Posts Tagged ‘freebie’

Printer-Friendly Christmas Winter Holiday Kids Craft PRINTABLE

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Last month I was assigned the task of treat for my kids’ respective class parties. The treat is a tricky thing. Thankfully there were no gluten allergies in the class so I really only had to steer clear of nuts. I, however, wasn’t too thrilled about the printable options I saw on Pinterest. Clever ideas, but All of them used up SO. MUCH. DAMN. PRINTER INK!!! What the heck guys? I don’t want to spend $45 on printer ink for some dumb treat that’s totally going to be tossed aside. But I also didn’t want to go so minimalist that it wasn’t going to be cute. Because cute is everything. 

I came across this Do You Wanna Build A Snowman treat idea and decided I would do my own, printer-ink pocketbook friendly version. I have to hand it to whomever thought up this particular idea in the first place. Brilliant! The kids in my daughter’s 4th grade class and the kids in my son’s life skills class LOVED IT. The fact that it not only held the attention of wiggly 10 year olds, but it wasn’t frustrating for kids with special needs to enjoy too. 

I share this with you now. In January. Because building snowmen doesn’t need to just happen in December. We even get snow the end of may, so this is an easy anytime craft when kids are bored. And they can get clever with it and do so much more than just a snowman. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

It’s pretty easy to pull together too. Here’s what you need: 

  • Printable (prints 6 per page)
  • Card stock (this is my fave!)
  • Large marshmallows
  • Mini pretzel sticks
  • Craisins or chocolate chips
  • Snack bags
  • Scissors
  • Stapler

Print out the printable. It’s black and white and fits 6 to a page. Easy peasy, doesn’t use up tons of ink and has plenty of margin on the sides for your at-home printer. I used this paper to make it look nice. 

Cut out the printable, leaving white space around the pencil line. You don’t have to do this, but I think it looks nice. Don’t worry about perfect lines. Organic lines will match nicely with the style. 

Fold over the tags, not quite in half. Just so you don’t have the other side’s design peeking over on the front.

Fill each bag with 3 large marshmallows 4-5 pretzels and a small handful of craisins or small chocolate chips. Close. 

Staple the tags to the snack bags. I personally prefer the look of the tags on the top left, but that’s just me and my OCD. ;) ENJOY!! 

This freebie is free for personal use only. Alteration and redestribution of this is prohibited. 

2018 Free Thank You Printable

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This is one of my most favorite time of year. I have great memories of the most magical Thanksgivings. I hope this is magical for you as well. A big part of Thanksgiving is expressing thanks where it wouldn’t otherwise be said. I hope you take a few moments to download, print and give a card full of gratitude to someone who you’re thankful for. 

Want to learn how to make your own? Check out my line-up of online classes over at Calligraphy.org. Use code GIVETHANKS for 15% off your purchase of over $50 now through 12/5.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

 

Products used: Neenah Bright White Paper | Canon Printer | A2 Kraft Envelope

Happy Thanksgiving! This post is coming to you so so late, but better late than never! Click the above link to download and print, cut in half and send! Use A2 kraft envelopes to send. 

The process was quite simple. I painted the flowers on Legion Stonehenge Coldpress paper, scanned it in and wrote overtop in Procreate app. I kept the style simple with a monoline bouncy penmanship style. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

The above download is available free for personal use only. Any alteration or redistribution of this file without written consent is prohibited. Check out the prior years downloads below: 

I hope you have a safe and happy holiday week full of the best food and the best company!

Spring Motivational Quote Printable

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I’m on Studio 5! It was so fun to go on to film this segment. I wanted to do something that related to spring and new beginnings and starting anew. So I found this quote as a little motivator. See the end of this post for the free file to download. FREE FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. 

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE!!

I’ve got 2 workshops coming up next month! Be sure to sign up before spots sell out! 

Modern Calligraphy Workshop – April 6th 5-8pm in Draper, UT! Learn basics of modern pointed pen calligraphy. 

Brush lettering & Watercolor Workshop – April 21 9-5pm in Bluffdale, UT! Come to Cents of Style headquarters for a DAY filled with watercolor, calligraphy, food and creativity. 

Who doesn’t need a motivator like this? I mean come on! I think you could print this out and mail it to your buddies who you know may be struggling through something. Even the most beautiful flowers still have to grow through dirt (and sometimes manure). I’m totally obsessed with Natalie Malan’s floral skills, so I thought i would put her most recent paper pack to good use and print the quote on there! It was easy peasy. See below for instructions and tools. 

Tools: 

Print out the quotes on a laser printer. If you don’t have one at home, head to your nearest copy center and have it printed on black and white on your desired paper. I loved how substantial this Natalie Malan paper pack was, but it went through my laser printer no sweat. 

Then turn on your laminator in the highest heat setting. Once it’s ready, cut out a piece of foil the size of the lettering (as to not waste foil material). Lay it overtop the printed area, slip inside a folded sheet of parchment paper and send through the laminator. 

Pull it out and remove the foil. TADA!! It’s done. 

I did experiment with watercoloring on plain paper after I did the foil transfer and it worked quite well! The chalkiness of the beginner paints, however stuck onto the foil so it wasn’t as mirror-like and shiny where I painted overtop the lettering. But it still turned out ok. Just an option. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE

I know it’s super simple, but it’s so fun to add a little bit of gold sparkle to some pretty decorative paper! 

And if you don’t have access to gold foil, just print it black and white!! Look at how pretty just the black and white turned out….

This freebie is free for personal use only. Alteration or redistribution of this file is prohibited. If you’d like the artwork for commercial use, please contact melissa@melissaesplin.com.      

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Japanese Puzzle Eraser Valentines

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Most holidays I don’t go all-out. But Valentine’s Day is a day for me to have fun with puns and little gifts. I tend to give myself unrealistic expectations (all the time. Constantly. 24/7), I’ve gotten better at ignoring them and being more realistic with my time (because… umm… naps). But for Valentine’s I love doing something a little bit on the ridiculous side. I mean, come on. I could have gone to the grocery store and picked up any number of things that are already done. But this is like a hobby to me. An annual one, but a hobby nonetheless.

Last month while in San Francisco, I made it a point to visit my favorite Daiso store and as I was walking past the aisles of adorable-ness, I spotted a wall of assorted puzzle erasers and piled them in my basket. It just came to me that the kiddos in Penelope’s and Felix’s classes needed these things. And hey, they’re not candy, so my practical mom-self said, “The kids with dietary restrictions will get to enjoy these, too!!”

I found these darling clear plastic pillow boxes at my local packaging supply store (Pak N Wrap), if you’re not in my same area, you can get them on amazon right here

They’re so darling, the temptation to put them in your mouth is real, so I put a little note on the bottom that said, “P.S. This is an eraser.:)” Because heaven forbid a little piece gets lodged somewhere. 

 

My first inclination was to do some fancy-pants lettering like what I did above (I love the snap, so I wanted to throw that in here). But it’s for Kindergarteners and Third graders. They won’t be able to read that, let alone really appreciate it. So I busted out my more casual single-case lettering instead. 

Coming up with something clever to say was just about as stressful as naming a newborn. But instead of something timeless, I wanted it to be clever. Unfortunately, I’m not known for my quick wit. That’s okay. Because this girl can’t be perfect at everything, right? So I phoned it in with a “Hello, adorable”. And I’m happy with it. I wish I had done something a little more fancy and creative with the design of it all, but done is better than perfect any day. 

I didn’t complete these in time for you to use the idea this year, but this could be fun for a little party favor or little gift for future use. I hope you use the idea! Feel free to download the lettering by right-clicking the image below. And you can purchase an adorable assortment of puzzle erasers right here, if you’re like me and don’t have a Daiso store near you. Thanks Amazon!! 

Printable and its contents are free for personal use only. Any alteration or distribution of the file (beyond adding your own text) without permission is prohibited. 

 

Freebie: Printable Baby Shower Invitations

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This post is sponsored by The Baby Cubby. Baby Cubby is the go-to for fantastic nursery and baby must-haves.

The marketplace includes the best of indie designers and shop owners. Click here for the baby gift registry, click here for new mom resources. 

Baby cubby isn’t just for new moms. I stocked up for Junie for Christmas with all sorts of darling duds and tactile toys that leave her entertained for hours. 

A friend of mine is expecting a baby, and all of us in the neighborhood are so excited for her! 

I had fun designing these invitations, they’re feminine, but the blues and pinks in the design still keep it open-ended. 

This was the inspiration behind the invitations. I took this photo at my cousin’s baby shower around 2 years ago. I love this bright and cheery combination. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

The download includes a fill-in-the-blank version and a design your own version that you can pull into word or any other editing software and add the text yourself. Invites are 5×7, and work with A7 envelopes, like these pretty teal ones.

Printable and its contents are free for personal use only. Any alteration or distribution of the file (beyond adding your own text) without permission is prohibited. 

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