New year...new calendar...Jeanne d Arc style

With a new year comes the need for a new calendar. I usually purchase a Paris or Italian themed one, but
wasn't finding any that I liked so I looked on Pinterest for free printable calendars.

and made my own!

I found this free printable calendar from Lemon Thistle. All I had to do was download and print it and wala.

A calendar in the making.

I love the simplicity of it, but I wanted to take it a bit farther.

I got out a gray cardstock and glued some lace to the bottom of it.

Along with some words that are "calendar appropriate".

I have had this quart mason jar just sitting around with hundreds of sayings to use
and they are even double sided!

So out they came and I sorted some ones out that would work on a calendar.

I can use a glue stick and add a word or two to a date anytime I want to. Yes, the words are a tad
bigger than what they should be , but who's looking?? lol

I added some lace and a vintage pants hanger and my Jeanne D Arc style calendar was born.

I have a lot of this lace that I found at the Goodwill on the original spool several months ago. I thought
it was perfect for this project.

This photo was my inspiration for my calendar , but I tweaked it a little.
You can make it your own with special little touches.

I love this book that I found the inspiration calendar in.

It is a Jeanne D' Arc Living book.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

How is your new year going thus far?

 So far we have had to put two new tires on the jeep (unexpected expense
and with the last two weeks being three day pay check weeks...ugh) and hubby
just went out to leave for work and he has a flat tire on his vehicle so he has to use
the jeep...always something...but we are blessed!

Handmade Gifts ~ Calendar Journal

I made a few gifts for Christmas this year and I will admit that it was fun. I used to do handmade gifts
 a lot in years past, but somehow had gotten away from it. This year it was more out of necessity than
 anything else {remember hubby's factory closed}, but I thoroughly enjoyed it for the most part.

I found this idea on Pinterest and I decided that this looked fun and like something someone
actually might use.
{never dreaming how much date stamping I would actually have to do for several calendars}
lol

The original tutorial used vintage postcards, but I used regular greeting cards or note cards,
cut them down and it worked great! {except for the time that I cut FOUR cards in a row all
the wrong size!!}

It truly was a labor of love, but worth every minute of it...I think...*SMILE*

My sister is a shoe lover so I used cards with different shoes printed on them that I had in my stash.
WHO KNEW that I would find 12 different shoe cards...one for each month? Well...truthfully I didn't.
I think I found ten, but I did find two other cards that also fit in nicely with the shoes.

So....if you have nothing else to do today, may I suggest that you make one of these cute
calendar / journals?

All you need is index cards, {you have to cut each and every card in half...
so I needed 365 days x 5...that is a lot of cards! Oh yes, you also need about 100 more for the
mistakes you make. ha!}, some berry boxes {I purchased them on Etsy}, some type of cards
{greeting or vintage postcards} and cute twine. Oh , I almost forgot the most important part.
Go online and buy a date stamp also. They had one at Walmart for over $16 and I was having
 none of that, so I got on on ebay for about $5 including shipping!

You do have to admit...they are cute right?? The idea is to write the year such as 2014 on the
first line and just a little blip of your day. Then next year  you write 2015 on the next line
and a blip about that day...and on and on. So this way your little journal will encompass
several years in one cute little berry box.

Adorable idea, but I can't get much written on one line so I use two...or three. lol

Please share your pics if you decide to make one of these for yourself or for someone else. I would
love to see them.

For the original tutorial please click here.

I also found the free printable online for the "just for you"  gift tag.  Click here to get to
that page.

I think it is the cutest thing since sliced bread...maybe?
Hugs~

My Advent Calendar

Let me start off by saying that these pictures are not that great, but I wanted to share them with you anyway.
I haven't a clue what I am doing when I take photos and white is a hard color to photograph...at least in
my opinion. :)

Sandi over at A Cottage Muse inspired me to make my own advent calendar this year and this is the result.
I had so much fun shopping my home and using bits and bobs from here and there.

 I even used an old frame that I had laying around. I got it FREE at a garage sale down the road a
couple years ago and painted it white. I love it.

I opted to hang three waxed twine strings on the back of the frame and thread my tags onto them.
It wasn't as easy as it sounds. I spaced them out evenly at first, but then when I got the tags all on,
the bottom row was hanging on the frame. I don't know about you, but a little trial and error always
 happens at this house!

If you haven't made one, I encourage you to give it a try. It is FUN!

About the picture taking again, the lighting in this house stinks especially in the winter months so
 I work with what little I have. :)

Are you ready for Christmas?? Ready or not...here it comes!!!
Blessings~

Precious Christmas Gifts from the Heart~

I was absolutely thrilled to receive this handmade calendar from my mother for Christmas! I just adore anything that someone has taken time to make for me with their own hands. My mother put in hour after hour and literally months making calendars for each of her children (three of us) and with all the excruciating back pain she has been in just brings tears to my eyes. (please say a prayer for her if you think about it that the doctors will be able to help her soon) These are a few pictures that are in the calendar~ My parents when they were dating:

This of course is me and it is for the month of March since my birthday is in that month.

My sister and I...weren't we so cute! LOL

I have always LOVED this picture! It is of my sister, brother and I kneeling at the bedside and my brother is peeking!!!! My mom made our nightgowns and little caps that year ...so precious to me!

Memories of days gone by that shall forever live in my heart. We grew up in the most wonderful and loving home ever and my parents are the worlds greatest parents! I love them sooo much!! Enjoy!