Friday Fun Finds: Thanksgiving

We've started planning for Thanksgiving at my house and I'm getting excited for a day of family, fun and of course food! Thinking of Turkey Day is what inspired my Fun Finds from Etsy this week:

First we have a lovely Give Thanks Linen Pillow Cover from The Lauren Collection

Next is the adorable Turkey Door Hanger from Cutipiethis

These Cornucopia Chocolate Lollipops from Candy Crafts make great favors!

Decorate the mantle with these Harvest Letters from Posh n' Paint

What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?

How To Make Cupcake Toppers

Cupcake toppers are a cheap and easy way to decorate your cupcakes and tie in your party party theme! On this page I will walk you through the steps needed to make your own cupcake toppers. It's so easy a four year old can do it! (Mine helped me!)

For this tutorial I'm using the Rapunzel circles that I designed for my daughter's birthday party. Get them for your own party: Rapunzel Party Circles. You can buy a circle design from your favorite printable designer or you can design your own.

When I first designed these circles I crammed as many as I could on one page. I regretted that decision as soon as I started cutting. I recommend keeping it to 12 or fewer circles on a page.

After choosing your circle design you will want to print the circles. I recommend 100# card stock for the perfect durability.

Time required: It took me 20 minutes to make 30

Difficulty: easy

Cost: Cost depends on quantity made

Materials:

Circle Design printed on card stock

Tools:

2 inch circle punch
Scotch Tape
Drink Stirrers

Instructions:

1. Cut your cardstock into strips

Just cut underneath each row of circles to create horizontal strips. This will make it much easier to punch out the circles.

2. Punch out the circles

Using a 2' circle punch makes it super easy to punch out even circles. Just line them up in the punch and push!

My current circle punch is actually not ideal for cupcake toppers because I have to turn it upside down to see what I'm doing. The Fiskars Extra Large Round 'n Round is on my Christmas list to make this process even easier :)

3. Attach the stick to the back of the circle.

Super duper easy! I usually just use tape. It's on the back of the circle so it never shows in pictures and kids don't mind! If your stirrer is of the flat, wooden variety you can also use a glue stick or craft glue to attach it to the circle.

You will need to use glue instead of tape if you want your circles to be double sided - just glue one circle to each side of the stick.

4. Be happy!

You just made your very own party decor! Use these in cupcakes, cake, favor boxes, potted plants... whatever fits your fancy. Enjoy the party!

Christmas Card Wording

One of my favorite Christmas activities is creating and sending Christmas cards to my friends and family. I spend a lot of time choosing the perfect design, the perfect image and the perfect wording for my card. I hope that when my loved ones open their cards they will smile and truly feel the joy of the season. That may be a tall order but it doesn't hurt to try!

In this post you will find a wonderful collection of Christmas phrases, quotes and sayings that work very well on Christmas and Holiday cards. I hope you find the perfect wording here for your card here and your holidays are merry and bright.

Joy to the world! May your Christmas be full of wonder and delight! 

May you find great comfort and joy this holiday season.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Let us celebrate by spreading joy and Christmas cheer!

May you unwrap lots of joy, love, peace and laughter this Christmas!

May the Christmas spirit keep you warm and full of joy this holiday season.

Wishing you warmth, joy and peace this Christmas and always

Joy, Love, Warmth and Peace. These are my wishes for you at Christmas and all through the year.

May your days be merry and bright

and may your hearts be filled with light

May you give peace and love every day

and get back more than you pay

Merry, merry Christmas to you

and happy new year too!

Bright baubles and pretty decor,

holly and ivy adorn the front door,

Colorful gifts under a festive pine tree,

Joyful time spent with friends and family,

Wishing you a Christmas merry and bright,

and a heart that is full of love and light.

Add a famous Christmas quote to your card to make it more interesting and really grab attention. Sometimes quotes can be the best way to really express how you feel. These quotes about Christmas are perfect for using on a Christmas card.

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." - Charles Dickens

"Christmas is the day that holds all time together." - Alexander Smith

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold,
everything is softer and more beautiful." - Norman Vincent Peale

Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world -
stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death -
and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago
is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas. - Henry Van Dyke

"What is Christmas?
It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.
It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich
and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace." - Agnes M. Pharo

Free Halloween Bingo Game

Last night my daughter looked at her calendar and counted the days until Halloween - 4 days! That can't be right! Where did October go? So, I'm late sharing this new freebie with you because I blinked and October was over but here it is nevertheless!

This Halloween Bingo Game comes with 8 unique cards so that 8 people can play at one time. It also comes with cards to make number calling easy! I left the B-I-N-G-O letters off the top of the cards to simplify the game a bit for younger kids, this way they only have to find the number being called.

I recommend printing these on card stock and laminating for extra durability. Use candies, buttons or any small items for markers.

Here's the link: Free Halloween Bingo Cards

Enjoy! :)

Nerdy Thirty Birthday Party

Celebrate your inner nerd as you ring in the big 3-0 with this Nerdy Thirty Party Theme! Here are some fun ideas to make it happen:

Dress the part with these totally square nerd glasses! Add suspenders and a bow tie for a nerd chic look.
How about a Nerd Bar Crawl? Just make sure you're in bed by 11 because you're old now, remember? ;)

Room For Nine (+) has some great nerd party food ideas from the party she threw for her husband. Get smart with Computer Chips, Apple Pie Squares and a Bow Tie Salad!

Don't forget the drinks! These Test Tube Shot Glasses are almost too cool to be allowed at a nerd party but they are science-y so we'll let them pass ;)

Binary Code banners, beakers filled with Nerds, CDs hanging from the ceiling, globes and text books... there are so many decor options for your nerd party! 

I hope this post has given you some inspiration for your Nerd Party whether you're throwing a nerdy thirty party or something for a young nerd!

Shop for customized Nerd Party Printables at my shop.

See more Nerd Party ideas on Pinterest.

Would you like to see your party featured on my blog? Contact Me

Friday Fun Finds: Autumn Apples

Inspired by my new Bushels of Fun Apple Party Invitation, I went looking for some beautiful autumn apples on Etsy. Here's what I found:

Apple Pin Cushion

by JennMaruskaDesign

Fabric Apples

by ripnrollrugs

Crochet Apple With Worm

by CROriginals

Red Apple Necklace

by Inedible Jewelryv

Back To School

August has arrived and it's already time to start thinking about going back to school!

Today I participated in a Back To School event thrown by my local Macaroni Kids publisher. For $5, kids got a bag full of school supplies and some other goodies too! I kept busy handing out folders and also had a blast talking to people about my designs.

Here's my booth:

The Back To School Favor Tags were a HUGE hit! I had designed them with the idea of using them to give the teacher a small gift on the first day of school but a few people bought enough to bring a treat for all of the students! One women said that instead of apples, she was going to send her kids with Caramel Apple Pops and attach the tags to those. Great idea!

The back to school tags are available as a free printable here on my blog. You can also buy them pre-cut and punched on my Etsy shop: Back To School Favor Tags

My School Lunch Notes were also pretty popular. I think there will be a lot of happy kids at lunchtime this school year! :) Get your own School Lunch Notes from my shop!

All in all, I just really had a great time. I loved being able to show people my work face to face instead of just through a computer screen! I'm exhausted now though - I hope my husband plans on making dinner ;)

Back To School Gift Tags

Get the school year off to an A+ start with a small treat for each student and these adorable gift tags!

This free printable is a 1 page pdf with 15 tags in 3 different colors! You can cut them into 2 inch circles or squares, punch holes to tie them to gifts OR use them as cupcake toppers! Print as many as you like!

Here's the file:

Back To School Gift Tags
When you click the link you will be taken to MediaFire where you can safely download your file.

Enjoy!

Don't want to print and cut them yourself? You can buy them from me all ready to go! 10 for $1.00 on my Etsy Shop: Printed School Tags

Fun Finds Friday: Car Party!

Inspired by my new Cute Cars Party Theme, here are some fabulous Etsy finds for your Friday:

Wooden Cars Party Pack

by ImaginationKids

Car Crayons

by Red Elm Designs

Beep Beep Car Bunting

by minimanna

Car Cupcake Wrappers

by CakeaDoodle

Free Printable Thank You Cards

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

-William Arthur Ward

In appreciation for all of my customers and my Facebook fans, I've created a fun, free printable to share with everyone! These printable thank you notes are perfect for showing others your gratitude! Use them to thank people for gifts or for the small things they do that make your life better.

You can download the printable thank you cards here. The link will take you to MediaFire where you will be able to download the cards.

Each card measures 5.5 x 4.25 inches so all you have to do is print the file and cut your paper into quarters for 4 unique, flat cards! Enjoy!

Work At Home Wednesday

As a small business owner, I know how tough it is to network and build your home business. I want to help other business owners by providing graphic design and free promotions!

So, when Wednesday rolls around you can expect to see some business tips or info about working at home posted here. Sound good? Great! :)

Today I am launching ZAP! Business. This is a separate Etsy store that specializes in designing digital files for your business needs.

Currently, I have custom and premade logos as well as Facebook graphics to customize your business page. I'm also happy to put together business cards, blog headers, Etsy headers, brochures, etc. If you need something designed for your business but don't see it listed, let me know! I love custom orders!

Anyway, here's the shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ZapBusiness

Go, check it out!

Next Wednesday I'll be featuring a super fun direct sales company and the awesome consultant who knows I'm a sucker for her products. Stay tuned!

Clip Art and Paper Packs

As promised, I have something completely new to show you today! I was inspired by my pool party invitation to create a whole Summer Fun Clip Art Set! It was a lot of fun to make and I hope that I'll have more clip art sets to list soon.

Isn't it fun!? This clip art works beautifully for scrap booking, party decor, card making, photo cards, embroidery... whatever you can dream of! Check it out!

I was having so much fun making this clip art that I also decided to make some digital paper to match it:

Bright, cheerful, sunny, fun SUMMER! Gotta love it. I can't wait for it to begin!

Pool Party

We're experiencing our first day of summer weather in Iowa today and it is making me wish I was sitting by a pool! So, since I can't be in the pool, I decided to create an invitation for the lucky people who will be throwing pool parties this summer.

Ta da! Pool Party Invitation! This cute and cool invite also inspired me to try a new project that I've been thinking about for awhile. I hope to update with that tomorrow!

Are you excited for summer? I wouldn't mind if the temps stayed right around 70 all year but I do hope we get to the pool a few times this summer! :)

Action Allie - A Legend Is Born

I was in the living room sorting through boxes that are still packed from our move two weeks ago. My one year old, Zachary was sitting beside me and my 3 year old, Allison was running around taking to herself. Suddenly, she ran into the room and stood with her legs wide and her arms akimbo and proclaimed,

She pointed at her brother, still seated beside me and proudly said,

and thus, Action Allie and her side boy, Super Silly were born. Where will their new secret identities take them? Stay tuned!