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 sources & free

graphics 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!

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 time to gather so many images,

but I love the final collection. There are

snowy homes & a church, 2 "stained glass"

patterns, holly & mistletoe, brown birds,

and a child & angels with Christmas trees.

I'll be using them as gift tags.

They also fit inside a canning jar ring

(regular, not wide mouth) to make

ornaments. Below is an example:

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

Thanks for stopping by!

Gift Idea for a 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, etc.)

~ 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!

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 the tree by our living room window.

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!

Close in Heart... part 2

Here are a few simple

Valentine's Day ideas using my

Close in Heart round graphic.

Small canning jar gift

Use printable (see below) with 2.5" round graphics.  Print and cut out, then layer between the flat part of the lid and the outer rim piece (see photos).  To give as a gift, fill with Hershey's hugs & kisses.

Pretty glass jar

I save pretty much every glass jar for projects such as this one!  Sand the original paint off the lid with fine grit sandpaper, then spray paint gold.  Depending on the size of the lid, you may need to adjust the size of your graphic.  For my jar, I resized the original 4" graphic down to about 3".  Cut out with decorative scissors.  Use double-sided tape to secure to lid.  Nice touch to cut out a bit of sheet music and place inside jar (it curls to stay in place).  Fill with something sweet & give to someone you love!

Sticker or envelope seal

Use printable with 2" round graphics.  Print and use 1.5" paper punch to cut out.  Use glue or tape to attach to the back of a sealed envelope, or use as sticker.
  

Printable with 2.5" round graphics

Printable with 2" round graphics.

       

"The manner of giving
is worth more than the gift."

~ Pierre Corneille ~


Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas gift card envelopes

 "The best

of all gifts around

any Christmas tree...

the presence of a happy

family all wrapped up

in each other."

~ Burton Hillis ~

The first 5 envelopes are

for your vintage Christmas,

gift-giving pleasure.  The last

envelope is a PNG file... the

center is actually transparent, so

you can drop in other images

behind it, to personalize!

To print, I first open Canva,

create a new image - 8.5" x 11", and

add up to 2 per page. Cut, fold,

and glue - glue stick worked well. 

Place a piece of

cardboard from a cereal box,

about the size of a gift card,

inside the envelope - then glue.

This prevents the inside of the

envelope from sticking together,

and ensures it's not too tight to

fit a gift card in when finished.

Here are the free graphics

used in my artwork:

*The Graphics Fairy*

Back of an old photograph

Round frame

*Altered Bits*

Grungy texture

*The Graphic Addict*

Little girl with sled

*Wordplay*

Winter cottage

Baby Jesus, Mary and angel

*TuckDB Postcards*

Holly with red tartan bow

Robin with holly

Thank you so much

for stopping by!

French Perfume Label ~ project & printable

I've been thinking up ideas

for Christmas projects. After

sharing one of my ideas,

Mom offered a simple glass

canister she didn't use anymore...

 First, I designed a label using

images from The Graphics Fairy.

French rose perfume label,

Victorian roses,

and French sheet music.

  

 

I printed my labels onto

cardstock & cut them out. 

Next, I used slightly watered down

white glue to make an imperfect outline

of the beautiful scrolling border,

and dusted with gold glitter.

Using the same glue (you could

use Mod podge - whatever you like)

I centered and glued the label

onto the clean canister. 

I then used clear acrylic sealer

over the label, to protect it

from water damage, etc.

 Originally the lid had

a large, rusty star and wooden

spool on top. All I had to do was take

out the screw that held them in

place and replace with a metal pull.

It looks so pretty used as a vase. Would also

be great filled and given as a gift.

Please enjoy, free for personal use ~ thanks

Linked up with:

Angie's Knick of Time Tuesday

 

The Best Gift

Rushing and buying

Making lists and more lists

Seeking presents for loved ones

Wondering, "Do they already have this?"

Weaving and dodging,

Store in and store out

It's hard to decide

With so many about

Will this go with that?

Does this even make sense?

I hope so after all the effort

I've put in to this!

Finally, I'm finished!

Every item is bought!

Why then, don't I feel

Content with this lot?

Because I know things are just that

The most meaningful gifts

Are treasures bestowed without

All the "What if's"

The gift of yourself,

Your time and your love,

Patience with others,

Simple graces from above.

No one questions those gifts,

There aren't returns or complaints,

Always happily accepted,

Only one thing remains...

Next year, this I'll remember

Before all of the shopping...

I'll save myself a few trips,

And a whole lot of walking!

~ Megan Berry ~

_________________________________________________

Do you ever feel like something's missing after all the presents are bought?  

Remember, the best gift of all was given to us long, long ago...

For God so loved the world that  

He gave His one and only Son, 

that whoever believes in Him  

shall not perish but have eternal life.

~ John 3:16 NIV ~

Merry Christmas to you & yours!!

Cookie Inspiration

Baking Christmas cookies is one of our family's favorite holiday traditions.  You probably have a few go-to recipes, recipes handed down through the generations, or maybe a few you'd like to try out.  I've posted two cookie recipes on here that I came across in a little red recipe box.  The first is for Molasses Sugar Cookies, and the other for Vicki's Chocolate Crinkles.

I happened to see Gooseberry Patch's Recipe Round-Up, where they're featuring cookies, and shared the Chocolate Crinkle recipe there.  If you're looking for cookie-baking inspiration, head on over.  You're sure to find something that strikes your fancy!

Hope you'll check it out...   

Merry Christmas, and happy baking!