Penniwigs: Welcome Dearies

2012 Valentine's Day Gift to You - Free Digital Images

2012-01-21T20:25:00.000-06:00

Let us get a good start on this season!

Here is a link to where I have stored my 2012 Valentine's Day gift to you, my readers, who have stuck with me despite my lack of time to post. I now have TWO jobs and just no time. Everything seems to be done at a dead run. But with the economy as it is, I don't dare cut back on either job. I take a measly half-hour lunch because they require it. I'd rather have the money!

Be sure to use the LINK. Don't download this little graphic here. It won't print the right size. Use the link.

Thank'ee for dropping by! It was almost 80 here today - I won't ask what temp it was where you are! In case you've got the winter blues!

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/z4ch0v

Make LAST MINUTE GIFTS - An Instant Gift - My Soda Shoppe Digital Free Printables

2011-12-19T21:06:00.002-06:00

Okay, these were put up last year and here they are again as a reminder - you need BOTH FILES because it prints out to make a wee 8-page booklet. This is fun to print and punch and tie together and give along with an ice cream scoop, or some straws, or a pretty glass, or just your best wishes!

Oooo very vintagey. Tres retro.

Have you seen my newest instant gifts in my etsy shoppe? Birthstone gals tags and birthday tags.

SAVE these files. Don't "open" online. Booklets are very pale blue, red, white and black ink.

Here is sheet one:

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/g4oag3

and here is sheet two:

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/3trwsp

Okay M'Dears Last Christmas Tags of the Year

2011-12-17T22:10:00.003-06:00

Here is my last Christmas-themed offering of this year - I hope you enjoy them.

USE THE LINK to download. Don't try to right-click the image - it will print out far too small and fuzzy.

Use the link! And when you get the link, SAVE it, don't "open" it online!

Here's the tag set - darling lil' snow gal. I hope they save someone a trip out into the cold!

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/mjubfm

Reminder: Free Little Handmade, Baked By, Sewn By, Tags

2011-12-17T21:41:00.001-06:00

Don't forget I have these available still - many thousands of downloads later, they are still my most popular free set but I plan to pull them after the holidays, so get them now!

As always, use the LINK, not this picture - use the link and SAVE THE FILE in the link! These are wee tags just right for homemade gifts!

Link:

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/93lx62

Digital Download of Free Fancy Christmas Tags - Joy, Peace

2011-12-09T17:04:00.001-06:00

Well, here we go with a new set of "fancy" words for Christmas. Yes, I'm still on that "retro" kick!

As always, use the LINK provided - don't save the picture provided, because it won't print right size or clarity! go download the file directly from sendspace.com

I'll check later if it's working right -sometimes it gets wonky on me - hope ye enjoy.

Visit my Etsy shoppe for lots of printables, great for gifts and decorating!

Thank'ee.

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/jl6b33

What they look like:

Christmas Is Around the Corner - Free Digital Printables

2011-11-26T16:41:00.001-06:00

Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is past. Halloween flew by, and then it was Turkey Day, and now, seems Christmas is rushing towards me.

Here is a page of retro images you might like for bookmarks or tags. I love the work of the artists of yesteryear.

Click and SAVE the file when prompted when you click the link at the bottom of this post - don't "open" it online. And don't save this little "preview" version above, as it is too small to print properly.

Use the link! I'll check back later to see if it's working. We are in the middle of a dust storm. A haboob, as they are called. Visibility is so poor, and even poking your nose outdoors will give you a mouthful or noseful of grit. I chatter so much I practically have a mouthful of mud.

Thank'ee for dropping by.

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/f1pkol

Free Thanksgiving Tags

2011-11-11T19:34:00.001-06:00

For my followers and customers - free printable digital tags with a Thanksgiving theme - just a simple set of 6, not as full as the boughten sets but still...free, gratis, no strings attached. Download from my storage bin at sendspace.com - don't save this small image, as it won't print correctly. SAVE the file from sendspace.com.

I'll have this up for a few weeks.

LINK:

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/nnt5p8

Here's what it looks like:

I never have time to post anymore. Just work, work, work, and worries. C'est la vie.

Thank'ee for stopping by.

Free Bright Jack O'Lantern Pumpkin Tags

2011-10-24T20:29:00.001-05:00

No one wants poor ol' Snowball, even neutered now and with shots. But I notice the "no kill' and "cat shelters" call me back RIGHT AWAY when I say I want to donate - but they don't respond to any requests about information as to placing a cat with them -- and their PAYPAL button works, but not their emails - DISGUSTING. Likely scammy types.

I am overwhelmed at work. People, amazingly, keep quitting. Meaning now I can get all the hours I can hold, and of course I want all I can get. But it wrecks my abililty to receive vibes of any sort. I did talk the very day before the quake a whole bunch about Turkey and how there isn't a building in that country with a plumb wall - that day I also invented something I thought would be useful to them in the event of a quake - and the very next day, a quake.

I made these and put them up and no sales...so here they are, temporarily free.

Remember to click on the link, SAVE the file, don't open online -

Here's an example of them, and the actual sheets has eight tags or something, I don't know. All different, some with dots, some without, diff colors. Too tired to think. You can see them in the Etsy shoppe and decide if you want to download them here.

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/ex0paf

Potion Party Labels - Free Tag/Label Set - Download

2011-09-18T17:41:00.000-05:00

Don't forget that the poor stray cat SNOWBALL needs a home! Previous post tells about the poor soul.

Here is a link to use to download a free set of ornate labels/tags.

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/5m7i87

The file is hosted at my safe Sendspace pro account. DON'T SAVE the example shown below - it will print out too small. USE THE LINK.

This "Potion Party" sheet is FREE. Not everyone in this economy can even spare the $2.50 it takes to get one of my digital sheets. So this allows everyone to participate in the fun!

I think raggedy edges, maybe chalked or grubbied with cinnamon, would look good on these. Apply them to frap bottles, jars, tin cans, etc, or use as tags. You can add touches of color, or drip coffee on them to give them a stained and spooky look.

The top tag is about 3 inches by a bit over 2 inches, to give you an idea of size.

Thank'ee for dropping by!

Snowball Needs A Home

2011-09-17T18:34:00.000-05:00

I'm getting desperate. We are going to be moving, and here we have a new cat, Snowball, who is coming here to eat each day. He has gone from sickeningly emaciated to slim.

He's a sweet cat and is scheduled to get neutered in early October. He enjoys being with people, but he's also getting wilder and wilder since he spends so much time outdoors.

I wish I could keep him. My three cats and two dogs are finally "at peace" with one another, although two of them skirmish somewhat. But Snowball throws the whole house into an uproar, being fearful of the dogs (he will get over this in time), and unfortunately being the target of my large cat, Ludwig, who is twenty pounds and just hates the very guts of Snowball and has hurt him bad.

I can drive Snowball to anyone who can give him a forever home if they are within a day's drive from West Texas (like Abq, Dallas, etc.) (because I can only take a little time off my new job, like the weekend only). I can put him on a plane and FLY him anywheres. But whoever takes him must realize that he must be TAMED. He cannot just be taken from the cage and let run, because he will run away. An experienced cat owner and someone who knows about ferals, in other words, would be ideal for poor old Snowball.

Reach me thru merrytales@gmail.com if you think you can help give Snowball a home. Or if you know a place that would accept him while he is waiting for a forever home. PLEASE don't write and tell me to advertise. I did that and got a whole boatload of evil people trying to get him.

My New Blog, A Small Gift

2011-09-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

All sorts of things have been happening.

You can follow my predictions and messages on my new blog, http://asmallgift.blogspot.com, where this post will also appear.

I'll keep this bloggie for my FREE graphics!

Free Graphics and Tags for A Monday - New Witch Boots!

2011-08-21T20:12:00.001-05:00

Here we go - let's start this week off right - summer is a-draggin' - my mind's on autumn. WITCH BOOTS and SMALL LABELS are below.

Yes, it's still Sunday. It's Monday on the other side of the world, though.

A lot of friends who live in colder climes dread that winter is right behind autumn. Here, we have sun almost year around, and our winters are not bad at all. So, I don't dread the winters as much. But I would if I lived in a very snowy, gray, cold clime.

Well, we have time before that sets in!

Here are two witch's boots. Evidently, a free image that you can use to make your own tags or your own pattern is very hard to find. I looked ans saw almost nothing that wasn't very restricted in terms of use or that cost quite a bit of money.

Please, use these for tags, for graphics, for prim patterns - but don't claim them or sell them! Sell the things you MAKE from them, virtual or otherwise, of course. Print them out, enlarge them, etc. These are similar to but different from my very popular witch boot prim pattern of years ago. They were so cute made out of muslin and painted and grubbied.

I have them over as usual as sendspace.com - click the links and you will get to them. Remember to SAVE the file, don't "open" it online. I think you might actually be able to click these, let the larger one load, click again, larger one load, and right-click it and have it the right size, right here. I don't know, though, and I'm too lazy to check.

Boot 1

Boot 2

We also have something for the small-volume crafter. It makes NO sense to spend your earnings on fancy "made by hand" tags or "thank you" tags at this point. Later, when you are flush with orders, sure, go ahead and get some custom tags! But a lot of crafters and home bakers just need a few little tags for that perfect touch. So, these are free, and again, they are hosted at my pro account at sendspace.

I really like sendspace, although I found out they're a bunch of limeys - lol - oh, those Brits.

Okay m'dears, here we go: And remember, SAVE FROM SENDSPACE, not from here! These are just small verisons so you can see!

JPEG LINK click this

PNG LINK click this

Links Now Working Right!

2011-08-15T08:38:00.001-05:00

I finally got the link to work correctly for the printable AUTUMN banner -- let's hope it holds - wasn't pulling up the file I had stored on sendspace. Oh, this modern world.

Plus I added a "plain" banner piece. You can get it here, too - CLICK to let new image load. CLICK AGAIN to make BIGGEST image load. Then right-click to save it.

Remember you can manipulate the final size of your images when you choose your "print" settings. Print size at 100% when you save the biggest image is that the tag is about 3" x 5 1/4" - nice good size, easily viewable. Print it TINY for dollhouses!

Free Printable Autumn Banner with Pipberries

2011-08-14T18:53:00.007-05:00

This might be fun - get a start of fall and get out of the late-summer doldrums!

A couple of free files are available from my account at sendspace.com. It's safe to download from there, from the paid-for accounts.

Just CLICK the links and SAVE the file. The files are HUGE. They print out the right size.

YOU HAVE TO SAVE BOTH FILES TO GET ALL THE LETTERS!!!

Save the PLAIN one at the bottom of this post directly from the blog if you like, too.

Each letter of the banner is about 3" x 5.25 inches. Pretty large. There are two sheets. It spells out AUTUMN. Just little punkins with some pipberries coming off the stems. You know I am plumb punkin crazy.

Don't save this picture below. It won't print right, it will be really small. Go get the real files from sendspace. You can click this picture and a bigger version will open so you can see if you want to go get the files or not.

WITH THE BANNER FILES, SAVE don't OPEN the link when prompted! Open once it's on your own computer!

Sheet 1 AUT

Sheet 2 UMN

Thanks for dropping by, and I hope you enjoy the banner! You can switch the U's around, you know.

Here is a PLAIN ONE, too - CLICK it to let the HUGE FILE LOAD - then CLICK AGAIN to make the BIGGEST IMAGE load - THEN download and save onto your computer!!!

No Money for My Fancy Rosette Kits? We Can Still Have Fun!

2011-08-06T18:21:00.003-05:00

Check out my two new "pages" for instructions on making pretty rosettes from SCRATCH, using leftover giftwrap or a bit of a pretty piece of paper!

Times are hard - we have to make our own fun! And I like that best, really!

Happy papercrafting! Look up top for the Pages, listed under the banner.

SCOOPaDOOP Beads - Selling Off My Collection

2011-07-21T21:49:00.001-05:00

http://www.etsy.com/people/SCOOPaDOOP

My new Etsy Shoppe - selling off a lifetime of beads, one incredible scoop at a time!

Drop by and see!

REVEALED: World's Best Air Freshener, and NEW in Shoppe - Rolled Roses Kit, 'n' Mini-Kit for Rosettes

2011-07-20T09:41:00.008-05:00

I have rolled paper roses kits and mini-kits for my pre-pleated European rosettes.

My Penniwigs Shoppe

Now, on to the best smelling, spicy, all-natural air freshener I have ever encountered -- by accident. I battle the smell of cats and dogs constantly, as those creatures are underfoot in this house constantly.

Buy a kilo or a pound of this, and your whole house will smell heavenly.

The smell is indescribable as a single term. But it's grassy, spicy, and clean, all at the same time.

SIMMER a scoop of this on your stove, and enjoy. And you can drink it, too, but that's a whole other post.

It's YERBA MATE, pronounced by the Uruguayans, who drink it like there's no tomorrow, as "ZSher-ba Mah-tay." THe "ZS" sound is hard to reproduce, very silibant.

I saw loads of it on Ebay, very reasonable.

How did I discover it? My son just got back from visiting in Montevideo, Uruguay, which, to hear him describe it, is the most cosmopolitan yet happy and friendly city in the entire world. It is a well-kept secret. And they have made drinking "mate" into a fine art!

Try it! Truly, I feel like I am in the middle of some heavenly cloud!

2011-07-15T10:30:00.005-05:00

New in my shoppe! Rosette Kits! Paper rosettes that are fun to make and GORGEOUS. Get ready for autumn and winter fun because I have loads of adorable papers I'm using to make these rosettes.

Penniwigs Etsy Shoppe!

Pop over to the Rosette page (look above and to the left to see the How To Make Rosettes page) to see how they're made and to learn about my super-secret CHEATER'S ROSETTES so that everyone can enjoy this craft, even if they are on a budge and can't afford the fancier ones.

I love the die I had imported from Europe. It's much nicer, in my opinion, than the Tim Holtz die.

Summer Lore and Some More Lore

2011-07-06T18:12:00.000-05:00

It's been too long since I shared some old-time lore with you.

Some of this lore is especially appropriate during summer and hot months. Other lore is good all year 'round.

Of course, I invite you to download a free sheet of "Pantry Labels and Tags" from my professional account over at sendspace.com. Just click the link and then choose SAVE, not "open." Save it right on your own computer. Don't save this preview: It will print out tiny. Looks huge, but doesn't print right. Use the link and get the real thing. The links follow at the bottom of the post, they are misbehaving and I can't get them to come on up here where they belong. I have over 100 printable sheets in my Etsy Penniwigs shoppe.

I like the "whatnot" tag. It can go on a jar of relish, chowchow, change, buttons, or what-have-you. It can even be hung on a jar of some concoction you've made that you aren't sure came out right. I've made a few spice mixtures that I've questioned deeply.

LORE

If you have a pet or like to attract birds to the yard, get a large flagstone. Place it in the shade.Wedge a woven laundry basket under the tip of the stone. Wet the stone each morning with a bucket of water poured over it slowly. The animals will rest on the cool surface.

Leftover cooked corn will help the animals get fat and sassy for the autumn. Birds love it.

Let grass get long along the shady side of your house or fence. Cut off near the bottom and place it in a basket. Bring inside and your whole house will smell good. If you have a musty book, open the book, fan out the pages and set it upright on the grass. Put another basket on top to keep the smell corralled. The book will lose the musty odor.

Take your finest handkerchiefs and put them out on the laundry line when you expect a heavy dew. No line? Put up a bit of string. Bring them in damp the next morning and dry flat on your counter. Not only lucky, but fresh.

Have troubles? Next time there's a new moon, look over your left shoulder at the moon, tell it your troubles, ask for a favorable outcome. Don't look at the moon again for at least an hour.

Pumpkins or squash not setting well? Mix a cup of Karo with a gallon of water and pour along the best-looking stem where new blossoms are lined up.

Handwashing dishes goes much better when you do as they did in the past: Add laundry soap. Sprinkle at least a tablespoon in your wash water. Wash, rinse well, and let air dry. They will smell fresh and be grease-free. Always use a real cellulose sponge to wash dishes.

Keep the sponge fresh by taking an old jar like a Mason jar. Pour in 1/2 cup salt, fill up the rest of the jar with the dry kind of the laundry soap. Always place the sponge to "rest" on top of this jar (don't have a lid on it). Dip in a spoon to get the laundry soap out for your dish washing. Don't disturb the salt, though. Keep adding the detergent on top.

Call of the Whippoorwill: Doesn't matter if you live near these sad-calling birds or not. But whistle their call three times at dusk, to banish uneasy or antsy feelings.

LINKS

PNG file - sharpest if you plan to alter these tags, but very large:

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/b47mks

JPEG file - smaller file but gets raggedy-looking if you alter it in a graphics program:

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/ud2r6u

Predictions Galore

2011-06-22T18:15:00.000-05:00

After a long dry spell - caused by the concussion, I think - predictions have been coming fast and furious.

Japan just had another large quake - but there are MORE and WORSE to come, I'm afraid.

Volcanoes, as predicted, have been smoking and spewing up ash - MORE TO COME, yes.

Earlier prediction that one of my bloggie friends would find success in the publishing world -TRUE - she is working with a famous publishing house to have her work published!

I do predict that there will be a large break in the Kyron Horman case, too.

Wedding Trio Free Tags to Download

2011-06-20T17:36:00.000-05:00

Safely stored here at sendspace.com! Please click that link to open a download page - choose to SAVE it - don't "open" online, rarely works!

Hope ye enjoy.

Nothing like getting hit on the head to mess up a summer! Just now able to get back in the swing of things at all after a couple of months.

Here is what the trio of tags looks like - don't save this, it will print too small. Use the link instead.

Wedding Bells Giftcard Holder - FREEBIE - Print n Use

2011-05-23T18:24:00.000-05:00

Lots of weddings this time of year, and the giftcard holders often sell out.

So here is a free printable, digital file in high-quality PNG format. It is hosted at sendspace.com - perfectly safe and professional and easy to download. Just SAVE the file onto your desktop or into a folder. You can't "open" it online, usually. So save it, then print it as you need.

Cut the little "tab" on the back and use it to hold the front part of the giftcard in place. Attach the giftcard inside with a glue dot or piece of tape. The cut and fold lines are right there on the card - in coordinating ink. I think adding mica, glitters, or some stick-on jewels would dress the card up nicely.

I will post a JPEG version of it - click, let larger image load, then right-click to save, if you don't want the better-quality PNG one.

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/h4uzrq

End of the World?

2011-05-20T20:46:00.000-05:00

I have noticed the past few months the "end of the world" prediction that tomorrow will be the Rapture.

I often have premonitions, and indeed predicted the recent earthquakes and have predicted more and worse quakes to come. But I have received no vibes about the Rapture.

Huge earthquake coming, yes. Rapture, no.

When I try to receive premonitions, I don't. These past weeks, with the conflicting input of others' predictions, has closed down my poor mind.

But I think after tomorrow it will again be receptive to any vibes out there.

By the way, I have seen quite a few more spirits ("ghosts," if you will) lately. More on them later. Mayhap one is a relative of yours? Many dog and cats spirits lately, too...

Gingerbread Kisses Tags - Free Sample - Easy Download, Just Click!

2011-05-11T15:13:00.000-05:00

Here is a little free gingerbread tag, at the bottom of the post, just for you! I am putting up a set of six "Gingerbread Kisses" tags at my Etsy Penniwigs shoppe. Yes, it's Christmas all year 'round here. And Halloween. I do have a fake pumpkin sitting out already, with a tiny American flag stuck in it.

Here's the tag. Please read all about HOW to save this to print over on the right sidebar! The PNG file is the second one. JPEG is at top.

Rustic Sewing Tags for Ye - A Trio, Free

2011-05-02T18:11:00.000-05:00

Here we go - click the link to get the png version of these 2.25 x almost 4 inch tags - I have a new listing going up with a 2-sheet set of similar, bit fancier tags, but still nice and prim/shabby. These can be glammed up or grubbed down!

Remember that this image below won't print out right - get the real thing - it's free - SAVE the tags, don't try to "open" them online, you'll just get a blank screen for some reason. I'll leave this link up and active for a few weeks, so get it while you can.

I have a button jar that is a very old Mason Jar - I love it - so many buttons, some from my mother's sewing box...

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/oeb5mu

Free "Good Ol' Summertime" Printable Tags - 6 in All

2011-04-25T18:10:00.001-05:00

Click on the pic to go to sendspace.com and SAVE the file to print out yourself- I think they might look cute with a hole punched and tied with twine.

It can be a loooong stretch, decor-wise, until the Fourth of July - and then even longer till Halloween. Wah. So I do a lot of red-white-blue and prim decor during the summer.

Thanks for dropping by.

REMEMBER, these tags below will NOT print out right size, so click and SAVE the real file!!! The little image below is just to show you what's on the sheet, m'dears. The tags on the large sendspace file are 2.5 x approx 4 inches.

If the pic-click doesn't work, go here to get a box to pop up where you can save the file. Remember, you can't "open" this png file online - save it first.

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/6viine

Free Bible Easter Cards Printable

2011-04-09T22:05:00.001-05:00

First, the freebie - just some vintage little cards that might be cute printed out. Rather time-worn images, but that's half the charm.

Kindly remember to click the image, let the larger image load, click again if a little "plus sign" appears, THEN right-click to save.

Wizard Tags Up In Shoppe; Free One Here

2011-04-02T20:19:00.000-05:00

Note: AS PREDICTED: Three earthquakes, UFO sighting. Remember two more massive earthquakes have also been predicted. We'll see. I hope I'm WRONG. I also predicted a late blizzard. I think it will be LATER, and that it wasn't the April 1st one. That is the feeling I'm getting. Again, let's hope I'm WRONG-O.

I sure wish the wizarding world of Harry Potter were true. I am writing in my book about my strange and frightening dreams - but very desirable dreams - of being in a wizarding world of long ago, in the age before Christ.

Here is a WIZARD tag. They get left out, somehow. Lots of tags of witches hanging around, but poor ol' warlocks get left out in the cold.

This tag, like all 300 dpi tags, is HUGE. But it will print right size. It has that quote about wizards from Lord of the Rings on it.

Read on the sidebar all about how to save these tags. I have a sheet of wizarding tags up in my Etsy shoppe.

My Exciting Life, and A Free Cat Printable Hang Tag

2011-03-24T19:32:00.000-05:00

Now, dearies, if I put the tag first, I have absolutely no chance of having the post read. I have a 3-sheet set up on Etsy (or rather, will soon) - winged cats - three sheets to the wind...

Sadly, the intended post was forgotten, as soon as I set down at the keyboard. While I was getting dinner ready, I had a delightful post all written in my head.

We are having chicken salad on rolls, strawberries, mashed potatoes, and black olives.

I remember when black olives were more popular - cans of them were available from small to jumbo - now it's typical to just see the large for sale. And the Broiled in Butter mushrooms - what happened to them? They were in jars. And the shoestring beets...

More old-fashioned names:

Albert, Alvin

Hortense

Mildred

Patricia, pronounced "Pah-TREE-cee-uh"

Penelope

Gab gab gab.

Sorry for losing that other, more INTERESTING post, but I've been in another dimension and it's really quite confusing to find myself back HERE.

The tag: Read about how to click it to save it for printing, over on the sidebar!

Seersucker-Stripes Easter "Ticket" Tag to Print

2011-03-20T16:24:00.000-05:00

Here is just a single tag, to celebrate my new set of six tags that I have up at Etsy - "Tickets to the Easter Parade" - $3 for the high-resolution file you can print as many times as you like.

Read on the sidebar how to save these files - you have to click it a few times to get it to the right size.

I saw the "supermoon" both in the wee hours and then as it was setting in the west as the run rose. Yes, it was huge, and unlike a "harvest moon," as it set it looked white, not orange as they usually do. Just lovely.

Dearies, this is a good time to clean your pantries and to make sure you have an emergency food supply, as well. And as a reward for doing the pantry, bake yourselves a big dish of bread pudding and serve it with sliced strawberries and whipped cream for spring instead of the usual walnuts and whiskey sauce.

Am I the only one to remember when pickled walnuts were served in many homes and old-style restaurants?

______________

Don't forget that it's a good idea to make yourselves a "grab bag" in case of emergency. We never know what nature has in store - witness poor Japan! I have one made up and ready. Several, actually. Just grab them and take off. They have changes of clothes in them, and small amounts of many needed items, including sewing thread and needles, pencils, common drugs such as aspirin, rope, toiletries, knife, tin cup, seeds, and so on. Grab the bags, grab the emergency food (for pets, also), and take off, if the need arises.

Trio of Free Tags Up at Other Bloggie and Thinking About Old Names

2011-03-18T16:26:00.000-05:00

Oh dear, "Snowball" (alley kitty) is hard to catch! Time to bring out the big guns - the TUNA!

Drop by the Tattered Stitches blogspot blog if you have time and get yourself the new trio of free "ticket" tags to print out - rustic Easter motifs - click on the right-sidebar where it says "Click for Printables" - just old-time designs, a hare, Easter bonnet, and basket of eggs...I like olden-time things...

I've been thinking of olden-time names lately. When you see these names, it's usually in the obituaries or the person is quite old...not always, but often...

Names that were once popular and now are out of favor - I do believe some will come back into style - at least I hope so. I just love the name Helen, for example.

Agnes

Abner

Hubert

Dean

Bertha

Betsy

Francis and Frances

Clyde

Ethel

Clarence

Helen

Gertrude

Maude

Charity

Alphonse

Frederick

Hale

Opal

Pauline

Viv

Crazy Mix of Free Hang Tags, Lil' Rustic Ones

2011-03-17T16:27:00.001-05:00

Here is a hodge-podge of a dozen small hang tags, different images and looks but all nice 'n' rustic.

Of course, I had to fit some kitties in...there is a new little tomcat hanging around - he's ever and ever so ugly - I swore off rescuing cats but honestly, he MUST be saved. Got a food bowl and a water dish set up in a bush he hangs around...my cats are fighting with him, and my poor little tiny cat who will never get any bigger could really get hurt, but what can I do? I can't leave an animal to starve or suffer, it ain't right. Maybe someone will adopt him if I tame him - but he's really, really homely and people want pretty cats. My cat Hadji has a face that could stop a clock...looks like a demented bat...yes, yes, I love him! Don't worry! The cats I have now are all "unadoptable" due to looks or behavior, or in the case of the dreaded Pot Holder Kitty (who can only be handled with potholders to protect from bites), BOTH.

Here is the LINK to use - this is, of course, a large file - use the link, don't use the image provided here because this image won't print the right size at all, tho' it looks like it would. Trust me, dearies, it won't.

CLICK THIS PHRASE RIGHT HERE FOR THE SENDSPACE LINK

Here's a look-see:

Free Tags for the Fourth of July and a Free Rant, Too.

2011-03-15T11:56:00.000-05:00

New trio of free patriotic tags, about 2.75 x 4.125 inches or so - here's the LINK to click and then SAVE (not "open") - from sendspace.com, THE place to store large files to share.

Here's just one of the tags, you can right-click and save this one for web use, if you like - to print them, use the LINK.

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/q3kvq7

Rant:

Those poor folks in Japan - hope they can get more help soon. They are going to need OIL while they get their nuclear program back working.

We out in West Texas would love to drill for lots more oil to help them out! Plenty of oil left here in the Permian Basin. But the Powers that Be kind of ignore us out here. Too busy manipulating the market and messing around with international politics to pay any attention to helping secure our American energy future by drilling in the LARGEST AMOUNT OF OIL AND GAS in the USA.

SPRING FORWARD in Time

2011-03-12T16:15:00.000-06:00

Don't forget to set the clocks ahead one hour when you go to sleep tonight.

Now everyone who finally got used to "falling back" will have to adjust to this new time change. UGH!

Free St. Pats/Easter Tags and More Household Old-Time Lore: Cleaning Windows

2011-03-12T08:53:00.000-06:00

Oh, most of ye are too young to remember a commercial featuring various stern housekeepers intoning, "I don't do windows!" Then the lady of the house found out Windex or somesuch concoction would clean them easily.

Windex is colored water with a bit of this-and-that thrown in. I say, "Throw it out."

Even old panes can become clear if you do these things, provided the panes are not etched. And etched panes would be rare.

First clean your panes with a lot of water from the hose if outside, a dripping sponge if inside.

Go back and use a smidgen of laundry soap in warm water and go over them again, getting the corners especially. Rinse again.

Go over and rub smudges with 90+ percent alcohol poured on a paper towel.

Now get a soft cotton rag - NOT microfiber or knit - and rub the panes with cold water and a dollop of white vinegar added. Use a very, very wrung-out cloth - and go pane-by-pane.

Get an old bunch of washclothes or a cut-up old towel, and as you clean the pane, go back over, rubbing with the cloth, buffing it dry.

Here's your secret weapon for windows with smudges that will not clear: THE SIDE OF YOUR HAND. My son kindly helped me out by being my "hand model." This is as close as he will get to actually helping clean the windows.

RUB back and forth with your hand. Go up and down on the long sides of the pane. Keep wiping your hand on a dry piece of the old towel. Use that bent pinky to get into the corners.

Don't rub blisters on yer hand, though, dearies.

For "hopeless" panes that you can tell did not come clean after the laundry-soap routine and that LOOK etched:

GET A FLAT RAZOR, as used for scraping paint off tiles and such, and use it to scrape the panes. Yep, scrape the crud right off the panes. You might see little lines of gunk as you scrape - it is working. Don't dig into your pane, though - keep the angle of attack very narrow. Then do the rest of the routine.

We are putting our house up for sale and there is a feeling in our town that panes are "etched" by our dust storms. All over town, horrible looking panes. It's not so. It's mineral deposits from our water. The razor blade treatment, combined with the final hand buff, got them perfectly clear. Neighbors are miffed. They don't WANT to do all that work. Ha.

Here's the link for a quartet of free tags, and a look-see at them. DO NOT save these tags shown here - USE THE LINK or they will not print out clear and right size.

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/qee82q

A single web-ready image is provided, too, for decorating blogs. You can save and use it! Just RIGHT-CLICK it and save it. I like the old phone.

Ha! Five More to Come, Too

2011-03-11T13:41:00.000-06:00

Told hubby after posting this morning that I thought there was going to be another big quake in Japan...and there was...and two more THERE to come.

Also, I think those dead fish in California were forerunners of the quake. Something "cooking" in the ocean.

Remember my "giant whirlpool" prediction of several months ago? TRUE. Swirling off the coast of Japan.

I hope I am wrong and no more quakes are to come - two in Japan, 3 elsewhere by the bye..that's the vibe I receive...once something puts a kink in the waves that rule our lives - light, sound, and cyclic - it is like shaking a big tablecloth out - crumbs fly - we're the crumbs, dearies - waves propagate, rebound, and must disperse their energy. And we just hang on for dear life!

For those who are chiding me for not being more into happy events and catching positive vibes, I don't choose what to feel or receive and I don't want to, either! And I do not think man's puny mind can influence cosmic events, anyway. But that's just me, the "Eyore" of Texas, five-time winner of the Ms. Gloomy Guts Award.

In happier news, my book will be a bestseller, VIBE RECEIVED.

Another Premonition Comes True

2011-03-11T07:53:00.002-06:00

Yesterday at supper I felt very odd and told my husband that there was going to be a huge earthquake somewhere within a few hours.

He is used to my predictions and wanted to know how strongly I felt this premonition. I said I felt so very odd that I would bet the house on being right. And I also knew that it wasn't going to be in the U.S. this time.

And then the Japanese quake of 8.9 hit. Those poor people.

I am going to concentrate very hard on the book I am writing about having premonitions and encountering spirits. Instead of hiding it from many in my real life, worrying about it, and feeling guilty, I'm just going to at long last see if it can be used for good in some way. And I guess at this stage I don't care if the people I know call me "spooky."

Broom Lore

2011-03-10T16:16:00.001-06:00

Dearies, don't forget, if you have trouble posting to your blog, try using the DRAFT version of Blogger. You get to it by using this addy:

http://draft.blogger.com

I find it a lot easier to use than the usual dashboard.

And now, more BROOM ADVICE. I'm a bit obsessed with brooms - just love 'em.

WHEN YOU GET A NEW BROOM - and of course we are speaking only of real broomstraw brooms - be sure to clip quite a few NEW, CLEAN straw pieces off the broom and store them in a jar or clean tin can. USE THEM as cake testers. They are the most reliable testers around, better than toothpicks by far. Just poke an end into the cake and see if it's done.

And don't forget to DAMPEN your broom with a mister before you sweep.

I have a new set of tags up - via tatteredstitches or in my Etsy shoppe. Jelly jars! More jelly jars! Here's just one of the six tags.

Free "Kitchen Jar" Tag for Your Homemade Goodies

2011-03-09T19:02:00.002-06:00

The above is a free printable kitchen jar - click on it, let the larger image load, click again if a little "+" sign appears when you hover your mouse, and then RIGHT-CLICK to save.

Go on over to tatteredstitches.blogspot.com for the link to a TRIO of these tags in 3 different colors and sayings!

Thank'ee for dropping by.

Buy Next Year's Clothes NOW!

2011-03-09T11:30:00.003-06:00

I used to dress "like a million bucks," as fellow hicks would say admiringly. And it was all done on a shoestring by shopping department store sales when the new seasonal fashions were coming in, and the "old" season (which was still happening) was being put on sale to make room for it.

I did that again yesterday. I went to several department stores and for NO MORE THAN $2.88 max per item, I bought three pair of capris in black and seven tops. Now, these are my "work clothes," just simple top-and-capris ensembles. Capris are sold year 'round here, and in summer, they are just about too hot to bear. So they are considered more "winter-wear" than summer-wear, in these weights.

I also bought 2 pairs of closed-toe shoes - the little cloth shoesies I love. I am completely paranoid about STINKING FEET and only wear cloth shoes to work, since I don't wear leather items, and the manmade fake leather materials are dreadfully likely to smell, despite the drifts of Odor-Eater Foot Powder I shake into every shoe. Puffs of "smoke" come out the first twenty steps or so, but it's better than stinking.

So, next year is pretty much taken care of, for under $50. And time enough before next fall to save up to buy a "trendy" piece of clothing or two. Here are two of the tops drying on the clothesline, and yes, I often buy the exact same top in several colors:

Heigh Ho, or Is That "Ho Hum"?

2011-03-07T08:23:00.004-06:00

Bwa ha ha ha ha...more drivel.

How would YOU like to wake up at 3:58 a.m. each day, and have absurd thoughts jump out of YOUR mind?

I'm sharing the pain.

Okay, things that drove me crazy last night:

Yield signs look different now. No more yellow with black writing. I liked those old signs. I don't like the weak-looking new silvery/coral-red signs. No wonder I run them.
Stop lights - used to have a single bulb. Not a great idea...but the new LED ones tend to have some of the little bulbs out here, and it's always in a ROACH shape, have you noticed that? A ROACH shape! Of course, in that horrid ink-blot test, all I ever get to see are roaches. Roaches in petticoats, roaches with marshmallow forks, roaches aiming rifles.

Don't be afraid, dearies. I'm harmless. And poor roaches - do you recall that our family of American roaches is called blattidae? Flat, leaf-life, bladder-like. I always feel like a fool when I shriek and shake when I see them. I mean, look at the SIZE DIFFERENTIAL between the poor things and me.

Okay, something USEFUL to share - the idea of Order of Magnitude. This understanding will help you throughout your life. It should be taught to all children, too. ORDER OF MAGNITUDE - when you think something, think to yourself, DOES THIS MAKE SENSE?

For example, you are at the store. You are trying to count up, approximately, the cost of your purchase before you add something else to your cart. You have 8 items and none of them cost more than $3. Yet you flounder around, and come up with something like "The total right now is $48, approximately." BAD, BAD! And you put back that package of delightful Cheeze Krunchies, thinking you can't afford it! WRONG!

Use your ORDER OF MAGNITUDE knowledge! It does NOT make sense to think 8 items under 3 dollars each could make a total that big! Because even 8 x 3 is only $24! You're off by half as much again! NOT SENSIBLE. the MAGNITUDE is all wrong.

Well, that's a rotten example but I haven't had a full pot of coffee yet.

Have a lovely day, dearies, and if you can't do that, enjoy a nice sulk, as I usually do.

"The Faster I Go..." Plus Free Hang Tags

2011-03-05T08:48:00.008-06:00

"...the behinder I get."

When spring is arriving, I get my own version of Spring Fever. Autumn really brings out the restlessness, but spring still sends me for a loop.

I think many thoughts. Yes, myriad thoughts. As my late brother used to ask me, his voice dripping with sarcasm (and boy would he also go after my fondness for cliches like that last one), "Does it hurt?"

Yes, well, it DOES hurt to think, sometimes! It's like someone jabbing my mind with a very large hatpin! Ow! A large, rusty hatpin!

I will be unable to sleep, or awaken from peaceful snoozing, thinking, "I remember that!" and remember something of the past. Sometimes people speak of their lives passing before their eyes, in a terrible situation. I have that happen, sans the terrible part.

And it's very vivid. Here are some things that have been nibbling at my mind:

Dinner theaters are basically dead, yet people made little livelihoods at this when I was young.
Wig shops, clustering in dead downtowns, gone.
Ballrooms - dead even before I was born, but I remember seeing the crumbling buildings and faded signs of once-grand ballrooms in the South.
Paper drives at school, when papers were still worth reading and editors were both intelligent and brave. Where are the journalists?
A gift of a "Sunday knife" for the gentlemen - featuring maybe a fancy, mother-of-pearl handle or elegant chasing along the blade. Just about every young man I knew had a 2-shot Derringer or equivalent tucked in his boot. Back when our populace could go around armed to the teeth and yet no one was killing anyone or doing "home invasions."
Popsicles being a respected treat during the summer. Just frozen Kool-Aid. Now, people are pouting and spending $7 or more for this-or-that snotty specialty frozen item.

Ha. Wow, I sound like a twisted old hag, which I no doubt am. Actually, I have a very sunny outlook, for a twisted old hag. And I despise many aspects of the past and look back over the years with amazement (and cringing) at how absurd people were in so many ways:

Like women with their nasty hairdos that they'd swathe in netting or a piece of satin at night, and wear, without washing, for at least a week.
You know how I was musing about people being armed and yet non-violent, basically? Hmm...let's take another look at that sanitized view of the past. A look at how many men would make obscene phone calls and torment women and girls, because they could.
Oh, those journalists I miss? Funny how they missed pointing out - at least just pointing out for cryin' out loud - evil, such as subjugation of the weak, and the making sure certain groups were kept weak!
Lumps of hair or fake hair - what the heck is that called? - stuck under teased hair to make it look fuller.
"Switches" wound around inadequate buns to make them fatter.
STOCKINGS and PANTYHOSE.
Little girls who were not allowed to wear shorts or pants, and kneeling in the hallway while some perverted principal made sure the skirts weren't more than an inch above their knobby little knees.
GLOVES and hats and VEILS for women to be "respectable" enough to go out among the men of the world. This really hurt poor women, too, who didn't have these things or enough of them.
Cancer being something no one would mention, and the person stricken with it was ostracized and blamed.
Dogs tied up outside a very common sight. And drowning puppies and kittens a constant and karma-ruining event. Not that vets are doing much better now at bringing reasonable-priced spaying to the world.

Which brings me to this, since my mind wanders constantly: I think really bad karma, from years past, is sloshing all over the globe. Slosh, slosh. It's scary.

Oh, the free tags. I hope you just scrolled down and didn't bother reading all that tosh I wrote. HA. USE THIS LINK. DO NOT SAVE THE EXAMPLE TAGS! DOWNLOAD THE RIGHT TAGS from my pro account!

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/4rf3gp

Here's a look-see, ver' useful, ver' plain tags they are.

Using "Next Blog" Feature in Blogger!

2011-03-03T11:06:00.002-06:00

Okay dearies, in the past, when I clicked on "Next Blog," which is located up on the top "Navigation Bar" or "Nav Bar" on these blogspot blogs, I had some unpleasant surprises. But that was years ago.

Evidently Google has made it so the next blog you get will feature the things that were on the blog you were on -- If you were on a sewing blog and clicked "Next Blog," it would likely be another sewing blog.

This poor blog seems to end up with sports blogs, somehow. I can't even catch a ball (but have frequently been beaned by them), so how it goes from tags to sports is a mystery. But over at the new blog where I'm collaborating with a wonderful cross-stitch designer, I went to paper blog after paper blog and then crocheting blogs, sewing blogs, embroidery, etc. Fun! http://www.tatteredstitches.blogspot.com

Just keep clicking that Next Blog link! Oh my, what a potential time-waster, but also, it could lead to a lot of creativity!

Hang Tag Chocolate Bunnies Trio for Ye

2011-03-02T16:29:00.005-06:00

Easter is April 24th.

Click on the link to get to the actual downloadable tags! More free bunny tags are over on a new collaboration blog, www.tatteredstitches.blogspot.com! And CROSS-STITCH free charts, too!

There are 3 different bunnies on hangtags, about 2 x 3.25 inches. Don't just save the sample above - get the trio and it will print out right size and resolution. Safely download from my pro sendspace.com account!

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/j9xiky

MEN!!!

2011-02-22T08:14:00.002-06:00

Oh dear, dearies, I hope that post title doesn't earn me a lot of clicks from unsavory types!

But really, what can a gal say, when confronted with these creatures, other than a dismissive snort and the word, "Men!"

I must have gotten 30 emails over the "parlor" post. Kind emails, and many with their own horror stories of men messing things up!

WHY do they do that sort of thing? WHO is raising them to be that way? All the moms I meet aren't raising their sons to become lordly dictators over their poor wives - is it just something in their genes?

Sometimes I read about wonderful guys - but the cynic in me says, "Is this for real?" and "I wonder when he'll show his TRUE colors..."

Ha!

Hmph. I guess we can just keep on keepin' on down that yellow brick road. Of course, if I look behind me, I can't see much yellow. The path is simply littered with ex's. Tee hee. That part's funny! But all the broken dreams left behind aren't so funny!

Hope your day is going well, wherever ye be, m'dears! I keep having a UFO premonition, so watch the skies!

Free Easter and Spring Tags

2011-02-21T09:28:00.005-06:00

Gosh, things change so quickly. I went from mentioning my parlor to having no parlor, all in a few days. My husband turned the parlor into a fourth bedroom, closing in my bookshelves and turning that end of the room into a closet, and removing a door to make it have just one doorway. No more parlor now, just a tiny bedroom. My husband is very elderly, and very, very controlling.

Well, we can laugh in life, or we can cry. I did a lot of crying over the years and on the whole, it's time to laugh. No more parlor, ha ha! ha ha ha! That's me laughing.

Here is the link to a trio of larger tags and 3 smaller "layering" tags for you - celebrating Easter and spring. Easter is April 24th this year - a late Easter.

Here's the preview of the tags - these are more religious and not so secular as I usually make - don't save these, as they will print too small. Go download (FREE and COMPLETELY PROFESSIONAL) the real tags from sendspace.com. But click to get a better look at the tags! They will enlarge.

Free Easter Trio Tags

Freebie Sheet of Printable Hang Tags - Old-Time Labels

2011-02-13T14:10:00.004-06:00

Life and blogging - I can't seem to get the two to meet up in any compatible way.

But here's a link to my pro account at sendspace.com, where I have placed a free sheet of old-fashioned hang tags featuring vintage-style labels or advertisements. May be cute to tie onto a cabinet knob in bathroom or kitchen or parlor.

DO NOT SAVE THE IMAGE BELOW- IT WILL PRINT TOO SMALL - GO TO THE LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST INSTEAD and FETCH THE GOOD VERSION!!!

We have a tiny parlor and it's my most favorite room in the house. I dream of getting a tiny ol' house, one from the 1920's maybe, and living out my life there. High ceilings, butler's pantry, just some HISTORY to the place. Modern homes are certainly convenient, but gosh, they lack HEART, in my opinion.

Here's the link, and don't go trying to "open" it - you must SAVE it or you'll just get a blank page and it might make YOU start saying "blankety-blank, this durn so-called 'freebie' has got me mad!"

I'll keep the link up for a week or two...

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/kxbnrh

Boxes and Jelly Jars = Organized 2011

2011-01-17T17:02:00.003-06:00

For those who have some sort of organizing skills, this post won't be very useful. For those like me, it can really help!

First, get some nice boxes, such as the boxes copier paper comes in. The kinds with lids. Get 3 at least. If you have kids of school age, even college, get them one, too.

One box is to be labeled FINANCIAL. One is to be labeled HEALTH. And the last can be labeled whatever you need it to be - if you have a hobby, label it Hobby. Or if you're writing a book, label it Book. For the kids, label it with the year and their grade (or semester).

INTO THESE BOXES goes everything associated with it. If you have a son in college, as I do, into the FALL SEMESTER 2011 box goes ANYTHING to do with it. Receipts, their books, their notebooks, lab safety glasses, a folder with extra Scantrons it it, pens, calculator, ALL OF IT. Each day, things must be taken out of the box, and returned to the box. For the totally disorganized, just get them to THROW their papers into the box and slam the lid back on. The important thing is for the papers and items to be corralled where you KNOW they can be found. If something is needed - "I can't find my syllabus for Chemistry!" "I can't find my instructions for my science project!" - you KNOW it's in there and they must DIG for it.

Passwords, usernames, etc must be written on the inside of the lid, pronto. Go do it right now. Why are you still reading this? GO, and then come back.

For yourself, you're doing the same thing as for the kiddos. I have all my passwords and such written on the inside of my 2011 box's lid. I also have a little book, just a $1 book from the bargain bin at Michael's Crafts or the Dollar Tree store, and I write down everything to do with the web in it. Which forums I go to, etc. All my fave sites, my names, my blogs, etc.

For my work, I have a box. But mine is labeled "2011 Work/Hobby" - and into this goes anything I get from my employers, and anything I do to make extra money. ALL RECEIPTS go into it. And more. Recipes, ideas, thoughts, all of those scraps of paper get thrown in there.

So you get the idea about the boxes.

Now, the jelly jars. Get as many as you need. You are going to be saving change in them. Maybe you just need one for yourself. I need several, for my son and his friends. I put my change into them. I have them lined up on the top of a kitchen cabinet, and when I have change, I reach up and put it into the jelly jars, trying to divide it up pretty evenly. At the end of the year, you will not believe it. It can amount to hundreds of dollars. I give the jar to the recipient, and they can roll the money or pour it into the change-counting machine at their bank or at the grocery store.

Now, there is one more jelly jar or flour-sprinking tin you need to get. It is the Emergency Jar. I use a darling old tin contraption with a screw-on lid, that was used to sprinkle flour out onto pastry or counters. Use something you LIKE.

Into it goes your folding money you can spare. Even just a buck a week. Do what you can. It's your "house bank." Dip into it as you need, only as you need. Try to keep out of it, but it's also there for when you need to run and get a gallon of milk and have no money on you. In case of some disaster, you are going to need cash. ATMs might not be operable. You want to keep CASH on hand.

If you have good self-control, put a LOT of cash in it and "bank" from it. That's the Advanced Jelly Jar Banking System - don't try it unless you know you won't fritter it away. It can help you go to a cash-only basis and you can really find yourself saving a LOT of money.

Okay, try my system. I can't tell you how many times my a$$ has been saved by being able to go dig out a receipt or a little note where I wrote down something that happened. It's kind of like having a journal, only in pieces. At the end of the year, you can go thru the box and throw stuff out, or put it up as a snapshot of that year. And you count your dollar bills and your $20's out of that House Bank and you SMILE!

My Three Best Beauty Secrets

2011-01-05T20:55:00.002-06:00

Happy Twelfth Night!

I hope everyone has a nice new broom to use this year! I love that "hay" smell of a new, real broom.

For a beautiful new year, I'm sharing my three best beauty secrets. Not to brag, but I don't look my age. Even with the gray hair. It's kind of embarrassing to still be getting male attention at this stage of the game!

My Best Beauty Secrets:

One
For extremely shiny hair, that is as supple as an eel, RINSE YOUR HAIR IN THE COLDEST WATER YOU CAN STAND. Yes, this hint is much more popular in summer and in hot climes. But honestly, rinsing in cold water will make your hair extremely shiny. So shiny, in fact, that it will look like you've put some kind of shine serum on it, only it is totally natural and has no greasy feeling to it whatsoever, and the hair moves naturally. Make sure to rinse the HAIR, not the SCALP. It's the hair that needs it.

Pouring cups of cold water over the actual hair part is the best way to go.

Two
Pond's Cold Cream. Unbelievably, this stuff will keep your face very young-appearing. Every night, wash your face lightly, then dry COMPLETELY, then smear on the Ponds. Rub it around lightly, all over, as if it's a soap. Then towel it off carefully (I keep a dry washcloth just for this), and wash your face LIGHTLY again. I finally wipe it with a scented baby wipe, very carefully.

Three
Eucerin, original cream. This item is well-known among dermatologists. Use the original cream, in the tub, and apply it anywhere you are dry. Most especially, put it on your lips, rub it in, and leave it on there. Go outside your lipline and let it just soak in. If you don't wear lipstick, apply it like a gloss when you go out and about. Put it around the eyes at night.

When skin ages, the backs of the heels, elbows, and knees often get scaly and dry. It's noticeable -- even if YOU don't notice it. No, it's not IMPORTANT to look YOUNG, but I do think it's important to keep these areas hydrated with Eucerin and looking cared-for.

And my last beauty secret, that is so secret I don't even assign it a number: FINISHED LOOK.

A finished look makes you look so much better than maybe the sum of your features can acheive.

When your look is finished, you project that this is so. It is an aura you give off, and it's really effective.

It's having a very tidy appearance.

Hair needs to be "fixed" - in any manner - as long as it appears FIXED -- either pulled back in a ponytail, caught up with combs, pinned on one side with a decorative bobbypin, off the face with a headband, etc. It just must appear DONE, even if you aren't sure it's the very most flattering style. As long as it is a definitive style, that is fine.

Face must be Pond's Treated and something done to FINISH it -- either lipstick, or eyes smokily rimmed with a darker color, or eyebrows powdered and pencilled, face powdered, or all of the above. But even just ONE thing done gives it a finished look.

There you have it, dearies. I have the most gorgeous blog readers of any blog!

Get Ready for the Carnival Season!

2011-01-03T18:47:00.001-06:00

One of the great things about growing up in New Orleans was the carnival season, the Mardi Gras season.

Starting on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6th, the King Cake parties began.

So you can have a lovely Twelfth Night party on the 5th, then keep going on the 6th with the first King Cake!

The King Cake is a ring cake - really, more like a bread - that has a tiny baby doll hidden in it. It represents the Christ Child. In pre-Christian times, it was a bean in there. You can bake the bean, but if you use a plastic baby, then add it from the bottom after it's cooked. Use any coffee-cake-bread ring cake dough you want. Sprinkle Mardi Gras colored sugars on top (gold, green, purple).

The cake is cut into slices. You WANT the slice with the baby in it! Then YOU hold the next King Cake party!

And on and on.

We used to call our city "The Crescent City," due to the big loop the Mississippi River throws, and "The City that Care Forgot." Now, I just call it sad. All my people are gone -- and the city is so changed. I keep toying with the idea of flying there and driving around my old neighborhood, but I don't think my mind could take it. Might go loco.

But we must all just KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON, frens!

Here is a tag that would make a cute birthday bookmark - punch a hole and put a pretty ribbon or tassel in there.

I have a new printable collage sheet of them up in the Etsy shoppe. Read about how to save this tag over on the right sidebar!!!

Using Collage Sheet Tags: Some Examples

2011-01-02T16:42:00.003-06:00

My husband was mystified about the whole "printable tags" idea. He was having trouble visualizing them going from their virtual state to their real state, so I printed some out so he could see them go from monitor screen to hanging on the screen door. He even helped cut them out!

I like to print them and send them to friends as little "perk up" mail and as bookmarks. My house is quite bare, except for shelves of books. My house echoes. I have 2 computer chairs, one dragged home from behind an office. Only 2 chairs in the whole place. No couch, not much of anything in the way of furniture, except a huge 8-foot farm trestle table that we scrub with sand Colonial-style to really get clean, and some benches made from split tree trunks. We have some little tables made from cedar fences, too. And bedside fruit crates.

But books are stacked up, placed on shelves, on the small tables; books are here and there, but not crazily so. And tags are sticking out of some of the books. But just a few. Go to a few estate sales where someone who hoarded things lived, and you'll be quite cured of the desire to go overboard on anything.

But I have been using tags to decorate for Valentine's Day, too. I like seasonal decor - if it's kept light and simple. I really don't like putting away a lot of heavy, bulky stuff, or gathering up 10,000 knickknacks after a holiday is over. I like tags, because they are so easy. And it's kind of like that popular "almost from scratch" cooking - I like the EMBELLISHING part and the choosing of ribbons, not creating each and every tag from scratch. I just print them out and get to the fun part.

Here are some pictures showing how they can be used.

"Living in the Sunlight, Laughing in the Moonlight" for 2011

2010-12-31T18:03:00.001-06:00

Drop by youtube.com and call up Tiny Tim's version of "Living in the Sunlight" - I've taken the lyrics as my mottos for 2011!

The whole song is cute and just stuffed with darling lines!

"Haven't got a lot, I don't need alot, coffee's only a dime!"

Now, if we could all just have the confidence to be ourselves and let the chips fall where they may this next year! We might give our loved ones a shock - and a good example to follow!

And here is a little CHARTREUSE (*sigh* with happiness) tag so you can get the jump on Valentine's Day! Please read over and down on the right sidebar all about HOW TO CLICK IT so as to save this to print or put on a blog!

I'm so happy!
Aha! happy go lucky me!
I just go my way,
Living everyday!

I don't worry!
Worrying don't agree,
Things that bother you,
Never bother me!

Things that bother you,
Never bother me
I feel happy and fine!
Aha!
Living in the sunlight,
Loving in the moonlight
Having a wonderful time!

Haven't got a lot,
I don't need a lot
Coffee's only a dime
Living in the sunlight,
Loving in the moonlight,
Having a wonderful time!

Just take it from me,
I'm just as free as any daughter.
I do what i like,
Just what i like,
And how i love it!

I'm right here to stay
When i'm old and gray,
I'll be right in my prime!
Living in the sunlight,
Loving in the moonlight,
Having a wonderful time!

Just take it from me,
I'm just as free as any daughter.
I do what i like,
Just what i like,
And how i love it!

I'm right here to stay,
When i'm old and gray,
I'll be right in my prime,
Living in the sunlight,
Loving in the moonlight,
Having a wonderful time!

Goodbye Christmas; Hello Winter-Spring!

2010-12-26T14:28:00.001-06:00

Yes, of course I have my Christmas decorations down now.

We are onto something new.

Here is a very blurry picture of my little cabinet, where I stage the various holidays. Right now there is a light-up birdhouse (Xmas lights - a string of 20 on white wire), a rusty white bucket with some ivory roses, some wintry blossoms with frosty glitter in a little shabby white watering can (topped with a snow-white carved wood birdie), and some Valentine's items. The lights on the birdhouse are colored with pink Sharpies, to soften them.

Look forward, look forward. Never forget the past. Gone, not forgotten. But blend what was, with what is. That keeps it all alive. Don't let yourself fall into a funk. LOOK AHEAD, m'dears! And of course I had to make some tags blending winter with spring. A freebie is below the birdhouse picture, and the sheet is available at my Artfire and Etsy shoppes.

Colors of Christmas!

2010-12-24T11:49:00.000-06:00

I have a huge Christmas coloring book, and the BIG BOX of Crayolas! Yes, the one that even has METALLIC SHADES!

So I am busy coloring. I have my trusty CHARTREUSE pastels and colored pencils out, too, since about 90% of each coloring page is done in that beloved shade. Really, can a person have too much chartreuse in her life?

Merry Christmas Eve!

Free "Instant Gift" Download - Vintage Soda Recipe Booklet and Ideas

2010-12-21T17:50:00.002-06:00

Attention frugal and creative types! Free "insty gift" available till Christmas! It is in TWO files, download BOTH for full booklet!

Here are links to download the first and second halves of a small booklet I made that features AUTHENTIC VINTAGE SODA RECIPES from the late 1950's.

There weren't as many overweight folks back then. Reading the recipes, I have to wonder WHY? These are full of calories. Why was the "Pretty Plus" department small back then, but huge now??? Well, it's no matter, if a person is going to indulge, INDULGE, I say!!!

You can download and print these, then cut them out and either punch a wee hole and tie together or just put in an envelope.

I think a cute idea would be to tie the booklet to a big bunch of straws! Or maybe some of those extra-long teaspoons! Or give an ingredient along with it and tie it to a chocolate syrup or preserves bottle!

Hope ye enjoy!

LINKS: DOWNLOAD BOTH!!!

DO NOT attempt to "open" these when you are supposed to be SAVING THEM! It will just give you a blank page and you will come to the Poor Olde Dame and cry "wee wee wee, it is giving me a blank page," and then I will have to get oh-so-impatient with ye.

SAVE the files onto your own computer. Then you can open them all you like, dearies. I hope these work; I'm much too lazy to test me own links. I'll leave the links up till Xmas is over.

Parts 1 and 2:

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/g4oag3

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/3trwsp

A New Broom Sweeps Clean

2010-12-18T09:03:00.000-06:00

Of course, that is a saying about a "new" person - new boss, new wife, new whomever - they tend to want to change up a lot of things, and quickly, too.

But a new broom really does sweep clean - although old brooms are shaped by the person who uses them, with the broomstraw bent this-way or that, depending on the handedness of the sweeper and the manner of sweeping.

Always wet your broom lightly before sweeping your floors. Just mist it, if you can. Must less dust and pet hair flying up that way.

Now, get yourself a new broom. Don't use it yet. On Twelfth Night, throw the old broom out of your back door (it is now the yard broom), straw-end FIRST, and put your new broom in its spot, ready to go.

Here I am speaking of after-Christmas before Christmas is here. Enjoy the flow of the holidays, of course - savoring things to come doesn't mean ignoring the present time!

Of course you are having Twelfth Night festivities! All Christmas must come down. Put something else up, such as strings of white lights twisted around fake vines or curling around pots or nests of narcissus (fake or real). Put up a little shabby birdhouse with either a light stuck inside or draped with small white lights. It is just too hard to go "cold turkey" from Christmas fun to a dim, dark room. It is not too early to put up some Valentines decor, either.

If you can, burn all the greenery (live greens) you put up, including the tree, in a bonfire. If you can't have a bonfire, try to burn some of the branches and such in the fireplace or pot-bellied stove. And if that's also not possible, just get all the greens down and put outside, and light candles. Have a big pot of hot apple cider with the smallest apples you can find floating in it. This is a night to sit around cracking walnuts and pecans, and for telling stories of treasure, ghosts, and uncany visitors from other realms.The night of January 5th (not 6th), is Twelfth Night.

Milk-Carton Candles and Remembering

2010-12-11T16:40:00.000-06:00

I don't know if anyone else remembers this - it was long ago, but once upon a time, candles created with paraffin, ice chips, and milk cartons were quite popular.

I recall paraffin being heated, then poured into a milk carton - the old cardboard ones, similar to the cartons orange juice still comes in sometimes. They were cardboard, waxed, and the top seam would be pried open and the wax poured in. Then I think ice chips were stirred in. I really can no longer recall. But the end result was very interesting, ice-looking candles. These were the day of paper straws, too. All gone, all gone!

We also made snowball candles, with whipped paraffin, and the old-time little square glitter sprinkled on top.

And, of course, macaroni glued onto paper plates, and then spraypainted gold. Some of my most cherished possessions are several plates made by my late brother when he was a child. He made both macaroni plates and lovely crayon sketches of hearths and Christmas trees. Even at a young age he had a lot of talent.

Those who know me know a motto that often strikes them as strange -- until they lose a loved one: "It is up to the living to remember the dead." I often walk in graveyards. I like to read the headstones, and decorate the graves of those I know and of those who for some reason resonate with me. Life is for the living, but the dead must not be forgotten. Of course, we will meet again. I have met many spirits and do feel I can speak with authority about the spirit living on. I used to keep pretty quiet about it. But now, NO. I will tell of it.

Here is a little tag, similar to the new tags I have up in my Etsy shoppe. Read all about how to save it over on the right sidebar.

Of Course I've Lost My Mind

2010-12-07T17:24:00.000-06:00

Already working on Valentine's here. But that "famous card company" I work for is way ahead of me -- we are getting pink tissue paper by the boxload already.

Mayhap the economy is REALLY going to tank and they want to offload as much pink tissue paper as possible.

Suits me fine; I'm in a bah-humbug sort of mood right about NOW.

Here is a tag similar to the ones I just listed on Etsy. Crows in love. One heart "cawing" to another.

Read all about how to save these tags over on the right sidebar.

Thank'ee for dropping by. By the way one prediction after another is coming true...hmm...and I have a boatload of premonitions for 2011.

sNoWy oWL Shabby Christmas Tag to Print or Use

2010-12-04T22:21:00.001-06:00

I have been run ragged. Too busy to blog.

Here is a little tag, similar to the new OWL XMAS tags I have up in my Etsy shoppe, Penniwigs.

Read over on the right sidebar all about how to save this tag for your use!

I must say, I do think American Greetings has Hallmark beat in terms of incredible Christmas cards this year. I know that their very large $1 cards are impossible to match with a Hallmark card costing the same. And the AG cards seem so much fresher. Too many designs from years and years past - but a refusal to reissue any vintage designs - from Hallmark. Strange!

Thank'ee for stopping by!

New Freebie Tag - Prim Mitten with Snowman

2010-11-28T23:32:00.000-06:00

I have a new sheet up in my Etsy shoppe, "Smitten Mitten."

This is a version of the snowman-on-mittens theme. Read all about how to save these tags to print or use on blogs over on the right sidebar.

I wonder if "Cyber Monday" will be as big as expected. I do find it funny that a lot of people "shop" from their work computers. Oh, to have a job where that would not be an immediate chewing out followed by getting fired!

Thanks for dropping by.

Fatty Crow and Kitty Friend Tag

2010-11-26T01:36:00.000-06:00

Here we have a plump raven and friend to welcome my new original sheet of prim tags now up in my Etsy shoppe.

This tag will print out approximately 2.5 x 4 inches.

Please read about how to save this tag over on the right sidebar.

Good luck to all those attempting Black Friday shopping!

Habby A Shabby Tag on Me

2010-11-20T13:00:00.001-06:00

This grungy tag is today's freebie, similar to its kin now up in my Etsy shoppe, Penniwigs!

My new collage/tag sheet features six different grungy arched tags, all colorwashed and ready to be embellished. Featuring barely-there white imprints of real snowflakes.

Read all about how to save these tags over on the right sidebar!

Thanks for dropping by!

Free Shabby Grunge Christmas Tag

2010-11-19T00:10:00.000-06:00

Celebrating the new Etsy sheet of 9 Olde World Santas on a shabby, grungy background is this free tag on a similar but much more rustic background.

I think this would look pretty with colored glitters to match the snowflakes or in white.

Moonlighting on top of moonlighting is about to do me in. Real life just keeps getting in the way of my cyber antics. *sigh*

Please read all about how to save this tag - see the right sidebar!

Keep on keepin' on!

Have A Blue Blue Blue Blue Christmas with Free Printable Tag

2010-11-13T13:47:00.000-06:00

I used to feel depressed by blue Christmas lights. Now, I like them.

I even have a turquoise-colored lighted "feather" tree. I pull it out of the box, plug it in, sprinkle fake snow clumps on it, and voila, The Tree Is Up. I lied about the fake snow. It's still on there from last year. I don't even have to add it anymore.

Then I haul the birdhouse-on-a-pole contraption I modified from one bought at Hobby Lobby outside. It has garland and lights wrapped around it and some small wooden carved birds in shabby white paint stuck here and there. I angle it near the front door, plug it in, and The Outside Decorating Is Done.

Make it all easy on yourself!

Here is a printable tag for handmade gifts. Blue Christmas lends itself to a lot of things. It could be attached to a jar or bag with blue-tinted bath salts, a blue snack mix (plenty of blueberries and M&Ms mixed with white crunchables and marshmallows, please), a snowflake dishtowel/hotpad set, a grouping of blue tarts or candles (buy handmade!!!), potpourri with blue and silver accents, etc.

Read all about how to save this to print, over on the right sidebar!

Thank'ee for dropping by. I'm about to drop myself. Two jobs, up at 5 for one, in at 5 p.m. for the other -- taking a toll on this old lady.

Drink Buttermilk - To Your Health

2010-11-12T00:01:00.048-06:00

Now m'dears, you know I am prone to visions, feelings, and predictions as to the future. And I think hard times may be coming. Very hard times. And in those hard times, there will be the wealthy, as there always are, and there will be the down-and-outs, in numbers greater than usual. And you can guess which group I will be in.

In olden days, people were not nearly as picky about their food. Food was often not in plenty. And that gave a delicious appreciation for anything edible. My father ate fried squirrel with relish (and relish), though he felt terrible for the squirrels he killed. But it was the squirrels or his little brothers and sisters. They had to have something. And while a few of ye rascals may attempt to claim buttermilk is not edible -- or rather, potable -- I'm here to tell you to know how to make it and drink it.

There may come a day when you need an easily obtained, easily digested food source. Buttermilk is pre-digested -- doesn't that sound appetizing? The lactose has been turned into lactic acid - the stuff that makes your muscles ache terribly when working out! Little critters eat up the lactose and, um, well, "create" the lactic acid! Isn't this just getting better and better? Please hold your nausea until the post is finished!

Like sourdough bread, making buttermilk requires a "starter" of -- buttermilk! Buy a pint if they have it and a quart otherwise. Buy powdered skim milk, too. Make up some of the powered milk. I'm going to assume you are wanting to make a half-quart of buttermilk, so have two pint jars on hand, washed and sterile. Pour the store-boughten buttermilk into each pint jar to the halfway mark (doesn't need to be exact). Now, add in a pinch of salt. Top off each jar with some of the skim milk you have made. Cover the jars with layers of clean cheesecloth topped with a clean kitchen towel, or use bleached flour sacks, freshly bleached and dried. Let the jars set out overnight. They will "clabber." And you will have 2 glasses of buttermilk per pint. Pour off the buttermilk and DRINK IT. Or use it in cooking. Or both.

Put the empty pint jars in the fridge. Don't wash them! At night, take them out the fridge. Now take more of the skim milk powdered mix and mix it up and fill up the jars again, this time you don't have to add in any store-boughten buttermilk. I leave a bit of the first buttermilk in mine. Let sit overnight again, and in the morning -- more buttermilk to pour off and drink!

Continue making buttermilk this way until the health department shows up! No no, do so for a few weeks, then wash the jars and begin again.

Rustic Primitive Crow Tag - Graphic - Design - Free Here

2010-11-11T14:55:00.000-06:00

Oh my, I have been a-draggin' today. Between the two jobs I am about done in. So here is a late post!

This free rustic primitive tag features one of the most dear creatures in the world: The crow!

Please drop by my Etsy shoppe Penniwigs to see all the banners, tags, and scrapping items available!

And drop by tomorrow, where I will talk about making buttermilk. Friends, hard times may be coming. I mean clean-to-the-bone type of difficulties. Prepare by knowing as much olden-time lore as you can!

Please read about how to save the below tag for either printing or blog display -- see right sidebar.

Merry Merry Xmas Free Printable Tag, Banner Up In Shoppe

2010-11-10T00:01:00.001-06:00

This is the same background as my new BELIEVE banner polkadot sheet set now up in the Etsy shoppe!

It is about 3 x 5 in size -- a nice-sized tag, easy to see! There is also a lil' oval tag "tagging" along, shall we say?

This just says MERRY and that is my mood today! Already started the new job and I am determined to be the very BEST of the group even though I'm the Olde Grey Mare of the bunch!

"If you can't do what you want, do what you can" and "Keep on keepin' on" are my mottoes! I will need those mottoes - up at 4 a.m. for the first job 3 times a week, then go into the second job at 5 p.m. and work till 11 p.m. six days a week!

Please read all about how to save this free scrappin or card-making tag over on the right sidebar.

And please share my blog address with anyone you think might be interested! Thank'ee! The more links I get, the better Google works and the easier it is for people to find these free, SAFE tags!

Gosh I'm Losing It _ Here is Free Tag for Real

2010-11-09T18:00:00.000-06:00

I *forgot* the free Gingerbread Annie - Here she is:

Gingerbread Annie Primitive Garland Tag

2010-11-09T00:01:00.003-06:00

This little gal is a cutie, and suitable to make a garland from or use as a tag or even a little paper doll.

Celebrating my new Gingerbread Annies tag/collage/garland sheet in my Etsy shoppe!

I think these would be mighty cute printed out and with twine, raffia, or even rusty wire between the Annies. I am thinking thin torn gingham would be pretty, too.

Please read about how to save these tags over there and down a-ways on the right sidebar!

I have a new seasonal job! Combined with the regular job, it will equal way over 40 hours a week! Hooray! I was surprised to be hired! It's a hard job and not too many others showed up for their interviews, surprisingly.

Snowball Fight Free Scrapbooking, Collage, or Christmas Tag

2010-11-08T00:01:00.000-06:00

How much I owe to the work of other artists!

This tag is based on a painting from at least 100 years ago, is my guess.

Their gift to me, my gift to you! To celebrate the new Sepia Christmas tags going up for sale in my shoppes! A new 6-pack of tags!

Read all about how to save this tag for printing or blog use over on the right sidebar.

Mod Angel To-From Tag Printable

2010-11-07T00:01:00.000-05:00

Here is a colorful retro angel in the bright colors of the 1960s.

I do love the tacky commercial art of that decade!

Please read about "how to save" these free scrappin and tag images over on the right sidebar. Thank'ee for stopping by.

Early Snow

2010-11-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

To celebrate my new "6-pack" of primtive/rustic snowmen, here's a cheerful printable hang tag for you.

Sadly, the only "six packs" around here are the printables and the Diet Cokes in the fridge.

Remember to read all about how to save these tags for blogs OR printing! See right sidebar!

Free Spice Cookies Recipe Tag

2010-11-05T00:01:00.001-05:00

Here is a cute rustic recipe tag to kick off the listing of my new printable Cake Mix Cookies booklet/recipe cards.

This is part of the "Shoestrings and Heartstrings" line! Just feel like times are hard and going to get much, much harder. Thriftiness will be key. I have been looking through my granny's writings and her predictions also are coming through. She had "the gift" of second-sight and saw many a ghost herself, and made lots of predictions. I think that's where I get it from. How I loved her!

Stop by my Etsy shoppe to see the listing for the entire Cake Mix Cookies printable/downloadable file! This is a "bonus" recipe not included in the set itself.

Don't forget to read on the right sidebar if you need help saving this. Don't save this little version below if you plan on printing it out. You will need to "click it' a special way to get the printable size!!!

"No Peeking" at This New Xmas Freebie Tag!

2010-11-04T00:01:00.016-05:00

From an idea a customer was kind enough to give me, here's a version of my new rustic "Do Not Open Till December 25th" tags, which are paired with some "Let it snow" shabby/prim tags.

I am just moseying over to the shops to put the new tag set up. Remember, if you go and it's already bought, I do relist quickly!

The JPEG version is the first one -- the PNG is the second -- they print the same but only the PNG can be altered with no loss of quality. Read about how to save these tags for blogs or printing over on the right sidebar!

Turkey in the Roses - Free Thanksgiving Printable Tag

2010-11-03T00:01:00.005-05:00

My my, those long-ago artists were delightfully fanciful. I don't know if it was just natural or if the turpentine fumes would give them an altered sense of reality. Nonetheless, we benefit. Here is a turkey and some roses on a rustic tag.

This one is horizontal. Good for scrapbooking and primitive designs, I think. Please read information to the right if you are unsure about how to save this tag for printing or blog use!

Thank'ee for stopping by.

Free, Gratis, Tiny Labels Perfect for Your Holiday Handmade/Baked Items

2010-11-02T00:01:00.005-05:00

One thing many crafters/bakers/creators find out, and that is that they could really use a little tag to attach to their items. It gives it a finishing touch.

Here is a link to my Pro Account at sendspace.com -- the safe, professional way to share files-- where I have uploaded just such a set of labels, a mix of holiday labels that would be great attached to your homemade goods. This link will be active for the next 7 days. Download easily anytime!

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/93lx62

It's all free, too. These are hard times! We must share and do what we can!

Here is just a teeny look-see at the label sheet. The actual printable sheet is at the download link and has a lot more labels and wording.

Frosty White Christmas Rustic Tags Now In Shoppes - And Here's One Free

2010-11-01T06:15:00.001-05:00

Anyone remember in A Streetcar Named Desire how Blanche was horrified to hear a woman going door to door in Olde New Orleans selling "Flores...flores...flowers for the DEAD"??? Oh ,the horror. Poor Blanche was from Mississippi. I'll say no more.

November 1 was All Saints or Souls Day and an important day when I was growing up. In New Orleans, we have those above-ground cemetaries and people go sweep, tidy, and decorate the graves most especially on that day and I think on St. Anthony's Day. I would see many flowers and sometimes some food and little bottles of booze on the tombs. Being New Orleans, the booze prolly got drank up pretty quickly. Spirits for the spirits.

On a totally different subject, to me now the Holiday Season begins in earnest, kicked off by Halloween and lasting through January 6th. Celebrate with some lovely tags in shades of white and taupe! Six different angel and Santa designs, all in unique white robing, now for sale in my shoppes!

Here is a church scene on the same snowy background. Please read "how" to save this file - see right sidebar. This is a HUGE png file - may take a bit to save it.

Old World Pastry and Old World Santa Tag

2010-10-31T00:01:00.033-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!

What are you going as to Halloween? Here's a handy costume, and bloggers don't have to do a thing! Blogger Zombie! Just stagger up from your computer chair and start handing out candy, with yer ghastly pale skin and dark circles under yer eyes from blog surfing waaaay too much.

Now up in my shoppes - "Tattered and torn" Old World Santa tags, in 2.5 x 3.5 size! Very flexible - make tags, decorations, cards, more out of them!

I love the fanciful depictions of Santy, in cloaks and robes of all hues. The older versions of Santy look a bit sterner than our modern jolly fellow. In my day, Santy gave out a lot of "switches." I always got quite a few switches. And got switched,too. Ah, what fun, remembered getting switched on Christmas. It's a wonder I don't drink.

And here we have (below free tag) a quick Old Mexico Empanada recipe. Don't waste those jack o'lanterns. You used a nice unscented candle or a battery operated one like The Olde Dame told ye to last week, didn't ye? Otherwise the pumpkin will cook up nasty and smell of funny fragrances.

Old Mexico Empanadas

Depression Oil Crust - Follows - This is the ONLY PIE CRUST recipe you will ever need.

Pumpkin/Jack O'lantern

3/4 cup brown sugar

Salt

1/2 cup white sugar to sprinkle on crust

Spices like pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, or what you like

Cut up the pumpkin into slabs - leave peel on. It's easy, because when you made a jack o'lantern you did the hard work of getting the seeds/strings out. But if any strings/guts remain, scrape with a melon-baller or a big old metal spoon and throw them outside for the animals.

Cook pumpkin using the method you like best - I suggest pressure cooker w/grate if you have one, boiled, or oven baked.

The pressure cooker will take only 10 minutes once it gets up a head of steam. Put water in up to the grate and put the slabs of pumpkin in on top.

The oven will take about 45 minutes to an hour at 350 - place pumpkin skin side up in roasting pan and add a cup or two of water and cover.

Boiling it will take about 30-45 minutes, keep sticking a fork in it to see if it is tender. Don't overcook it.

No matter how you cook it, once done, take it OUT of any remaining water while hot and let it "steam" dry.

Now pull the skin/peel off of it. It usually will come right off!

Get a hand blender if you have one, and blend the holy heck out of it. Get those strings chopped up or out. Use a regular blender if you don't have a hand one. You can also use electric beaters but will have to keep pulling the strings out.

You want it SMOOTH.

Now add in the brown sugar and the spices and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Use at least 2 teaspoons of the spices (total).

Mix well.

Take the crust and roll out. Cut out circles about 4-inches or so, small tortilla-sized.

Put a dollop of filling on them, on one side, keep it off the edges.

Fold the dough over, put a bit of water on the edge and push to seal.

Rub water on top and sprinkle with sugar.

Put in 375 oven for about 10 minutes then turn to 325 for 10 more or until the pastry starts to brown.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THEM

Depression Oil Crust

Put 1 and 1/3 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt into a bowl, mixed, and make a well in the middle.

Measure 1/3 cup oil (I like corn oil or a mix of corn and canola) and 3 tablespoons cold milk into a cup, then pour into the well and mix it up all at once the LEAST you can mix it and it hold together. This keeps it tender.

Sprinkle some flour on waxed paper, place crust ball of dough on it, rub flour on your rolling pin and roll out. The scraps from this crust can be gathered and rerolled and still stay tender.

Perky Percolator Xmas Tag - Free For Ye!

2010-10-30T00:01:00.002-05:00

Those kitschy 50's designs are so cute and fun. Here's a vintage card turned into a tag.

This could be especially neat stapled to a little brown lunch bag with different things coffee hounds would like - a mug, or some flavored creamers, or those drops you put in coffee to make it taste like hazelnut or vanilla, etc.

Thank'ee for stopping by. Got an email and no, I haven't forgotten the empanada recipe and will be posting it tomorrow! Can't believe Halloween is nigh.

Remember to read about how to save this tag - see right sidebar!

For Those Who Love Birds - Printable Christmas Tag

2010-10-29T00:01:00.001-05:00

Here is a complimentary Christmas tag featuring a lovely bird from the brush of a long-ago artist, most likely German. They created so many of the early Christmas cards, although their work was primarily printed for the market in England and the USA. Birds were a popular subject.

Here in West Texas the grackles and king birds are making a tremendous racket as they flock together. Some people dislike these noisy birds, but I dearly love them. I love how they will "help themselves" to anything you are foolish enough to leave outside -- I have lost quite a few elements of my picnic lunches that way. They will even tug zippers on lunchboxes open.

I have a new "six pack" + bonus of lovely old-fashioned birds in my Etsy and Artfire shops! All 6-packs are $2 this season, and you can print the files as many times as you wish.

Please read about "how" to save this tag for your needs - to print or just decorate a blog with -- see right sidebar.

Thank'ee for stopping by.

Printable Retro Santa Gift Tag

2010-10-28T00:01:00.004-05:00

And here we have a simple retro Santa from a 50's card, placed on a gift tag that is the same size as a business card. Yes, it's not even Halloween -- my sense of season is addled by being elbow-deep in glitter and bows at my various horrid jobs.

Remember to read "how" to save these images over on the right sidebar. There is more than one way to save them, depending on how you plan to use them, printed or just on-screen. Remember that they look huge but print much smaller.

Thank'ee for dropping by.

Have you noticed how my volcano and storm predictions are also coming true? But a fierce volcanic explosion is yet to come, dearies. And so is a tremendous earthquake. The earth feels funny under my tiny feet.

Christmas Is Coming -- BEFORE Hallowe'en?

2010-10-27T00:01:00.001-05:00

Oh yes, for those who work in retail, it's very Christmasy right now. I spent half the day moving boxes of cards and bows and Advent Calenders and other Christmas goodies around while the jack o'lanterns grinned in a forlorn manner.

For artisans and handcrafters, Christmas comes "early," too -- we have to start our projects pretty early, sometimes.

This is a free printable giftcard holder for those who are planning to give that wonderful one-size-fits-all instant gift of a giftcard! I would certainly love one.

I find these giftcard holders to be very expensive in the stores. I barely have enough for the giftcard itself. I don't want to spend more on a holder! Yet I'm not going to just go THROW it at the recipient!

See my new Victorian giftcard holders at my Artfire and Etsy stores!

Print this out, glitter it, add some doodads, or what have you. It's ready to go plain, too. When folded, the front tucks into a little tab that you have cut into the back. This is the same design places like Barnes and Nobles uses for its gift cards. It's about 4 x 4.25 inches once folded and holds a gift card nicely.

The fold line and the tab cut-along lines are subtle and don't detract from the design.

Hope ye enjoy. Remember to click it, let the larger image load, and click again for largest image. THEN right-click to save it.

Click-or-Treat! Trick or Treat Free Printable Rustic Tag

2010-10-26T00:01:00.011-05:00

This would be fun to print out and attach to some goodies!

I love the treats of Halloween. And I wish that candy apples, caramel apples, and popcorn balls have not fallen out of fashion. We had donuts, too, freshly fried. Long ago, far away.

We don't even get trick-or-treaters anymore. Last year we snuck up to the UPS truck pulled up in front of the neighbor's house and put a handful of candy on the driver's seat. He got a kick out of it! He was our only "trick-or-treater" that night!

Please see the information to the right on the sidebar if you need advice about how to save this tag for printing or just placing on a blog. It's all in how you click it!

Thank'ee for stopping by.

Predictions, and Rustic Angel Tag for Scrapbooking, Gifts, Even Blogs

2010-10-25T00:01:00.010-05:00

This tag uses a rustic "hangtag" base that seems very popular with those buying printables for Thanksgiving.

I'm jumping the gun with a Christmas angel, in spats no less, but the Thanksgiving tags are still being listed and relisted on Etsy and Artfire.

I might do more tags of these Victorian Christmas children, but erase those wings. Hmm.

I do love the rustic stuff. I have a "Soap for Sale" rustic tag that a bloggie friend made, and it never fails to get a comment - it's hanging off a rustic wood cabinet we use as a medicine cabinet in the bathroom.

Please read the "how-to" information on the right sidebar if you're unsure of how to save these free tags properly. It's easy! Remember that the size they display on your screen and the size they print are entirely different. This tag will print out 2.25 x 4.25" approximately.

Thank'ee for stopping by. By the way, I predicted two earthquakes and their locations last week, but seem to have missed on my "early blizzard" prediction, unless one roars in soon. I am predicting another strange U.S. earthquake, too. And an incredible storm in London. We'll see.

UPDATE: Wrote this post, set it up to automatically post, and then looked at the news - earthquake in Wyoming!

Cat Christmas Tag

2010-10-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

It's a Kitty Cat Christmas tag!

A young cat hands his pretty penny over for some treats at a Christmas cart in Old London, from the looks of this vintage image.

Please see instructions on the right sidebar if you need help with saving this free tag -- pick the right size for your needs.

Thank'ee for stopping by.

It's That "Recipe" Time of Year

2010-10-23T00:01:00.001-05:00

Seems like the holidays are the very best time for getting new recipes that are actually good.

So many truly dreadful recipes floating about not only on the internet, but in magazines and cookbooks, too.

The best are the hand-me-down recipes friends will sometimes share!

Here is a little card, printing out about 3.25 x 3 or so, to jot down a recipe to share. Family recipes are more valuable than gold!

Please see information to the right about how to save this tag so you can print it out and use it yourself!

Thank'ee for stopping by.

A Jarring Image!

2010-10-22T00:01:00.000-05:00

Here we have a very old canning jar sporting a pretty vintage Thanksgiving painting as its label.

Please see instructions to the right about how to save this image for PRINTING or for BLOG USE.

Drop by my Etsy or Artfire shoppes to see my collage sheets with six of these jars on them! Only $2 for a downloadable sheet!

Thank'ee for stopping by.

I'm Arch About This Free Halloween Tag

2010-10-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

Just another one of my bad puns, dearies.

This is a new "arch" tag design. I have a new Half-N-Half sheet -- half Christmas, Half New Year's -- up in my Etsy and Artfire shops that feature this tag shape.

This is a lovely old Ellen Clapsaddle painting - I think this young gent has done a fine job with his punkin carving.

See instructions to the right about saving this image, if you need them! Remember to click and let 2 larger images load if you are saving this to print out. It will LOOK huge but print normally, about 2.5 x 4 inches.

USE A PLAIN CANDLE, not a scented one, or even use a flicker battery-operated candle in your jack o'lanterns this year, then cook up the pumpkin and make empanadas. I'll be posting a recipe. A neighbor long ago from Old Mexico gave me this recipe and the empanadas were out of this world.

Thank'ee for dropping by.

Free Thanksgiving Tag Printable - Fruits of the Harvest

2010-10-20T00:01:00.007-05:00

Those grapes in the painting would have been rare on the olden-day Thanksgiving table in most of the country -- the frost would have gotten them by late November.

Grapes make a wonderful dish to take to a potluck. Clean, stem, and dry grapes, about a pound or two, then add them to a mixture of small tub of sour cream and powdered sugar [I use a cup at leas but some like less, some more] -- some folks make it with beaten cream cheese and the sugar -- and mayhap a tiny bit of vanilla, coating them well. Then sprinkle the top with a bit of brown sugar and some chopped pecans. Leave out the pecans if making this for those who may have difficulty chewing nuts.

Do this RIGHT BEFORE you need it -- you want the mixture sticking to the grapes well, not sliding off due to the vicious effects of gravity.

Everyone will want this recipe. So print out these tags and write it on the back and bring them along, placing them by the grapes! Don't forget I have new "Half-N-Half" tag sheets (half Xmas tags, half T'giving) up for sale in all of my shops - Etsy, Artfire, and Zibbet. At Artfire, you can just click Paypal and buy without registering. I like that. Too many places to keep track of otherwise!

Look over to the right sidebar and scroll down a bit to get instructions on how to save these files! Got tired of retyping it each post.

Thank'ee for dropping by!

Over the River and Through the Woods to a Free Printable Tag!

2010-10-19T00:01:00.001-05:00

Oh what a pretty pilgrim!

I once went as a pilgrim to Halloween. What fun! Sadly, the costume seemed to SHRINK ever more dramatically as the years passed -- quite unwearable now -- how STRANGE that it shrank, yes? Just stored in the air shrank it, mayhap -- It couldn't be that I GOT LARGER, now could it? NO INDEED bloggie friends!

Remember that these files are HUGE due to being designed to print out at 300 ppi for wonderful clarity -- they do print out proper 2.5 x 3.5 size!

*shriek* of joy -- it's so fun to POST and YAK and YAMMER and hold forth and not hear a peep out of any of you! Tee hee hee!

Regular-click it to get it to full size, then right-click to save, or right-click this little version below for bloggie use.

Kooky Fun Witch Printable for Halloween

2010-10-18T00:01:00.005-05:00

This is my original long-nosed witch silhouette, which I see in quite a few places now, including for Cricut machines.

I've redone her with some fun polkadots on her skirt!

Similar to the new witchy digital printable collage/ACT/tag sheet I have up for sale in my Etsy shoppe!

I think it'd be fun to get all kinds of candy corn, blend them in a clear cellophane bag, and tie with an orange and black ribbon, along with one of these tags!

Candy corn is a vegetable, isn't it? Vegetables are GOOD for you!

Just a png version offered today -- these single card files are not TOO large -- click to load up a larger image, then click again if needed to load up the largest size (if a little "+" sign is present on your cursor) -- then right-click to save it. Just right-click the small version you see below if you want to place it on your bloggie sidebar.

Pretty Turkey and Victorian Child Printable for Altered Art and More!

2010-10-17T00:01:00.009-05:00

Oh dear, oh dear, the merry month of October is passing too quickly.

Here is a printable tag that can also be used to decorate a bloggie. Both png and jpeg files are posted.

I have to wonder if the poor turkey is being led to a roasting pan...

Please see yesterday's post if you need help knowing how and what to click to save it -- I'm just entirely too lazyboned today to write it all out again!

Hope ye enjoy.

Ghostly Beauty

2010-10-16T00:01:00.005-05:00

And here we have a hang tag similar to my new "Ghostly Beauty" digital tag sheet.

Visit my Etsy store for truly unique printables!

The png and jpeg file types are both given here -- choose the png if you plan to alter the image using an online free program such as picnik or photobucket's graphic editors. Choose the jpeg if you just want to print it out unchanged.

Regular-click to load the larger image (that will print regular business-card size) - then right-click to save it. It can be used on blogs, too.

Attention Potions Mistresses - Printable Spooky Bottle

2010-10-15T00:01:00.007-05:00

I wish the whole Harry Potteresque business were true, and that people could brew up amazing potions. I personally would be in the kitchen right now, leaning over a hot cauldron, stirring up an extra-strength version of Slimming Sauce. Then I'd try my hand at Everything's Chocolate Concoction: One drop and the nasty little baby carrots taste like chocolate chips.

SHOESTRING TIP for Halloween:

Pop up a variety of microwave popcorn, then put a few handfuls of each type in a small cellophane treat bag. Tie a bit of string or ribbon around the tops of the bags to close, and leave very long tails that you can then tie together to make a cluster of the bags hanging from a "web." Add a tag and deliver your treats right away!

FREE PNG and JPEG versions of a tag similar to the Potions tags I have in my Etsy shop.

You can just save these smaller sizes to use on a bloggie or webpage with a simple right-click. To print, keep reading:

If you plan to save and alter or print: Regular-click the images to load up a much larger image that will print out the correct ATC/tag size of 2.5 x 3.5" later -- choose the png file for best quality -- but it's a BIG file -- or the jpeg if you are conserving disk space. Then right-click on the larger size to save it.

Tiny Girl with Pumpkin - An Old-Fashioned Free Printable Tag for Halloween

2010-10-14T00:01:00.012-05:00

This tiny girl is taking no chances of dropping that pumpkin.

It's hilarious to watch kids at a pumpkin patch. Left to their own devices, they tend to end up choosing the most misshapen or peculiarly colored gourds in the hemisphere, or an absurdly microscopic gourd. My son once choose a pumpkin so bizarre -- a bilious yellow with a bad case of the warts -- that I was scared to turn it into a jack o'lantern. Feared it might get the knife from me.

You can just save these smaller sizes to use on a bloggie or webpage with a simple right-click.

Lovely Lady Hang Tag or ACT Card is Today's Free Printable

2010-10-13T00:01:00.002-05:00

Here's a lovely lady hang tag similar to the new sheet of tags up in my Etsy shoppe!

I love baking pumpkin bread, putting it in a clear cellophane bag, and giving it out to friends and neighbors, with a tag attached for a whimsical touch! I put chopped pecans in my bread -- toast them first and DREDGE IN FLOUR before adding to your batter! Dredging keeps them from sinking to the bottom.

Regular-click this image to make a larger image load. Then save that image with a right-click. When you go to print it, it will print the right size -- 2.5 x 3.5" -- and have lovely qualilty at 300 ppi! Both png and jpeg files are included. For just printing out, choose the smaller jpeg file -- if you want to alter the tag yourself in a computer graphics program or online program, choose the png file!

Hope ye enjoy, dearies.

You can also just save the smaller sizes to use on a blog or webpage!

Welcome and Welcome Again

2010-10-12T00:01:00.014-05:00

Penniwigs is back online, with a twist: Free tags, labels, and other scrapbooking and cardmaking printables join easy-to-use blog and webpage decorations.

I feel more lean times may be ahead. Mayhap folks will wish to make more handmade goods and cards -- the free tags and suchlike will come in handy. I personally love handmade creations, despite working for the world's largest commercial greeting card and ornament maker, and stocking said items in the world's largest retailers' stores! Handling tens of thousands of same-same cards and gift tags whets the appetite for handmade ones!

Join me for printables, digital art, antique recipes, strange lore, and musings -- but not comments. Nay, dearies, 'tis just me, The Olde Dame, holding forth -- so just read and enjoy! Never any pressure to respond or comment on this olde bloggie.

Thank'ee for dropping by. Hope ye enjoy.

Regular-click to load the high-quality image, then right-click to save it. Right-click the small image to use it on a bloggie.

TWO FILE TYPES PROVIDED.
The .png file -- better quality but large file size.
The .jpeg file - much smaller file size but not quite the same quality.