In my last blog post I showed you how to create your own chalkboard bunting using canvas banners, chalkboard paint and chalk markers. Today I'm going to give you the {free} download for the "twenty thirteen" graphics I used on my holiday bunting. 

I added my twenty thirteen chalkboard bunting to one of my fireplace mantle displays by tying it onto an antique frame. I used lots of white satin ribbon and wrapped it around the frame for a very casual look. 

I really dislike the fireplace mantle in our living room. It's on my list to change ... someday. I painted three antique frames in decorator's white to match our fireplace and leaned them against the wall for my display. I think that the style of the frames compliment the (ugly little) wood molding on the fireplace.

My mantle was pretty simple to pull together ... three white vintage frames (only one was decorated with bunting and a special ornament), pre-lit garland, burlap ribbon and a large letter "E".

As I was creating the download for the "twenty thirteen" graphics I was thinking that this bunting would be great for a New Years Eve party ... so I add "fourteen"! You can see my tutorial for making the chalkboard bunting on this post.

If you make a "twenty fourteen" bunting to use for a New Year Eve's party please let me know! I'd love to see pictures!

Yummy candy kabobs you can create yourself for party treats or favors

Looking for a fun little treat to make with or for your kids? How about some candy kabobs? 

I created these using striped paper straws, bamboo skewers and candies that I picked up at the Dollar Store and The Bulk Barn. They are super easy to make so little (and big) helpers will want to get in on the action. Of course your helpers will want to eat up any left over candies so clean up will be a breeze!

Here's how I made mine:

Gather your supplies: bamboo skewers with ball end, paper straws, assorted soft candies.

Step one -  Cut the paper straws to the length you want to cover the bamboo skewer keeping in mine that you can only add candy to the exposed bamboo skewer. If you don't want to add a lot of candies like mine ... cut your straws into 3" pieces.

Step two - I folded two pieces of ribbon candy as shown above. I added them one piece at a time by inserting the skewer into the middle of the folded candy.

Step three - I finished by adding two candies at the top to completely cover the bamboo skewer.

Make as many of these as you please and present them in a glass container so that everyone can see the striped straws. 

If you are thinking about using these as party favors for guests to take home ... you can find some packaging ideas and my free download for candy bag headers on the Creative Bag Blog in this post and this post.

Do you love Pinterest as much as I do? Interested in winning a prize package of diy products to create a bunch of canvas gift bags for Christmas that I have personally put together? 

Then check out this post for all of the details! I'm hosting a "Pin It To Win" contest over at Creative Bag this week.

You have until end of the day on October 27th, 2013 to enter.

Good luck and I hope that you have a creative weekend!

Chalkboard love ... get organized using chalkboard signs and labels!

Do you have a passion for all things chalkboard right now? I do! I have made a number of projects for Creative Bag over the past few months with all of their amazing new chalkboard products. During our last few days at the cottage this summer we were blessed with a few rain days (yeah rain days ... an excuse to stay inside and spend time crafting) and I ended up reorganizing my cottage craft supplies using a bunch of my recent chalkboard purchases.

I picked up the metal buckets in my craft cabinets a number of years ago from the dollar store. I was using tags with strings on the bucket handles to organize the items stored in the buckets but the tags would flip around every time I opened the cabinet doors and I was just tired of dealing with them any more. These mini chalkboard signs with clip backs from Creative Bag are perfect for helping me to organize my supplies. I used a fine chalk marker to write on each sign. I like chalk markers for projects like this because the words will not rub off easily every time I touch the sign. You can use water to wipe the marker and re write so it is possible to change your mind ... for a while. Once the marker has dried and set it does not wipe clean with water ... but you can always add a fresh coat of chalkboard paint yourself and start again!

I also used these adorable chalkboard labels from Creative Bag to organize some of my other supplies in vintage glass bottles. I love how my mini letter stamps are now organized and ready to be used. I picked up a bunch of these mini stamps in different fonts a long time ago and was struggling to find a way to store them. The stamps were packaged in individual boxes by font and I knew that they would always be out of sight, out of mind and never used unless I could find a way to store them so that it would be easy to see at a glance. I used the stamps and a chalk marker to "stamp" directly onto the chalk labels. I can tell what font is in each container by simply looking at the label. 

If you would like to see how I used the chalk markers with my stamps you can see my full tutorial here on the Creative Bag blog.

Looking for some awesome chalk fonts to use for digital scrapbooking or crafting projects? Here's ten of my favorites and all are free to download!

janda safe and sound (Lorrie Everitt’s), 

made with B (favourite) 

sketch serif (chalkboard fonts to download)

sketch rockwell

appleberry 

chalkhand lettering 

eraser 

handy George

kg strawberry limeade 

 sign handwriting 

Looking for more blackboard inspiration? Follow me on Pinterest!

The kids are back to school. I hope that you can find some time this week to have a little "me time" and get creative with your own chalkboard projects!

My last minute Christmas projects

I hope that you are ready for Christmas at your home. I'm happy to say that my last gift has been wrapped and is under the tree, the turkey is in the fridge and I just have a few last minute things on my grocery list that I will pick up a little closer to the 25th. I am looking forward to spending time with my daughters baking in the kitchen over the next few days. 

I wanted to share with you a couple of my last minute projects. The first one is a little treat bag that you can make up and hand out to friends that stop by over the holidays. I called it a Reindeer Treat bag!  I created the bag header and I you can use it too if you want. Just  download my art, print it on white cardstock and cut it out. To attach the bag header to the top of a glassine bag  or a clear bag you will need to fold the bag header in half and use staples to close. Fill the bags with candies or use my recipe below.

Reindeer Treats Recipe: mix together  equal amounts of pretzels, Shreddies cereal, M&M's candies and chocolate chips.

Download Reindeer Treats bag header here.

You will notice on the download that there are two extra square tags on the side of the download. I hate to leave blank space when I am printing something out so I added the tags!

I love to send and receive Christmas cards. It's a Christmas tradition that I personally look forward to every year. This year I made a ribbon garland using scraps of ribbon to display the cards with pictures on them. My photo above shows my  2012, 2011 and 2010 Christmas cards to demonstrate what the Christmas card garland will look like. 

Here's a quick overview of how to make one of these ribbon garlands. It doesn't  take long to make. It's such a simple project that you could make it with the kids in under an hour ... it will keep them busy before Santa arrives! I used lots of different ribbons - assorted colours, widths and textures. I even added some tinsel ribbon for fun. I cut the ribbon into lengths of about 6" but you don't have to have them all the exact same length so don't worry too much about measuring. I used one long length of twine as the base and tied a loop for hanging on one end. Then I just started tying ribbons in a random manner along the twine. I added a large wood clothespins in between the ribbons about every 4" to hang the cards. You will want to cut the ends of the ribbons once they are tied onto the twine. Cut the ends however you want ... mix it up as you can see in my photo above. Make the garland as long as you want to fit the space you want to hang it. When you are done, tie another loop at the end of the twine for hanging and cut off any extra twine. 

I made a couple of these chalkboard signs with my daughter and her friends a few weeks ago. They were painted on wood market trays from Creative Bag. I bought some more of these wood market trays to use for Christmas day entertaining. The trays are disposable but the shapes are really nice and I clean them off and paint them with black board paint. You can see more details on how I create these here and here. I am going to save the trays from Christmas day to do something for my daughter's rooms. I know that I will be checking my Pinterest boards for quotes to use. 

I hope that your Christmas preparations are going well and that there will be time to do sit back and relax with family and friends. 

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

bag headers for holiday gift giving

Here's an easy little packaging project for the holidays that I hope you will try out. I love to create simple paper headers and attach them to clear plastic bags .. they are perfect for party loot bags and teacher/class gifts. In my examples, I used the lip-n-tape bags from Creative Bag because I like that you can reopen the bags if you need to and they come in lots of different sizes.

I created another freebie for you to use if you'd like to make some of these yourself. Again the art is for personal use - no commerical use. You can download it by clicking on the link under the photo. I designed the art so that you could personalize the header on the front and/or back using graphic software. I'll tell you more about adding a handwritten message on the back in a minute.

download the pdf here

So let's get started! First you will need to print my download on your colour ink jet or laser printer on white heavy weight card stock. These are the tools that I used to create my bag header: paper cutter (if you don't have one you can use scissors), pencil, ruler, bone folder, scoring tool (optional) and a stapler.

The first step is to score the folded edge of each of the headers. You want to use a paper scoring tool if you have one or the pointed edge of a bone folder. The dotted lines indicate where you will need to fold. Line your ruler up along the dotted lines and gently score the paper. Once that is done, you are ready to cut out the headers on the paper cutter. The solid crop marks on the art indicate where to cut. Note: if you do not have a paper cutter, use a ruler and pencil to outline the headers and cut with scissors. Next you will fold the headers in half where you scored the paper. Go back ove the folded edge of the paper with the bone folder to create a clean flat edge.

I designed the header so that it could be adapted to fit a number of different bag sizes. You can trim the right side of the header to fit the width of the clear bag you are using if the header is too wide. As you can see, I used a pencil to mark how wide I needed my header to be for my clear bags ... I wanted the header to be slightly larger than the bag. Cut the header using the paper cutter and you are now ready to add the "goodies" to your clear bag.

I left space on the back of the header to add a handwritten message if you want. I would suggest doing this before stapling the header to the bag. Once you have added your goodies to the bag you will want to seal the bag. Then simply add the header to the top of the bag so that the clear bag is sandwiched in between the folded header. Then staple the header and bag together. I placed three staples on the header near the bottom edge - one along each bottom corner and another one in the bottom middle.

I often make these for friends in our neighborhood and attach them to their doors as a little surprise during the holidays. The kids love them at Halloween! You can see that I personalized the header with our family name. I also added a hole and ribbon so that I could easily tie them onto a door handle.

Just to give you another idea for these bag headers ... I've used them in previous years for non-food items like mini calendars (see above), packages of handmade cards and picture cds!

I hope that you are having a wonderful, creative day!!

holiday gift containers {part one}

Hello everyone! I've got some exciting news to share. I started working {part-time} at Creative Bag this fall and they recently asked me to be a guest blogger for them. I'm thrilled to be able to share my packaging and wedding themed projects on their blog and I hope that you will pop over and visit me there too! There will be project ideas, tutorials, lots of inspiration and the occasion {free} download! My first blog post should be up by the end of the week.  

So let's get started with one of my favourite ways to "wrap up" a gift using a clear tin pail ...

Creative Bag has a great selection of tin containers.  There are so many different shapes and sizes available that the hardest part is figuring out which one  to use. For this project, you will need a 3"x 4" clear tin pail - a gift card fits perfectly inside this size.  I used a patterned paper inside the pail to decorate the container and to hide the gift.

download here

The pattern paper is actually something that I created to fit the 3"x4" pail and to share with you.  You can download my pdf file by simply clicking on the link under the picture.  Please note that the art is for personal use only and cannot be used for commercial use. 

You can personalize the my pdf file with your own message in any graphic design software.  I've included a second version to download with the words "love, joy and peace" for those of you that would like a generic holiday message. 

Here's what you will need for this project: a 3"x4" clear tin pail, assorted ribbons, some clear rhinestone stickers, scissors, single hole punch, scotch tape, two-sided tape, a piece of twine and of course, my download.  The first thing you need to do is print the pdf file on a colour inkjet or laser printer on a heavy white cardstock.

The next step is to cut out the rectangular band and two circles. You will not need the square tag for this project but hang onto it for another day.  Cutting Tip: I like to use a paper cutter to cut straight edges but if you don't have one, scissors work fine too.

The easiest way to insert the paper band into the pail is to roll it first and let it open up inside the container.  You can gently twirl the paper around until the design is positioned where you want.  I like things to stay in place so at this point I added a tiny piece of tape to the inside of the paper band.

Now we will add the paper circle with the bird design to the tin top.  Here's where you can get a little creative by adding a couple of small clear rhinestones to the design.   The next step is to add a few pieces of two-sided tape to the back of the paper circle, peel the adhesive tabs off the tape and position the paper in the centre of the tin top.

I like to tie lots of assorted ribbons to the pail handle. I select my ribbon colours based on the colours in the papers and the metal colour of the tin (in this case: red, white, brown and silver) and I always mix ribbon textures (organza, satin, gross grain).  Cut the ribbons so that they are about 6 to 7 inches long. You will also need a 9" piece of twine.

You may have noticed a small washer attached to the handle of your pail. I hope that you didn't cut it off and forget where you put it. That little washer is used to open the lid of your pail if you haven't already figured that out.  We will attach it to the handle of the pail first so that it will hang the down the lowest - it should be long enough to easily reach the lid when attached.

Now the fun begins, simply tie the ribbons to the handle - there is no right or wrong way to do this so just start tying! I don't find that it is necessary to knot the ribbons - I just tie once!

Once you have all of the ribbons on the handle, group them together on one side. This will help the handle to stand up.  At this point you should trim the ends of all of the ribbons .. angle, straight ... whatever you like.

The last thing that you will want to do is add the plain red circle tag. You will have to add a hole with a hole punch and finish with a thin ribbon for hanging. It is best to write on the tag before you tie the tag onto the handle.  I will often make a bunch of these containers and leave the tag inside until I am ready to add the gift.

Here's another picture of this project using the second download with the "love, joy and peace" message.  Just remember you can add your own message to the plain design ... for example: "happy holidays from the {your} family" ... using your favourite graphic software program.

 I love these containers because nobody throws them out ... they are either re-gifted or reused as storage containers.

And here's one more picture of this project using scrapbooking or wrapping papers instead of my download. You can add lots of other elements to decorate the container such burlap ribbon and snowflakes (all available at Creative Bag). I'll do another post in a couple of days showing you how to decorate these clear tin containers with patterned papers so that you can recreate this project  anytime of the year ... think birthday parties, wedding favors, teacher's gifts!

I hope that you will check back here for more holiday inspiration in the next few weeks.  And if you get a chance to pop over to Creative Bag  ... come back here and leave me a comment. I'd love to hear your comments.

 I am working with Creative Bag's Wedding division (I'm smiling right now) and I am so excited about some of the new product lines that we will have in stock over the next few months. Check out my wedding board on pinterest  and you'll see how much I am in love with all things wedding right now!!

I hope you have a happy {creative} day!

Valentine gift container inspiration

Here's a little inspiration for Valentine gift giving using the little mini chocolate bar wrappers that I talked about in my previous post!

I recycled a little jar and used it to hold about 15 mini chocolate bars with my Valentine wrappers.

I saved one of my chocolate bar wrappers (you can download the art here) and attached it with two sided tape to a small shipping tag. I trimmed the wrapper down to size to cover about 3/4s of the tag. I then used Ranger distress ink on the edges of the tag and sewed a small scrap of lace near the top for an instant gift tag that matches the chocolates ... how's that for "branding"!

I then tied the tag onto the jar. My jar had a metal piece that keeps the lid attached to the jar so it was easy attach the tag. I then tied additional pieces of different coloured ribbons and lace to the metal piece above the gift tag.

This would be cute to give as a gift to someone. I can see this project being used as a Valentine decorating item .... maybe sitting on the kitchen counter or front hall table at home ... or how about at work on a desk!

feel the (chocolate) love with a free download for Valentine's day

 

All we need is LOVE is all we need ... well and maybe a little chocolate!

Valentine's day is a month away and I thought that I'd share with you a little project that I designed for my youngest daughter as a valentine handout a couple of years ago. These mini chocolate wrappers are so easy to make and the kids can make them with you.

You can download the art for this project here. Please note that this download is for Personal Use ONLY - no commercial use in any way. If you'd like to share this information with your friends please send them here to my blog so that they can download the file themselves ... thanks again for your support! 

So let's get started making these mini chocolate bar wrappers ... 

First you will need to print my pdf file that you have downloaded. Print it in colour on regular weight white paper. You will need a paper cutter (or scissors), two sided tape, a pen or marker to add a name on the wrapper and some mini chocolate bars! I am using the new Hersey's miniatures chocolate bars that have blue, pink and green wrappers (for Valentine's day and Easter?) ... the colours are perfect with my graphics on the wrappers.

Cut out the wrappers using a paper cutter ... if you are into paper crafts or scrapbooking I'm sure that you have one ... if not, use your scissors and try to cut the wrappers as straight as possible. You can have your child write their name on the dotted line at this point ... it's much easier than trying to write on the label once it is attached to the candy bar.

The next step is to add two small pieces of two sided tape to the back of the wrapper as shown. Position the wrapper so that the label is centred at the front of the candy bar and attach one of the pieces of tape to the candy bar. The fold the wrapper completely around the candy bar and using the second piece of tape secure the wrapper in place.

And you are done ... pretty easy!

Just keep in mind that the chocolate bars that I've shown are not peanut free ... so make adjustments in your candy bar selection if you have any children with nut allergies. And if you want to be able to "address" these you can easily do so by adding small blank labels to the back of the wrapper ... I've done this before with little heart shaped labels.

I hope that you are feeling the love ... just try not to eat too many of these mini chocolates while you are making these!

holiday cards and a free download

My Christmas cards have all been made, addressed and are on their way to our family and friends as we speak. The material costs to hand make cards are a little high when you start to add everything up and it takes a long time to make the cards .... I know that I could buy a couple of boxes of cards for less ... but I won't ... this is one of my favourite Christmas traditions that I look forward to doing every year.

For this year's card I used old file folders as the base of the card ... I loved the natural and organic feeling of the kraft stock. I combined a number of different Basic Grey holiday papers in this year's design and created the photo element with a black and white photo overlay that I created. Black photo corners, a piece of lace machine stitched to the card and a vintage button lovingly handstitched in the middle of a paper flower are the final touches. I used a vintage date stamp to the back to add the year and my name.

Just in case any of you have not made your Christmas cards yet or would like something to file for next year ... I've created a PNG file for you to download ... it's for a 4x6 card that you use in Photoshop to create your own little card or photo insert. The picture above shows a sample of how it will look ... the photo is an engagement picture of our friend's daughter and I simply added the words that I wanted in the red space.

Please note that the download is free but it is for your personal use only - you can not use it for commercial use of any kind and I ask you to please not modify the art and call it your own (that's just bad karma!). If you would like to share the art with your friends that is okay if you tell them to download it directly from me! You can download the art here. Hybrid scrappers will most likely want to add some elements to this piece ... I can easily see some glitter and bling added to this ... maybe even a piece of lace or ribbon ... you decide!

Here's a quick "how to" tutorial for using the holiday card art ... I use Photoshop CS2 on a PC so you may have to modify some of the commands based on your software ...

1. Open a new file - 6"wide and 4"high, 300 dpi , RGB mode

2. File/Place/ and open my png file (let's call this layer "card design")

3. Then add another layer go to File/Place/ and open your photo ... you will want to move this new layer below the layer called "card design" before you go on.

4. Working on the layer with your photo, you will need to resize your photo and position it so that you are happy with the layout.

5. To add words to your card you will need to add another layer on top of the two we already have ... do this by adding a type layer and add  your text in the red box area.

6. To save your art for printing wherever you do your photo printing ... save your Photoshop file as a JPEG copy and you are ready to print!

Now speaking of printing ... I have to share with you a cute little print project that just arrived in the mail yesterday. I created these buck and doe tickets for Breann and Kyle (featured in the holiday card) and had them printed at moo.com .  This is the first time that I've used MOO myself ... it was really quite easy to upload the files online and they have excellent directions and templates if you want to create your own art. I screamed with delight when I opened the package. These cards turned out so nice ... beautiful colours ... nice thick stock and the finish is amazing. The best thing is that I could have uploaded 100 different images for one side of the cards for the same price! Breann and Kyle selected 4 engagement photos that they liked and I created the card backs as a ticket ... now all we just have to number the 400 cards and they will be ready to sell!

Aren't these just too cute! Oh and before I forget ... we need to give credit to the talented photographers who took Breann and Kyle's engagement photos ... Cindy and Kal at Silver Parrot Studio ! I can't wait to see the wedding photos next summer!