Small Christmas Hang Tags

I have been working on some small hang tags for a little Christmas tree I purchased at Stonewall Craftique recently.  When I make these tags, I go online and search for free vintage Christmas cards on Google images.  Then I insert them into a word document and resize them and arrange them on the paper.  

I am experimenting with how to share these here.  I am not sure if this will actually work or not and would love it if you would let me know if this works for you.  These tags all fit on one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper with .5 margins all the way around.  Then the images can be cut apart and stuck onto the small hang tags.  (I bought mine at Staples and the size is roughly 1 1/4 X 2 3/4 inches.)

Prior to putting the images on, I coffee and vanilla stained my hang tags and then baked them at 200 to dry them.  I do about 5-8 minutes on a side and flip them so each side gets 2 turns.

I will post a picture of my little tree later.  Right now, I am going to step away from the camera and give it a little time to think about it's refusal to cooperate.  I'm supposed to be getting ready to go with my husband to do our Thanksgiving dinner shopping anyway.  Do you think the camera knows...?

And before I forget:

 Go check out the "Happy Everything" Giveaway that Dee is hosting over at Stonewall Craftique!

She has a really fun idea for getting 5 extra chances to win!  Everyone is a winner with this idea! 

Have a great day!

Melissa

Ornies from OLM's Swap!

I joined in Olde Lady Morgan's ornie swap, and my ornies arrived on Monday!  I couldn't wait to get into that box because I had seen some posts about the ornies arriving for other people.  I LOVE all of the ornies I received!  There's such a great variety. :)
Here's a picture of the collection:

Here's the individual line up:

Created by Tammy from A Primitive Place

Created by Rachel from Somewhere In The Middle

Created by Sheila from Country Impressions

Create by Allison Knight from Sew Many Girls

 

Created by Marie from Olde Lady Morgan
Marie also included a bag of treats - Thanks!!

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Created by Trace from Granny Trace Scraps and Squares

These are the ornies I created for the swap.  

I'll be back with a tutorial/pattern for some JOY ornies this weekend - after parent conferences are done.  I also have some other ideas to share after my swap partner gets her treasures.  (I don't want to spoil any surprises!)

Have a great rest of your week!

Melissa

Another Lovely Giveaway and some pictures/tutorials are coming - really!

Willa over at The Old Cupboard Door is hosting a lovely giveaway right now for this amazing make-do:

I have been busy working on report cards, getting ready for parent conferences, and sneaking in a little time to work on my swap items for Amy's Christmas at the Cabin Swap.  The deadlines for all of those things and more are looming - I like to think of it as a perfect storm. :o
I will be back to post some pictures and basic tutorials of some things I've been working on, but probably not until next weekend.
I hope everyone has a week full of blessings and things to be thankful for as we head toward Thanksgiving week.  (And can I get a YIKES! at the thought of it being Thanksgiving time already?!)
Blessings to you,
Melissa

Home for the Holiday Giveaway!

Go check out this surprise giveaway that Amy is hosting over at Bumble Bee Lane!
It's a great way to get in the holiday mood!

A surprise in the mail from Parker's Paradise :)

Thank you, Linda!
When I saw the pillow on the left I thought,
"I be thankful for Linda!"  

These two beautiful pillow tucks came in my mail a day or two ago.  Linda from Parker's Paradise strikes again!  It was such a lovely, lovely surprise!  I have them on the little cupboard in my kitchen for now, but I know I am going to have fun trying them out in different locations this weekend. :)

Last night, my elementary school hosted its first ever Autumn Pumpkin Walk.  It was an amazing event!  I didn't get good pictures, so here's one not so good one just so you have an inkling of what it looked like.

This was about 20 minutes before the Pumpkin Walk started.
The outdoor lights got turned off, and that path was FULL of
families enjoying the pumpkins together.

It does not even come close to the reality of how incredible the pumpkins looked lining the access road behind our school and winding up onto the side lawn.   There were about 400 pumpkins which our students carved in school, mostly on Halloween.  This is my favorite school event ever so far!  The families that came to the pumpkin walk paid 50 cents a person to walk the trail of pumpkins and got a free hay ride, too.  There were refreshments - cider, hot chocolate, donuts, and popcorn - which is where I worked most of the evening.  I had so much fun doing that!   Everyone was so joyful and happy.  It was a much needed nearly perfect moment in time.
My husband drove over to see it, and his word about it was "It was just so wholesome."
The money is being used for field trips for our students, so the cause was terrific, too.  There were people who did the walk and took the hay ride and came back to the entrance and donated more money because it was so wonderful.  I am already looking forward to next year's Autumn Pumpkin Walk.

I will admit that I am so glad it is Friday!  I am ready for a weekend to rest up.  And do report cards.  And get ready for parent conferences.  And maybe some laundry.  And some housework.  But none of that will be while I am also trying to teach!!  Whew! This school year is a whirlwind so far!
Oh, and I am hoping that I get to sneak to Caledonia, New York tomorrow for a Peddler's Market full of antiques and prims... :)
Have a nice weekend!
Melissa

A little Fall decorating

Here are some pictures of the fun I've had with my Fall decorating.  I really enjoy getting my treasures out each year.  I've had some of these things for years and years, and some are new found or newly made treasures.

I picked up this little witch stitchery for $4.00!
Love a good bargain. :)

The view when you step in my back door.

Love this penny rug and coasters from
my blog friend Marilyn!

My front room just inside the front door.
The step is a step up into my kitchen.

The wall going up my stairs is impossible to reach,
so myhusband installed a laundry line for me to
 hang my quilts on.

Well that's all the fun I have time for now.  Laundry and school work are calling (loudly).  

I hope everyone is having a nice Columbus Day.  The weather here is sunny and beautfiul.  A perfect Fall day.  :)

Long Overdue Thank You x 2

I know I have been absent for a few weeks.  I am going to do a quick post right now to send out my sincerest of thank yous to Linda of Parker's Paradise and Denise of Stonewall Craftique.  I won giveaways from both of them several weeks ago, but have not had time to take pictures and post them to share.  I feel so guilty for this delay.  I know it will sound like I'm making excuses, but I can say that I have never had a busier start to the school year than this one.  Blogging (and most fun of any kind) definitely has been put almost completely on hold.  I think we all know that sometimes life is just like that.  On the bright side, I have a terrific class with fun, fun students.  (This helps to make the stress level much more worth while.)

So here are pictures of the amazing loot I received from Linda and Denise.  I loved everything and I have been slowly getting things placed around my house so I can enjoy it all.  This is a 3-day weekend from school, so I am hoping to take pictures of the fall decorating I have taken (stolen) the time to do.

This is the giveaway from Stonewall Craftique - Denise.
The primitive cat head is a pin.  Love it all!

This is my giveaway win from Linda at Parker's Paradise.
I thought I won just one item from Linda, but instead
all of this loot arrived in my mailbox!  

Thank you so much Linda and Denise! 

 I love all the treasure you sent!