Free Printable: Post-Holiday Thank You + Blank Cards

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

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

Download:

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

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

Directions for use:

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

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

The not so fun technical stuff: 

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


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

Free Printable: Winter Bird Gift Tags + Labels

Hi everyone!  The holiday season wouldn't be complete for me without creating some sweet little gift tags to top my Christmas gifts with.  If you'd like to download and use them on your gifts too, I would love to share them with you.

Download (will begin immediately) : Winter Bird Gift Tags + Labels

Directions for use:

• Print onto heavy-weight paper or adhesive backed paper (for sticker labels*).
• For hanging tags -  punch a hole at the top and string with twine or ribbon.

*The version without the birds would work perfectly as address labels on little packages or envelopes! 

If you'd like to share this printable on your blog (hurray), please be sure to link to this post directly and do not host the actual download on your site.  Thanks so much!.  For non-commercial use.

Inspiration Daily: 12. 24. 09 - "white christmas"

Image credits: 1. Frosted Apples, 2. White Lace, 3. deerinhere, 4. Our snow has melted…, 5. untitled, 6. Cookies, cookies..., 7. fuzz, 8. perfect little white things, 9. pure + simple

Free Printable: Dove Holiday Tags by Elizabeth

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

Download: Dove Holiday Tags

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

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

D.I.Y. Repurposed Produce Bag Ideas

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

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

Idea No.1: Decorative Gift-Wrapping Band

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

Idea No.2: Amped Up Gift Wrap

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

Idea No.3: Makeshift Stocking / Gift Bag

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

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