WWYD?

WWYD = what would you do?

Items were removed from the plastic bins and placed
in garbage bags, but they are definitely not garbage!

What would you do if someone offered you bins, boxes, and bags of miscellaneous Christmas items? If you’re anything like me (and you have a holiday storage room to stash it in), you say yes, please and thank you and dance a happy Christmas jig. And that is one of two things that happened to me this past weekend that made it feel like Christmas in June!

A friend of mine was having a three-day liquidation sale after closing her café, and I was helping by posting photos of the sale items online. On the third day, I noticed that no one had touched her many Christmas decorations, and I mentioned it. Then she said, "If you want ’em, take ’em. I’ll just give them to you.” You know how much I adore Christmas. I couldn’t turn down a deal like that!

Now, did I need it? No, as my daughter so obnoxiously proclaimed. But would I use any of it? Oh yes! And would some of it replace some tired old Christmas things I’ve used for years? Of course! And do I love digging through boxes of other people’s Christmas stuff? Are you kidding??? I’m like a kid in a toy store!

My daughter and I brought my haul home, and she left me to examine what I had. I almost cried—honestly!—when I unwrapped some holiday figures of cardinals perched on snowballs and some snowmen. Those are two favorites of mine, because I can display them throughout winter (when they aren’t too Christmas-y).

I now have new-to-me ornaments, figurines, and Christmas table runners. There was a dainty red tree skirt for a small tree. (I have six Christmas trees of various sizes, so that WILL be used come December!) There were never-used Christmas tins that my daughter will use for Christmas candy. There were some wall wreaths, table and candle wreaths, and greenery garland and picks. There were also colorful Christmas arrangement picks and some ribbon of varying widths and lengths. Part of the magic of this stash is the creative possibilities! As I told my daughter, if she wanted to create a new table arrangement or wreath, she could! For free! Wheeee!

That wasn’t the only thing that made last weekend feel like Christmas. The other was a launch party I attended for a new business called (here’s the link) American Echoes. I knew the mother of the company’s founder and went to show my support. I put my name in the bowl for a drawing, not believing I would win anything because of the great turnout. After we enjoyed a lovely buffet and impressive video, they drew names for hats, t-shirts, and the grand prize: American-made flag wall art made from reclaimed post-industrial wood and eco friendly paints. And I won a flag! I was so thrilled to hear my name called that I nearly cried! It felt like Christmas in June! They had a variety of flag art there, and I chose the Betsy Ross design.

There was one girl who had her heart set on a t-shirt. When her name wasn’t drawn, she was disappointed. So, when she met the company’s owner, she told him that she had wanted to win a t-shirt. And, he gave her one! I really like him. :-)  I think he’s going to be successful.

So, what would you do if someone offered you miscellaneous Christmas decor?
What intriguing Christmas projects have you seen for artificial greenery and picks? Have you ever attended a launch party or won a prize that made it feel like Christmas? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

Take Advantage of Free Photo Editing Ops

Now is a good time to think about ways to use your photos for the coming Christmas season. Why? Because for the time being, PicMonkey.com allows you to use all their editing tools for free, no registration required!

[Update: It was bound to happen. Sometime before the Christmas season 2012, PicMonkey began charging a monthly fee to use some their "Royale" features. Non-royale features are still free, though.]

Possible uses for your photos include turning them into Christmas cards or postcards, including a print inside store-bought or handmade cards, inserting one or more into a computer-created Christmas newsletter, creating gifts tags, or even turning them into ornaments to hang from a tree or garland! 

Your photos don’t have to be perfect for these projects as long as they are in focus rather than blurry. Too dark or too light can be adjusted. Dull can be brightened. Red eyes can be corrected. Cropping can remove things that detract from the picture. There are many, many tools and effects to make an ordinary photo extraordinary!

If you want to add text to your photo, look for one that has a fairly solid dark or light space. Photos that demonstrate “the rule of thirds” are great for this. In the example, my daughter’s composition features me in the left third of the frame, leave two thirds for my message.



This next example features a Christmas scene without people, an option if you didn’t get any family photos that you feel like using, or you have a collection of Christmas items that you love and want to share with family and friends! As you can see, this one also featured a dark space that was perfect for text.


Don’t forget to add the photographer’s name and date in one of the lower corners of the photo!

This photo has no text but would make a pretty card. I had fun taking this indoor shot and playing with two special effects available: frosted edges and snow. This means you could take a family photo this summer and “winterize” it with frosted or snowflake edges and even a snowy overlay. 

While you’re at it, you might consider some photo gift ideas while this free photo editing is available. It’s not too early to start stocking your gift closet! Any photo center offers mugs, calendars, keychains, t-shirts, throws, and more, all personalized with your photos. Or, budget-minded folks may choose to enlarge and frame their special prints, like my daughter did when she made this one and added a Bible verse. It was a big hit!

There are so many fun and fancy options for making your photos pop! While they are free, check it out! And, if you know of other free photo editing sites online, please leave a comment and let us know. 

Gift Tags, and Telling on Myself

It's less than a day until Christmas, and for the second year in a row, I finished wrapping gifts early! I will NOT be up late Christmas Eve and early into Christmas morning wrapping gifts and crying from exhaustion! (Even with gift bags, it seems to take forever to get the job done.) I have to tell on myself. Do you know what I did this week? I lost a gift. It was a good one too! A CD by an artist my daughter enjoys. Inexplicably, it wasn't in the gift cabinet (a black office storage cabinet) with the other gifts I collected throughout the year. It arrived in the mail just two weeks ago and should have been front and center. I tore the cabinet apart looking for that gift. Then I started searching my office, sure I had set it down and piled papers or books on top of it. No luck. I was close to making myself sick over that CD. I wrapped all the other gifts, wondering if I accidentally threw that gift out with the trash one day!

Then I noticed a small gift bag under the tree. Hmmm. Was that a gift for my daughter or for myself? (Single moms sometimes wrap presents for themselves just to make Christmas morning more fun ... ) I knew I had put something in that bag, but I didn't remember what it was. A candle? So I looked inside, and I'm sure you know what I found. I had wrapped that CD a WEEK AGO! lol  Christmas Brain!  So anyway, all the gifts are waiting beside the fireplace. Whew!

I wanted to share some gift tag ideas with you that are handy if you run out or don't want to spend the money on one-use gift tags (the sticker kind are one-use only).

1. Reusable tags: As a newlywed with a limited budget, I made gift tags from card stock, and I also used the free gift tags found in holiday issues of women’s magazines. Sturdy tags can be re-used for family year after year if you remove them carefully from the torn gift wrap at the end of the gift exchange. I used the box my bank checks came in to store our tags, and it was fun to read the silly names we gave each other that first Christmas together—“To Huggy Bear from Snuggle Bunny” or “To Lady Sweetheart from Sir Dearheart” (kinda makes you want to gag, huh)—as we re-used the tags. Anyway, when kids came along, we made and re-used tags for them as well. Then I had another idea ...

2. Since I print addresses on mailing labels for sending cards and letters, I always have a supply of labels on hand. One year when the kids were little, I had the idea of using mailing labels as gift tags. I typed the to and from names on them, but then I also added a small headshot of the recipient on each tag. That way, the child who was not yet able to read the names could still play Santa on Christmas morning, passing out the gifts by looking at the face on the tag! That was lots of fun!

3. Taking that idea one step further, you can make prints of family photos and fashion them into gift tags.

4. Recycle old Christmas cards by cutting them into small tags. (Don't use the part that has been written on...) you can add the recipient's name on the back of the tag and have the artwork-side face up on the gift.

4. Free printable gift tags. There are free designs online that you can print off on card stock or copy paper! I found these elegant ones at Ash and Anchor. You can find others by putting "free gift tags" in your search engine.

It’s time for me to clock out; when my daughter and son get back from dinner with their dad, we are going out for dessert with friends! I found out today that my son has decided to come and bring a friend to have Christmas dinner with us tomorrow, so I have some work to do! There’s nothing like last-minute changes during the holidays, but believe me—I’m not complaining!

May you have a merry and very blessed Christmas.