Free Printable 2015 and 2016 Victorian Desk Calendar

I thought it was time to make something fun for me!... and I know it is a little late for a calendar so I made one for next year too. Make one for yourself now and save the 2016 calendar to make for Christmas gifts. Trust me it is coming faster than you think :)) I printed mine on a legal size paper but you can cut it up and print it in three sections too. Follow the directions in my basic theater instructions to mount it on lightweight cardboard... like cereal box thickness. The link is in my quick links on the right hand side bar.

Feel free to pin the thumb above but please do not pin the actual download. I would like everyone to stop by here to download it so they don't miss all my other fun free downloads

Elf Yourself Puppets Free Templates Patterns and Printable

One more post before Christmas. I did not plan this one but I wanted to do some "Elf Yourselves" with my grand kids. I looked for some free patterns but I did not find any really good ones, so I decided to make my own. I had so much fun making memories with my grandbabies! The three year old did need a little more help but he still had a blast! It is almost Christmas so tell your friends so they don't miss out of this fun activity with there little ones.

 

Aren't they cute!

I did not want to just print them to save on ink, these have so much color! I think the card stock looks better anyway. However we did print the hands, ears and faces. 

There are three full sheets to this set. The finished elf is about 20 inches tall. One sheet is the printable hands and ears and they should be printed on card stock. Then you will need to take a picture of your child and that should be printed on card stock as well. 

Then there are two sheets of patterns. Just print these on standard copy paper and use repositional glue to adhere them to colored card stock. Cut them out and peel off the patterns. To do the stockings, I just cut strips of red with my paper cutter, glued them across both legs and then trimmed the stripes off to the edge of the legs. We then added glitter glue to jazz them up! 

Feel free to pin the picture of the boys above but Get the pattern at my little etsy store! 

Enjoy!

DIY Book Page Poinsettias Pattern And Tutorial

I have been making some Christmas crafts myself too! along with being busy making some new ornaments, I needed something for the top of the tree. I decided I wanted to make some book page poinsettias to match the new book page honeycomb ornaments but every pattern that I found had perfect little petals and natural poinsettias just don't look like that...so I just made one.

Even though a natural poinsettia doesn't have book page print on them I still wanted them to have a natural shape :))

Once it was completed I sprayed it with alcohol ink to give it an aged look. I liked it so well that I am doing some not just for the top but for the whole tree. I also tried one in red but I think I like the first one the best. I still have to get some beads to go in the centers. I will put them on a wire so they can just be stuck in the center. That way they can be removed so that they can be folded flat for storage. They are fast and easy and will keep from year to year... so go ahead and make a bunch! 

Pattern and Instructions are available in my little etsy store

Fun In The Sun Free Printable

I was MIA last month... I was off trying out that new camp trailer... what can I say :))
Hope you enjoy this little Fun In The Sun printable!

Feel free to pin the thumb above but please do not pin the actual download. I would like everyone to stop by here to download it so they don't miss all my other fun free downloads.

Vintage Can Utensils Storage

  

We have been working hard restoring our 1950's trailer and I saw a project on pintrest that gave me an idea for utensil storage. I added some hooks on the bottom as well for hanging potholders. However I don't have the potholders yet so I hung some utensils on them for the picture.

I made six sheets of vintage looking fruit labels. I did them for my camper projects but they are now available at my little etsy store.

Also thought I would share a peek at our camper... it is a work in progress :)) but I am happy with how it is coming out.

Story Time.... and showing off my vintage souvenir locket assemblage!

As I said in my last post, I have been busy making some pieces for hubby's store. I guess I should call it our store now, since I am getting so many of my pieces in it :)) Anyway... I thought I would show off one of the necklaces I have done recently. If you click on the thumb.. it will take you to some much better pictures.

I have really enjoyed making these pieces, it is just so relaxing for me. I thought I would give you a glimpse into my creative process. Now I am no writer, however I can just sit there for hours in my own little world and make up my corny stories... something I have really not told any one :)) It seems that when I do this, things just flow together... like they belong together. I don't get stuck on what should I add here or what colors to go with...So I thought I would share a condensed version of one... here goes...

Somewhere in England during the dark ages a carriage makes its way down a bumpy dirt road carrying a lovely young lady to visit her dear aunt in the neighboring castle. Suddenly a group of bandits appear stopping the carriage and over taking the driver and its guard. They kidnap the young lady to hold her for ransom and during the struggle the necklaces she wears are broken and fall to the ground... 

She is later rescued by Robin Hood and returned to her home.... but that is another necklace :)) Can you tell I was a big fan of BBC's Robin Hood? at least until they killed of Marian... I really lost interest after that.

So on with the story... along comes a little peasant girl who had been in the forest all day gathering mushrooms and berries for dinner that night. She finds the broken necklaces on the ground and gathers up all the pieces. Later that night she assembles them all together creating a lovely necklace and presents it to her dying mother. Her mother is so pleased and tells her daughter that she knows in her heart that she is going to become a wonderful woman. She implores her not to be satisfied with her station in life. To always strive to better herself. 

After her mothers death, the young girl wakes up before dawn every day and goes out into the forest gathering mushrooms, berries and wild flowers. She then spends her evenings in the little village selling them, saving her money in hopes of attending the boarding school for young ladies in the city. 

One day while out in the forest she encounters non other than Robin Hood :)) He asks her why she is out so deep in the woods and she tells him of her mother and her hopes to go to school someday. 

Well that is just not something Robin Hood could let pass so a few days later he shows up at the little girls cottage. He gives her a trunk of clothing.... that he had liberated from some rich passer by and a pouch of gold coins... enough for her to go to school. The little girl is thrilled.

Then in all her newly acquired finery she makes her way to the city where she enrolls in the school for young ladies, carefully watching the other girls and mimicking there mannerisms. She learns quickly and begins to make friends and to be a lady. Soon one of her friend notices her necklace and convinces her to create one for her. Using the girls jewelry she makes an elegant and unique pendant for her. All of the other girls began to notice and soon were coming to her to create one for them. 

When spring break came her close friend told her that her mother had seen her necklace and hoped she would come visit during there break and put together some things for her. The girl did and while there met a handsome young gentleman. Over time they corresponded, met on occasion (dated) then he asks her to marry him and they live happily ever after. 

Ok... really corny story but I like it and it helps me focus on my work :)) 

           

Fun and GamesFree Antique Game Spinner

Where has this month gone! I have been trying to recover from having to take so many antibiotics... there just not great for MS. They make your immune system go on high gear and that makes MS flair up. For digital work you have to be able to make precise movements with your hands. I am getting better and starting to do some digital work again. However I have kept busy playing games with my grand babies and working on some jewelry pieces for hubby's store. I noticed while playing games that there are a lot of game boards out there but no spinners so I am posting this cute little antique spinner for you to play with. There are arrows available at most craft stores or you could just get your kitchen shears out and cut one from a soda can. If you do that though make sure you sand it well so you don't get any cut fingers :))

Feel free to pin the thumb above but please do not pin the actual download. I would like everyone to stop by here to download it so they don't miss all my other fun free downloads.

Hubby's Etsy Store

Hubby has officially retired and it was driving him crazy so he decided to reopen his little etsy store now that he has time. It is a family effort with his vintage finds and artwork from our family. I have never sold my artwork or jewelry before but I have decided to add a few pieces to his store. I thought I would share some of the pieces I am most proud of here to see what you all think :) Do click on his little Etsy badge on the left sidebar and check out his other great finds.

Free Vintage Bunnygram Western Union Easter Telegram Printable

I could not let Easter go by without something for my readers. I thought this little Bunnygram would be cute to use to invite your friend and family to your Easter BBQ or a special egg hunt.

The free sheet from my shop is still available to the end of the month so don't miss the previous post.

Feel free to pin the thumb above but please do not pin the actual download. I would like everyone to stop by here to download it so they don't miss all my other fun free downloads.

Free Collage Sheet from my store this month

I did not even get anything posted last month. Not to make excuses but... I was having some dental problems again stemming from a car accident years ago. Well I ended up having to have some teeth pulled and some implants put in. Not a big deal for some but I have MS too and when I have anything like that it seems to make it flare up as well.

Anyway to make up for it I am going to give everyone a free collage sheet from my store this month.

IT'S EASY!!! but read the fine print below and get your free sheet!  

This is good for one single collage sheet valued up to $3.50 

or a coupon code to use at my store for $5.00 

Fine Print:

1. Pin the image above with Pinterest
2. Pin your favorite sheet from my store, free image on my blog or any of my artwork, crafts or decor posted     on my blog with Pinterest.
3. Comment here what you pined!

To summarize... 
Two pins, One comment then pick out your sheet and its yours!

You can now email me the collage sheet of your choice from my store with a value of $3.50... that's most of my sheets.

or if you would like me to send you the free coupon code for $5.00 to use at my store 

Just email the link to your pins 

Click Here For My Email  

or use the email button on my right hand sidebar

One sheet per household.
No anonymous post qualify... your post must have an existing Id with a start date at least 2 months old

Basic Theater and Puppet Instructions:

Printing:

My images should show pretty large on the internet unless your browser resizes them to fit the window. If you received your image by email, some email programs will resize them for viewing as well. So in your email program, if you right click the picture and save it will be smaller and it will not print as clearly. To make sure you are getting the original image right click on each paper clip. A list should appear, choose “save as” and save the image to your hard drive. My pictures is usually a good place to save them. The smaller bonus images will need to be copied and pasted onto a sheet the size of an actual collage sheet for these instructions to work. If you start a blank page you can copy and paste it onto the sheet and fill up the sheet as your collection grows.

Use your photo program to open them since they are in a .jpg picture format. Once you have them on the screen in your photo program, hold down the “Ctrl” key and at the same time press the “P” key. This will open your printer settings. Make sure that you choose ... under quality choose “best” and make sure that the “fit to page” box is checked. Then choose the paper type you are using

I print my images on brochure paper or you can use a light weight photo paper also. I always use a laser printer because it has a finish that is like what you would find on a commercial game board and it is resistant to splashes and spills. An added bonus is that the ink will not run when it gets wet so if you use a water base glue, your safe :))

Laminating the imagines to matt board:

For all my facades and puppets I like to laminate them to a light weight matt board. If you do it right, it will be hard to tell it from a die cut image.

You can purchase medium or light weight matt board at your local office supply store or just use the light weight gift boxes you get at the dollar store. Even a cereal box will work.

I used spray glue on the back of the image and on the matt board, sandwiching them together. Make sure to smooth them from the center of the sheet to the edges so you don't have any bubbles or wrinkles. Then cut them out and sand the edges with a emery board. Be sure to use the heavy ones for artificial nails.

Once the edges are sanded smooth, use a marker on the edges of all you pieces. I use a skin tone for the puppets but sometimes for the clothing section of the puppets and for the theaters I would use a color matching it to the main color of the image. They also look great with the edges done with a gold paint pen. Be sure to angle the marker or pen from the back side so you do not accidentally mark the front of the image and only color the cut edges. That way no one will see cut cardboard edges and it gives it a commercial looking finish. On the theater facade, I covered the backside with scrap booking paper also. That way the theater would still look nice from the backside as well.

For most of my theaters I print two copies of the facade and select elements from the second copy. Then I laminate the elements to matt board as described above and glue on to the top of the  full facade giving it a layered pop out. I would choose things like the, pillars, the bottom of the stage, the fascia and so on. This will gave the theater a little dimension but of course they still look great with out this extra layer. Then just embellish as desired. You can add glitter, little scrapbook flowers, brass charms, feathers or what ever fits your piece. The main thing is to have fun and make it your own :)  

For larger puppets and if I am making a diorama display, I use brads on the puppets and make little wire stands. To make the stands I start with about 12 inches of wire and I twist the top like a paper clip then the bottom into a stand like the picture. Then I a flattened paper ring on the back of the puppet for the stand to hold to. This also works for the wire wands. This makes it easy to convert them from display puppets to performers in "the show". For smaller puppets and jumping jacks it is better to use embroidery floss and tie knots threw punched holes. Then you can just jiggle them around for your show. The most important thing is to have fun... making it and preforming the shows as well!

These are a little worse for wear as my grandchildren have used them for play for several years.


 

Long Time No See!

December is one of my favorite times of the year for posting some great free downloads and fun little projects. I had several planned too. However my son and his wife were planning to move into the house they had just bought so I was watching my grandsons. My  daughter in law was still in school and trying to pack as my son was busy trying to get there house ready to move into. It was only suppose to be for the first two weeks, then Denny was going to take the kids and we were going to take a break so we could do Christmas. So on Friday the 13th.... yes, I said Friday the 13th... we dropped the kids off with Aunt Judy and my son and I went Christmas shopping. It was such a wonderful day!... until... we got home. As my son was leaving our house he fell and broke his leg : / It was a very bad break too, his foot was totally rotated backwards. Jacque was doing her finals and Denny could not get up the steps to his house so until they did the surgery the next week I had my son to take care of and the grand kids. With my health it was taxing just to take the grand babies for the first two weeks so when they all went home, I was beyond exhausted. Needless to say, I got nothing else done. But I do plan to make it up with some really fun downloads this month :)

I have had several blog friends that were having trouble finding my basic theater and puppet instructions. I do have them kinda scattered here and there so I am going to post those for now... but hold on to your hats... good things are coming in the new year!

I do hope you all had a wonderful holiday and I also wanted to publicly thank everyone who sent me a cup of coffee this past month. It was so sweet of you to think of me this holiday season :)

Thanksgiving Joy Free Printable

I just thought I would share a little card that I feel really represents what thanksgiving is all about :)

Feel free to pin the thumb above but please do not pin the actual download. I would like everyone to stop by here to download it so they don't miss all my other fun free downloads.

Enjoy!... and Happy Thanksgiving! 

Inka

Punch & Judy Free Printable

I do have a free printable for you but first let me show you what I have been working on. As much as I wanted to get my nutcracker theater done this year, I needed to make sure this was done for Christmas. The two main puppets were from an early 1800's magazine and were so poorly printed it literately took me weeks to complete them.

Someone very special to me, who happens to be a big Punch & Judy fan, is going to get a kit for this for Christmas. I have had the theater printed larger than my printer will print but I am going to print the puppets large myself. Then I will put it in a special box I am working on with the chip board, brads, glue and so on so that she can make it herself. The graphic's for this are now available in my little etsy store.

As you know... I usually try to make my free image go along with whatever I am working on so I have a cute little Punch and Judy free printable for you. I thought it would make a great invitation to your show or Punch & Judy birthday party, or as I have used it to create a box lid for the little theater to go into.

If you check it out in its larger version, I think you will be able to tell how clear I can make these vintage images :)

Feel free to pin the thumb above but please do not pin the actual download. I would like everyone to stop by here to download it so they don't miss all my other fun free downloads.

 

I also would like to post a little history on Punch and Judy:

 

May 9, 1662 is the day that is credited as Punch's birthday as that was the first recorded day his show was preformed in Britain. The British show developed into "Punch and Judy" with its first published script in 1827.  However the show was preformed in the 1700 in Italy only the puppets had a different names, Pulcinella and his wife Joan. 

 He speaks in a distinctive squawking voice, assisted by a "Bottler", who encouraged to participate and collecting money. The Bottler also played accompanying music or sound effects usually on a drum. Today it is preformed often in private parties and is fun for all ages.

Quinton And Jaspers Birthday Cakes

Wow... Halloween is sneaking up on me fast! I just have so much going on this time of year. Both my grandchildren and there mom and dad has had birthdays in the last two months. I always try to do a special birthday cake for them :)
This year Jasper wanted "George"... his favorite cartoon is Curious George. Here he is giving "George" a kiss.

And here is a closer look at his George on a mountain of bananas cake.

It took grandpa four hours to make all those bananas!

Then Quinton wanted a dinosaur cake again. He told me that his dinosaur cake last year was nice but this year he wanted the bones...lol. He has been telling us he wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up since he was three.

So here is our little paleontologist :)

And a closer look at his dinosaur dig cake.

Typewriter Keys Watch Band

Once again it has been a long time since I posted. I guess I just have to face the fact that I am going to have to take life a bit slower. Anyway... hubby has been busy taking apart an old typewriter for me to make some jewelry with. I made this cut little watch band with them!

WIN BIG! with the Dare to Be Different Imagination Challenge!

Asha from the Whimsical Peacock and Angela from My Personal Accent are  are hosting an art challenge Called “Dare to Be Different Imagination Challenges”

There first challenge calls for using any two of my free images! I am so honored to be a part of this. They have some really awesome prizes too! So stop by there blog and read the very simple rules and most of all 

GO MAKE SOMETHING FABULOUS!

This is some example projects made by Asha

Here is a list of there prizes just to tantalize you just a bit :)) 
 Grand Prize:
* $30 Amazon.com Gift Certificate
*whimsically ☞ ACCENTED “SCRAP✁PACK”

SUPER SIZED (WE WERE SO DARN EXCITED ABOUT THIS WE WENT A BIT OVERBOARD!) ($40.00 value)
*“MINI”-handmade art journal workshop pack ($40.00 value)
*Digital Image Set by Inka at ALTERED ARTIFACTS http://alteredartifacts.blogspot.com
*vaness designs: free ad space on their website and design a button for your blog or website with logo $45.00 value!!!!

Second Prize:
$20 Amazon.com Gift CertifiCATe

HANDCRAFTED BANGLE BRACELET by tHE wHImSiCal PEaCOck®signed)$25.00\VALUE
Digital Image Sheet by Inka at Altered Artifacts

Third Prize:            
$10 Amazon.com Gift Certificate
(GIFT-TAG SET OF 4 )$18.00 VALUE(HAND-PAINTED) tHE wHImSiCal PEaCOck®
Digital Image Sheet by Inka at Altered Artifacts

Studio Progress

I have been so busy! Yes... working on the studio and getting my planting done.I have also been busy working on my studio.. I finished the "crate stack" for my printer. I added some vintage casters and a little lace curtain to hide my inkjet printer. 

 

and I have put some of the vintage locker baskets to use... I have been arranging and rearranged things a hundred times...lol. I even put the newspaper shelf paper on my bookcase. So here is another peek at that. 

I got much of my lace wound onto the printable spools that I posted previously. 

I just love to edge them with a gold paint pen... They look so authentic

Its all coming together now... I am so excited! 

Happiness in the kitchen once again! Free Printable Little Cooks... Chefs

I know you all think my hubby is the greatest but he does have a few quarks that really bug. One of those is that he insists on having a bunch of junk sitting on the counter all the time! So I put it all on a wooden tray so that when company came I could quickly hide it away in the pantry. But I STILL HAD TO LOOK AT IT!  Recently I saw a post on pintrest where a lady had put all her tea necessities on a silver tray and knew that was my answer. I found one I loved at a local thrift store and on went all his junk.

I put his splenda in a little silver sugar (of course) his creamer in a little silver overlay creamer jar. Not that he drinks coffee... he has to add it to his hot chocolate to make it creamer...lol. I found a silver swan napkin holder. Our butter has always been in a vintage refrigerator dish. I used the sugar shaker for his garlic salt and his vitamins and hot chocolate packets went in the silver biscuit canister. Now there is happiness in our kitchen once more!

Feel free to pin the thumb above but please do not pin the actual download. I would like everyone to stop by here to download it so they don't miss all my other fun free downloads

A Working Studio ... Free Scissor Printable

I am loving being able to work in my studio again. I made this cute little necklace with the tiniest little antique change purse.

 Not only am I able to create again but with all my supplies and tools in place I can now start getting things organized and decorated! I have just added a new "old" shelf that hubby made me from an old door and antique door knobs.

and I have to show off my latest find... a scissor light for my workbench. I was so excited to find this. I pictured it with an antique light bulb but I have ordered some reproduction Edison light bulbs to actually use.

I got some crates from the craft store. I distressed them and used vinegar and steel wool to age them. I think they are perfect for Fairyland and some of my little theaters. My other distraction you can see sitting on the crate below.... Yep... I got a Pazzles cutter! You can copy and paste any .jpg into it so if you have software to open the cut files you can convert them to .jpg and just copy them into this cutter. I have just been going crazy finding all the fun cut files available! I will be making some stencils for the sides of the crates too. Just as soon as I figure out the software for it.. lol.

Speaking of decorating and scissors... I thought this little graphic might look good blown up and framed. I think it would make a cute little card too. I hope you can come up with a fun use for it :) Oh and I almost forgot to say... check out the brand on those scissors she is holding :))

Feel free to pin the thumb above but please do not pin the actual download. I would like everyone to stop by here to download it so they don't miss all my other fun free downloads