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!

 

Glimpse of Happiness

 

"I caught a glimpse of happiness,

and saw it was a bird on a branch,

fixing to take wing."

Richard Peck

 

I used a bird illustration found in a book:

The English Year. Autumn and Winter,

published in 1913. I imagine it perching

briefly, preparing to fly off again.

Typewriter font messages were added to some,

and some were kept blank. I like having the

option to write in another message or a name,

if using as a gift tag. They turned out nicely

as rustic mason jar ring Christmas ornaments.

 

Hope you're all staying well & staying warm!

It's definitely getting colder here in Ohio.

There was a dusting of snow the day after

Thanksgiving, which made it feel like

Christmas Time's a-Comin'.

A final thought...

"The moments of happiness

we enjoy take us by surprise.

It is not that we seize them,

but that they seize us."

Ashley Montagu

Thank you for stopping by!

Pictures in the Fire

"Winter is the time for comfort,

for good food and warmth, for the

touch of a friendly hand and for a talk

beside the fire: it is the time for home."

Edith Sitwell 

 

8"x10"

8"x10"

5"x7"

5"x7"

8.5"x11"

Years ago, while antique shopping with my mom, I bought a book. "Dutton's Holiday Annual - 1890." It was already falling apart, so this and many other pages have already come out. This sweet image has always been a favorite. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have...

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!

Winter Greens

"The wind lifted me up into the trees, where I danced to the rhythm of the evergreen, swaying to the tune of the northern breeze, frozen in timeless melody."
 
~ Christy Ann Martine ~ 

My childhood home had pine trees on one side. Some were pretty tall. While outside, probably bored, I got the idea to climb all the way to the tip top of the tallest one. Up I went, without telling my mom or little brother - who would obviously - tell my mom.

It didn't take long to figure out long hair didn't fare well in pine branches and sap. I tied it back & kept going. The further I climbed, the more I noticed the tree that once seemed still, was not. Before long, we were swaying side to side - far enough. Mom must've thought she should check on me. She yelled for me from the back deck. I stayed as still as possible, and watched her from above. She never saw me, and went back inside.

I stayed up there for what seemed like a long time after. There was only a light breeze, and it was so peaceful that time seemed to stop. All at once I realized it was starting to get dark, and I didn't want mom looking for me again, so back down I went. It's funny - I never thought as a kid that would be one of the memories I'd hold onto 30 years later...

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

*Tuck Ephemera*

3 girls with flowers

*The J. Paul Getty Museum*
Juniper
 
*Image Event*

German book cover, c. 1878

*Lilac & Lavender*

Sleigh Ride sheet music

*The Graphics Fairy*

French handwriting

*Boston Public Library*

White flowers

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!

Feel Like Christmas

 

I've heard quite a few people saying it just doesn't feel like Christmas. There's no motivation or time. Little joy or anticipation... "Christmas" is just another day this year. I was stubbornly refusing to admit it, but I felt the same. I was going about my daily routine, trying to make myself feel more, "in the Christmas spirit." It just wasn't really happening.

Music has always played a huge role in my Christmas. As a girl, we'd listen to Christmas albums on the record player, or on cassette in our minivan. Middle school through my senior year I played trumpet, and memorized all my favorite Christmas songs. For years, I played Christmas CD's starting in the fall as a backdrop for making homemade Christmas cards. This year, the same music I usually enjoyed just wasn't making me feel much different... why? Then in the beginning of December, my sister-in-law and I went on a Christmas tour of churches. It's a candlelit, evening event in downtown Lancaster. It was also my second time going, so I was expecting a beautiful evening... there was even a little snow. If anything would boost my spirits, it'd be this. We walked together on the slippery sidewalks, arm in arm, marveling at homes lit up for the holidays. Every church and it's music was different. Some felt very solemn and others very cheerful. We enjoyed it all, really. It's a tradition that I hope continues in this community and in our family for a very long time. In one of the churches, there was a folk/bluegrass group that played a cheerful song I hadn't heard for years. I didn't know who sang it, or exactly where I'd heard it... but knew it nearly by heart. It made an impression on me, and I felt uplifted. We went to other churches, and heard many more songs. The next day, I told my mom there was a song played that was familiar, but by then couldn't remember the name. So, everything got busy. That song was forgotten... but only until I began humming it while washing dishes. "Christmas time's a comin'!" One of those songs played on our record player more than 25 years ago. My mom said we'd listened to Emmylou Harris' version. I pulled up the song on YouTube... and there was a playlist. Childhood memories flooded in. It felt so different than when I'd heard the usual songs on the radio. These songs meant more to me. I couldn't listen to this music without hearing a crackle and occasional skip of the record (my brother and I... sometimes my dad... wound up dancing or doing somersaults). Memories so far away, yet still so real. Tears of joy welled up... my heart was changed, and then: "It just doesn't feel like Christmas at all this year, I'm sorry." Through the years, I haven't done a whole lot of baking. One reason being, our neighbor lady has always given us a tray loaded with cookies and fudge. This week, she called and said she didn't get around to baking, what with her and her husband's health issues. Today the kids and I will be baking Christmas cookies... probably while listening to Emmylou Harris' Christmas songs (they love them too, by the way). Of course, today I hope we make happy memories, and maybe even start a tradition. Really though, I hope we help one or two more hearts "feel like Christmas." Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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!

September Kitchen Decor

 
"When you change the way
you look at things, the things
you look at change."

~ Wayne Dyer ~

I just salvaged this rusty metal bucket from a farm dump! The bottom's rusted away, but you can't even see it. I placed a wide glass vase inside for wildflowers.

This pastel pitcher sat in my booth for months before I decided to bring it home.
I was glad to have it handy for an overflowing bouquet of hydrangeas.

One of the first ways I decorated our home for fall on a budget was with apples.
They used to be growing in our backyard. Now I just pick them up at the grocery.

This rusty wire wreath was a flattened oval jumble when I found it.
I carefully pulled it into a wider oval shape. It's hanging on a clear pushpin.

My husband found these insulators in a ditch! Took quite a bit of scrubbing,
but now they're a colorful focal point on the countertop (or windowsill).

Just by bringing in a few fresh elements, I now feel so much better
about my kitchen. Ready to do some baking and welcome fall!

How about you... are you ready for the change of season?

Love the Light

"I will love the light
for it shows me the way,
yet I will endure the darkness
for it shows me the stars."

~ Og Mandino ~

Morning light casts such pretty shadows on my living room curtains.

This book's cover was in rough shape. Looks much better without it.

Until next time... thanks for stopping by!