The Sleigh Bells

'Tis merry to hear, at evening time,
By the blazing hearth, the sleigh bells chime;

To know the bounding steeds bring near
The loved one to our bosom dear...

~ Susanna Moodie ~

This Victorian image depicting
a sleigh ride made for some lovely
wintry stationery ~ enjoy!


Here are the free graphics
& sources used in my artwork:


*Wordplay*
Victorian sleigh ride

*Boston Public Library on Flickr*
Cigarette trade card (back, frame)

*Old Design Shop*
Aged paper texture

*Lilac & Lavender*
"Antiqued" lined paper



Thanks for stopping by...
best wishes to you & yours
for a Happy New Year!

The Birds' Christmas Tree

I designed most of the images to be cut out together (as seen below)
then folded and glued (I used a glue stick).  Sit under a heavy object for at
least 10 minutes to prevent the paper from curling.

It's sweet to think of others this time of year... 

including the local birds!  We like to put out extra birdseed
 and hang suet cakes in our crabapple tree.  It's fun to watch
 them fluttering and hopping about... and it feels good
 knowing we've helped provide a meal for them.

Here's my gift idea ~ if you're already putting together
a gift basket for a gardener, or just looking for a simple
gift for teachers, etc.... buy a few suet cakes at the store
(or make homemade bird tree ornaments with your
 kids) place in a brown paper bag, fold down the top
and punch 2 holes.  Weave jute or ribbon through,
and add one of these cards or tags ~ done! 


Here are the free
graphics & sources:


*TuckDB*
Postcard image ~ robins

*The Feathered Nest*
"The Birds' Christmas Tree" poem


Thank you for stopping by!

In a Winter-Wonderland

"Now we don hats and mittens;
take our loved ones by the hand,
as we all become children in
a winter-wonderland."
~ Janet Martin ~

3.5 inch round graphic
and printable with 6 (below).

Snowflakes are from this free font.

3x5 inch, postcard-size graphic
and 8.5x11 printable stationery, etc.

Tag with little girl on sled,
and printable sheet of 6 tags in 2 sizes:

 Original, unaltered Christmas postcard from my collection:

"Childhood Winters"

I sit and watch the white snow
Piled up outside my window.
And I see in my memory
Red mittened hands and rosy cheeks
Of the child of long ago.
Building snowmen and laughing
Against the wind.
Such simple pleasures
For a child to enjoy
Making snow her winter toy...

~ Rasma Raisters ~



Hello, and thank you
for stopping by!

Let It Snow...

 "Gather your loved ones

and let the winds blow,
This is the season;
let it snow, let it snow."

~ Janet Martin ~

These circles are 2.5" and would work
well as gift tags or labels, or used to spruce up
a regular mouth canning jar.  Simply place one
on the flat lid, then screw the ring band on
to keep it in place.


Here are the free graphic
& font sources I used:


*Old Design Shop*
Aged paper texture

*Dafont.com*
Faux Snow


The opening quote from Janet's poem
is so fitting for us, as we'll be gathering
with our loved ones on this very chilly,
snowy Thanksgiving day...


Thank you for stopping by,
and Happy Thanksgiving! 

Angels Among Us

Oh I believe there are angels among us.
Sent down to us from somewhere up above.
They come down to us in our darkest hours.
They show us how to live, to teach us how to give.
To guide us with the light of love.

~ Don Goodman & Becky Hobbs ~

Snow angel ~ 5 x 8" graphic, and
printable sheet of tags ~ 3 sizes.
Enjoy!

Do not neglect hospitality,
for through it some have unknowingly
entertained angels.

~ Hebrews 13:2 ~



Here are the free graphics &
font sources used in my artwork:

*Vintage Images*
Angel holding white lilies

*Vintage Feedsacks*
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

*Shadowhouse Creations*
Softly aged sepia texture

*Dafont.com*
Faux Snow


Thanks for stopping by!

I Heard a Bird Sing

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember...

'We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,'

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December.

~ Oliver Herford ~

Aren't these little robins sweet?
The first image is a FB cover photo.
The second is an 8 x 10" blank December
calendar.  The last image is 8 x 10"
paper for scrapbooking, etc.


Here are the free graphics &
sources used in my artwork:

*TuckDB*
Robins & holly postcard
 
*Shadowhouse Creations*
Softly aged sepia texture

I also used the font Parchment for "December"


Thank you for stopping by!

Swirling Border & Lined Paper

I was inspired by the intricate style
of a round Victorian frame to create a swirling design of my own.  The swirl
turned into a border for lined paper... as you

can see, it looks great in several colors!

I used the aged background from an image
on the Old Design Shop to create
the paper texture.

Hope you find these papers
beautiful & useful!

Thanks for stopping by!

Pumpkin Muffins & Printable

"It is the sweet, simple things of life
which are the real ones after all."

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder ~

Our family loves these

sweet & simple pumpkin muffins!

I made the recipe into an 8" x 10"

image for instant kitchen art...

Some tips & advice:

1.  Only grease the bottoms of the muffin tin.  Skip the sides.
2.  Fill an oven-safe dish with 1" or so of water, and place in the oven while preheating.

3.  Preheat your oven for 15 or 20 degrees hotter than the recipe states, then reduce to recommended temp when muffin tins go in.

(The tips above help batter rise & peak quickly ~ topping off the muffins nicely)

4.  Did you know muffins freeze really well?
        After they've cooled, place in a large freezer bag.
        To reheat, pop in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
        To send in lunches, place in a sandwich bag and they'll thaw by lunchtime.

Here are the free graphic & font
sources used to create the printable:

*Lost & Taken*
Grungy wallpaper texture

*Knick of Time*
Chalkboard texture

*Bumble Button*
Theater program border(4th image down)

*Dafont.com*
Freebooter Script

Take time to enjoy the sweet,
simple things in life today!

A Tiny Little Flower

"Who would have thought it possible
that a tiny little flower could preoccupy
a person so completely that there simply
wasn't room for any other thought?"

~ Sophie Scholl ~



Lily-of-the Valley

Forget-me-not

I've re-imagined these beautiful postcard borders
into 3.5" x 5" graphics for you!  The printable versions
feature 3 of the 3.5" x 5" graphics, as well as 2 which are
slightly smaller.  I'll be using mine for writing notes, but think
they'd also make pretty place cards or labels ~ Enjoy!

Here are the free graphics
& sources used in my artwork:

*TuckDB Ephemera*
Lily-of-the Valley border
Forget-me-not border

*Old Design Shop*
Aged paper texture


Thanks for stopping by!

October Pumpkins...

Bonfires and pumpkins,
Leaves sailing down...
October is red
And golden and brown.

~ Unknown Author ~

~ Printable pumpkin note papers ~

My daughter had a party at school,
so I put together 25 little bags of candy.
We added a pumpkin image to each,
because my daughter thought everyone
should have a pumpkin to color...

The printable I used is below:

The pumpkin clip art is my original artwork.  I also used
the aged background from an image on the Old Design Shop
in my lined notepaper.  Thanks, Julie!

Thank you for stopping by!

October's Party ~ Clip Art

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came...
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

~ George Cooper ~

I made the 2 printable papers above for my kids
to color & cut out.  We all had fun with it!  I've also
included the individual clip art leaves for you.
Below are sources I based some of my clip art on:

Ivy leaf
Laurel leaf
Maple leaf
Oak leaf
Oval leaf

Thanks for stopping by!!

1917 Farm Alphabet

I found this beautifully illustrated farm
alphabet in the back of Farmyard Favorites.
The original book was published in 1917, and
is 13.5" x 9.5."  I cleaned up and reduced
the images to 8" x 10" for printing.

Wouldn't they look sweet in a nursery?

 I've used the front and back cover
images of Farmyard Favorites here.
Hope to share more from this book
with you in the future!

Thank you for stopping by!

A Wise Old Owl

"A wise old owl sat on an oak;
The more he saw, the less he spoke;
The less he spoke the more he heard;
Why aren't we like that wise old bird?"

~ Edward Hersey Richards ~

Here are the free graphics
& sources used in my artwork:

*Old Design Shop*
"Holiday Fun" owl

*The Sum of All Crafts*
Circular scroll label
Delicate rectangular label

*Free Trinkets and Treasures*
"The compliments of the Season"

Thanks for stopping by!