Monday, November 30

White Christmas Tags to Print and Enjoy


I'll admit to watching "White Christmas" again and again, mainly for the smorgasbord scene. There's something about the idea of a quant inn with a giant fireplace and old-fashioned spread that speaks to my heart. I can just imagine being up at 2 a.m. and putting on a pretty housecoat and wandering over to the lodge lobby. 

Here is a link to a free sheet of "White Christmas" tags -- not the movie, but the snowy kind. I used to sell these on Etsy. They really do look nice when printed out on cardstock.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nfxsc6g4g7dwv9i/whitxmaspng.png?dl=0

Or you can click the image below and SAVE or PRINT the sheet, depending on your computer and printer set-up. Finally, Blogger lets me upload huge files. If you click it and the image shows a little magnifying glass with a "+" on it, CLICK AGAIN to make it full-sized, then right-click to save!

Dropbox might put up a "Get a free account" window, but just click outside of it and then use the Download button if you don't have Dropbox and don't want a free account and want to download that way.



Thank'ee for stopping by.

Sunday, November 29

Free Sheet of Christmas Birds to Print


It's cold even here, now, and so I have been feeding the birds. I love to see them eating so busily, but sometimes I have to give a tap on the windowpane to stop a bully birdie from chasing away a smaller bird.

Here is the Dropbox link to use, OR YOU CAN CLICK THE IMAGE, click it again if it shows a little magnifying glass with a "+" in it, and save it or print it!

The link goes to Dropbox. It looks like you have to make a free account to get the link, but you don't. Just click off of that pop-up window and then click the Download button. But a free account at Dropbox would be very useful, so you might want to consider it.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4w5gm5bst3mgia7/birds6pk.png?dl=0




Thank'ee and I hope ye enjoy.

Saturday, November 28

Pretty Christmas Free Printable Tags


Dearies, I don't know if your computer has the same settings as mine. I can call up an image from storage in my Pictures Folder by double-clicking it, and it will automatically have "Print" as an option, and will allow me to print it from huge down to multiple smaller copies on a single sheet of paper.

I hope you likewise have that option. I know that when I take images on a thumb drive over to Office Depot or Staples, they can also print multiple copies on a single cardstock sheet. 

Tomorrow I think I'll start posting whole sheets of tags, the ones I used to sell on Etsy, via Dropbox, or maybe they can just be posted now without the need for a secondary storage place. Things change so quickly in the blog world. I need to do a bit of research on how to use Dropbox - I've forgotten. I've forgotten quite a bit about the blogging world, too, and Google+ is new to me.

Anyhoo, here are a few Christmas tags ye may like to print. Thank'ee for dropping by and I hope ye enjoy.



Friday, November 27

Wish Book Memories: 1960's Plastic Wreath


A "pop-up" thrift store that is all Christmas items opened recently. All proceeds are for charitable causes. I went through the store (much to husband's dismay) and found this vintage mid-century "Della Robbia" wreath and had to get it, for $3 - probably the same price it sold at orginally.

I call this post "Wish Book Memories" because of the joy looking through the Sears Christmas Wish Book brought into my sad childhood. I loved the very smell of the thin pages, and spent the most time not in the Toy Section, but among the splendid pages of the Christmas decorations.




Thank'ee for stopping by.

Thursday, November 26

Happy Thanksgiving, Elf Friends


I hope wherever you are, that you are having a lovely Thanksgiving.

Do you like the image below? You can right-click any image to save it. For most images, regular click it first, then right-click once the larger image loads.


Thank'ee for stopping by.

Wednesday, November 25

2015 Potluck Prize-winning Recipe!


Halloo Elf Friends!








This year's company potluck did not disappoint -- it yielded what I thought was a wonderful and unusual recipe that deserves a place in your recipe box. This was the best potluck ever, since I managed to sit behind a large column out of sight of all my dear, dear co-workers.





Thank'ee for stopping by!

Tuesday, November 24

A Thanksgiving Free Printable Tag and Fluff Salad Recipe


Tonight I am cooking cornbread stuffing for the potluck at work -- just a simple recipe that has been long in my family.

I am of two minds concerning potlucks: On the one hand, the grumbling, hurt feelings, and expense are of concern, but on the other hand, I always seem to find some delightful new dish and get the recipe.

Last year I got this recipe:

Pistachio Fluff

1 large can crushed pineapple, undrained (20 oz)
1 small package pistachio instant pudding, dry (don't add milk) 
1 package or less of mini marshmallows - I use a bit over a cup
1 tub thawed Cool Whip (I use Tru Whip, which is all natural) ( 8 oz)

Mix the pineapple and pudding first, then add in the marshmallows and gently fold in the whipped topping, chill several hours, then serve. 

It's very pretty to put in individual cups and put a cherry on top.

Some people add pecan pieces to theirs.

And here is a little graphic for you -- a cleaned up vintage image put onto a tag shape.

Thank'ee for stopping by.

Monday, November 23

How to Make Snow Globe Dioramas for Christmas and Holidays

Snow Globe Dioramas: I saw something similar for sale in kit form and decided to make my own, and share the tutorial.

The main materials needed are two-part plastic sphere ornaments -- the kind with a double hook holder at top, so that when pulled into two parts, each has a little hanging hole for a hook or piece of ribbon or cording (see the pictures). I had to order mine online; neither Hobby Lobby nor Michael's had the kind I needed.

Other materials are:
  • glitter or fake snow
  • some cotton or batting
  • a piece of cardstock
  •  hot glue gun and glue sticks
  • the things you wish to place inside
Place one half of the ornament onto card stock. I used plain cardstock for some, and old Christmas cards for others. Trace around it, then cut out the circle.

On the circle, glue down (I use glue dots) some batting or cotton, cut into a shape or angle to represent a little hill or snowy foreground.

Atop the cotton "snow," glue down the stickers or little paper shapes you are using. I used little shapes from some cardstock confetti, and some small stickers, to make a scene. I could have trimmed the back of a sisal tree and glued it in place with hot glue, to make the scene more dimensional. 

I double-placed each animal cutout, by placing one cutout, putting a thick glue dot on it, and placing another identical cutout on top of it, to make it dimensional.

Now you place some fake snow into the half globe and hold it like a little bowl so it doesn't fall out. If you forget to add the snow into the little globe bowl (as I did), you'll have to partially glue the circle down, pull out the top of the circle as shown in the first picture, and put some snow in. I put clear big glitter circles in one globe, and tiny styrofoam balls into the other globes. The fluffy fake snow in a bag would also be pretty.

Put slow-setting hot glue around the edge of the half globe, and place the cut-out circle against it, with the scene sealed inside.

MAKE SURE that you have the scene oriented correctly before pushing the circle against the globe's edge.

Now you can put some glitter, tinsel, cord or ribbon (or nothing) along the edge to disguise where you glued the circle to the globe. I put more hot glue and then dabbed the edge into glitter poured onto a paper plate.

Not Shown: 

Pretty Scallops: You can get a scalloped circle somewhat larger than the back of the ornament, and glue it to it, to make a pretty "frame" around the scene.

Stand-up Scenes: To make a stand-up scene to go atop a Mason jar or other jar or box, it's a slightly different process. You can get some tiny sisal trees and figurines (I have some tiny deer I got in the dollhouse section of Hobby Lobby) and put them on top of some batting or cotton glued to the cardstock circle. Have the circle completely covered with the cotton this time. Make sure the items are tiny enough so that they fit within the half globe (you'll likely have to have most of the scene in the middle). When you are happy with the scene and everything is safely glued to the circle, put a bead of hot glue on the edges of the globe and lower it onto the circle.





Thank'ee for dropping by, and I hope ye enjoyed the tutorial.

Sunday, November 22

Why I Quit Blogging and Then Returned


Well, dearies, it's been a few years.

I stopped blogging for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was losing the enjoyment of posting as I pleased in favor of posting what I hoped would "monetize" the blog. Indeed, feeling pressure from my family and even the changing blogging culture to somehow turn a carefree jaunt into the blogging world into income sapped my joy and heaped guilt upon my poor head, although I did earn a meager amount. 

So, I left blogging. And then disaster struck in my real life, and it made going back to blogging feel impossibly fake. I was crushed, and I lost my voice for quite a long time, but recovered.

Now, here I am again, and with my original intent: To write a little bloggie that elf-friends might find amusing, and that I definitely find amusing, and to create pretty images for blogs and Facebook. Mayhap you will come along?

*~*~*~*

It's nearly Thanksgiving, and the burr oaks are dropping their acorns. These are huge acorns, and I can picture one featuring prominently at the squirrels' Thanksgiving table. With their frilly Colonial caps, I find them the most charming of the acorns.