I'm serious when I say that I think one of the best things about blogging and the internet is free printables! They add so much character to your home without having to spend lots of money. Thank you to all you who provide little ol' me with free stuff for my home! I've talked about a few different places you can find free printables here, but I decided that for my open shelves in the kitchen I wanted something specific and custom-matched to my color scheme. What's a DIYer to do? Why, make one herself!
I wanted to create something that was meaningful to me, but that also had some connection to eating and the kitchen. While searching around, I came across 1 Corinthians 10:31 and knew that it was perfect for this!
I found a pattern that I loved by Moo & Puppy (it's the morrocan trellis pattern that comes in a bajillion colors), uploaded it to Picnik and went to town. Why doesn't everyone buy digital paper? Seriously, there are SO many uses for it and it's so darn cheap! Plus, you can get 15% off if you use the code RHBC15. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Anyway, back to the printables. I have three identical frames in the kitchen that I spray-painted turquoise, and needed to fill them with something. I made this one using a great Julia Child saying…
…and printed this beautiful peacock from The Graphics Fairy!
Three cheap thrift store frames + free printables = one happy girl! And since I'm so happy, I decided to share the love. Free Eat, Drink, Glory of God Printable
It's a 5 x 7 print and you can choose from three different colors: mustard yellow, turquoise and lime green.
Click here to Download Printables I'm excited to finish accessorizing my open shelves, but you got a little glimpse today of how they're shaping up. What do you think? Have you ever made your own printable? Do share!
My daughter turned four on Sunday. Please hold on while I choke back tears and try my hardest to turn back time.
How does that happen so fast? Ugh. Anyway, she is like every other four year old girl on the face of the planet very into the Disney movie, Tangled. Because we were so busy trying to get our kitchen cabinets finished for her party, I pretty much forgot about decorating and games until 11 PM the night before her party. Even so, I was able to pull together a cute birthday display and wanted to share where I got all the FREE, adorable ideas and printables in case you know a little girl having a birthday soon.: )
We already had that giant table-turned-chalkboard that Monica made on our first Nate Show challenge, so I used it as a backdrop for our display. I found a huge amount of free printables that I used to make the pennant banner, and the sails for my little jello boats, plus a few other things not shown from Paging Supermom. Honestly their Tangled collection is so stinkin' adorable, and it's FREE to boot! Make sure you take a look at the super cute invitations they have too! Campbell loved it.
I have to say though, that the best part of the display was the cake, and I can't take any credit for it at all. There is a sweet story behind this cake (and the cupcakes that aren't shown): A beautiful 13-year old girl created this cake as a means to raise money for the adoption of her little sister from Haiti. (You can read about their journey to adopting Seraphina who has a life-threatening disease called Sickle Cell Anemia, here.) Her name is Sydney, and she's started a fundraiser called Penelope's Cakes, and accepts donations for the cakes she creates. She does a fabulous job ( my family loved the chocolate cake!), and Campbell was so excited when she saw it for the first time! If you have a need for a cake for special occasion (or just because you're hungry for cake), please think of Penelope's Cakes. My hope is that they'll get so many requests for cakes that Seraphina will come home to her family before the end of the year so she can get the healthcare she so needs.
Honestly, there is NO way I could have done anything like this! That little lady is so talented! Is it possible to force best-friendship on children? If so, we're doing a really good job with Monica's 3rd, Kira, and Campbell. Love those two.
To end the party, we thought it would be fun to release flying lanterns into the sky just like they do in Tangled. We found these lanterns for 98 cents each and they were so awesome. Per several online suggestions, we decided to tie a long string to the lantern (about 50 feet long) so that they didn't fly away and start a forest fire. (Our fire department is literally right behind our neighborhood and we fear their wrath!)
Kids and adults alike were in awe. Too cool.
All in all, it was a fun day and a great celebration of my sweet girl. What are your kids crushing on these days?
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While looking for fun, free art for my new gallery wall, I discovered a few great places to print beautiful art, typography and even maps! And I just couldn't keep all the goods from you, so get your pen and paper ready (oh, wait, does anybody do that anymore? Get your Pinterest pinner ready, then!), for some awesome, free stuff! 1. Sprik Space
I mentioned that I printed off these two adorable prints from Sprik Space for my gallery wall, but these aren't the only ones Aimee has! Be sure to go on over and take a look at her super cute printables- and tell her we sent you. 2. The Graphics Fairy
Ok, admittedly, you have to do some digging on this site to find the hidden gems like this vintage french label, or this gorgeous peacock print. But luckily, all the printables are categorized, so if you know what you're looking for, you're in luck! 3. Feed Your Soul: The Free Art Project
I think this site is my favorite yet for free printable art. Don't ask me why I put it third on my list- it's late and I'm tired, so leave me alone.; ) The art is quirky and clever and definitely a touch modern. They have a few prints that would be perfect for a nursery or children's room, but I would put a whole bunch of them up in my house. Listen to what Jane says her reason for starting this site is: "I love art and I know you do too. I also know that when people start to tighten up the purse strings they tend not spend money on things that aren’t necessary for survival, things like books, magazines and art. But, art is important for your soul. It helps rejuvenate, it’s thought-provoking, offers inspiration and can generally brighten an otherwise dreary day among other things." Well said, Jane, and we thank you from the bottom of our art-loving hearts. 4. New York City Public Library
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Did you know that the New York Public Library has a digital gallery of over 700,000 images taken from their vast collections? I found this old print of Pennsylvania from 1830 with just a simple search.Browse to your heart's content and I'm sure you'll find a inspiration for art. 5. Leanne's Printable Quotes
This is not a site that regularly features free printables (at least not to my knowledge), but in this post there are several simple designs that would make great cards (for Valentine's Day, maybe?), art prints, or anything else you can think of. Where's your favorite place to get free printables? I shared mine with you- now it's your turn!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I can't stop looking at the Hymn & Folk Song collection by Red Letter Words! Today I'm smitten with this:
I sing this regularly to my kids and so it these prints make me happy. I love the set of three prints- something a bit different than the norm!
We've been looking forward to our fall kickoff for weeks and it's been as awesome as we hoped it would be! Honestly, we have the best.readers.ever! We so appreciate all of your support and feedback on our projects this week! If you missed them, here's what we were up to this week…Jess' Fireplace Makeover & My Foyer Update
So, to start this fall off right, we've partnered with Canvas People again to bring you FREE canvas! Use THIS LINK for your Freebie!
We love that Canvas People offers our readers these awesome deals. Right now their website is offering 25% off, but nope, our readers get an 8x10 for FREE or 50% off! SCORE! And, off course we wouldn't just give you a Freebie without some inspiration! Idea # 1- Back to School Canvas Did you see Jess' daughter's 1st Day of Preschool Pic? (Umm, cutest thing ever!) We were talking about Canvas People and she decided to get this picture on canvas and begin a tradition of getting a canvas at the beginning of every school year and putting them in her upstairs hallway.
My kiddos start school next week and I'm hoping to snap a pic even half as cute at this one! Idea # 2- Shut the Front Door Canvas
Not ready to write it in massive letters on the wall, but sorta think it's funny? We'll I'm hooking you up with a Shut the Front Door printable that you can have printed on a canvas. Download 8x10 jpeg HERE
Idea # 3 Fall Leaf Graphic Art How cool will these babies look grouped together? I am ordering these three ASAP! Of course we used our favorite digital paper from Moo and Puppy and we're sharing the downloads with you for free! Download Graphic Art Print 8x10 jpegs Birch Maple Oak
Idea # 4 Fun Fall Prints Just some random cuties that might work in your fall decor… I really love the 8x10 canvas on a mantle or shelf etc. It's the perfect size to get creative with and use in a less traditional"hang it on the wall" way! Download Autumn 8x10 jpeg HERE
Download Falling for You 8x10 jpeg HERE
Idea # 5 Print a Good Old Fashioned Picture I love this picture of me and some of my best gal pals. So often I'm printing pics of my kids or family etc, but these girls are so important to me! I think I'm going to get a canvas of this pic for my office. My posse on canvas… doesn't get much better than that! (And yes, we're a gangsta posse.)
We hope you're as excited about fall and FREE Canvases as we are! We're so glad to be back with our A-Game on! Can't wait to bring you even more fun projects that we have planned for the next few months! Enjoy your Free Canvas and don't forget to use This Link to get the Freebie Deal! Linking up to: Tutorials & Tips
I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for reasons to have a party, so why not celebrate the return of school?! Whether or not your kids need some encouragement to get back in the swing of things, or you just can't wait to send your kids back to school (hooray for me time!), a party is definitely in order. Back to School Breakfast Party You could plan a party just for your kids, or, if you're up for it, invite the neighbors, or the families whose kids ride on the bus with your own kids for a quick and easy breakfast before school,alaKatie Brown. 1. Set the table. Make going back to school something to look forward to with an awesome tablespread. I love the vibrant colors and cute centerpiece with apples, a clipboard and cute printable. So easy!
Source: 6dukes.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest Go the extra mile for your kids with namecards at their seats, a little gift on their plate, and fun details like this lined-paper utensil holder. Adorable! And there's no way they won't feel special and loved after that!
Source: tipjunkie.com via Kim on Pinterest 2. Choose your menu wisely. Remember to pick food items that will give them energy to get them through until lunch.
Source: katiebrownblog.com via Jessica on Pinterest A bagel buffet could include peanut butter and jelly, granola, raisins and banana, just to name a few.
Source: katiebrownblog.com via Jessica on Pinterest Set out cereal in cute containers (you better believe sand pails and beach accessories are on sale now. Use them!)
Source: katiebrownblog.com via Stephanie on Pinterest Fruit kabobs couldn't be easier and are so healthy!
3. Send them off with a treat and a little encouragement! This is so cute and you can get the FREE Smartie Pants Printable to make it even easier.
Source: bethproudfoot.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Brown Baggin’ It
Source: onecharmingparty.com via Laura on Pinterest There are a million ways you can spice up your kid's lunch bags to make them a little more fun. How about these adorable School Lunch Labels?
Source: littlelovely.typepad.com via The Paper Chick on Pinterest Or these Back to School Lunch Printables by Little.Lovely.
Source: tothemoonandback143.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest And don't just stop at decorating their lunch bags. Actually pack healthy foods in a fun way for them, too. To the Moon and Back has tons of suggestions for Awesome School Lunch Ideas. And how great is that lunch box?
Source: itswrittenonthewalls.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest Or simply add a little love note to your kids to tell them how proud you are of them and how much you love them. (Click on the links below each picture to be taken to the site for the free printables.)
Bring on the Dessert!
Spoil your kids with an after-school treat, or wait until after dinner to celebrate the first day of school. It only happens once a year, people, so bring out the big guns!: )
Source: bettycrocker.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: womansday.com via Erin on Pinterest Mmm… cake pops.
Shawni, of the blog 71 Toes, has a Traditional First Day of School Cookie Chat after school where she sits down and talks with each of her five kids (yes, five!) about their first day. It's such a great idea to start this tradition when they are young so it's something they can look forward to each year, and a way you can easily connect with your kids. Because really, who doesn't love cookies?
Source: iammommy.typepad.com via Kiwi on Pinterest According to the NY Times, these are the best chocolate chip cookies ever. Sadly, I can't vouch for the validity of this statement, but maybe one of you are willing to put that recipe to the test for an after-school cookie chat. (And please, by all means, feel free to send us a batch so we can"taste-test" these so-called best cookies ever.)
Let your kids know they're special with a little extra love this year. Back to School never was sweeter!
Have youvotedtoday? Please take a minute to do so- we will love you forever!
Before you read this post, click PLAY on the music below to set the mood…
We can't even believe that the end of summer is approaching. We're basically in denial. Since we're going to cram as much awesomeness into these last few weeks as we can, we thought we'd better organize our plan of attack. Thanks to Emily at Jones Design Company we had a fabulous free printable to use. So yes, two dorky bloggers just sat together and wrote these out, but now we're going to share them with you…
Jess' Must-do-ASAP List
Monica's Must-do-ASAP List
Excuse our chicken scratch handwriting… Do you remember back in high school when having cool handwriting was a big deal? Yeah, I (Monica) never had cute girl handwriting- Jess did!
So now we want to know what you have planned for the last days of summer? Thanks to Jones Design Company, you can click HERE to download the printable. Fill it out and then post it to the Real Housewives of BC Facebook page HERE. It'll be super fun to see what you're all up to in the next few weeks! (Oh, and we'll look sorta dumb if no one posts it to Facebook, so be a blog pal and just think… you get to show off your cool handwriting!)
Today's the day! The 2012 Summer Olympics are here. The other day I told you about how I've been getting my kids all geared up for the games. The thing they're most excited about is tracking medals! I made a printable for them and won some major Mom-Points!
You can download the FREE printable HERE! Here's ours all set and ready to go! What we did was let each kiddo choose a country that was theirs to track. We put the printable into a frame and then we can use a dry erase marker to update the count each day. Fingers crossed that they don't get all cranky and start fighting over whose country has the most medals!
The older two kids drew the flags for the younger ones and I have to say I was impressed!
And just in case you're curious, Here are some 2008 stats… Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total 1
China (CHN) 51 21 28 100 2
United States (USA) 36 38 36 110 3
Russia (RUS) 23 21 29 73 4
Great Britain (GBR) 19 13 15 47 5
Germany (GER) 16 10 15 41 Source
I kind of encouraged the kids to pic countries that have historically done well (so they have lots to track). We didn't put the US on our chart because we're all cheering for USA, we didn't want 3 kiddos being anti-USA! I hope your kids enjoy this printable as much as mine have! GO USA!
First off, if you haven't been using digital scapbook paper: why the heck not?!! You can create completely custom, totally cute and very affordable cards, banners, cupcake toppers, pennant banners, posters, or any sort of printable you want EASILY! I am clearly not the first person to ever post about this, but if I can convince just one of you to give this a try, then I will be a happy woman.
Last week, I showed you the birthday party invite I made using digital scrapbook paper for Charlie's 2nd birthday. You might remember that it looked like this;
We've also used it to create printables for our homes, like these:
Glory of God Printable
Summer Bucket List Printable Anyway, there are a TON of things you can make, and I want to show you, in just a few steps, how I do it! Today, I made two different thank you cards, one with a picture, and one without. Here's what they look like:
To make the card with the picture, here's what I did:
I went to my favorite digital scrapbook paper store, Moo & Puppy, and picked out a pack of paper that I liked. She has SO many cute and modern options, that you'll be able to find anything you're looking for! I used the Gridley Patriot pack.
When you receive the paper download after purchasing, it will show up on your computer like this:
Then, I upload the paper I want to use into Picmonkey, just like I would upload a picture. In picmonkey, I crop the paper (I believe it comes as 12x12 sheets), to the size I want to print- in this case I cropped it to 5x7.
I knew I wanted to add a picture, but I wanted to create a layer for a more professional look. I clicked on the geometric overlays, chose the rectangle shape, and then changed the color of the shape to navy blue. This created the"frame" for my picture.
To add my picture, I clicked on the"your own" tab (you can see it in the top left corner on the pic above) and chose the picture I wanted to upload.
Once I resized my picture to fit the"frame" beneath it, I started messing around with all the fun overlay options they have. I decided to go with comic bubbles for a fun kid element, and layered them again to create depth.
I added a bar across the bottom by choosing the rectangle shape and stretching it out to fit the width of the card:
Finally, I added my writing, saved it to my computer, and ta-dah! I'm done!
I'll probably print these out on heavy card stock, but you could also have them printed at Walmart or Target in a matte finish for better picture quality. It's so easy to do, and I LOVE that I can make things exactly the way I want them. It makes it so easy to coordinate everything, from the invitations all the way to the thank you cards.
I know for many summer is well underway, but my kids just got out of school last week and I still have a week left. So, I might be a little behind the eight ball on this, but we finally sat down this weekend and created our summer bucket list. This year I wanted to do something fun and visible, so that it would be a daily reminder of all the fun things we have planned!
I decided to put together a pennant banner that I could print out quickly and easily. After designing the template, the whole thing took me about 10 minutes to put together! Score! I used this template, which you can download for free HERE.
Then, in Picasa I added the words using this font (which you can get HERE)
To put the banner together, I just hot glued the pennants onto grosgrain ribbon and then added some buttons at the ends for a little added detail.
I just used regular computer paper, but I would recommend using a heavier card stock so that the light doesn't shine through. These pictures were nearly impossible to take with all the back light.
Here's what's on our Bucket List for Summer of 2012: Family Bike Trip Newport Beach with our Cousins Phillies Game Camping Outdoor Movie Night Sleepover with Friends Tubing Down the Delaware Dorney Park See Fireworks Bonfire Family Bike Trip
I'm pretty happy with our cute summer bucket list and I'm super excited for all the fun things we have planned!
You guys have been so good to us lately! You've dealt with all the blog switcheroo craziness and we thought we should thank you for it! Well, technically Canvas People are the ones doing the generous giving, but we're sharing the love with you! They run this deal from time to time, and this time around we get to share it with you!
Canvas People are offering a Free 8x10 to every EC2 reader!(or if you're more the large print type you can get $40 off of your order)
To get your free canvas, click HERE One of my very first blog posts ever was about a canvas gallery I ordered through Canvas People. Remember this?
So the question now is What to Print?? Pictures or a Printable? Don't worry, we've rounded up an awesome collection of free, legit prints that you can use on your canvas. How's that for exciting? . To download them, follow them using the links provided to their source sites, save the image to your computer and upload it to Canvas People using the link above. This would look great in a master bedroom or bath.Download the I love us printable.
Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest The school year is almost over, make one of these on canvas for one of your kiddo's teachers Download the Teacher Appreciation printable 16x20
Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest We love the colors in this one!Download the Room in Our Hearts printable
Source: simpleasthatblog.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest
Love isn't just for the month of February! Download the fairytale printable
Source: simpleasthatblog.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest Jess has an obsession with coral, so this would be perfect. Comes in tons of colors!Download the What I Love printable
Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest And my personal favorite is one I made from a quote I saw. Download Straight Gangsta printable
You know by now that our favorite online paper store is Moo & Puppy. I made this monogram printable to put on a canvas, but I was thinking of making one for each of my kids' teachers. All you need to do is 1-visit moo and puppy2- choose your paper pack- you get like 8 papers for $3.00 (what a deal!) 3- Use picmonkey.com to add a background shape and letter4. Use this link to get your free canvas!
Ooh, and we just found a few more adorable printables (comes in lots of colors!) from Paper Coterie that are perfect for Mother's Day, and every other day for that matter! Download Love printables
We hope you have a great weekend and have fun choosing what to print! Aren't FREE things awesome? We sure think so! Enjoy!
