Color of Winter

"The color of springtime is

in the flowers; the color of winter

is in the imagination."

- Terri Guillemets -

These gift card envelopes were made

based on a design first shared in 2012.

This time I went the extra step for you

and made 4 ready-to-print designs.

Plaid background - made by layering

stripes in 2 shades of slate gray:

Gift card envelope - how to make:

After cutting out, fold using the edge of your gift card, credit card, ruler, etc. as a guide. Glue with glue stick - read below for how I do it:

Place a piece of cardboard from a cereal box (about the size of a gift card) inside the envelope before you glue (so you don't glue the inside of the envelope together, and so it's not too tight to get a gift card inside when finished).

Here are the free graphics

& sources used in my artwork:

*Tuck Ephemera*

3 girls with flowers

Frances Brundage created

beautiful artwork, including 3 girls

holding "Christmas Roses" under an

umbrella on a snowy day.

*The Old Design Shop*

Grungy paper

Snowy village

Loved the cozy feeling

of this moonlit village scene.

*F.P.T.F.Y.*

Distressed wood background

*Shadowhouse Creations*

 "Beneath the Surface" texture

This texture overlay

helped soften the plaid.

*Canva*

Free design elements:

round frames

"Merry Christmas"

Thank you for stopping by!

Christmas Memories

"Each Christmas

finds me longing for

Christmases now past.

And I am back in

childhood - as long as

memories last."

 

Carice Williams

Do you save the ends from refrigerated cinnamon roll cans? I'd always thought they'd be good for some sort of crafting, and last year used them for stamping. Right now, I'm making them into ornaments. For this one, I used one of the smaller round images, a paper doily, clear glitter, and yarn around the outside.

The sweet Victorian illustration was from one of my books. You can see the entire image here. I also used an endpaper texture. The only other images used were free elements, available on Canva.

I don't like to waste space, so filled up some of the empty spots with rectangular labels and tags, as well as pretty medallions and lace...

Thank you for stopping by!

 

Joys of Christmas

"And, so, Christmas comes

to bless us! Comes to teach us how

to find the joy of giving happiness,

and the joy of being kind."

Gertrude Tooley Buckingham

 

It took awhile to gather so many different images, but I love the final collection. As you can see, there are snowy homes & a church, 2 "stained glass" patterns, holly & mistletoe, little brown birds, and a child & angels with Christmas trees. I'll be using them as gift tags - they would look beautiful accented with glitter or a gold/silver marker. Another suggestion would be fitting inside a canning jar ring (regular, not wide mouth) and giving as ornaments. Below is an example of one I made:

Here are the free graphics

& sources used in my artwork:

*The Old Design Shop*
Snowy candlelit cottage
 
*TuckDB Postcards*

Silver angel & tree 

Angel holding pine tree

Cottage with sheep

Snowy church & water

 Many birds & blue pot

*The Feathered Nest*

Girl & Christmas tree

French ledger ephemera

*rawpixel*

Holly

Myrtle branch

Mistletoe

*Ephemeratopia*
Pair of birds

*NYPL - digital collections*
17th century wall tile

Earthenware panel

Thank you for stopping by!

Blooming Beauty

"Spring is a whimsical wanderer,

blooming beauty along her path."

 

~ Angie Weiland-Crosby ~

This beautiful image of a young woman &

apple blossoms is on loan from my mom.

It's a yard long, antique framed print! The

frame itself wasn't sturdy, so I was able to

remove the image - very carefully - and

scan in sections. It was then digitally

pieced back together. Thankfully, my

dad's fixed and built many frames,

so I know he'll be able to restore it.

For the tags, I decided to focus on the young

woman's face, and then searched my Pinterest

images for apple blossoms. The postcard with a

fence in the background was what led to the

weathered white wood. I saw the endpaper

that reminded me of the lacy details in the

woman's clothing... you can see how

it gradually came together.

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

*The Graphics Fairy*

Back of an old photograph

*The Old Design Shop*
Aged, stained endpaper
 
*TuckDB Ephemera*

Apple blossoms & fence

*The Feathered Nest*

French ledger ephemera

*rawpixel*

White camellia

*F.P.T.F.Y.*
Chippy wood background
 

*Canva*
Free element: 

ripped masking tape

*Lilac & Lavender*

"Antiqued" lined notepaper

*Digital Two for Tuesday*

Endpaper

*Image Event*

"Bellows Falls" envelope

(website no longer active, so

linked to image via Pinterest)

The blossoms & leaves in plenty

from the apple tree fall each day;

The merry breezes approach them,

and with them merrily play.

 

~ Heinrich Heine ~

Thank you for stopping by!

O Springtime Sweet!

 
O springtime sweet!

The whole earth smiles

thy coming to greet;

Our hearts to their

inmost depths are stirred

by the first spring flower
& the song of the bird...

~ James Freeman Clarke ~

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

*The Graphics Fairy*

"Presented to" title page

Back of an old photograph

*The Old Design Shop*
Aged, stained endpaper
 
*TuckDB*

Beautiful girl with primroses

*The Feathered Nest*

French ledger ephemera

*rawpixel*

Watercolor leaves

*Starsunflower Studio*

Round apothecary label

*Internet Archive*

Bird eggs illustration

*Flickr*

Sheet music c. 1728

*F.P.T.F.Y.*
Chippy wood background
 

*Canva*
Free element: 

ripped masking tape
 

"Earth stirs herself from a long cold sleep,

To welcome the sun & warm gentle rain,

Gladdening the heart as a promise she keeps,

As we open the door to spring again."

~ Mildred L. Jarrell ~

Thank you for stopping by!

Gift Idea ~ Booth Owner

These are my thoughts as I'm sitting here, cutting cardstock into tags for part of my dad's Christmas gift. My dad has a booth at a local antique mall. He enjoys hunting for good finds, the challenge of rebuilding and repurposing. He even enjoys loading up his truck to restock.

Least favorite part... pricing. Mom tells me they're always buying pre-made tags for $1, and are low on other materials like twine and string. So, I know dad loves his booth. He loves thrifting, and being thrifty. Just doesn't like making tags. Perfect, cause I can do that!

Ok, making a bunch of tags. What else?

After looking around in my own resale stash, I found a wooden carrier (well, a small shelf turned on it's side). Filled it with small metal buckets, and a tall metal box w/lid. They all fit!

Realistically, I know my practical, yet creative dad will sell or repurpose what I give him instead of keeping it to use for organization. It's great knowing he finds joy in painting or rebuilding, etc. so I just see this as part of the gift.

I'm also a booth owner. This is a short list of my commonly needed items, as well as a few things I'll add to personalize. His favorite color is green, so that may also become part of the theme:

~ bundles of similar sized tags (sm, med, lg, extra lg)

~ twine, crochet thread

~ fine black markers/pens
~ double-sided tape
~ paint brushes
~ scissors
~ safety pins
~ favorite snacks

~ cash for thrifting

There are so many ways to give! I hope you make or find just the right things for everyone on your heart this Christmas season!

A Flourishing Garden

"The gardens that make us happiest
flourish because we have taken the time
to make sure they feed our souls
and fill a special place in our lives."

"Sometimes you have to really think
about what you want in your garden...
once the beds are laid out
and the rose bushes planted."

~ Lindley Karstens ~


I combined 3 elements to

create these garden-themed,

printable tags. Two feature an

old-fashioned, white rose.

I kept the others simple with

portions of an ornament.
The ornament reminded me 

of both stylized branches

and metalwork from

something like a garden

gate. The background is

a receipt from Berry Seed

 Company.


Thank you for stopping by!

Messages of Christmas Cheer

Carol singing,

church bells ringing,
Once more Christmastime

is here. Children laughing,

grownups beaming.

Hearts are warm

with Christmas cheer.

~ Ruby Lee Mitchell ~

Hope you're enjoying

this Christmas season!

These handwritten messages

were tucked into our tree.

Chalkboard texture was

added for another option.

I love their simplicity,
and hope you do to.

Merry Christmas!
Thank you for

stopping by!

Those Who Bring Sunshine...

"Those who bring sunshine
into the lives of others cannot
keep it from themselves."

~ James M. Barrie ~

I made these tags to price late summer & fall items
in my booth. It's nice to have a few different sizes...
Enjoy!

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

*Internet Archive*
Silver-leaved sunflower

*TuckDB*
Scalloped border

*Lilac & Lavender*
Fabric texture


Thanks for stopping by!

Pitcher & Simple Country Bouquet

I love enamelware pitchers. Add
a simple country bouquet, and you
have a real thing of beauty.

I'm patiently waiting for the perfect pitcher, so I can
have a bouquet like this on my kitchen table. Until then,
 milk glass vases and mason jars will do just fine.

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

*Antique Images*
Enamelware pitcher

*Flickr: perpetualplum*
Umbel illustration, 1917

*Shadowhouse Creations*
Softly aged sepia texture

*Lilac & Lavender*
Berry Seed Co. ephemera

Thanks for stopping by!

Queen Anne's Lace

"The great lesson is
that the sacred is in the ordinary,
that it is to be found in one's
daily life..."

~ Abraham Maslow ~

Printable sets of large and small tags, featuring
my favorite wildflower. Click here to read
a little more about the Berry Seed Company.

Printable Queen Anne's lace stationery (8.5 x 11").

I love Queen Anne's lace. At first glance, it looks simple... but
when you really look, you notice all the beautiful, intricate patterns.
I wonder how anyone could call it a weed. It's welcome in all my flower
beds, and makes itself at home right next to irises, daylilies, and roses.
I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing it bobbing in the breeze...
whether it's along a country road, or outside my kitchen window.

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

*Antique Images*
Queen Anne's lace

*Old Design Shop*
Aged paper texture

*Vintage Feedsacks*
Label ~ "lace" pattern

*TuckDB*
Scalloped border

*The Sum of All Crafts*
Delicate rectangular label

*Lilac & Lavender*
Berry Seed Co. ephemera
 

"The whole world is a series of miracles,
but we're so used to them
we call them ordinary things."

~ Hans Christian Anderson ~


Thank you for stopping by!

Gifts of Spring

"The arms of May are flower filled
With blossoms April showers spilled.
Bright, rainbow-colored gifts of spring
Arrived at her awakening."

~ Nora M. Bozeman ~

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

*The Graphics Fairy*
French lace label
Vintage French roses
French chocolate advert
Back of an old photograph

*TuckDB*
Pink roses
Light pink phlox
Basket of daffodils

*The Old Design Shop*
French receipt
White & yellow daisies

*Vintage Holiday Crafts*
White cosmos

*Little Birdie Blessings*
Forget-me-nots

*Free Vintage Digital Stamps*
Polka dot scrapbook paper

*Digital Two for Tuesday*
Endpaper pattern

*Boston Public Library*
Chocolate trade card

The daffodils and crabapple trees are
blooming... it's good to see vivid greens
and bright blossoms again.
Love this time of year!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Song in Spring

O little buds all bourgeoning with Spring,
You hold my winter in forgetfulness;
Without my window, lilac branches swing,
Within my gate I hear a robin sing...
O little laughing blooms that lift and bless!

Printable sheet of 6 tags ~ spring blossoms and branches.

Printable sheet of lilac, lined 4"x5" note papers.

Printable sheet of 10 tags ~ spring blossoms and lace.

So blow the breezes in a soft caress,
Blowing my dreams upon a swallow's wing;
O little merry buds, in dappled dress,
You fill my heart with very wantonness...
O little buds all bourgeoning with Spring!

~ Jessie B. Rittenhouse ~



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

*Tuck DB*
Lilac postcard
Lilac bunch & ribbon
Forget-me-nots
Red hawthorn branch

*UFDC*
Starburst pattern endpaper

*Vintage Images*
Cherry or apple blossoms

*Old Design Shop*
Aged paper texture

Thank you for stopping by...
I appreciate your visit!

Those Who Wish to Sing

Those who wish to sing
always find a song.

~ Swedish Proverb ~

              How Birds Learn to Sing

                       How do birds first learn to sing?

                       From the whistling wind so fleet,

                       From the waving of the wheat,

                       From the rustling of the leaves,

                       From the raindrop on the eaves,

                       From the children's laughter sweet,

                       From the splash when brooklets meet.

                       Little birds begin their trill

                       As they gayly float at will

                       In the gladness of the sky,

                       When the clouds are white and high;

                       In the beauty of the day

                       Speeding on their sunny way,

                       Light of heart and fleet of wing...

                       That's how birds first learn to sing.

                   ~ Mary Mapes Dodge

Facebook cover photo

*New York Public Library*
Song thrush
Robin
Nightingale

The sheet music is from my
personal collection, circa 1940's.

Thank you for stopping by!