February 2012 Calendar Download

Hi sweets! Happy Friday! Before taking off for the weekend I want to leave you with the free downloadable February 2012 calendar page that I made available earlier this week through my newsletter (note: your download will begin as soon as you click the image above). Once again I've designed the calendar to be repurposed as a postcard or mini art print once the month is over.

Also, off topic...I just wanted to apologize for not sharing much about my Alt Summit experience with you yet. I filled half of a small notebook with notes while there, so I've been working on trying to compile all that info into helpful posts for you all. It looks like next week I'll finally be organized enough to share those. Phew! Anyhow, thanks for not giving me a failing grade on my blogger report card this week. You guys are the best! xo Ez

Psst...if you missed the January calendar download you can find it here. And if you also want to check out last year's calendar (the illustrations still make great cards or art prints, even if 2011 is over), you can find it right here.

January 2012 Calendar Download

Hi guys! As promised, here is the free downloadable January 2012 calendar page that I made available last week through my newsletter (your download will begin as soon as you click the image). Once again I've designed the calendar to be repurposed as a postcard or mini art print once the month is over. I hope you'll enjoy each month's design, and have fun with them!

Just a quick note: it seems that there was a little bit of confusion regarding the difference between subscribing to my blog feed by email and signing up for the newsletter. They are two separate things, and the calendar is sent through the newsletter and not the feed. If you'd like to subscribe to receive it on or before the first of each month, the newsletter subscription form is found in the lower right-hand column. I will only be sending out the once monthly calendar download, so you don't need to worry about me flooding your inbox with a bunch of random things.

And of course if you prefer not to receive the newsletter, but still want to be able to download the new calendar page each month, I will be making it available here on Creature Comforts approximately one week after the 1st of the month. Click on the image above to start your download. xo Ez

Psst...if you want to check out last year's calendar (the illustrations still make great cards or art prints, even if 2011 is over), you can find it right here.

Free Download: Flamingo Thank You Card Printables

Hi lovelies! Well the time is finally here to say farewell to the end of an amazing year, and wish you all the very brightest of holidays. Thank you for being here with me this year...cheering me on, and overall making my life as a blogger stellar. I am so grateful for each and every one of you!

As a last minute gesture of appreciation for being the world's greatest bloggy friends I painted up these printable cards last night so that I could share them with you today. I'm always in need of sweet thank you notes to send to family and friends after the holidays...maybe you are too. I also included a plain version that you can fill in with your own salutation or just leave blank. Hey...you could even use it as a larger gift tag, cut off the back half and send it as a postcard, or frame it as a mini print if you feel so inclined. And yes, flamingos might not be the most seasonally appropriate theme (as my daughter pointed out to me this morning), but the cheery pop of pink makes me smile...and I hope it will for you too!

I'll be taking several days off for the holidays and will see you again some time next week or in the beginning of the New Year! Wishing you and yours a holiday filled with all things merry and bright. xo Ez

P.S. A lot of you have been asking if I will be making a Printable Calendar for 2012, and the answer is yes! I'll be working on the design over the holiday and will be sharing one downloadable page per month through my newsletter. Sign up using the button in the right-hand column if you'd like to receive it.

Peppermint Reindeer Patties with Free Printable Tags

Hi sweets! So I recently decided to revisit a favorite recipe from last year: Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies. This time around I adapted the recipe to make it gluten-free (I just used this gf flour in place of the regular flour and made sure my chocolate chips were gluten-free—Andes mints are gluten-free)...and honestly the results were just as delicious as I remember the standard recipe tasting. Whether you go for the traditional recipe or the adapted one...these minty treats will not disappoint.

And since they are so scrumptious (seriously...start rounding up your ingredients now) they make perfect gifts. (idea for holiday parties, teacher gifts, and more). Of course no gift is complete without its packaging so I had a little fun envisioning these minty morsels as Peppermint Reindeer Patties (ewww...yum) and created free printable tags to help make them even more gift-worthy!

There are three different tag designs on the printable sheet that you can use to make your packaging complete. If reindeer droppings are a little too silly for your giving purposes, you can use the more subtle Deer or Doily tags.

Print the file out onto heavy-weight card stock. Punch printed tags out with a 2" craft punch (scissors will work too). If you'd like you can also punch a small hole at the top of each tag and string it with a bit of twine, or leave tags unpunched (the way I did with mine).

To prepare your present: line the inside of a gift box with oil-resistant tissue paper or freezer paper. I used candy boxes found in the cake decorating isle at my local craft store and waxed tissue paper from the gift wrapping isle. Place your cooled cookies inside. If you'd like you can attach a pretty ribbon to keep your box closed (I secured my ribbon on the bottom with a couple pieces of double-sided tape). Attach a printed tag on top of a paper doily and adhere to gift with double-sided tape.

Give and make merry! xo Ez

Supplies used for this project: 

• Candy Boxes | craft stores
• Waxed Tissue Paper | Michael's
• Double-sided tape | Target, office supply stores, craft stores
• 2" Craft punch | craft stores
• Scissors | craft stores
• Baker's Twine | We Sell Coffee
• Doilies | craft stores
• Glitter Velvet Ribbon | Hobby Lobby
• Andes Mint Cookie recipe - (be sure to make adjustments to the flour step if you need them to be gluten-free)

BTW...have you checked out my handy page of craft resources here on Creature Comforts. If not, you might like to take a peek (the link is found in the dropdown above, under Resources).

All images by Ez Pudewa (that's me)

A Special Creature Comforts DIY for Brigitte.de

Hi sweets! I was delighted when back in September, German magazine Brigitte.de got in touch and asked if I would be interested in contributing a holiday-themed project for a festive blogger DIY special they were putting together for their online audience. Of course I said "yes," and then I quickly set to work dreaming up this really sweet printable set that includes various paper bands and tags. I then created a series of step-by-step tutorials for some ways to use them.

You can find the full download over on the Brigitte.de site (look for the download link below the main image). Brigitte.de is a German magazine, so if you are not fluent (I'm not) then you can easily read the directions using a free translating service, such as Google Translate. Note: the download only worked for me when not in translate mode.

The holiday greeting on this main bird tag was created in German for the feature, but I also made an English version to share with those of you who prefer it. You can download the tag sheet here (this download only includes the round bird tags, and not the rest of the printable). I hope you'll have fun using my printables for your holiday decorating and gift wrapping. Thanks Brigitte.de for inviting me to be a part of this fun feature!

And if you missed it earlier this week, I have two additiona DIY projects that you might enjoy working on over the weeked:

• DIY Yarn Pom Poms
• DIY Poppy Flower Gift Toppers (seen on the cover of Gifted Magazine)

Have a fabulous weekend everyone! xo Ez

Free Download: Charming Animal Note Sheets

I have no idea how I stumbled across this sweet freebie today, but boy am I ever glad I did. In fact I've been sitting on this link for a few weeks hoping that I would have a printer to print these out on before sharing them, but I can't wait any longer (and I still don't have a working printer). So sweets, I will live vicariously through you as you hopefully enjoy downloading and printing these Charming Animal Note Sheets from Tocotoco. You could even get handy with a craft punch and create sweet little gift tags, cupcake toppers, or maybe even decoupage the animals and foliage onto Easter eggs! They sky's the limit! They are just so stinkin' adorable, aren't they!

To download, click the blue arrows to open both of the two available sizes in a new window. Drag the images to your desktop to save and use. Enjoy! xo Ez

Update on Monday, April 4, 2011 by Ez

I'm happy to be able to update with a link to the artist who created this wonderful freebie. Her name is Masako Kubo and her portfolio is filled with loveliness. Don't miss it. xo Ez

Creamy Roasted Tomato + Red Bell Pepper Soup

We are coming to the tail-end of soup making season here (some of you are probably still in the midst of it), but I'm willing to stretch the season out as long as possible (soup is my favorite). Until Tuesday I'd never accomplished a tasty batch of homemade tomato soup...but lovelies, I've now done it! I found this recipe by Michael Chiarello and ended up adapting it to suit the ingredients I had on hand (and made it vegetarian too). Let me just say that the end result was ridiculously tasty...even more so the second day (you know how soup cleverly improves overnight).

Tomato soup is frequently too acidic for me, but this version is creamy and even a little bit sweet (it's not gross, I promise). It even tastes delicious chilled! A word to the wise however...this is not a low-fat soup! I reduced the amount of oil in my recipe, but it still calls for a lot of oil, butter and cream. I've now made this recipe twice (I had to make a second batch to share with my mom—a fellow soup lover), and it seems to be a very forgiving soup. I recommend playing around with the proportion and ingredients until it suits your taste buds best.

Click on the recipe image for a larger view (opens in a pop-up window).

Anyhow, this one has gone right into my binder of recipes for further use. Of course I want you to get in on the goodness too, so I made a printable copy of my adapted recipe for you all to print and enjoy. Click here to begin download. If you make the soup I'd love to hear what you think. Again you can find the original (non-adapted) recipe right here if you'd like to take a look. Enjoy! xo Ez

Photos by me.

Free Printable 2011 Calendar

Hi sweets! One of the many resolutions I made for myself this new year is to spend more time creating art (not just looking at it online). I don't really consider myself to be an "artist" in the traditional sense of the word, but I do love it whenever I set the time aside to work on it (which is hardly ever I'm afraid - hence the resolution).

In any event, I brought a giant pad of paper and watercolors to my parent's house on New Year's Eve (I know, I'm a total party animal) and spent several blissful hours painting all sorts of naturey-themed doodles, which I then decided to use to make a printable calendar for you all. I designed it so that each month's image can be repurposed as postcards or note flats once the month has passed (just cut out, address, stamp the back, and you're done). That way if one of your resolutions is also to send more snail mail to friends and family, you're all set (and you have all month to decide who to send it to).

• Download free calendar here. Please note that this is a large file size and may take a while to download.

Once printed onto heavy-weight paper, cut out along dashed border. I've included a small mark if you'd like to punch a hole for hanging with a piece of pretty ribbon or twine. If not, you can easily hang your calendar using a small binder clip (like I did here).

For non-commercial use only please. Alteration of the file does not void the copyright. The PDF file is not intended to be hosted on your own site - please link to this post for the download. Please feel free to print out copies to share with your friends and family, and of course a little shout-out for my blog is always very much appreciated too! Enjoy! xo Ez