A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....01-10-06....Turning the Tables

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, Dutchess, DollyCali, Mama_Bear, GodBlessUSA ~

Turning the Tables

I'm turning the tables on you today. My opening won't be a pretty one - today that's *your* job!

This is the third 'installment' of how to make pretty posts, using tables and borders and decorative fonts. You will have all the tools you need today to create your own beautiful table posts. But first you need a few decorative fonts and a good source for html color codes to break out of the basic red, blue, green, etc. colors. Once you have the fonts installed on your own hard drive, you can use them in your posts, along with hundreds of pretty color codes, to turn ordinary, default text into pretty script or playful fonts.

Below are a few fonts to begin with. Simply click on the name, and when you are asked "Do you want to open or save this file?", click on the button *Save*, and a list of the programs and folders on your computer will open. Navigate down the tree to "Control Panel", and click on the "Fonts" folder. The new font will download and install in that folder - that's all there is to it! It is now on your hard drive, and you can specify the new font face, as well as color and size, in your html command: <font face="brush flair" size=5 color="b20000"><b>. After you've posted your text, using that font face, size, and color, you only have to turn OFF the font once: </font>

Charming
Chaucer
Invitation
Brush Flair
Vivaldi
Quill

If you would like to locate and download more fonts, this is a great source:

6500 Free Fonts to Download

Now you need a source to find the 'perfect shade' of color for text that will compliment your backgrounds or graphics. Try this one: (use the color *number* rather than a name)

HTML Color Codes

A little further down I am including several background files and some graphics you can use to build your table posts. To help you understand how to post a table, you need to know that there is a whole *set* of commands for each table you post. I always start mine with the <center> command because I like for the tables to be centered in my posts.

<center><table><tr><td>

You must turn OFF as many sets of commands (in the opposite order you turned them on) after you have finished inserting the information or pictures in your last/main table.

</td></tr></table><center>

Our Finest opening posts are a series of *nested* tables, and the outside tables form a 'frame/border' around the last/main table. It is the last table that we put our text and images on, and we give that last table a specific width (most websites use percentages for their table widths, and they will increase/decrease to fit your screen - your text and/or images may also *move around* when you use percentages. We prefer them to stay *put*, which is why our last tables have a specific width in the table command)

The <table>command itself is where we put all the little details that show the widths of the frames/borders, and the background colors or *patterns*. To use a background pattern or image, it is similar to posting a graphic - you must have the image uploaded. To use just a color code, you need only specify bgcolor=#dfcdf3 (or any color code of your choice) inside the table command. You can do both bgcolor AND background image in the same table command - the bgcolor will open first and the background image will be on top of the bgcolor.

Below is a set of tables that uses both background images/patterns and bgcolors. Below the set, I will show the code that created it. (Notice that narrow strip just below this table? It is a ruler/guide I use to keep my table posts from getting too wide for an 800 x 600 screen resolution. I delete it before posting.)   :)

       

Hello, Finest FReepers, and thank you for coming today.

I used 4 sets of tables here - the first three are background images or gradients, and the last one is just a black bgcolor. If you use this *template* to create your own table, just replace ALL of this text with whatever you wish to say. You may also add more table *sets* or use fewer. Just remember to count how many you turn *on*, so you can turn *off* the same number.

One more thing I ask in posting tables at the Finest....we use a screen resolution of 800 x 600 for our regulars who have theirs set at that size. When you are creating a table post, please keep them sized so that no one has to scroll to view the whole thing. I use a little ruler/guide at the top of the tables I build that keeps me within that guideline. See it above, between the two sets of tables? I normally remove it when I'm finished checking the tables, before I post the thread! :)

I will post the text to make the ruler/guide for *you* so you'll know you can't exceed that width. Keep it there until you're ready to post - sometimes pictures are wider than the last table, and it stretches the table to fit the picture. :)

READY? LET'S GO!

COPY & PASTE EVERYTHING IN GREEN BELOW THIS PARAGRAPH, BECAUSE IT IS THE HTML TEXT IT TAKES TO BUILD YOUR TABLES. If the urls, words or numbers inside any of the brackets are in Italics, those urls/words/numbers can be changed to bigger or smaller numbers, or other colors or backgrounds or graphics you want to use instead. Below this table text, there will be several backgrounds and opening* graphics you can use instead of those I used just above. The first line of commands is the ruler/guide that will post above your tables when you start. Don't let your tables get wider than the guide - preferably comment posts should be narrower than the guide, but *definitely* not wider!

<center><table width=775 border=1><tr><td></td></tr></table></center>

<center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/DeepRedtexturedgradient.jpg" cellpadding=10 cellspacing=0 border=4>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/Blackgradientbg.jpg" cellpadding=15 cellspacing=0 border=2>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/merlotcontemporarybg.jpg" cellpadding=50 cellspacing=0 border=2>
<tr><td><center>
<table bgcolor=#000000 width=550 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=2>
<tr><td>
<br><br>
<center>
<img src="http://tinypic.com/jv0gzo.jpg" width=280 height=415>
</center>
<br><br>
<blockquote><font color=#e5e5e5 face=arial size=3>
Replace all this stuff with your text. The *blockquote* command gives a nice little margin on both sides, rather than having the text go all the way to the edges.
<br><br>
PLEASE include the width and height of your graphics in your commands. You can find those when you right-click on the graphic to get the url. Under *size*, the width is listed first, then the height.
<br><br>
One more thing I ask in posting tables at the Finest....we use a screen resolution of 800 x 600 for our regulars who have theirs set at that size. When you are creating a table post, please keep them sized so that no one has to scroll to view the whole thing. I use a little ruler/guide at the top of the tables I build that keeps me within that guideline. See it above, between the two sets of tables? I normally remove it when I'm finished checking the tables, before I post the thread! :)
</font></blockquote>
<br><br>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's the fun part. With that template above, and with these graphics and backgrounds below, choose a graphic from the thumbnails (click on the thumbnails for the original - don't post the thumbnail size!)   The bgcolor number listed below the thumbnail graphic is the background bgcolor you should use for your last table because it was made for that particular graphic to *sit on*.

Once you have chosen the graphic, choose from the backgrounds below the thumbnails for the urls to use instead of the ones in the template above. You will notice that a few of the backgrounds were made specifically for the graphics - they might be *too busy* to use as the *wide* frames/borders, but will probably look nice as narrow ones. There should be at least one gradient background that will coordinate with your graphic. Now, have fun and let us all see what you do with it. Get creative and change some of the numbers for wider or narrower frames/borders - make the borders, narrow-wide-narrow instead of narrow-narrow-wide. Use the bgcolor for one of the wider frame/borders, or even add more tables before your last one! (Remember if you do, to do another line of *off* commands for each set of tables you add.)

CLICK ON THUMBNAILS FOR GRAPHIC

bgcolor=#dfcdf3

bgcolor=#e2b3ab

bgcolor=#dca19b

bgcolor=#e5f4f1

bgcolor=#000000

bgcolor=#502d27

bgcolor=#c8994b

bgcolor=#7a5755

bgcolor=#f8f8e0

bgcolor=#e0d6d5

BACKGROUNDS & GRADIENTS
Right-click to get the url

If none of these backgrounds or graphics say "Pick ME!", please Google and find something you like. Would love to see you have some fun putting things together today! Any questions, just ask. Have a Terrific Tuesday!

12-28-05 ~ Hall of Fame #14

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 01-09-06 Military Monday

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

[GodBlessUSA]

UNITED WE STAND

God Bless America

[WVNan]

Thanks for the prayers Amy. KET said she just talked to Brian's wife and he had called her. We are all breathing a big sigh of relief. It's so nerve wracking. He is supposed to come home the end of Feb. and I think that makes it even more dicey. You hear of so many who are taken just before returning home. Sorry I brought a negative note to such a love thread. I admire everyone who can do those things. I just jon't have the smarts, or maybe the patience to learn it. I hear you about the homework. I get completely frazzled when I keep miss E. I spend most of my time with her on music. All of our playtime revolves around music and dancing. She already has good rhythm. She will try to play the little fiddle I got her for Christmas, and she has a ball with the electronic piano. She pushes buttons and gets it to do different things. She loves the rhythm button best. We sing Jesus Love Me and Row Row Row Your Boat. It's fun, but by the end of the day I'm bushed. LOL

[MEG33]

That is beautiful. Gee Bee. I love it.

[luvie]

I love that one, GB! God bless America indeed!...and pray for her, too!

[GodBlessUSA]

Thanks!
HUGS! :)

[GodBlessUSA]

FreeRepublic isn't working very well for me. How is it working for you?

[Mama_Bear]

You have my empathy.

Thanks Nan. At least I don't have to pack everything up in one day. Good grief, I don't think that would be possible!

Everything is going into storage, so I don't have to try to decide what to do with it, other than box everything up. I will let someone else decide what to do with it all when the time comes.......but it isn't going to be me doing the deciding. JK has three brothers, so, between the four of them and their wives (excluding me, LOL), they can divvy it all up.

She has SO MUCH STUFF! A lot of it is from the Philippines, Japan and Hawaii, collected when she and JK's dad were stationed overseas. Lots of china and "monkey pod".....tons of it! LOL.

I put in six hours over there today and am about done in. Time for dinner, which JK is fetching as we speak. Then I think I will collapse in front of the TV.

[luvie]

Right now it seems to be working fine. Was a little sluggish earlier in the day. As was Fotki.

[JustAmy]

Well ... she is my sweetie. But when I remember that I will be 80 when she is 18, I get nervous. :)

[GodBlessUSA]

Hi WVNan
I just read your posts. I will keep your friend's son in my Prayers. God Bless him for his sacrifices for service. Thank God the family has heard from him. How heart wrenching that must have been.

[GodBlessUSA]

Hmm, Fotki too. I wonder if something is going on out in cyber world.LOL It's frustrating. Before I didn't think I was going to be able to post at all. I hit a page and only white appears, I hit again it finally shows up. I'm just glad I got on FR. :)

[luvie]

That's weird. I know what it is...you've been shopping too much! LOL!

[Diver Dave]

I'm borrowing your table, LUV...

[MEG33]

This is the right place to tell of your concerns,Nan,anytime.

Father all-powerful and ever-loving God, Hear our prayer for those in our armed forces who are in harm's way. Keep them safe in time of danger. Bring them safely home to their loved ones.Watch over those who are wounded and need healing..We pray that You strengthen and comfort them,Lord. We ask that you strengthen and comfort the families and friends whose loved ones are in harm's way,too. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

[luvie]

Wow! That looks good on you! Those colors lend themselves to many different graphics. I love the beautiful butterfly!

[Mama_Bear]

Just checked back and the DOD just released the names of the dead. Brian was not on the helo. Praise God for that, and prayers for the families of the heros who didn't make it.

Oh, what a relief for Brian's family!! The waiting for word that he was okay must be unbearable. I thank God that he was not among those lost and I pray for the families of those who were. No doubt, their loved ones were holding their breath and praying that it wasn't their son or daughter, just as KET was.

War, no matter how justified, takes such a terrible toll on the families of those injured and killed in action. I will continue to pray for Brian and all of our men and women in harm's way. I am glad to hear that he is scheduled to come home soon. Give KET a hug for me the next time you see her.

[WVNan]

Rest well and enjoy that "fetched" dinner.

[WVNan]

Thanks Gee Bee. I'm sure that KET is relaxing and getting some rest now. We all had a scare for a while there.

[Mama_Bear]

Rest well and enjoy that "fetched" dinner.

I sure will.......when he gets here with it. Now I am wondering just where he went to fetch it. LOL. But I am so tired, I don't even care what it is, as long as it gets here eventually.

[WVNan]

Thank you MEG. As nervous as I am about Brian (who is sort of like my son too, since I was his pastor during his growing up years), I can only imagine how nervous his Mom is.