DRESSING UP THOSE WINE BOTTLE GIFTS WITH AN EDITABLE FREEBIE

Where has the time gone!!

I've just realised how long it's been since I added anything to my blog *wince* The summer has just shot past and now party season is heading our way again at speed.
So in view of this I thought I would post a freebie of a wine bottle collar I made a while ago to hold a couple of Greene and Black chocolates - which I am reliably informed by my friend Audrey Frelx at  Cute and Some, who very kindly did some sleuthing for me, are available in the U.S.

The collars are really easy to print and put together and as the text is editable you can add your own greeting to add a little pazzazz to your gift.

If you would like to try them out for yourself,  first down load the file below.  It's a pdf file which can be opened using an Adobe reader found on most machines, but if you haven't go it, it's a free download from the internet.

 

BEFORE YOU DOWNLOAD THIS FREEBIE, PLEASE BE KIND ENOUGH TO 'LIKE' ME ON FACEBOOK, PINTEREST OR G+ OR STUMBLE OVER ME, USING THE BUTTONS ON THE LEFT

THANK YOU - HUG!

Open the file and highlight the areas where it says 'your text here' and replace the text with your own greeting.  Then cut round the outline of the collar, remove the two circles either using scissors or a hole punch and score along the dotted lines.

Fold along score lines, using a bone folder to make the creases sharp.
Add glue to the areas indicated and fold bottom portion up to make a box as shown below.

Easy peasy so far eh?? :0)

Then adding glue or tape to the upper portion, fold it forward, matching up the two holes and stick together, ensuring the front flap goes inside the upper area of the box

And there you are. Bob's your uncle - posh candy holder.

They do make an attractive addition to the wine bottle and who can resist lovely dark chocolate - yum!

Please leave me a comment - especially if you download the freebie - so I can I decide what to post next. :0)

AND NOW . . . THE 'SUNNY BUNNY' BOX FREEBIE

As I mentioned I didn't think the Hot Cross 'Bun'ny would be everyone's cup of tea, so here is the 'Sunny Bunny' box, all ready for you to print off, quickly assemble and fill with Easter goodies.  They are big enough to take a creme egg or some other small packets of sweeties.  Very nice as a little treat and the Tiddlers don't suffer from sugar overload. :0)

They would also be nice as a table decoration at Easter with a couple of Ferrero Rocher or Lind'or chocolates inside for the more mature guests, after all, who doesn't like bunnies (or sweeties)

You can get two of these boxes onto a piece of A4 card by printing one way and then turning the card and printing the other way.
I have made two separate files for the two colours, so you can have the combination that suits you.

The free download links are below.
 

Blue Sunny Bunny Box

Pink Sunny Bunny Box

I hope you enjoy making the boxes and please leave me a comment if you download the file telling me how you're going to use it - Just being nosy ;0)

POT AND PAN PROTECTION!

Today's been all about trying to protect my precious pots, pans and plates from the battering they take when being heaved in and out of cupboards and off  shelves.  We have in the past always put kitchen towel between them, and although it is fairly successful, it uses a fair amount of paper and doesn't look very pretty.

So off I went online to buy some pot protectors. Not very helpful because, as well as being quite expensive for the amount I would need, they didn't come in the right sizes for my bits and pieces.

Next stop - the local material shop, where I picked up a meter of 54" wide felt.  Back home, out with the felt tip pen and scissors and down to work!

I made a template - download below - for the lid protectors and drew round the plates for the shape.  I would recommend on hindsight, that you make the plate one's about an inch bigger as they sink into the plate and leave the edges exposed.

Now finished, my plates, pots and pans are all nicely - and safely - stored away in their cupboards and hopefully protected from future dings and dents :0)  Success!

FREE PRINTABLE HOT CROSS 'BUN'NY EASTER EGG BOX

Whoopee!  The sun is shining and it seems we'll be having a warm and sunny weekend.  Perhaps the Ark will be able to find dry land and we will be able to disembark.  :0)  Poor old Britain, we really seem to have had a hammering this year as far as the weather is concerned.
 

So.... as it looks as though Spring might be heading our way, and Easter is fast approaching, I thought I would share this fun Easter box - ideal for creme eggs and other goodies.

Now before we go any further I think I ought to explain why I have a box with a scowling bunny.

Are we the only country to have hot cross buns at Easter?  (They are a fruit bun with a cross marked on the top which we toast and are traditionally eaten on Good Friday to commemorate the crucifixion)  When they come into the shops you know that Easter is on the way bringing with it Summer and some warm weather - can't wait!

I digress - As to how I came up with this stunning Easter bunny box idea -
  

The other day we were reading a story about a bunny who got stuck in a hole in a tree trunk, and he was a ......  hot cross bunny .... and my little butterfly brain suddenly had a lightbulb moment and I thought - how about a Hot Cross 'Bun'ny Box for the Tiddlers Easter eggs.  It's cute and you don't get too much sugar overload, always a problem on Easter Sunday.  Tiddlers tearing round like mad things on a sugar high is never a good thing when you have a house full of people!

So off I went to the trusty computer and came up with this.

The file is downloadable, printable and very easy to put together.  You get two on a sheet of A4 card (preferably photo paper) and the only other thing you need is some glue.

If you want to have a go the link to the file is below, then right click and 'save as'
If you download it please leave a comment or send me a photo of your creation. I'd love to hear from you.

I must admit my little Hot Cross Bunny might not be everyone's cup of tea, so I'll be adding a happier, sunnier bunny box in the near future.  Stay tuned!

IT'S TIME FOR SOME SNOWMAN SOUP - WITH A FREEBIE!

Brrrrrr........   It's cold out there and the time has come to hurry home, get into the comfy warm sweater and your favourite snuggly slippers and slurp away on a lovely mug of snowman soup - Mmmmmm.......

If you would like to make some for gifts to cheer up a fellow chilly mortal, the ingredients and a freebie printable label are below.

click here to download the front of the label

click here to download the back of the label

Download both files and print on either side of card stock, cut out labels and punch a hole for ribbon to go through

Then get some cello cone bags (I got mine on e-bay from Dummigan123 and they cost £3-75 for 50.  Not bad eh!) or a largish plastic bag. (you can pop everything into the corner of the bag to make a cone shape)
Next I cut about a third off one of the bags and fill the little cone with some instant chocolate/cocoa power.  I measure out enough to make a cup of chocolate and then seal it.  Then I pop it into another cone and add some marshmallows - lots of little ones are nice to float on the top - and some Milky Way Magic Stars.

These are popped on top of the chocolate in the bag and a candy cane is stuck on top to stir with.
Then I tie it all up with ribbon and add the label - free download above - and voila! Snowman soup!

Have a little go.  They are so easy to make and are always welcome on a chilly winters eve  ;)

FREEBIE FLAT OBLONG BOX WITH EDITABLE TEXT

In between sorting out advent calendars to send to Father Christmas for delivery to the Tiddlers on the 1st of December, I have been trying to design a flat box, with editable text, for my friend Michelle.

She has been beavering away making the most beautiful beaded necklaces, earrings and bracelet, and needed a stylish box selling them.

This is what I came up with

The box opens up flat so a necklace can be placed on a wadding insert and then the box can be folded up round it and the tab slotted in under the seal.

The nice thing about it is it's easy to cut out, and only needs scoring and folding and the only glue you need is to stick on the seal, which you can cut out with a 1" round punch.
The text can be edited by highlighting the 'Your Text Here' and replacing it with your own text.  If you don't want the text just leave the space blank.

If you would like the editable pdf file of the box it's available for you to download below. It fits onto an A4 sheet of card - the heaviest you can get through your printer - and measures 7.5 x 2.5 inches when folded.

click here to download freebie file 

I hope you can find a use for it and perhaps you could send me a photo of how you've used it.

Enjoy!

THE CONTINUING TALE OF ROBIN'S ROUND TABLE (WITH FREEBIE CUTTING FILES)

So it was over to me..

First there was the problem of what to use to cover the table.
Seven foot of table takes a lot of covering!  Inspiration struck and a red kingsize flat sheet was purchased.

Then table mats.
I didn't want to be cluttered up with fourteen sets of anything Christmassy for the rest of the year.  So out with the trusty Craft Robo and fourteen snowflake table mats were cut out of photo paper together with matching wine glass decorations. So pretty, just the right size and perfect.

If you would like the files for the tablemats and wine glass decorations they are here for you to download.  They come in .GSD, .studio and .SVG formats, so hopefully there will be something that you can make use of. - enjoy!

Download Snowflake Table Mat Cutting Files 

Download Wine Glass Decorations Cutting Files

Next Christmas table gift boxes.  I had seen a file on the internet here at Extreme Cards, of a snowflake top box which would fit in so well with the theme (There are so many wonderful ideas on this site) So once again it was Craft Robo time and with some red mirror board that problem was quickly solved.

Some time before I had downloaded a file from here at Computer Crafted by Gigi,(another site for great cutting files) for wine glass coasters for a party we had had and I thought I could use the idea to make coasters with our names on, firstly as place cards and then to stop the inevitable problem of whose glass is whose later in the meal, and with cold season upon us it seemed a good idea.  So back to the Craft Robo and these were made.

As you can see the whole table looked SPLENDID!

Only one problem (there's always one isn't there?) Just a small one.  The only people who could actually reach things in the center of the table, were the six footers amongst us.  Thankfully we have a lot of those in the family, but they were busy during lunch ;0)

ANOTHER COUPLE OF LITTLE FREEBIES FOR YOU!

I've been doing some cards lately for a friend and needed a 'Happy Birthday' greeting to pop in them. So I came up with this which I hope might be useful for some of you out there.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD RED HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLIP

They are.png files so have transparent backgrounds which can be popped anywhere in your document without causing any 'white box' issues.

 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD BLUE HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLIP

I hope you find them as useful as I did.

Enjoy!

p.s.   As usual these are for personal use only and please don't pass them off as your own, or sell them on in any way.  Thanks - hug!

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY BOXES - ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S A FREEBIE!

It's so nice to be able to put that special little gift into a personalised box, one that is specially just for you.  Gift boxes to buy are now such an horrendous price that it does make you just go running for a bit of wrapping paper.

The label on this box can be edited by highlighting 'text here' and typing in your own wording and the box itself is easily cut out and made with the use of just a small amount of glue or double sided sticky tape.  I use as thick a card as I can get through the printer or heavy photo paper, making sure that all the folds are scored and sharply folded.

So download the PDF file below and get printing and sticking

Download PDF file - click here 

I hope you can find a use for it and that it makes the recipients day.

WHAT WAS I MAKING WITH THIS???

I'm a bit of a butterfly when it comes to making things.  I start them and then get sidetracked and the project gets popped into a carrier bag and forgotten, until sometime in the future I remember it and fish it out only to find that I haven't a clue what it was eventually meant to be.

My other problem is that I tend to get very inventive and use bits of maybe two or three patterns when making say, a sweater or cardigan.  Now at the time this seems a really good idea, but when I pick it up again - doh! - I haven't a clue what I had in mind when I stashed it away a couple of months ago.

So.....
I designed these labels to stick on or in the bag with the (for the moment boring) project giving all the details of what it was all about and all the bright ideas I had for it - and it works!

 Phew... sanity saved.

So if your sanity also could do with a bit of saving the file is here for you to download and print off.  There are eight labels on an A4 piece of card, so they are quite economical as well. ;0)

                                     Click here to download Project Labels

Please, as usual, be kind.  It's for personal use only so don't sell them or pass it off as your own work in any way.

FREEBIE EDITABLE AND PRINTABLE GIFT AND CARE INSTRUCTION LABELS FOR CRAFTS, CROCHET AND KNITTING

 

It's so nice, after you have lovingly laboured over your hand crafted gift, to be able to present it with smart printed labels, one for the recipient and one giving care instructions for your gift.

I've been looking for something suitable for ages and as I can't find just what I need I knuckled down and made my own.

                                       Click here to download label file

These labels are in pdf format and can be easily edited, by highlighting and typing in, to show the names and care instructions for your gift.

Feel free to download the file for your personal use, but you may not sell on the file or pass it off as your own in any way.

PEAPOD & SWEETPEA, THE DOOR DRAGONS - NEW FREEBIES

Peapod The Door Dragon has turned out to be very popular with the Tiddlers but I've been asked if there is any way to add a name to the hanger to make it a bit more personal and therefore a bit more comforting.

So here are two new door hangers for you to download and print. Peapod and his little sister Sweetpea.  Both are editable so you can add the name you require and then print off.

                           CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PEAPOD FILE

                        CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SWEETPEA FILE

The files are PDFs but most computers have Adobe Reader installed so it should be easy enough to open them.
When it is opened, to add the name you want, just highlight the 'Name Here' and type in the name and then print it either on both sides of a bit of A5 card or on two pieces and cut round them and stick them together.  I usually then laminate them for extra strength.

THEY ARE BOTH BRAVE LITTLE DRAGONS, AND ARE ALWAYS READY TO SEE OFF ANY SCARY THINGS, SO THE GROWN-UPS CAN LEAVE IT TO THEM!
- contented sigh ;0)

'THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING SCARY UNDER THE BED'

The number of times I've heard that at 8 o'clock at night. A Tiddler who has been reading Grimms Fairy Tales with delight at 5 o'clock, is now faced with the big dark bedroom and suddenly those stories seem a bit too real.
So I came up with an idea.  I welcolmed Peapod into our family.  Now - Peapod is only little, but he can be very fierce if he sees something scary, and will easily chase it away.  So if you hang him on your bedroom door or somewhere where he can see you and the whole room, he can look after you all night so you can snuggle down and get some well earned rest, all ready for another bout of Grimms Fairy Tales tomorrow.

If you want to make a Door Dragon, download and print the file below.  I've made it so it makes two (you can either print it double sided or print two and stick them back to back and then cut them out.  I've found that either laminating them or covering them with sticky back book cover plastic helps them stand the strain of room guarding a little better)

I hope this works with your Tiddlers as well as it did with mine and you get a few evenings peace and quiet. :0) 

If you do download Peapod, can you leave a comment and let me know if he is keeping guard in your house. I like to keep an eye on him and make sure he's doing his job properly.

                 Click here - then right click and save image as .......

THE WORLD'S OLDEST MOSHI MONSTER

THAT'S ME!

I've been cleverly maneuvered into becoming a Moshi Monster by the Tiddlers.  I wasn't overly happy about them becoming obsessed with a video game, but when I actually got to have a look at it, it ticks so many educational boxes that I've been converted. 

1.  You have to adopt a little monster and look after it.
2.  You have to shop for it and get the best value for money with its food, clothing and home
3.  You have to earn Rox (currency) by going on missions and completing puzzles
4.  As the little monsters don't speak english but the program is subtitled in speech bubbles, it encourages you to read.
5. During the missions you find little Moshlings (little monsters) which you keep and look after in your zoo.

So as you can see there is plenty of brainwork required for a Tiddler.  It's also well monitored for security and when you write messages to other 'monsters' the content and spelling of the messages is checked and approved before being able to be sent.

So here I am, as I said the world's oldest Moshi, trying to keep up with my Tiddlers who have a bulging zoo and a superb palace and tree house for their little charges.

They are both in love with Iggy, the little monster who runs round trying to eat your pointer when you log in, and of course their own little monsters, so I have eventually found hama bead patterns for him and Furi here on  http://kandipatterns.com/tag/view?tag=moshi%20monsters 
Unfortunately the Poppet one didn't look very much like the character so I made up my own.

I'm hoping this doesn't step on any copyright toes. If there is a problem please let me know and I will remove the picture.  I'm not a very experienced blogger and I'd hate to get into trouble. 


Anyway I'm off now to feed my little monster and keep her happy so I don't get outclassed by my Tiddlers. Because although they are tiny they are red hot when it comes to using a computer!

MOTHERS DAY/BIRTHDAY CARD WITH LOTS OF FREEBIES!

Although this card has been featured in my blog before, I have had so many requests for the actual card I thought I would put it on as a freebie for Mothers Day.

It is easy to make and does look very pretty when finished.I added some silver peel offs round the edge and across the diagonal and then popped a little butterfly on a transparent strip to give a floaty butterfly effect.

I also used one of these greetings which are in .png form with a transparent background so they can be popped on the card where ever you want.

 

                 Click here - then right click and save image as .......

                 Click here - then right click and save image as .......

 

                 Click here - then right click and save image as .......

                 Click here - then right click and save image as .......


Mum's deserve every bit of love we can give them - so please have a go at making the card, I'm sure she'd be over the moon when she receives it and it will make her day!