MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ME TO YOU

Happy Holidays folks! I have a little treat, here's a little gift from me to you.

DOWNLOAD HERE. 

Use these cards for Thank Yous or friendly notes to your hosts.  Fuss free fete tip? Address the cards with who you'll be seeing this weekend. Then on Monday, you can just write a quick note and pop 'em in the mail. No having to look up addresses or remembering what you received. Unless of course, you are really good with remembering your Thank You cards, but mine usually end up going out towards the middle of January.  Not this year! I also made some matching gift tags, just in case...

And see the AWESOME tinsel wrapped word up there?  It's a photshop brush. I learned how to do it HERE from Katrina of PUGLY PIXEL.  I also downloaded it after trying it a few times.  I am pleased to say, the above is from my creation using the tutorial.  I have not installed the one I just got from my membership. Isn't it funny the way things work after you just give up and try another method? I want to tell you that I am NOT good at photoshop.  I just don't find my way around very well, it's one of my goals in the new year... 

Other random news...I have a goodie for you! Have you heard of Lifestyle Crafts? A few months ago I was lucky enough to win a Letterpress Combo Kit over on THE STATIONERY PLACE and have been pleased as punch ever since. Well, they heard how much I love them, (thank you Melanie!) and guess who's an affiliate now? YAY! So that means I get to try out great new products for my machine and share some awesome DIYs with you.  It ALSO means that you, as my lovely readers, get 20% off your order ANYTIME you like, no expiration date. Just go to Lifestyle Crafts and use the code "HANK" and voila, instant sale. {side glance to cute button on the left} Which brings me to my point today...need some holiday printables? Well, Lifestyle Crafts also has printables. I am crazy over this printable trophy deer head. *I want to disclose that I do receive compensation if you use my code.  

Tis the season and I am so ready for Christmas! I know I promised some holiday posts. I really meant well. To be perfectly honest, I'm off this year. I don't know why, but usually we have everything bought and wrapped up by now and we are all just sitting around drinking hot cocoa. So, since one of the joys of everyday is Saturday and not having an office job, I am cutting out of here early. I suggest you all do the same and enjoy the season.  As a decorations designer, I'm always thinking ahead to the next holiday. It's time to slow down and relish in some of these wonderful things and get my Christmas on with the boys, no photos required.

I'll also be doing a little tweeking on the blog over the holiday, just a few little adjustments here and there. So, if you pop in and see something wonky, just know I am probably scrambling around going "holy cannoli!!" trying to fix it. 

PLEASE don't forget to go take my survey HERE! Really, it will help me plan for next year! Pretty, pretty please! It is only 9 questions.  

See you next year and have a safe, warm, & lovely holiday!

xo, Jenny

FESTIVE GIFT TAG PRINTABLES

As promised, pop on over to The Sweetest Occasion and grab some free printable holiday gift tags! Go see the full post here! Cheers!

PUPPY PARTY & FREE PRINTABLES

 So, Friday was my littlest's fourth birthday.  His favorite toy is a puppy. A very well-loved, I-wash-this- poor-thing-reluctantly-because-I'm-scared-it-will-die-in-a-horrifying-washing-machine-accident, goes everywhere with him stuffed puppy, named Puppy. Except stores. I have driven back to the store too many times for a puppy that has been sneaky and wandered off. "Where's Puppy Hunter?" "um, he's sneaky..." So, puppies that can't behave in Target, no longer get to go to Target, or the yardage shop, or anywhere mommy would have to drive back to go pick up said naughty puppy. Puppy must guard the car for us.  

Now, that you know Puppy's importance to our lives, it was only natural that we have a puppy party. So, here it is. It looks just like him, right...RRRRIGGHT??? And yes, puppy has no mouth.  It is covered by hair. So, there.

I just finished taking ILLUSTRATOR 102, from NICOLES CLASSES and must credit Alma Loveland, world's best instructor and designer extrodinaire, with the illustrative style. She used an example of a bear to teach up the pen tool in depth, in class, and I immediately thought of a portraiture of Puppy. The class is new this fall and is AMAZING! She tells you all the tips and tricks. I even learned some of the cool tricks that are popping up everywhere right now in designs. Beyond worth the class tuition, which is crazy reasonable. I swear by these classes. Everything I know, I must credit to Alma. I heart her. 

I used dog commands as my food labels. water/berry blue jell-o, chow/cocoa puffs, tug/red vines tied in a knot to resemble rope toys, bark/chocolate birthday bark that is. The giant bowl o'kibble is actually the cake. Instead of using a dog bowl like Jessica Kettle did here, I just cut two sheets of cardstock and wrapped it around. I also used real cat food bowls, Henry was NOT happy about that.  It took alot of reassurance that these were NEW, I washed them, and they have never met a cat or any pet of any kind. But they are cute, and look just like some I found at Sur La Table at a quarter of the price. 

Keeping with the dog command theme, I made a play station, complete with rubber balls and frisbees. I also made a bunch of coloring pages with the puppy illustration. Hunter LOVES to color. Remember his monster coloring pages from last year?

A close-up of those pretzels, hillarious.  They are actually Rold Gold Honey Wheat Pretzels.  They are super yummy, but I admit I bought them because they look like raw hide.  Those little paper toys?  AWESOME. I'm going to try to make some. They coil out and extend, and entertained the grown-ups as we made pretend PowerPoint presentations. We need to get out more. 

Just another shot of the dining area. I took pictures while I had light.  The veggie platters are empty, but they had cherry tomatoes for "balls" and a command tag of Fetch. I also had larger signs in the center that read Sit/Stay. 

SOURCES:  red cake stand (Target, past season) / clear cake stand (vintage, Etsy) / aqua cake stand (Martha Stewart for Macy's, past season) / white card stand (gift from this gal) / stainless cat bowls (Target) / dog themed cookie cutters (Sur la Table) / green stripe fabric (Brunschwig & Fils, found at Mill End Fabrics, Reno) I have to brag that I got this for $5/yard. / favors: frisbies and balls (Party City) /starburst punch (Martha Stewart Crafts) / tissue fringe garland (Bake it Pretty)

Here are my sources for inspiration; I wish I could claim these awesome ideas as my own... I decided to give some great ideas a try. It's tough sometimes doing DIYs. I always feel like I have to do something new. For this party, I decided to add some very wonderful ideas, that were just too cute not to include.  

kibble cake & bone cookies ideas (Jessica Kettle via Armelle), water bowl idea (Crazy for Design via Amy Atlas), birthday bark idea (Love & Sugar Kisses), recipe (Sweetapolita), puppy chow (Nothing but Country), ball favor & sit/stay command ideas (One Charming Party)

Printables can be downloaded here:

PUPPY PARTY INVITES (& envelope labels)

PUPPY PARTY GOODIES

PUPPY PARTY COLORING PAGES

*just a friendly little reminder: these are for personal use only.  Please feel free to blog about them and include any but not ALL images of this post. Please link back to this post for the download. 

xo

FONT FRIDAY: ISSUE 29 & A GIVEAWAY

Today is a VERY special font friday...our little group, of font enthusiasts, was lucky enough to have been contacted by the talented JASON JONES, remember the Design*Sponge typography contest last year? Yeah, he won it. His amazing font that won?  SKUNKLING. Isn't it fun? So, on with my story, we were lucky enought to be contacted by this amazing designer to hold a giveaway FOR THE FONT!!! Isn't that just the coolest darn thing you ever did hear? I know, right? Wanna win it?  Go HERE to get the details.  There are multiple ways to win- GOOD LUCK!!!

On top of Skunkling being just flat out fun and awesome, we were given it to work with to make printables for you to enjoy. Yep, even if you don't win, you still get all the FREEBIES we made to print to your little hearts content. I told you this guy is AWESOME!

On to my set of printies using the font. Since we are in November, I thought I'd whip up a little Thanksgiving printable set for you.  This has been an amazing year, and I am so blessed.  Feeling the joy of the season, I really wanted to share something fun with no turkey graphics. I have some printable gratitude tags, a quote, a pennant bunting that says "BLESSED" and some placecards that you cut, fold and enjoy.  

Download HERE.

Don't forget to visit my font friends, we have some lovely FREE PRINTABLES, all using the fabulous SKUNKLING font! Be sure to enter HERE to win SKUNKLING for your very own!!! That's my kind of GIVEAWAY! Crazy about SKUNKLING and want it NOW? Buy it HERE.

ANNA {AND EVERYTHING NICE}

ALEXANDRA  {THE AERIALIST PRESS}

ALISON {ALISON OWEN DESIGN}

JEN {BLUSH PRINTABLES}

STEPH {BUBBLEROCK}

SOFIA {BRANCOPRATA}

VICKI {VICKI.DESIGNER}

CATHERINE {DESIGN EDITOR}

CHELSEA {FOURTH AND FOLDED}

ALLIE {HONEY BEE INVITES}

LAUREN {LAUREN ELISE CRAFTED}

JENNA + ELIZABETH {LITTLE BIT HEART}

LAUREN {PALM PAPERS}

KERRY {SUPER SWOON}

WENDY{WESWEN DESIGN}

FOLLOW #FONTFRIDAY ON TWITTER!

FUSS FREE FETE: EASY CHEATER JAM

The world's easiest cheater jam. Take your favorite recipe for jam. Put jam into jars. Skip the canning part.  Wrap with a square of fabric, don't even iron it. Tie a tag that says eat right away with cotton twine.  Bring that day to your friends. 

This is perfect, and I will tell you why.  1. You get fresh jam. 2. Your friends & neighbors get fresh jam. 3. You get to skip the fun canning process. Yay! 

If you are a canner and you say OH MY GOODNESS! She's CRAZY! Yeah, I'm lazy, but the jam is so good it's gone in a few days with the family I have...Canning, schmanning.

Here are some Pear Jam Labels, and Homemade Jam Labels to print. 

The recipe for Pear Vanilla Jam is here. Thanks again, Brianne, for the find!