On the Topic of Clip Art , Terms of Use, & Keeping it All Organized

This post is especially for TpT sellers who have acquired a great deal of clipart and want a way to keep each artists' terms of use up to date and easily accessible. But before I share what I created for all of you, I feel I owe it to all of you to get a little more serious after seeing a post on the TpT FB page by chance before going to bed last night. I really do not like being a downer, but I feel like it is so important that I help spread awareness to all of you who love buying and using clipart to create products.. (mostly because you are my favorite kind of peeps..haha). I would be doing all of you a disservice by not keeping you informed and knowledgeable about shops to watch out for. 

Sellers now have such a huge selection of unique and high quality images to choose from for the products they create and many have become clipart hoarders (which is completely fine by me..lol).

However...

It is truly important that you do a little research on sellers offering commercial use clipart BEFORE downloading the free or paid files and/or using the images in products you create & here's why...

I recently came across a fairly "new" shop (or it seemed new) offering free downloads of images that were copyrighted images she found on the web  and put into one free file to offer from her shop as her own creation. 

This is absolutely unacceptable and illegal by the way. 

Buyers who download the free images left comments to "thank" the seller for her generosity and showered her with complements,completely unaware that the images they just downloaded were stolen. This sort of unethical behavior just drives me crazy. For one, it harms both the seller's integrity AND it puts the buyers at risk of also being sued for copyright infringement for using images they do not have permission to use. 

This particular shop did not have any restrictions or specific terms listed in the description, other than to state that...and I quote,"Use these free images to create your own resources!" In a small line underneath that, she placed the following text:

"credit: clipartpanda"

SERIOUSLY!!??

For one, that site is a treasure trove of stolen images they have no right offering from their site... and I have had to battle with the site's domain host on several occasions to get my images removed. Take a peek at that site and they clearly state in their terms that they are NOT giving users permission to use the images and that they do not claim to own the rights to any and all of the images that can be found on the site. They steal images from many artists I know personally and the ONLY purpose they are doing this is to DRIVE traffic to their site to earn free ad revenue! In my opinion, the site should be taken down based on the amount of complaints they have against them, but it is going to take some serious cash and a legal team to really make a difference with sites doing like this. 

This TpT seller and her "super cute art" (according to the feedback left on her shop) seems to think it's alright to steal images from any site on the web, place those images in a downloadable file and offer them from her shop. One of the other bundled clipart sets she was offering did not include the small credit to the site she stole the images from. It seems strange to me that someone would not notice that every single image in the set was completely different style, resolution, and line styles. 

I was mostly amazed that not one of the comments in the ratings even mentioned or seemed to take note of the lack of terms for using the images she was giving away for free. Instead, they downloaded the freebie without thinking and thanked her for her generosity!!

BE WISE PEOPLE!!! Do your homework.. especially if you are planning on using images you download to create products to sell. You have a responsibility to your buyers and it is really important that you pay attention to the details and avoid feeding the egos of shops like this... 

This seller, without any hesitation, took the credit and thanks for offering the stolen images. 

Secondly, and probably even more important..... many of those shops that offer stolen clipart for free might be giving you a computer virus within the downloaded freebie... SURPRISE!!! Just because something is free does not mean you should download it onto your computer without doing a little research ahead of time. Read the description... it only takes a couple of minutes and if it seems peculiar or is lacking details, then you most likely should pass up the freebie with a NO THANK YOU!! 

Here are a few little tips from me to help you all to try to spot the shops to stay clear of...

1. If every image in the set is a completely different artistic style and appears to be drawn by several different artists, chances are... each image probably was drawn by a different artist. 

2. If some of the images look familiar, do a quick Google image search using some of the keywords or title words used by the seller. Chances are, you will quickly spot where those images came from if they were, in fact, stolen. 

3. If the product description does not clearly state the terms of use OR credit is given to another website or person... RUN far, far away. 

4. Ask a reputable and trusted artist what they think.... trust me, I never tell anyone who not to purchase clipart from, but I will honestly tell you to be careful. 

Now for a happier tip for TPT sellers using commercial use clipart in products you sell or plan to sell...

How do you keep track of each artists' terms of use when using art from various shops? How about using my terms of use checklist I just created for this very purpose?? 

Print out a terms of use checklist for each shop you purchase clipart from and keep the completed checklist in a binder as a quick reference when you are planning out your next product. This will help you know what images you can use for particular products and whether or not you have permission to use the images in your products. I have also left room for you to add notes for a particular shop just in case you need to contact an artist to request special permission or ask for permission about using the images in a way that is not defined in the artists' terms of use. 

I hope this little checklist comes in handy for all of you! Click the image below to grab my free clipart terms of use checklist... I promise, my freebies are legit!! haha

I will be booking my very last bunch of custom blog designs for the month of August and then I will be taking a long break from custom design work for a while. I look forward to working with all of you!!

TpT Feature News, H-E-L-L-O Business Planner & a Giveaway!!!

Thank you to all of you who were as excited as I was this weekend about my TpT feature!! You all are amazing and I can't tell you how blessed I felt from all of your messages! I also want to thank my FB Wally group for helping me pic out a photo to use... This was was the winner and I am glad I used it. I seriously need to have professional photos taken, because getting just this one picture took me several hours!! I did not have time to edit the photo and chose to use it as is... blemishes and freckles in all. I figured I'd post what I actually look like. This way, if you ever see me in person, you aren't shocked.. haha!!

I love that we can all celebrate each other's successes and triumphs! Being featured was such a special treat and no one in my house could understand my excitement..haha  I was thankful to have you all to celebrate with me!!

That's ME (below)!! When I initially got the email I was asked to write a brief intro on the products I was featuring; however, I had no idea that would end up under my name.. I wish I had written something more clever about myself.. hahaha....

I believe I initially announced that I would be creating a business planner about 6 months ago....
This is how the project began... in my SMASH book and just a bunch of ideas coming together...

I did not give up and it is FINALLY here!! I already printed mine out and have been putting it to good use!

Let me just spend a little time showing you what I have included in this planner and how I put mine together...

What's Included:
Directions and Terms of Use
Five cover page styles to choose from
Section Divider Pages – Choose to organize your planner sections by month, by category or create your very own sections using the pre-made blank divider pages provided in your download.
Accounts & Password log in three styles
12 Month Calendar Spread pages
Wide Calendar Pages in three styles; including quarter sized printable pages
Birthday Calendar
Contact Pages
Goals
Monthly Blog Post Planner
Weekly Blog Post Planner
Single Blog Post Planner
Daily Schedule Pages in 3 styles
Time Tracker/ Hours Worked Log
14 Fun Note Pages
Product Listing Log
Product Planner: Teaching Resource Template
Product Planner: Clipart Set Template
Product Planner: Custom Blog Design Template
Sales & Promotions Log in 3 styles
Monthly/Weekly Blog Stats and Record Overview Sheets
Monthly Pinterest Board Stats
Google Adsense Stats and Earnings tracker
Shop Stats Tracker in 3 styles
Weekly Planning and Scheduling
Yearly Snapshot in two styles
Daily Ledger
Daily Sales Tracker
Income & Expense Tracker and Report
Monthly Bills
12 Month Profit Report
Recurring Business Expense Log
Weekly Income & Expense Report
And MORE!!!

Once you purchase the planner, you will download a zipped file containing over 200 custom pages to play with!!

Save your file and unzip or extract the files. Once you extract the files, your folders should look a little something like this...minus the background striped.

Spend some time looking through the folders and choosing the pages and page styles that will work best for you, then decide how you will want to organize those pages. For instance, if you click on the NOTES folder, you will see 12 separate PDF files. Each file is a separate note page style. Choose the one that fits your personality.. or print a few pages of each one..

That's what makes this planner so unique... you can choose the pages and styles that you like, organize and print them in any order and then assemble your planner to use!! It does take some time to organize and print the pages; however, I believe you will be just as happy as I am once you have it all prepared.

Here are a few pics of my Planner coming together...

I chose to use my handy dandy binding machine!! I have the Fellows Star 150, which I absolutely LOVE!! It does not include directions; however, it is pretty basic and you can always email me if you can't figure out how to use the binding machine.

I printed out my cover page and my dividers using bright white cardstock paper, which has worked out quite nicely. I also

I also used the Fellows clear binding covers as the first and last pages of each of my sections. I chose to bind my planner sections separately, so I can just use the section I need when I need it... and not have a giant binder with me at all times.

I am not using my Amazon affiliate link for these items. I am sharing them with you, so you can see exactly what I used to put my planner together.

If you will be using a 3-ring binder, Shoplet has some great label tabs dividers that would be great for this project. I recently got a couple of free packs to try out, but I used them for the kids for school because I chose to use the binding machine for this project. I opted out for the Fellows blank divider tabs that come without hole punches.

Here are the two from Shoplet that I had the honor of using for the kids for school. The stickers that come with the sets are super easy to use with the computer and easy to attach as well.

 

They also have a video to show you how to apply the tabs to the dividers. They have clear and colored tabs and both are great quality and super easy to use. This way, you can divide your sections using clean dividers and tabs with cute fonts!! ha!!


Here is pic of my mess planner coming together in the living room!! I am super picky and it took me a bit longer to figure out how I wanted to organize all of my pages in a way that would work best for everyday use. Some of the info on the pages is repetitive info in different sections, so I wanted to make sure I could record the stats and earnings in one section and then transfer that data to the other binder at the end of each week. This works best for my own situation and what I do because my income changes daily and I get new requests on a daily basis. I never have a way to truly set a budget for the month; however, that is one of my goals for this year... to get to a point in my business where I can plan out a monthly budget and start putting money in savings again. This has been one of my biggest challenges being self-employed... that and TAXES!!! I won't even get started on how terrible I am trying to organize my tax info.

When all of the pages were printed and bound, I ended up with 7 individual binders. I could have probably broken them easily into 10, but I was getting tired.... haha!!

The one with the cover photo is my business finances binder.. and the thickest binder of the bunch.
You could even choose to use the monthly dividers and organize a smaller binder for each month with enough prints to cover everything for one entire month. I think I might actually do this next time or maybe even for next month. I think having one binder per month will make it much easier for me to organize and find the information I need when I need it, but for now, this will do just fine!!

Here is an example of how I can use the monthly dividers to organize my information by month. I can choose to do it in two styles.. haha. Personally, I like the white with the colored text the best... although, the colored dividers with white text does print quite nicely. One thing you can count on from me is that I make sure to test print everything before offering it as a product. There was a lot of trial and error getting this planner just right!!

Here are the options by topic

I also included blank dividers in an editable PDF template...and in every color. I will be adding a PowerPoint version to make it easier for all of you to edit the text and add font styles that fit your own style and personality. 

Here is an example of how what I included for my daily schedule and how I printed and organized the pages to meet my needs.

Below is an image of the section divider. I placed my Daily Schedule pages within my Monthly Planner, which has worked out nicely so far. 

I sectioned out my daily schedule week by week for one month. At the beginning of each weekly section, I have the weekly planner page at the top. This way, I can set my own personal goals and plan for the week ahead. I used the Weekly planner with the titles pre-filled, but I did include a version without the pre-typed titles. This way, you can add whatever is important for you each week. 

Turn the page.... I placed my hours log on the left hand side and my Daily Schedule page on the right hand side. Next time, I will definitely switch this around. I am left handed and I prefer to work from left to right.. I think the more I use the planner, the better I can organize it to meet my needs... which is what makes this planner so awesome! I did a lot of research before and during the process of putting this planner together and one thing I really struggled with was figuring out how I was going to organize the pages within the file in a way that would work for everyone. The only solution to this was to create a separate PDF for each custom page and allow all of you to choose how to organize and print out your pages. 

Here is the Hours log page that you can see a glimpse of in the image above, but it is taken on the right side to make it easier for you to see up close...

One thing that has been very important to me while trying to improve my time management and raise my income level has been to keep track of my hours. This is SOOOO important to do. When I started keeping better track of my hours, I began to really sort through and wean out the things that wasted time. It also helps me to price my products effectively. I want to offer my products at an affordable price, but it is also my responsibility as a business owner to make sure that I am actually making a profit from the projects I invest my time in. I believe that this will continue to improve as I make staying organized a daily habit.

Now... I have a treat for ALL of you!! I am going to offer my Hello Planner for free to ONE lucky follower!! All you need to do to enter is to become a fan on Facebook and leave a comment below telling me why you desperately need to win the new planner!! The Raffle will close on Friday at midnight and the winner will be announced on Saturday.. right here and on my Facebook fanpage!!

I will keep the planner discounted until Wednesday at midnight for those of you who want to save 50% off now.

Thank you so much for your support, encouragement and your knowledge. I love that I can share my knowledge and learn form all of you as well!!

ALSO.... My monthly clipart freebie for August will be published next week.

Get your very own Hello Planner now for 50% off... Use the links below

My Website
Teachers Pay Teachers Shop



a Rafflecopter giveaway





Use Hashtag #helloplanner if you want to share how you put your planner together... I would love to see how you are all using it as well..

Future Additions to the planner (already in the works)...

* Making every page editable
* Adding lesson planning pages
*Adding tax info
*Adding resource tutorials for Designers

Just saw a post from Suzanne @

and she printed her planner out and placed it in a 3-ring binder!! Head on over to see how she is using her new planner! What a sweetheart!! She totally made my day!! Click HERE for the direct link to the post.

S.M.A.R.T. Goal Setting Tips & Printable templates!

When I was MUCH younger than I am now, I used to have the most vivid dreams about flying.

I don't know whether these dreams were related to my home situation, but whenever I had them, I woke up "knowing" that I was capable of flying.

I just "knew" it was possible.

One of these times, I decided I would give it a try. I decided to tie my bed sheet around my neck... just in case I didn't quite succeed on my first try... you know... like a baby bird first beginning to fly.

At the time, I shared a room with my younger sister and we had a metal framed bunk bed. I think it was painted red....

I was completely unaware that tying anything to my neck could cut off my air supply, and the thought of suicide had never even crossed my mind. I carefully tied one end of the sheet with a slip-knot on the bar at the back of the bed... to give me jumping room.. and the other end of my sheet to my neck. After already tying the other end to the bed, it was a little tricky tying that other end to my neck.

Before I tell you what actually happened, let me give you a little insight as to why I would believe that I could actually do something I had dreamed I could do...

I am one of those people that can watch someone doing something and automatically know how. I taught myself how to do a front hand spring by watching the Olympics, and at the age of 3 I was writing my letters because I watched the people around me write... not that I could read or understand what I was doing.. I just saw someone doing it and believed that I could.... and I could...

After going to a piano lesson with my friend when I was in 5th grade, I begged my mom for a piano because I just knew I could play it... I never got a piano, but I did get one of those hand-held Cassio pianos... which at the time... was AWESOME! I opened the box, scrounged for batteries and turned that thing ON!!

I remembered my friends' fingers, the positioning, and mostly, the tune and sound of the correct keys. I played several of the songs on the piano, which people were amazed by, but I never learned to read the music... Not that I couldn't, I just never had the desire to do so... or a piano to inspire me to learn a new skill.

I  also kept keep a journal next to my bed because there were many nights I just HAD to draw whatever it was I had been dreaming about.

I am in awe of how intricate our brains are.

Back to the flying... by now, you can probably imagine why I truly believed I had the ability to fly.

I stood up with my feet touching together and stretched my hands in the air, took a few wobbly steps forward (I was on a cushioned mattress, you know), and took a brave leap off my bunk bed...

Luckily, that second attempt to tie the sheet to my neck was not very good, because I slipped right out of it as soon as my weight gave the sheet a tug.

I never did try flying off of my bed again, and from that point on, I was a bit more hesitant as to the reliability of my dreams...

I chose not to try again because I failed miserably. There was not even a moment of flight or feeling of weightlessness... I went straight down and knew I would never fly.

Just like my leap of brilliance off of my bunk bed, I believe that we often take these types of leaps in our day to day lives when it comes to setting attainable goals and preparing steps to achieve those goals.

We come up with a brilliant idea or "plan" and we take that leap without really putting enough thought or planning into the original plan; causing us to fail miserably.

Once most people fail miserably at something, they are far less likely to try that "thing" (whatever that thing may be) ever again. However, maybe if they had had a better plan... their idea could have transformed into something great.

Big ideas, with consistent goal setting and planning, can prove to be quite rewarding in the end.

I am not saying that if I had had a better plan, I would be flying by now.... that is not a reality. What I am saying is that we need to break down our ideas into manageable, yet attainable goals in order to work towards our main objective (teachers, you all know what I am talking writing about)

If I had known that flying was (is) impossible for a human body, then I might have moved onto something else that morning... you know... instead of almost hanging myself with a bed sheet.

That would have most certainly been a strange news heading... 7- year old girl hangs herself from bunk-bed...

People might have wondered what an 7 year old would be so depressed about... I bet "thinking she could fly" would have never even crossed their minds... no one knew my dreams and I did not tell anyone I thought I could fly... it just happened...haha

Possibly, having a few trusted friends around, that we can occasionally bounce our ideas off of, might help us to more effectively work out the kinks...

Here are a few S.M.A.R.T goal setting tips that might help you get ready to begin setting some new goals.

I have also created a fun file with several goal setting templates and note pages that you can print and use at any time for only $2.00!! Click below to check it out at one of my online shops!!

Click HERE to get this directly from my WEBSITE

Click HERE to get this directly from my TPT SHOP

Click HERE to get this directly from my ETSY SHOP

Thank you for stopping by & I hope you begin setting goals for yourself and reaching new heights in both your personal and professional lives!!

We {HEART} Teachers: Day #4 - Teacher Essentials!!

Hi Ya'll!!
I am not southern, but I just like writing that..ha!

We are on DAY 4 of Teacher Appreciation week and there are even more prize packs for you to get a chance to win!!!

All of the Prize packs offered this week will run until Monday, so if you missed a day.. don't worry..
just go back to my previous posts and make sure to enter!!

You can click here to check out all the prizes that have been up for grabs each day!

This link will take you The Applicious Teacher's blog page with all of the post in one place... Leigh is so amazingly organized and I just want to thank her for putting this all together for everyone!! What a blessing she is!!

Here is what's in store for today!!

So...we've got TWO prize packs up for grabs today! 

The first pack is one that is SURE to be of help to you!

In this pack we've got a Thirty-One Lunch tote, so you can always pack an energy boosting lunch and snacks! There's also a "Best Teacher Ever." Tumbler cup that can keep your favorite beverage cold no matter how hot you get out on that classroom floor! VeryUnLadylikeBadgeshas sooo graciously donated 10 badge reels and matching pocket mirrors, so you can share with 9 of your teacher friends! This pack also includes a "Quietest Classroom Sharpener" in your choice of color fromClassroom Friendly Supplies!

Here's the raffelcopter for this amazing prize pack!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now, we couldn't leave you hangin' in the lesson department, so we've got some AMAZING products wrapped up into one MEGA prize pack!!

Here's what in here...

Click here to check out what you'd want from Sue's Store!

                            How cute are these certificates from Kimberly?

You can check out Deana's pack here.
and pick out something from Sabra's Store here. 

Closer look at Nicole's pack here.
and you can scope out Alyssha's Close Reading Passages here. 


Love this pack from Jessica!
This is the BUNDLE of Tamara's Differentiated Fluency passages!

Love these CC Math Centers from Latoya!
Check out these Guided Reading Flip Flap Books from Anna.

Click here to start planning what you'll get from Holly's Store!
You'll love this Busy Teacher Pack

from Katie!

From The Applicious Teacher,  you'll get my ELA Student Led Discussion cards and mySchool Forms and Checklists pack! 

The winner of this prize pack is going to be a very HAPPY teacher!! Enter for a chance to win below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And that is not all!! Due to technical issues on the site yesterday, TpT has EXTENDED their Teacher appreciation sale!!! My shop will be marked down as well until Friday to give you plenty of time to grab what you need while it's  on sale!!

I published a small little treat from my HELLO PLANNER that I am working on. The complete planner is not finished quite yet; however, I made my printable wide calendar pages available for you to grab now!!

I printed out the mini sizes last night and I am making cute pockets to add to a wall in my office!! I just LOVE being organized in style!! ha!!