As You Wrap those Gifts.... these might help!

I've been wrapping gifts and getting packages in the mail lately...  So I've been rummaging through my Christmas tags, stickers, ribbons, etc. looking for extra little touches to make my packages yummy to the eyes!   For me this also means rummaging through old files on my computer and printing out things I've designed from years before...   I thought I might pass a few of these on to you as well!  Hopefully you'll find them helpful :)


Printable Christmas Gifts Round Stickers (for Avery labels size 1 2/3" or Template 5293) or print on sticker paper or regular paper and cut out...



Printable Christmas Birdie Tag Set




Printable Doodle-style Border Christmas Tags (Print on card stock or sticker paper)




Printable Christmas Patterns for Stickers, Seals, or Washi 
 Tape (see post for instructions)


*As always with all Amy J. Printables... File and finished product are not for resale or profit of any kind.  Please contact me if  you have any questions about usage.


Blessings to you!


Homemade Doll House... a Gift Idea so that I feel cool.

So last year I made almost all of my family and extended family's Christmas gifts.  It was fun, but exhausting.  Last Christmas I just bit off far more than I could chew...  I had Christmas cards in my my Etsy store, was doing freelance graphic design jobs, making gifts, homeschooling, and participating in all the regular Christmas festivities...all with 4 kiddos!  Yeah.

Not this year.  I just can't do all that!  I'm trying really hard to know my limits.  For one thing, I'm preggers and am just plain old tired most of the time.  Secondly, I tend to let the really important things slip to the back when I'm busy.  This year I want... am trying to... enjoy the season, slow down, and talk more about our Savior.  I'm trying to focus less on milking the Christmas selling season and more on staying sane!  Less on an ideal creative Christmas atmosphere and more on keeping up with the laundry and meals! ... So there are no Christmas items in my store, just prints.  I'm not doing any real freelance work during December.  And I'm not making all those fun homemade gifts.

It's kinda sad and hard though...  I'm a creative person!  I'm a business-minded person!  It's hard to turn that side of me off.  I feel like the rest of the people in the world (which is the blog/internet world...a somewhat misleading niche of people who are unlike many others!... you creative Pinterest and Blog people! ) are going on without me.  They are making gifts, sharing creative gift ideas, making fancy holiday treats, decorating out the wazoo!  I know there are so many people who are taking it easy like me... but it doesn't feel like it!   

So to appease my need to be part of the fancy creative people... I'm sharing a gift idea from last year!  I happen to take these pics last year as well, so it didn't really require much of my time :)  I found this simple wooden doll house on Pinterest and asked the hubs to make it for some of my nieces.  We made 2 small ones and a big one for Barbie sized dolls.  They were quite easy to make and turned out really cute...  They just slide together and come apart... stacking in two flat pieces, not taking up much space at all. 

I used scrapbook paper on the small ones and thick wrapping paper to cover the walls on the large one.  I adhered it with spray glue and then sealed it with Mod Podge.   So...  If you are feeling ambitious this year... or next year,  have at it!! 

I made so many other cute gifts last year... and really had wanted to show you those ideas as well.  But I think it's safe to say, I'm just not going to find time to get out my camera and all the stuff I used to make the items and take pictures.  sorry.   Maybe during the year, I'll get around to it...  or maybe not :) 

Blessings on whatever your December holds.  Regardless of the level of your ambitions, may it be focused on God's love and his indescribable gift of his Son... our Savior!



Blessings,


Printable Christmas Tags... sweet little winter birds

Yay!  It's Christmas time!  ... which means it's time for a free Christmas printable :)

I really wanted to print them out, wrap a few pretend gifts, and show you all the fun ways that I imagine using these tags... but alas, there are so many other things to do with my time (and small amount of energy...being preggers).  So I will let you get creative!

You can print these tags on regular paper, card stock, or sticker paper...  you can tape your tags onto your packages or you can punch them and tie with string!  I also imagine cutting slits on either side of the tags (especially the funky shaped ones...) and sliding them onto ribbon.  So I hope you have fun experimenting with these tags.

I assure you they were designed with love and plenty of Christmas joy!  Enjoy!

 DOWNLOAD FILE HERE

*As always...File and finished product are not for resale or profit of any kind.  Please contact me if  you have any questions about usage.



Blessings,


BLACK FRIDAY SALE... in my Etsy Store!

Hello my lovelies :)

I'm offering 30% off ALL ORDERS in my Etsy store this Friday!  No limits... good on customized orders as well!  Just enter this code at time of checkout, on Friday, to receive your discount:
BLACKFRIDAY30

I just recently added several new prints... so go take a look around!

AMYJ DELIGHTFUL ETSY STORE HERE!













 And there are so many more!  Come take a look... and HAPPY SHOPPING!

Blessings,




Girly Overload

We are having another girl :)

We found out last Tuesday...  I've been wanting to share the news with you, but we've been busy with another big event in our lives.
This time around... since it really will be the last time (!)... we decided to take all the kiddos with us to the sonogram to find out the gender.  It was such a memorable time.  The girls talked about it for weeks before hand... they couldn't wait to find out what the baby in mommy's tummy would be.  Whenever anyone asked us girls (not Jeremy), we would all say the same thing: "We want a boy, but we think it's a girl."  We just had a feeling.
Anyway, so we all filed into the hospital... like little ducks in a row, they all followed with such anticipation!  In the dark little sonogram room, they pulled in some additional kids chairs and my girls sat quietly like little angels.  Alice sat tall and alert, watching everything.  Elsie crossed her legs and folded her hands.  Sadie had a goofy grin on her face and never talked louder than a whisper.  V chilled on Jeremy's lap, fascinated by all the technology.  It was a beautiful memory... all of them in there with us... as we took a peek at that tiny sweet baby girl in my tummy.


As is our tradition, we all headed to Target after the sono to pick out the first girly outfit.  The kids also got a treat for behaving so well during the appointment.   It was a wonderful time of celebration... none of us could stop smiling :)  

So Virgil will remain the loan spoiled boy.  Now that I know, I'm enjoying anticipating the future dynamics of our home.  Another girl... the first three were so precious, so beautiful....  how could I not be thrilled with another one?  Where will we put her?  ...I suppose one more bed in the girls' room isn't impossible...  What will she be like?  Will I finally get another one with dark hair, brown eyes?  Will she have crazy curly hair?  Will she be spunky and crazy or gentle and sweet?  I love thinking about these things :)

The day that we found out we were having twins... over four years ago...  I remember driving alone in the car on the way to tell my mom about the babies.  I remember breaking down crying.  I just cried out and thanked God over and over again for such a blessing...   I'd never felt so full.  So blessed.  So overwhelmed with God goodness towards me.  So undeserving of such a wonderful thing.

.... And then some time later we lost Sophie.  I always looked back at that moment in the car, and relished the feeling.  It was unlike anything I had ever felt before.

A few weeks ago I felt the baby's kicks for the first time.  The feeling fell on me so suddenly.  With an overwhelming weight I felt it again.  My soul sang out... "Oh, God... thank you!  Thank you, thank you, thank you for another little one.  You have blessed me beyond measure."  I felt that fullness... that rich blessing... of something so wonderful that I didn't deserve.  All I could do was choke back tears every time I felt that baby kick. 

We've been through many ups and downs over the years with babies and pregnancies.  But God has more than restored every loss, every tear.  I never thought I would feel the way I did when I was expecting twins again.  I thought it was gone... a lost moment never to reclaim.  I can't even verbalize the thankfulness and joy I feel today... pregnant again with a 5th child...  God is so faithful.  He truly does work all things together for our good, if we trust and follow him.

I just doesn't get any better than this. 

(If you have never read about the story of our sweet Twins... you might enjoy it!
Click HERE... to read it)


Blessings,


Sweet Family :)

Last weekend my husband's brother and his family spent a little time with us...  and of course we had to take advantage of the opportunity, so we squeezed in a few pics!  I thought I'd show you... because they are such a sweet little family (not Jon so much, just the girls :) ).
Lori, my sister-in-law, is also expecting... just two months ahead of me...  Good times :)













Blessings,



Halloween Printable Cards :)

Yeah, yeah, I know... It's probably too late for you to use these cards :(  I made them last week and just never had the time to post them.  That's just how life is these days!   But hey, maybe they will work for someone who is doing things last minute like me!  ... or you can pin them and use them next year :)

Anyway, I hope they make you smile... my daughters helped me design them.  They told me what costumes the animals should have... :)





These cards are 4.25"x 5.5" when folded... they fit standard sized envelopes (A2 or 5 1/2 Bar)

DOWNLOAD FULL FILE HERE

*As always...File and finished product are not for resale or profit of any kind.  Please contact me if  you have any questions about usage.

Blessings,

An Announcement... that probably won't surprise you.



That's right... we are expecting baby #5! 

Our family just got back from KS, where we made the announcement to all of our folks/grandparents.

Oddly enough...even though we had told everyone that we were done with #4... no one was really surprised by our announcement!  Everyone figured we'd have more... (shaking my head)...  apparently they know us better than we know ourselves!  ...kind of annoying... but it made me smile :)

Speaking of assumptions and number of kiddos...  While Jeremy and I were in Kansas we went to a Homecoming dinner for our old Alma Mater.  We sat next to an older couple and made pleasant conversation with them throughout the dinner.  When we were about to leave, the lady asked us if we happen to have any kids.  We told her that we had 4 and were actually expecting our 5th.  She gasped and blatantly looked me up and down.  Then she declared that I was too young to have that many kids.  She then turned to her older couple friends and told them her discovery.  They too examined me and shook their heads.  awkward!  Then the lady stepped forward and asked me one more question,  "Do you homeschool?"   I told her that I did. Then she stuck her pointer finger triumphantly in the air and exclaimed, "I knew it!"

Oh, you have gotta love stereotyping of large families and homeschooling :)
That too made me smile. 

So here we go down another crazy road of life!  I told my mother-in-law yesterday before we headed for home: "I've never experienced a more exhausting time of life... but it's so so rich."

We've never been happier :)

Here is the announcement I made from the photo to give our families....






Blessings to you all,


Bingo Birthday Card

Hello Friends! 
I have a quick and easy, yet clever Birthday card idea for  you... 


Find an old Bingo card with the right number for how old the person is turning....  circle it with a Sharpie, and attach the corresponding marker with hot glue to a string.  I wrote a message on the back and enclosed it with my gift....like I said, EASY!

Blessings,


A Printable for You... it's about time!

Hello Friends!

Did you think I'd forgotten about making printables?  I kinda did :)  I've just been movin' and groovin' at the speed of life these days... and haven't done much recreational designing.

But we started school this week.. and I got inspired by the happy/cheery/ school kids/ playful atmosphere going on in our house.  It made me think of THIS.... 

So I decided to make some cheery notes that you can pass along to someone who needs some cheer!  Maybe a co-worker needs a note of encouragement or a lunch box needs some love...  I'm sure you'll think of something to do with them!  I hope they make you smile :)
 


DOWNLOAD HERE

*As always...File and finished product are not for resale or profit of any kind.  Please contact me if  you have any questions about usage.

Blessings,

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