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!

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!

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!

Snowy Christmas Memories

"Like snowflakes, my

Christmas memories

gather & dance...

each beautiful, unique,

and too soon gone."

 Deborah Whipp

Some of my favorite childhood winter-time memories were made in the snow. Waking up to, "Honey, you can sleep in - it's a snow day," was the best! Going sledding, getting in snowball fights, coming in half frozen to hang (throw) snowy/wet clothes next to the stove (so we could go out and do it all over again!). And of course, hot cocoa with mini marshmallows (thanks Mom!). It never quite seemed to snow on Christmas, though. At least, not the deep, Christmas card kind. Except... one year.

It was Christmas morning, before presents, and I was already giddy. I remember jump-sitting on the couch, then reaching out to touch the cold window behind it. Looking out through our screened-in porch, I could just make out the backyard beyond. All I could see at first were shades of blue, from the early light. I kept watching... and then all at once I could tell everything was covered in a thick blanket! My little heart was surely beating fast, what with the extra excitement! There was a fire in the fireplace, and our Christmas tree was beautiful as ever. So thankful for that tiny spark of a memory that brings it all back to life!

This year, I'll still wish & hope for that kind of snow. For myself, my husband, and my own kids - excuse me, teens. But truly, I really just hope we're all healthy and warm, and content in our home, and I hope that for you as well. 2020 has been a rough year - one for unique, if not "ideal" memories. So, yes, I would always love to have that kind of snow again on Christmas. But more than that I want to make the most of what we've been given. I want to make the kind of Christmas memories that last.

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

*The Old Design Shop*
Snow-covered country church

*The Graphics Fairy*
 Angel on a cloud

I used Fotor to do my editing.

The snowflake element was free
on that site. I just added

a shadow effect to make it

stand out. Script font for

'Merry Christmas' is Arizonia. 


Thanks for stopping by, and
Merry Christmas!

Sweetest of the Flowers

"Sweetest of the flowers a-blooming
In the fragrant vernal days
Is the lily of the valley
With its soft, retiring ways."

~ Paul Laurence Dunbar ~

Tags above are 3.2" x 5.2"
and in the printable sheet below 2.5" x 4".

Round graphics above are 4".
In the printable sheet below they are 2.5". 

So excited to offer a pennant/banner for the first time!
The pennant is approx. 7" x 7.5". I decreased the size to 3.7" x 3.8"
and fit 10 to a sheet for the instant printable banner, below.

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

*TuckDB*
1908 lily of the valley
Lily of the valley bouquet

*The Vintage Moth*
"Royal Beauty Waltzes"

The sheet music used in the pennant/banner
is from my personal collection, c. 1940.


Thank you for stopping by today!

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! 

Blackberries & Autumn leaves

"How beautifully leaves grow old.
How full of light and color are their last days."

~ John Burroughs ~

Just in case you need a pretty way to leave a quick note...

...or if you'd like a little envelope for seeds, money, a gift card, etc....

"September Morning"

When in these golden hours
The day dawns honey-bright
And down we stroll the misty paths
Slow ripening in the light
Of second flush, of sodden roses,
Of dewy maple leaves,
We pluck the meadow of autumn lilies
And berries from the trees.
We sit in the wonder of too-soft days,
Listening for summer's parting sighs,
And drink in the sweetness
of the new-mown morning
And lie under whippoorwill skies.

~ Deborah A. Bennett ~


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

*TuckDB*
Autumn-themed postcard

*The Vintage Moth*
"Royal Beauty Waltzes"

*Carol Anne's Boutique*
1908 French letter

*Lilac & Lavender*
"Antiqued" lined paper
Gift card envelope


Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by!

Rewards of the simple life...

"To find the universal elements enough;
to find the air and the water exhilarating;
to be refreshed by a morning walk or an
 evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars
at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or
a wildflower in spring: these are some
of the rewards of the simple life." 

~ John Burroughs ~

Journal card ~ approx. 3 x 3 inches

Printable ~ journal cards & 2.5" round graphics

Journal card ~ approx. 4 x 5 inches

  Journal card ~ approx. 3 x 5 inches

Here are some cards for your journals,
scrapbooks, etc.!  Love how all the pastels play
off each other... and love the English cottage...
where I'd imagine one might enjoy some of the
rewards of the simple life!

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

*TuckDB postcards*
English cottage scene
Catherine Klein roses

*The Sum of All Crafts*
Delicate rectangular frame

*The Graphics Fairy*
Round apothecary label

*Lilac & Lavender*
"Antiqued" lined paper

Have fun creating, and
thanks for stopping by!

Close in Heart... part 2

Here are a few simple Valentine's day projects for you,
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!

Close in Heart

"Love is missing someone
whenever you're apart,
but somehow feeling warm inside
because you're close in heart."
 
~ Kay Knudsen ~

4" round graphic

PNG file.  Size: 1.5" x 1"

 
This postcard is from my personal collection.
It's free to use however you please!

Here are the free graphics & sources
used to create the round graphic:

*The Graphics Fairy*
Round frame
Old paper background

*The Vintage Moth*
Hand-penned letter


Something truly beautiful
to leave you with...


Love bears all things
believes all things
hopes all things
endures all things.

~ 1 Corinthians 13:7 ~


Click below to see:
"Close in Heart... part 2"

Peace on earth

Oh! lovely voices of the sky
Which hymned the Saviour's birth,
Are ye not singing still on high,
Ye that sang, "Peace on earth"?

~ Felicia Hemans ~

Winter church snow scene

approx. 5" round graphic

Winter church snow scene
round graphics, approx. 3.5"

Both images used to create this artwork
came from The Graphics Fairy... thanks!

Winter church postcard
Round French label

Thank you for visiting ~ and may you
have a blessed & peaceful Christmas season!!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus...

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
He exists as certainly as love and generosity
and devotion exist, and you know that they
abound and give to your life its highest beauty

and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world
if there were no Santa Claus."
 

~ Francis Pharcellus Church, editor ~

Read the complete question & response
in The Sun, September 21, 1897

Vintage Santa, taking a last-minute call
approx. 5" round graphic

Vintage Santa printable
round graphics approx. 3.5"

Both images used to create this artwork
came from The Graphics Fairy... thanks!

Vintage Santa
Round French label

Thank you so much
for stopping by!!