A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....07-12,13-05....Ready ~ Set Tables ~ GO!

Billie

[Billie]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Mama_Bear, Dutchess, Aquamarine, DollyCali ~

Well, not that kind of table...but html tables. Continuing our theme of a few weeks ago, today's thread is devoted to having more fun with tables. If you missed it earlier and need the text for the table templates, please go to the Mission: Possible! thread. There are six different ready-to-copy-and-paste templates there from which to choose!

Your challenge today is to use these templates as a guide and create your own combination by replacing my urls with yours in the examples. Google is your friend. (Search Google Web, not Images, for Background sets:) Some of you are already doing this - it's fun, isn't it?)

Now that you have some templates to work with in setting up your multiple background tables, let's dress up the graphics the same way. A photo can be just placed on a page alone, or you can use tables to make a frame for the photo in a number of ways.

Below, I've posted one photo three ways: first without a frame/border, and then a very basic one, and finally multiple table borders.

Plain..No Border..Nada

I can hardly post a plain graphic on a colored background anymore - it just looks nekkid! Don't you think? :)

---

Simple Table Border

This has the most basic of all tables; the command could hardly be more simple, and yet it finishes this little gif quite nicely. This is the text for this plain little border:

<center> <table border=4> <tr><td>
<img src="http://d21c.com/billie/logos/billielittlegirl.gif" width=160 height=180 align=middle>
</td></tr></table></center>

---

Multiple Table Borders

Probably a little too fancy-smancy for this gif, but just wanted to show you more of what you can do with tables and pictures. There are four sets of tables surrounding the picture, and effects can be changed simply by increasing or decreasing the cellpadding and/or border numbers.

When building the tables, start with the outer table first, and work inward. Finish by adding the image.

Text for the above framework:

<center> <table background="http://d21c.com/billie/
backgrounds/goldpatternbg.jpg" cellpadding=4
cellspacing=0 border=14>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/
backgrounds/periwinklewatercolorribbon.jpg"
cellpadding=0 border=11>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/
backgrounds/periwinklesolidbg.jpg" cellspacing=0
border=3><tr><td><center>
<table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=2>
<tr><td><img src="http://d21c.com/billie/
logos/billielittlegirl.gif" width=160 height=180 align=middle>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>

To create a pleasing set of table backgrounds, you should usually have at least three small background images (they will tile to fill whatever table size you specify):   a pattern of some kind, a coordinated gradient ribbon, and a solid texture for the top/main "palette" to place your text and images on. You can also match your font color to one of those background colors, instead of the standard black, white, red, blue, etc.

Here are a couple of links you might find helpful in making *your* tables pretty and fun!

Gradient Ribbon Colors

HTML Color Codes

*NOTE*:   Another thing you should know is that you can also use the html colors for your backgrounds instead of a background jpeg or gif. Anywhere in the table command where it says <table background="http://rest of the url/filename.jpg" cellpadding=10 border=6>, remove background="http://...../filename.jpg" and replace it with bgcolor=2f4f4f or any of the color codes above, so that it would look like this: <table bgcolor=2f4f4f cellpadding=10 border=6>

The templates and instructions that I've posted are only a small sampling of what can be done using tables, and certainly not the only way. You can find many other ways to make multiple background tables, but hopefully, this will get you started.

* BONUS! *

Here is a very simple example using three backgrounds: a blue gradient, a pink plaid, and a pink rose on pink for the inside. I used the same font color as in the rest of the post. (Font color="2f4f4f")

Below are the html commands (it will be wider than this, and grow longer as you add text and a picture.)

<center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/stormyweatherbg2.jpg" cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 border=2>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/Pinkplaidbg.gif" cellpadding=20 cellspacing=0 border=2>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/stormyweatherbg2.jpg" cellpadding=2>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://www.d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/pinkrosebg.jpg" width=500 cellpadding=30>
<tr><td>
<center>
<img src="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/PinkplaidRosebar.gif" width=288 height=44>
</center> <font color=2f4f4f>
Delete this whole sentence and put your post here instead. </td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>

Now that you are armed and dangerous, FReepers, go get those templates, go get those backgrounds, and

06-28-05 ~ Hall of Fame #12

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 07-11-05 Military Monday

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' Every Thursday at the Finest The guy's good, folks!

[NicknamedBob]

You gals are funny! Who'd have thought you'd get excited over a poem about spiders?

Add it to your collection, Amy.

[NicknamedBob]

Hi Gabz, Thanks.

I've heard you've given up sewing and are currently knitting,

I hope your bones knit well!

[Gabz]

Groan..................

[bevlar]

Did someone offer to teach us how to make good French Fries? If so....please share with me. I have grandchildren coming to visit the last week of July and I would LOVE to dazzle them with my cooking French Fries skills :-)

[tuliptree76]

LOL! ;-)

[JustAmy]

There is a funny western song with lyrics something about ....

spiders and snakes. :)

If I knew the title, I would post it.

I wonder if Victoria knows it?

[Billie]

"There is a funny western song with lyrics something about ....
spiders and snakes. :)
If I knew the title, I would post it.
I wonder if Victoria knows it?"

Hmmmmmm, that sounds like something that Tom T. Hall (I think that's his name) would sing.

[Billie]

Just had to tell you what a neat post this is! Great job on the background layouts! Spiders.....ugh!! Nothing pretty about them. :)

[luvie]

Glad I found your spider table. Heard it was very good, and they were right! Perfect for the poem! NNB is obviously a very talented guy (I have always admired people who can write!) and you are making him look even better! LOL!

[Mrs.Nooseman]

Beautiful table.

Spiders....EWWWWWWW!!!

[tuliptree76]

Thank you. :-)

[Mrs.Nooseman]

You are welcome!:)

[Kitty Mittens]

WOW!! Amy, your Table with the Butterflies and Flowers is BEAUTIFUL, and Tulip, yours with the Spider and the Webs is Wonderful, too!

NicknamedBob, you just can't Write a Bad Poem! Your Butterflies and Spiders Poems were both Great!

[JustAmy]

Thank you!!

Billie helped me and also made a suggestion; See #378. It is much better after I took Billie's suggestion.

[NicknamedBob]

Jim Stafford : "Spiders and Snakes"

I remember when Mary Lou said
"You wanna walk me home from school"
And I said, "Yes, I do"
She said, "I don't have to go right home
And I'm the kind that likes to be alone
As long as you would"
I said, "Me, too"

And so we took a stroll
Wound up down by the swimmin' hole
And she said, "Do what you want to do"
I got silly and I found a frog
In the water by a hollow log
And I shook it at her
And I said "This frog's for you"

She said, "I don't like spiders and snakes
And that ain't what it takes to love me
You fool, you fool
I don't like spiders and snakes
And that ain't what it takes to love me
Like I want to be loved by you"

Well, I think of that girl from time to time
I call her up when I got a dime
I say, "Hello, baby"
She says, "Ain't you cool"
I say, "Do you remember when
"And would you like to get together again"
She says, "I'll see you after school"

I was shy and so for a while
Most of my love was touch and smile
Til she said, "Come on over here"
I was nervous as you might guess
Still looking for somethin' to slip down her dress
And she said, "Let's make it perfectly clear"

She said, "I don't like spiders and snakes
And that ain't what it takes to love me
You fool, you fool
I don't like spiders and snakes
And that ain't what it takes to love me
Like I want to be loved by you"

[JustAmy]

Wow ..... thanks, NnB.

I don't like spiders and snakes either.

I'm glad you found some info on that silly song.

[NicknamedBob]

Bob’s Bad Poem

Someone said my poems,
Were all so very good,
I couldn’t write a bad one so,
I guess I thought I should.

I’ll start by saying orange,
That doesn’t rhyme with squat.
So if you speak of oranges,
A poet you are not!

Another thing I hate to see,
Is words that don’t quite rhyme,
So if you happen on such things,
You’ll know they aren’t mine.

And meter is important too,
The rhythm of the pome,
I try to keep mine steady on,
And not wandering too very far from home.

The essence of a poem,
At least where I’m concerned.
Is that you have a point to make,
Not clever phrases turned.

Anyone can write a poem,
Free verse is free-for-all,
But it takes art to have them shown,
Somewhere other than a wall.

NicknamedBob . . . . July 14, 2005

[NicknamedBob]

All I can suggest about the French Fries is to use good, large Idaho spuds, keep them under water after peeling and slicing, and rinse them three times in fresh cold water to wash away some of the starch.

Now all the ones I made were blanched, at a modest heat setting, for two or three minutes. This pre-cooked them, and drove off some water. It also coated them with the vegetable oil or shortening to reduce oxidation.

When it came time to fry them, the oil was HOT! and there was a large reservoir of it. This would indicate that keeping the Fries to oil ratio low is important to keeping the temperature at its proper heat setting.

They were cooked for a limited amount of time. It may be best to use a timer. Then pull them from the hot oil, let it drain off a bit, and spread them on a surface to drain further and receive their generous dose of salt.

Gather them into serving portions and serve HOT!

Obviously some of this is up to the cook, but the basic principle is: reduce the starch level, prevent oxidation, and cook quickly at high heat for the last phase. And don't be afraid to use salt, unless you're afraid to use salt.

[Gabz]

Thanks, Bob!

[JustAmy]

Bob’s Bad Poem

Someone said my poems,
Were all so very good,
I couldn’t write a bad one so,
I guess I thought I should.

I’ll start by saying orange,
That doesn’t rhyme with squat.
So if you speak of oranges,
A poet you are not!

Another thing I hate to see,
Is words that don’t quite rhyme,
So if you happen on such things,
You’ll know they aren’t mine.

And meter is important too,
The rhythm of the pome,
I try to keep mine steady on,
And not wandering too very far from home.

The essence of a poem,
At least where I’m concerned.
Is that you have a point to make,
Not clever phrases turned.

Anyone can write a poem,
Free verse is free-for-all,
But it takes art to have them shown,
Somewhere other than a wall.

NicknamedBob . . . . July 14, 2005