The Best (FREE!) Holiday Printables Round Up

Every year I design my own gift tags and Christmas cards around now for the upcoming holiday season. This year, things are different because we aren't going to be home for Christmas and we also have a lot going on with the new house build. So, since physical and wrapped gifts will be few and far between, spending hours designing tags seems like a waste of time, especially when there are so many amazing options out there already. I love all of these below and I'm sure you will too. And you really can't beat the price ($0). And from one label/tag maker to another, a huge thank you to all who shared these. I know the hours that go into designing, so it's so appreciated to have them available gratis.

Perhaps my favourite of the bunch are the first in this round up. I love their simplicity yet the inclusion of typical christmas graphics like trees and reindeers. These are oh so similar to some I designed for myself last year (and similar to the cards I made), but I like these better, so I'll probably be using these this year! From the crafty Creative Index blog and can be found here.

 How cute are these? Definitely perfect for a Kate Spade lover (or anyone who loves classic black, white and gold!). Download here from Pretty Darn Cute.

Lovely pastel tags below from Best Day Ever. Download here.

Love these kraft and ice blue printables by Catch My Party. Banner and labels and more can be found right here.

These kraft and white tags are also super cute and simple. Find here from Muffin Grayson.

Love these hand drawn labels below. The come with a white background so print on any colour paper you like. Find them here from Hey Look. 

If you're going to be making some gifts this year, these are the tags for you! Hand lettered chalk art and FREE. So beautiful.  Find them here on World Label.

Lots of great kraft tags can be found over here at Shanty 2 Chic. 

What are you planning to do for gift tags this year? How often do you take advantage of free printables?

Print Your Own Photo Cards 2013 and Tiny Prints GIVEAWAY

It's that time of year again. Christmas card time! I'm usually done mine and have them out the door end of November but I've been really slow this year - not quite sure why. If you're a little late to the party like me, doing a custom photo card that you can print in a jiffy at Costco/Walmart etc is a great solution. Of course, nothing beats my card-crush Tiny Prints (absolutely loving their glitter collection this year!), but these DIY ones work as extras when you run out of your fancy printed ones, and are great because they can be reprinted within no time if you need more. 

I'm only doing a few designs this year (well, one is new, two are updated versions), but you can check out last year's designs here and feel free to email me if you'd prefer one of those! Etsy listing can be found here and they are also up on my website.

Oh, and because who doesn't love a giveaway - leave a comment below to enter to win one of TWO prizes:

1) A $30 Tiny Prints Gift Certificate

2) A custom photo card design from the Paper Society

Winner announced Dec 13th by 10 PM EST.

What are you doing for Christmas cards this year?

xo
J

Adventures in DIY Flocking an Artificial Christmas Tree

I have always wanted a white Christmas tree. So badly, in fact, that I came very close to spray painting our hand me down artificial tree last year (seemed pretty messy and tedious so I skipped that idea).

Then one day in mid-November, I came home to a white Christmas tree. Hubby had surprised me with it, along with a new assortment of gold, silver and white ornaments (and six bottles of wine sitting underneath it - he knows me so well). Sweet man had taken note, and on the 8th anniversary of the day we decided to be more than just friends (a date we hadn't acknowledged for a while), he tried to fullfill my lifelong white tree dreams.

To make a long story short, I returned it. I found a bigger, better one for a better deal so tree #1 went back (yup, I'm that wife). I decorated it, and then stepped back and looked at it, and it wasn't working. White, for once, just wasn't right. It was just too white. It didn't have that magical Christmas feel to me. Perhaps had we splurged on an uber expensive one it would have felt different, but this tree just wasn't for me.

Tree #2 went back to the store, and a third tree put up in it's place. This time, it was our old artificial tree, the one we've put up every year since we've been married. But, I couldn't do the green anymore. Some faux trees are realistic looking - ours is not. The green is just... so greeny. So after some soul searching (and wine drinking), I decided that faux flocking my tree was the way to go.

There are a bunch of "recipes" out there including everything from soap flakes to shaving cream. I went the shaving cream route and was flocking happy with the results!

To flock an entire 7.5 foot tree (every single branch) it took TWELVE batches of the following recipe:

1 cup Elmer's All Purpose Glue (not the kiddie version)
3 cups Generic foam shaving cream
1 tbsp Corn starch

Mix all ingredients in a stand mixer for a few minutes or until stiff peaks form.

For application:
I started from the very bottom of the tree (I kept it in it's pieces so flocked the bottom third first, then put on the second tier to flock, and then put the top on to finish it up).

To help mask the nasty green, I decided to flock every single branch thoroughly. I filled my palm with my fluffy mixture and massaged it into each branch. After half the tree was done, I had dozens of little cuts in my hands. Learn form my mistakes - wear gloves! I put gloves on for the remainder of my flocking session and was much more comfortable.

Be warned - this is not a quick process. All in all, it took me about 4 - 5 hours to finish the tree, but I'm so happy with how it turned out.

Let the flock dry for at least 24 hours (preferably more). It dries nice and spongey - not hard and crusty. It DOES flake off when you move it, add ornaments, etc to a certain extent, but a quick sweep will clean up the mess and it won't effect your flocking result.

Also, if your tree is pre-lit, you really have two options (that I can think of). Tape off each light with painters tape (which would be WAY too much work in my opinion), or flock over those flocking lights and call it a day! I decided to go this route and then add more lights post-flocking (and leave the ones I flocked over unplugged.)

I'll try and get pictures of the finished and decorated tree up this weekend! Until then, is this something you would try, or have tried?

Gold and Glitter

What's white, gold and black all over?

Snapshots of my Christmas crafting weekend - so many more to come, as well as a tutorial (not pictured) of a project I completed that I am OBSESSED with. Hint, it's flocking amazing!

Holiday Gift Guide | Gold, black and white all over!

As much as I love gift giving, I LOATHE gift buying. I may be a rare kind, but I stress myself out big time trying to find the perfect gift for someone. I am extremely indecisive, and usually end up buying multiple gifts for the same person before finally narrowing down what I'd like to give them. And I usually end up buying two of everything... one for me, one for you, one for me, one for you. Yup, I'm that person!

This year (okay, and last year, and the year before that), I'm loving all things gold and black and white. Such a timeless colour combo that melds my favourites- the holidays with a little old Hollywood flair. If you're stumped on what to get the ladies if your life, this round up covers all the bases, from affordable smaller gifts, to splurges for those closer to you. And of course, I would be thrilled to receive any of these gifts (well, except my own print, because, uh, that would be weird!).


From left to right:

Gold Confettit iPhone Case, $40 , LaFeliz on etsy
Gold Initial, $14.50, Chapters Indigo
Tres Chic Gloves, $58, C Wonder
Lip Tease Mug, $28, Reiko Kaneko on SHOP by Monika
Raison d'etre Print, $10 - $20, The Paper Society
Striped Throw, $128, C Wonder
Limited Edition Gold Brush Set, $29.99, Sonia Kashuk for Target
Bubbly Gold Decanter, $39.50, Chapters  Indigo
Voluspa Room Spray, $20, Chapters Indigo

FREEBIES | Printable Holiday Tags

It's the time of season where Christmas cards are posted, presents are mostly wrapped, and you only have one difficult person left to shop for. It's also the time where you probably realize you need something to label your Christmas presents with. Please, I beg of you, don't go buy the cheesy tags from the dollar store. Unless they're for close, non-judgemental family members. However, for friends, and co-workers, those tags just will not do.

Free Printable Holiday Tags

I was in need of some tags the other night, so I whipped these up. In case you're in a bind too, try giving these a whirl. I've designed them in a "shopping tag" shape, however you can also cut off the top to make it a square if you fancy (I did both versions and they turned out lovely). Hole punch at the top and thread a ribbon through, and ta-da! And for beginner printers wondering what to print on, I recommend a heavier card stock (at least 80 lbs) to get a nice, professional feel.

Happy Holidays! And I would love to see your gift wrapping so please tweet/instagram at me @thepapersociety or post on my Facebook page. You just might win a prize! :)