functions. For instance, this Christmas millions of children that had access to computers went to www.graphicsfactory.com and downloaded Christmas images in both color and black and white. It was reported that the children then used scissors, paper, glue and markers to pay tribute to their loved ones during the holidays, thus eliminating the need for actual store bought greeting cards. In another example adults have been spotted downloading clip art from www.graphicsfactory.com  to use as invitations to holiday parties and as name plates for dinner parties, and last but not least as thank you notes for gifts received.

 

There is no word yet on whether individuals alone will be indicted or if www.graphicsfactory.com will be named as an accomplice since, they are one of the most used suppliers of clip art on the web. There is a possibility that if greeting cards to make the endangered non-perishables list their price will rise exponentially. Experts are saying if the prices of greeting cards does rise it will force even more consumers to turn to clip art. Unfortunately, this will have a negative impact on greeting cards and could render them not only extinct but also obsolete.

 

It will be interesting to see how this drama plays out. More news is expected after next Valentine’s Day, which is the biggest greeting card is giving holiday of the year.

 It is always fun to get a fresh start. Kids will be back in the classroom within the next week and the more involved they feel the more enthusiasm they will have. Since we are in winter and preparing for spring now is a great time to redecorate. Clip art is very handy and extremely accessible.

Have a variety of downloaded clip art from http://www.graphicsfactory.com/ available for this project. You can ask each child to bring in a shoebox or you can simply decorate the room. Give each child a space of their own to depict their favorite things about winter using your themed clip art.

The cherry on top of this project is to have snowflakes downloaded from www.graphicsfactory.com and have the children write their name and one sentence about winter.

 History is a big part of our lives and being an election year there are many ways to incorporate this in the classroom. Each state joined the Union until we had the United States of America, which included all 50. 

Since each state has, a shape here is a fun idea. Go to http://www.graphicsfactory.com/ and download an image of each state according to the month that they joined the Union. Place the silhouette on the bard and have each child try to guess which state it is and place the answers in a bag or bowl. The first correct answer wins a small prize. Older children can incorporate more facts or even election news as it happens. Below is the date each state joined the Union.

States by Order of Entry into Union

State Entered       Union Year settled
1. Delaware Dec. 7, 1787 1638
2. Pennsylvania Dec. 12, 1787 1682
3. New Jersey Dec. 18, 1787 1660
4. Georgia Jan. 2, 1788 1733
5. Connecticut Jan. 9, 1788 1634
6. Massachusetts Feb. 6, 1788 1620
7. Maryland Apr. 28, 1788 1634
8. South Carolina May 23, 1788 1670
9. New Hampshire June 21, 1788 1623
10. Virginia June 25, 1788 1607
11. New York July 26, 1788 1614
12. North Carolina Nov. 21, 1789 1660
13. Rhode Island May 29, 1790 1636
14. Vermont Mar. 4, 1791 1724
15. Kentucky June 1, 1792 1774
16. Tennessee June 1, 1796 1769
17. Ohio Mar. 1, 1803 1788
18. Louisiana Apr. 30, 1812 1699
19. Indiana Dec. 11, 1816 1733
20. Mississippi Dec. 10, 1817 1699
21. Illinois Dec. 3, 1818 1720
22. Alabama Dec. 14, 1819 1702
23. Maine Mar. 15, 1820 1624
24. Missouri Aug. 10, 1821 1735
25. Arkansas June 15, 1836 1686
26. Michigan Jan. 26, 1837 1668
27. Florida Mar. 3, 1845 1565
28. Texas Dec. 29, 1845 1682
29. Iowa Dec. 28, 1846 1788
30. Wisconsin May 29, 1848 1766
31. California Sept. 9, 1850 1769
32. Minnesota May 11, 1858 1805
33. Oregon Feb. 14, 1859 1811
34. Kansas Jan. 29, 1861 1727
35. West Virginia June 20, 1863 1727
36. Nevada Oct. 31, 1864 1849
37. Nebraska Mar. 1, 1867 1823
38. Colorado Aug. 1, 1876 1858
39. North Dakota Nov. 2, 1889 1812
40. South Dakota Nov. 2, 1889 1859
41. Montana Nov. 8, 1889 1809
42. Washington Nov. 11, 1889 1811
43. Idaho July 3, 1890 1842
44. Wyoming July 10, 1890 1834
45. Utah Jan. 4, 1896 1847
46. Oklahoma Nov. 16, 1907 1889
47. New Mexico Jan. 6, 1912 1610
48. Arizona Feb. 14, 1912 1776
49. Alaska Jan. 3, 1959 1784
50. Hawaii Aug. 21, 1959 1820

There’s a host of clip art available on the web, which could be one of the reasons crafting has exploded over the past decade. Homemade items such as greeting cards, aprons, and websites are all the rage. Ten years ago, who would have thought we’d ever have entire stores dedicated to scrapbooking or building bears?

The at-home crafter is inundated with websites that purport to have the exact piece of clip art she needs to complete her project. Before you spend hours scouring these sites, however, it’s important to search specifically for what you want. Making a festive apron for the Fourth of July? Try keying in all those words and see what pops up, as opposed to just typing in “apron clip art.”

Perusing clip art sites is also helpful to crafters who need a little inspiration. You can search by keywords, actions, or browse clip art categories.

I went looking for some great designs to use for my embroidery addiction (er, hobby). These clip art designs work well for embroidery, painting, scrapbooking, screen-printing and more.

You’ll find a mix of paid and free designs online. Don’t be afraid to buy a batch of designs. The prices are usually very reasonable, and you’ll have a mound of really neat options to work with.

In summary, there’s a plenty of inspiration waiting for clip art crafters online. Just remember to make your search as focused as possible. Not only will you save time, you’ll likely stumble across interesting new sites that cater to your subject matter.

Clip art is a valuable too for a variety of projects including PowerPoint presentations, reports, briefs, and even memos. It has been said that it is not what you say but how you say it, if this is true than why not spice up your written communication? Clip art often gets a reputation for being whimsical or less than serious but by strategically choosing your clip art you can emphasize your key points, add humor, or simply break up text.

PowerPoint presentations are a great conductor of clip art because the clip art is easy to download and immediately add to a slide with text or use as a slide in between text and charts. PowerPoint presentations often break down serious topics and include lots of figures and graphs you may want to choose clip art to highlight certain aspects of your slides.

Look and feel is at least fifty percent of your presentation. Presenting information that is well manicured and aesthetically pleasing will help make your information more palatable and peak interest before you even begin to speak.

Using clip art in PowerPoint presentations can increase visibility and enhance your presentations while not over powering your information.

 With the leftovers tucked away and not many shopping days left it is time to get ready for the eight crazy nights that are almost upon us. Clip art can be very useful in the treasure hunt for Hanukkah gifts. Often there is a time each night after dinner when eager children search for gifts with their name plastered on the front.

For a fun twist on an old tradition, try using Hanukkah clip art taped to each gift instead of the traditional labels. For an added bit of fun, you can download clip art and paste it into a story that will direct the children to their gifts.

Eight nights is a long time to entertain children that are hip to the hiding places their parents have found but not revised over the years. If you have older children clip art Hanukkah projects are perfect to get the older ones involved and keep the younger ones amused.

 You have the words. You have the photos. But your project is lacking something you can’t quite put your finger on. Why not try clip art? The selection of clip art you can find online these days has come a long way.Back in the early days of the Internet, it was difficult to find quality clip art.

My, how things have changed. Thanks to companies like GraphicsFactory.com, who pioneered the online clip art industry, there are millions upon millions of images to choose from, on a staggering variety of topics.

Here are a few excellent places to use clip art :

• Family newsletters: So the Christmas card evolved into the Christmas letter, which then spawned the yearly family newsletter designed to tell everyone in your family tree all you accomplished this year. Run out of things to write but still have space to fill? Insert a piece of clip art and voila.

• Flyers: Flyers are easy to produce – so easy, in fact that everyone can and will do it. All the time. Then they have to post them so that others can see them. Which means that your flyer is competing for eyeballs with dozens of others, hawking apartments, pets, aromatherapy, whatever. A good way to make yours stand out from the pack is, you guessed it, clip art.

• Business cards: You business card is your portable billboard. It’s your one-second commercial. Your miniature PowerPoint presentation. A few lines of copy aren’t going to cut it. You need to differentiate yourself from the rest of the stack. And don’t try to do it by making your card a different size. Research shows seasoned networkers find that annoying. An easy and effective way to grab attention? Clip Art Images.

• T-shirts: Your high school doesn’t have a uniform policy, but you feel like it might as well. After all, everyone walking up and down the hall is wearing the exact same T-shirt bought at the exact same store. Who can blame them? T-shirts are comfortable and cheap. So why not step out on a limb and create a custom T-shirt that’s all about you? Easy enough with printable clip art.

• PowerPoint presentation: The subject of your speech to the rest of the department might be a little dry, but the actual presentation doesn’t have to be. Jazz up important key phrases of your talk with interesting bullets, clever animations and other varieties of clip art.

• Greeting cards: Sure your homemade greeting card won’t play a song every time you open it, but it will also free up some extra cash that can then go toward a quality present. Greeting cards adorned with clip art are infinitely more customizable, and therefore more personal than store-bought.

• CD covers: With the advent of mp3s, people are downloading and customizing their own CDs more than ever before. But the recordable CDs you can buy in packs at the store are blah. Why not use clip art to create one-of-a-kind covers that pop out from the rest? You can experiment with different themes that go with the vibe of the album you created yourself.

In summary, there are many places to use clip art, both at home and in the workplace. These are only a few ideas please post your own as a comment to this post.

10. Hallmark is overrated and not available 24 hours

9. Clip art makes you look more creative than you really are

8. You don’t have to be able to read to use clip art

7. Clip art won’t do dishes but it won’t argue with you either

6. You will always look like you colored inside the lines

5. Clip art projects will keep the kids busy for hours

4. Clip art is a great way to drop hints about the gifts that you want

3. If you don’t get the gifts that you want you can use clip art to give pictures of the gifts they want

2. Clip art never laughs at you because you are too cheap to buy a Hallmark

1. With Clip art you can promise your kid a pony and not be a liar