O.K. Fair warning. The writing portion of these posts is going to get shorter and shorter the closer we get to Christmas. Even though I got everything done I wanted to by the Christmas Pledge deadline I’m still screwed.
I have no idea how this is possible, but it is and I don’t want to hear anything more on the subject.
And I can’t write when I’m stressed and rushing. The words are stubborn and just don’t want to come out when I’m trying to hurry to get them out. Not unlike a poop.
So bear with me. And my words.
This year’s wrapping. To be honest with you, this year’s wrapping doesn’t differ a whole lot from last year’s wrapping other than it’s a little bit worse. So that’s something I guess. Not quite as fun, not quite as eye catching and nothing really to write home about. Certainly not on the good stationary. Frankly, this year’s wrapping is barely worth a text message let alone the embossed cardstock with matching envelopes. That you stole from your last hotel stay.
The gift tags however? That’s another story. The gift tags are fantastic. In fact that’s one of the reasons the wrapping is so subdued. I really just wanted the tags to be the star of the show. And the bows. Which aren’t really bows so much as crap I found at the bottom of my chicken coop. This is sounding very elegant already isn’t it? Boring, bland and possibly shit covered.
I KNOW HOW TO DO CHRISTMAS.
I guess since I’m letting it all hang out, now would also be a good time to tell you that I’m a thief. Both my idea for my bow and tags were stolen, STOLEN I SAY, from the Internet. ‘Cause I’m a dirty, rotten thief. Plus I can recognize a good idea when I see one. And why come up with your own good idea when someone else already did?
The idea for the “bows” came from Pinterest. I searched for a half an hour trying to find the original “pin” but couldn’t. If YOU are the original creator of these, not someone who saw them on Pinterest and copied them (found a lot of those) lemme know.
The idea for the tags came from the ever popular Mrs. Brooklyn Limestone.
O.K. onto the show …
Plain brown paper, string, white and red satin ribbon.
Looks nice enough …
But this is where I’d like to draw your attention …
The tags are inspired by the ones done by Mrs. Limestone at Thanksgiving, but hers were a woodland theme. And to everyone who wanted to know what I was going to do with all the feathers my chickens lost during moulting? This is what I did.
All I did was lay the feathers flat, covered up all but the tip of the feather with a block of wood, and spray it with my handy 24k Gold spray paint.
The tags I made by copying sketches of chickens I found on Google Images. Which I probably shouldn’t even be showing you on this site, because they’re copyrighted images. Which is why I can’t give you your own to copy. Because … I’m a thief, but a thief with principles.
I can however give you the link to the beautiful woodland tags from Mrs. Brooklyn Limestone. They have a similar feeling to mine. Which can be explained by the fact that I copied her. Instead of chickens she has deer and foxes and such. Just click here to see them and print your own.
Kay that whole thing about the writing getting shorter and shorter the closer we get to Christmas? I’d like to revise that sentence. It shall now read “the writing will be getting badder and badder the closer we get to Christmas”. ‘Cause clearly I’m still prolific.
I figure by December 20th or so you’ll be getting 2,000 words of nonsense followed by a fart noise. Something to look forward to.
Merry Christmas.
You could have trotted out the chicken stamps I sent and used those. Perhaps a bit large but just right for the gifts themselves. I can see one stamped strategically in a corner.
Any chance you’d give the okey dokey if I wanted to use your little tree in truck photo for a Christmas card? ( from last year’s diorama).
I didn’t have the chicken stamp them Cathy, lol! Otherwise, yes I would have! I did however use your stamps to stamp the back of all my Christmas card envelopes this year! Oh and yes, go ahead and use my photo. I was going to make cards out of it myself this year but ended up going in a different direction. ~ karen!
My sister indicated I’d in this way website. He had been entirely right. This kind of placed actually produced my personal morning. You should not take into account the best way much moment I’d used because of this information and facts! Thank you!
HA!!!! I made the chicken tags! And I love them!!!
Now I need to get me some real chickens.
Yay! Glad you like em. Less work than real chickens. ~ karen!
I love the chicken tags. The brown paper wrap is very elegant, especially when adorned with gilt-tip feather.
That red bow is really sexy. I love how everything looks. Beautiful setting.
You are so cool. That’s all I can say.
I used Mrs. Limestone’s tags for my month before Christmas dinner, and love yours just as much. The engravings style of the images is beautiful!
Ok- want some fabulous free chicken/rooster images? have you hit up the NY Public Library Digital Gallery- its a smorgasborg of amazing images. I myself am quite taken with the octopi photos. But for you, here’s a link to the 212 images they have that deal with “chicken” http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?keyword=chicken
Niiice!
What a frickin’ fabulous idea to do with the chicken feathers. Why didn’t you tell me earlier so I could have prepared? hmm, why? pff, whatever, I’m sure I can still get some feathers out of my girls.
p.s., I can steal too, and I think I just might – those tags are da bomb diggity.
Now that’s some good writin’
I’m going to try and find a “rooter” to steal for a tag. Hey where is the best place to buy the gromets? Is that how you spell it? The little things you put in the hole of your tags? If you already TOLD someone in the comment section…sorry…I didn’t have time to read all the comments today! OH WAIT! Those are NOT grommets..(see I spelled it differently this time) probably still wrong. :( They are just printed and then you hole punched them? Correct?
Correct! I just Photoshopped a circle and then punched out the hole in the middle to make it look like a grommettrreerrmmmtmet. ~ karen
……GEEZ and I meant ROOSTER! Not rooter! ha ha haha! That’s what I get for not taking the time to spell check…..which obviously happens quite often!
Gotta thank you for this blog! Just when I am about to have a meltdown here I decided to make a coffee and read your blog and laugh. Trying to finish renovations and decorate and havent even started shopping or baking. But after reading your blog I am reassessing my lists and have put you on it. Must read Karens Blog once a day!
Ok that’s just brilliant Karen! I love it!
http://www.dawnajonesdesign.com/
Thank you ma’am. Now if I could only conjure up enough time to wrap the rest of the presents. ~ karen!
Great post as usual, Karen. Yours is the first blog I read every morning so I always get started with a good laugh.
Thank you very much DianneT! ~ karen
They look great…but why not go even more rustic and use twine instead of ribbon, or strips of burlap and make big bows?
Andrea – A few of them are string. I actually did all twine last year. ~ karen!
They are so you Karen..Love the gold tips..that’s a great touch!! I’m just wondering who is going to do the fart sound at the end of your posts..You or the Fella..lol
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I so know how I’m merchandising all my future poultry products now!
GREAT. POST. !
Luv those chickens!
Yeah, it falls under the category of “No good deed goes unpunished!” I saved his little feral butt and gave him a home…This is how he repays me! OMG, I’m channeling my mom!!!! Kill me now!!!
Tremendously good post, Karen!
Hi Karen
I just love the feathers idea. I collect feathers all the time and just have them in pots, now I can use the.
May I suggest using fabric instead of paper. I use old silk re-cycled sahri bags that I get from Calcutta Rescue. They are beautiful, reversible and can be reused to carry all kinds of stuff. And best off all, you get to support a really wonderful charity.
Take a look at their website.
Happy solstice.
http://www.calcuttarescuecanada.org
http://www.calcuttarescue.org
http://www.jackpreger.com
Any idea where Gayla T has gotten to? I’ve been missing her comments for a while…..hope she’s doing okay.
Angie – She wasn’t feeling well there for a while. I’ll email and check up on her. ~ karen
I wondered about her too….
me three.
Karen u just flat make me giggle!!
I love the chicken tags Awesome!!
Merry Christmas
LOVE
Oh geez, I don’t mean to be a stick in the mud but… I have chickens and have thought of using thier feathers for crafty things but they can carry some pretty icky diseases (and that’s not what I want to give people for Christmas). Did you figure out a way to clean them?
Jodi – No, I’m not worried about it because I know my chickens don’t have any diseases. And if they did they wouldn’t be carrying them on their feathers. The only thing that could be on there are mites and such which they don’t have either. If you’re worried, put the feathers in the freezer in a plastic bag for a week or so. ~ karen!
Pffftttt! Beautiful.
Daughter has gall to graduate from college on the 20th. House full of people expected.
Total Christmas meltdown mode. Ripppppp!
Clearly that daughter of yours is very selfish. A college graduate should know better than to graduate within 1 1/2 months of Christmas let alone a few days. Hurmph. ~ karen
I’m a new follower…and I have to say a heartfelt THANK YOU for your hilarious writing which nearly had me spraying coffee out my nose onto my computer screen for two mornings this week! What a wonderful way to start my days off especially during this nutty time of year! Cheers!
Thanks Candice! I’m glad you found my blog. That’s the goal around here. Laugh, learn and … well, spit coffee apparently. ~ karen!
Fabulous!! Looking forward to the fart noise of course!! ;D
Ummmmm….I’m confused. Are we discussing wrapping or warpping? Personally, warpping fits better in my life right now.
These are great! Love how you reused the feathers for the tags. I also love that you keep 24K gold spray paint handy lol
I love it! … and that’s about all this insomnia stricken girl can come up with. Talk about prolific. Gold. Feathers. GOOD! :)
I wish I could put presents under my tree. I have to keep them in the closet until Chrismas morning. Otherwise my cat pees on them…..
LOL! I probably shouldn’t laugh at your misfortune but … that’s a pretty funny picture. ~ karen
This isn’t really relevant except to Susan’s post…My husband feeds the birds in our yard every day, filling the feeders from a covered, galvanized pail we keep on the porch. We put a couple of bricks on top of it to keep those adorable, fuzzy, little squirrels from lifting the lid. Of course, he puts a small dish full of seed out for the squirrels too.
Now, if he doesn’t get out there promptly enough in the morning, the squirrels pee on the lid. Not so adorable.
The feathers are perfect what a fantastic idea!
Yup, I love the wrapping, of course…..but the white tree? I so covet it…..
Wondering where you get your wrapping paper from? the kraft. is it regular kraft paper or is it thinner like other wrapping papers? I want this so bad!
HI Erin – I bought some at Ikea which has a very slight tone on tone stripe to it. So slight that I didn’t even notice until I got home. But for the most part I use plain old kraft paper which I buy at Dollarama! ~ karen
I continuously covet your Dollarama stores,Karen ! We have a Dollar Tree but I NEVER see anything there like you have at Dollarama. LOVE the chicken tags by the way…so nouveau riche’ ! LOL
And! If you’re running short on time, and have the money to spare – this year Shoppers Drugmar has Kraft paper for wrapping paper with prints on it – red polka dots and owls and stuff. It’s pretty cute. It’s $5.99 for a not-very big roll, though. Just sayin’.
I saw that! The Owl stuff is GREAT! ~ karen
Thank you! I wrapped all my presents so far in crappy old snowman paper – trying to use it up. I hate it. I knew I would. I know I want to do kraft paper instead – now I have the perfect tags.
LOVE THE CHICKEN TAGS!
I probably shouldn’t say I know, but I KNOW! I love them too, LOL. ~ karen