Free Printable: Post-Holiday Thank You + Blank Cards

Well lovelies...tomorrow (or today - depending on where you live) is the big day!  I hope that the end of this year finds each one of you rich in memories and the love of family and friends.  I will be taking off the next week to spend time with my daughter and will see you again on January 4th of the New Year!

It seem that the holidays are a great time to remember to show our gratitude to those around us who brighten our lives (not just when they give us a present under the tree).  With that in mind I wanted to wrap up our 18 Days Series with a download for some simple Thank You cards (and some left blank as well) for you to print out and give to the special people in your lives.  The color palettes were voted on by readers like you over on Twitter + Flickr.  I hope you will like them.

Download:

• Printable Thank You Card - LILAC / CHARCOAL
• Printable Thank You Card - AQUA / GREY

Psst...these also coordinate with the Winter Birds Gift Tags...found right here.

Directions for use:

• Print with a color printer onto heavy-weight paper (such as cardstock or other fine papers).
• Cut out around the faint outer lines
• Fold in the middle
• For use as a note flat, just cut the back of the card off (along the center).

Thank you everyone for a wonderful year!  Have a holiday filled with all things Merry & Bright...and a New Year blessed with Comfort & Joy!  xox Ez

The not so fun technical stuff: 

• If you'd like to share this download, please link directly to this post for the actual PDF file and do not host the file on your site. Thanks in advance for your support.


• This and all my freebies are created for personal use only (non-commercial use).  This means you are welcome to print the file for yourself and/or create gifts for your friends and family with it, but please do not alter and/or redistribute the actual file, even if it is not for profit (creative personal use is fine).

Free Printable: Dove Holiday Tags by Elizabeth

We've come close to wrapping up our 18 Days Series (it ends tomorrow), but the lovely Elizabeth of Nella Designs has sweetly put together these printable dove folded gift tags for us all first.  Aren't they perfect!  They coordinate perfectly with the holiday cards in her shop.

Download: Dove Holiday Tags

Each tag has its own message.  Simply print onto heavy-weight paper and cut along guides. Great used as gift inserts or strug to the top of a gift (just punch tag with a hole punch and string with ribbon or twine).

Thank you so much for sharing with us Elizabeth!  You can see more from Elizabeth by visiting her: BLOG  |  ETSY SHOP  |  TWITTER

D.I.Y. Repurposed Produce Bag Ideas

Hello lovelies!  I don't know about you, but I have a habit of trying to find something useful or pretty in almost everything.  Most of the time this is a good thing, although it does lead to a lot of stacks and piles of bits and pieces waiting to be reborn.  Because of this tenancy of mine, I have been collecting up mesh produce bags for a while (I just knew they'd come in handy).  These project ideas aren't technically "green," though it does feel good to reuse something that would otherwise be sent straight to the trash bin.

In any case, I wanted to show you three new usage ideas for the mesh bags that we find on most produce items these days.  There are so many clever ways to repurpose these babies...I hope you'll take my basic ideas and run with them!

Idea No.1: Decorative Gift-Wrapping Band

To make this band (perfect for a stack of stationery, books, etc) I made sure that both ends of my produce bag were open (if yours is sealed shut at one end you can simply snip it open) and then I just slipped it around my gift.  Scrunch up the mesh until it looks how you like, or leave is flat for a different look.  Tie on a tag and you're done!

Idea No.2: Amped Up Gift Wrap

Layering a mesh produce bag over the top of a pre-wrapped gift is a great way to add a little extra interest to your present.  I didn't have any solid paper on hand for the photos, but I think it would look great with this idea.  This particular example looks rather feminine, but you could make it look more masculine depending on the paper underneath (maybe newspaper or kraft paper) and the color of your produce bag.  To complete this look I used an old lemon bag which was already stitched closed at one end, slipped my pre-wrapped gift inside, and tied it closed with some twine I had laying around.  For an extra pop of color I also tied a little ornament on top.

Idea No.3: Makeshift Stocking / Gift Bag

This one started life as a bag for shallots, but I have to say that I think it looks even better filled with these goodies!  I'm sure most of us already have stockings hung by the chimney with care, but this is a great idea for last minute holiday parties and extra little gifties that won't fit inside your regular stocking.  To complete this one I just removed the staples from the top of the bag and rounded the corners at the bottom (for aesthetic reasons), and filled with fun treats.  It's even easy to hang (just hook the mesh onto a nail and you're set).

Taa-da!  Three fun and easy ideas that I hope will come in handy for you this holiday or the next time you need a unique way to wrap up a special gift.  xox Ez

Free Printable: Tags + Labels by Renee Garner

The sweet and incredibly talented Renee Garner of Wolfie + the Sneak put together this fantastic free tag + label download for our 18 Days Series.  I adore anything with scallops and she knocked it out of the park even further with those gorgeous birds and festive flag garlands!  I can't wait to stick them onto the gifts under my tree...how 'bout you!

Download: Printable Holiday Tags + Labels

Directions for use:  Print your tags onto adhesive-backed sticker paper for easy stick-on labels OR print onto heavy-weight cardstock.  Simply cut out and stick, glue on, or string up and hang from your presents.  Perfect for decorating homemade and store-bought gifts! 

Thank you so much for this adorable sheet of printable tags Renee!  You can find more from Renee by visiting her: SITE  |  SHOP  |  BLOG (where there are more freebies to be found)

Free Printable: Gift Wrap + Tags by Kellie Medivitz

Hello again everyone.  I have one more post to share with you this week for our 18 Days Series and then I'm off to tackle a mountain of to-dos for the weekend.  Kellie Medivitz has designed these two amazing Free Printable Gift Wrap + Tag Sets for us and they are perfect!  Each PDF contains multiple color options for you to choose from and two patterns to decide between.  Will you choose Gifts A Go-Go or Peary Partridge, or maybe both?  Why not...they are free!  Directions for use can be found on the actual PDF files.

Download (download will begin immediately):

• Free Printable PEARY PARTRIDGE Gift Wrap + Tags Set
• Free Printable GIFTS A GO-GO Gift Wrap + Tags Set

(Please note that download time may take a moment because of the file sizes).

Thank you so much for these amazing holiday freebies Kellie!  See more from Kellie by visiting her:  WEBSITE  |  TWITTER

Free Printable: Holiday Cards by Rosemary

Hello lovelies and happy Friday!  Sweet Rosemary Eckford created these wonderful Printable Holiday Cards, Card Pockets and To/From Labels for our 18 Days Series today.  As a New Zealander, Rosemary wanted to create something festive that we all can enjoy, but that also represents the holidays on her side of the hemisphere (where it is Summery and warm).  Read on for the downloads and more from Rosemary:

My design was inspired by the Pohutukawa Tree which is affectionately known as the New Zealand Christmas tree.  It flowers throughout December and is the perfect backdrop to summer at the bach (beach house) where the BBQ is always on and you spend all day in your jandals (flip flops) and togs (swimsuit). Happy holidays to you!

Download:

• Free Printable Holiday Card Set - Red/Aqua
• Free Printable Holiday Card Set - Red/White

You will need:

• 1 x A4 cardstock
• Glue stick/Double sided tape
• Craft knife/Papercutter
• Optional: Corner rounder, 1" Circle punch, 1 x A4 vellum

Score folds as indicated by the dotted lines and then cut around card & pocket. I made a basic square envelope from vellum so I could send my cards through the mail, Google has heaps of templates if you need inspiration.

Thank you so much for these wonderful printable Rosemary!  See more from Rosemary on her BLOG.

D.I.Y. Vintage Doily Votives by Christine Chitnis

Today Christine Chitnis from Lavender and Limes has created this beautiful project for our 18 Days Series.  These are so soft and romantic and would make perfect gifts.  Better still, they can be displayed in your home year-round!  Here's more from Christine about her project:

Here in New England, we have been experiencing the first signs of winter.  Frost creeps over the garden, night sets in around 4:30pm and our heavy coats have come out of storage.  These crisp, gorgeous days have inspired me to cozy up our home in preparation for the colder months ahead. When I go about setting a winter dinner table, I always feel that a soft glow is needed. Using some old jelly jars, a bit of hot glue and some vintage doilies, I crafted these pretty votives.

Materials:

• Vintage Doilies
• Hot Glu
• Jelly jar
• Tea light candles

Directions:
Wash and dry your jelly jars and find the doily that best fits each jar.  Try to use smaller doilies so that you don't have to cut them (this leads to unsightly fraying).  Place dabs of hot glue on the outer edges of your doily and wrap it securely around your jar, holding it tightly in place until the glue cools.  Wait for the glue to dry completely, make sure that the doily is secure (add more glue if needed) and place a tea light into the jar.  Strike a match and enjoy the ambiance!

Thank you so much for inspiring us with such a gorgeous project Christine.  To see more from Christine visit her: BLOG  |  PORTFOLIO

D.I.Y. Paper Stocking Garland by Rachel Pfeffer

This cute and easy D.I.Y. project for a Paper Stocking Garland was created for our 18 Days Series by the lovely Rachel Pfeffer of Luckyduct.  She's used red paper for her project, but you can use any kind you like for yours.  Red, patterned, etc.  Perhaps you can even embellish each stocking with some glitter or other festive elements.  Here is more from Rachel on how to create your own charming garland:

Materials needed:

• Red and white construction paper (or other crafting papers of your choosing)
• a pen or pencil
• pinking shears (if you want to get fancy)
• a piece of yarm, ribbon, or twine
• glue stick or hot glue
• needle and thread (or a small hole punch)

Directions:

1) Gather your supplies.

2) Draw about 10 stocking outlines. I just looked up a picture online for a reference, but it's fun if they are each a little different.

3) Cut out stockings!

4) Trim a strip across the top of the piece of paper with the pinking shears, so that the top of the strip is flat, and the bottom is zig-zagged or scalloped.  Regular scissors can also be used for this part, though it will not have the scalloped edge.

5+6) Place the strip of white paper over a stocking, and cut a section that is just slightly wider than the actual stocking. Repeat for each stocking, until you have all of the top trims.

7) Using your glue stick, glue the white trims to the tops of the stockings.

8) Here is the fun (or not so fun, depending on your patience and commitment to the craft) part. I used a long piece of yarn, but a thin piece of pretty ribbon would look great, too. Using a needle and thread, simply stitch each stocking onto the piece of yarn in a row, right beneath the white paper trim. It lends the finished product a nice little touch, but it would be just as good and more efficient to use hot glue or a small hole punch (just punch two tiny holes and thread your twine through each stocking).

Ta-Da! Your strip of mini stockings is now complete. Hang it on your front door, a wall above the fire place, above your bed, anywhere you want a tiny magical little detail in your house. I strung it on the front of my wood stove door, and then on a tree. The latter wasn't very practical, nor meant for a long period of time, but it made a great picture!

Thank you so much for this fun project Rachel.  For more from Rachel visit her:

SHOP  |  BLOG  |  TWITTER