Simplify - Easy Wraps for Holiday Hostess Gifts

I cannot believe the holidays are rapidly approaching. Where did the year go? If you are like me, your life is already packed full of carpooling, sporting events, demanding clients, homework headaches, etc. During the holidays, things get kicked into overdrive. I need simple solutions for all of the additional demands of the season.

I often grab a bottle of wine to take to the many engagements of the holidays as a hostess gift. A nice way to personalize it is with a festive wrap that includes a handwritten note. I have just designed a few for this holiday season. They are now available in our Etsy shop. They are quick to order, easy to print and can be printed as often as you like, which makes them extremely affordable.

I am always looking for ways to simplify. I'd love to hear your ideas!

Check out our new Holiday Wine Wraps!

Congratulations to our Winners!

Congratulations to the winners of our Sweet and Spicy Halloween Giveaway.

Cherly Sousan who entered via Facebook

and

gift_girl who is now following us on Twitter

The winners will receive Spicy Wee Tidings, as well as a $25 Godiva Gift card.

Thank you to everyone who entered! Look for additional giveaways and offers in the near future.

Sweet Halloween Giveaway

Halloween is just around the corner. It's time for tricks, and more importantly sweet treats! Become a part of the Blue Finch Studio family on Facebook or Twitter. Just go to our Facebook page and click on the "Like" button or choose to "follow" us on Twitter. You will be automatically entered to win a jar of Spicy Wee Tidings, as well as a $25 Godiva Chocolatier gift card. The perfect combination of spicy and sweet.

Just follow the link below and click on the "Like" button for your chance to win!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Blue-Finch-Studios/126110354081232

Or choose to "Follow" us on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/bluefinchstudio

A winner will be chosen from each group and announced on our blog, Facebook and Twitter on October 31, 2010.

Adding that Personal Touch for your Wedding VIPs

Bridesmaids and groomsmen are very likely some of the most important people in your life. Show your appreciation for them by giving them a well-chosen gift.

Recently, my cousin asked me to help her create a gift basket for her friend's wedding attendants. She knew she wanted include a nice bottle of champagne. My suggestion was a custom label on which she should include a thank you message. Below is the final product...


Bridesmaid gifts run the gamut in terms of price, style, and individuality. Some brides spend hundreds of dollars, while others chose to spend only a few. The budget for each of these baskets was approximately $100. Some people think that the cost of bridesmaid gifts should correlate with your wedding budget. Others say that the more time your friends helped you with wedding planning, the more you should spend on a bridesmaid gift for them. There's no right or wrong answer - do what feels best to you.

For additional options of customizable wine labels, visit the Blue Finch Studios' etsy site.

And the winners are....

Bridgette Woosley
Meg Elsner Weber
Jessica Lance Christian
Heather Klein Emans
Victoria Koustrup West

Thanks to these five blog readers for adding us as business they "like" on Facebook. Each of you gets to choose a product, either a Wee Tidings jar or a downloadable file that you can print over and over, as your free gift. We will be contacting you through Facebook shortly. Congrats!

Welcome June!

If you have kids, they are either already out of school for the summer or will be very, very soon. Here is a short list of activities to keep them, and you, busy this month!

1. Plan a Picnic
   You don't have to travel far to have a picnic. In fact, you don't have to travel any farther than your own backyard. The fun isn't only in the picnic alone, but in the planning of it. It is a perfect way to create some cheap summer fun.
   
   
2. Plant a Garden
   Gardens offer kids a perfect opportunity for learning about plant life. If you start early enough in the season, you can start the garden from seeds. That is the ideal way to start a garden since the kids can watch the garden grow from the very beginning sprouts. However you start too late in the season to plant seeds, you can buy a few seedlings from just about anywhere, including many grocery stores. The kids can still watch the plants grow. Have them keep a chart of the growth every day or two. They can even draw pictures of the plants as they grow. And be sure that your child waters the plants and gets rid of the weeds.
   
   
3. Visit the Library for Summer Fun
   Libraries are wonderful sources of free fun for gifted kids. For one thing, libraries often have free programs for children. But it's not just the programs that make libraries fun for gifted kids. It's the books the libraries hold that gifted kids will also find fun and exciting.
   
   
4. Plan Some Family Fun Nights
   Families don't need to go on vacations or spend lots of money to enjoy some time together. All they need to do is plan some fun activities to share. Among the possibilities are watching movies or playing games together. Family nights can provide summer fun anytime, but especially on those rainy days when the kids can't play outdoors.
   
   
5. Camp in the Backyard
   You don't need to travel any farther than your own backyard to plan a camping trip. Part of the fun is in the planning, so take your time to find the right spot to pitch a tent and decide on activities the whole family can enjoy.
   
   
6. Create a Backyard Waterpark
   A waterpark in the backyard? Absolutely! If you already have a playset, all you have to do is get a hose (or two) and prop them up to spray water on it. If you don't, this might be the time to get one. You may have to spend money on one, but it will still be cheaper than what you'd pay for a family vacation. If you don't want to go with a playset, get a small backyard pool. Again, all you have to do is set up some hoses to spray either over the pool or around it. You're limited only by your imagination!
   
   
7. Plan a Scavenger Hunt
   You can encourage your children to explore nature with a nature scavenger hunt which could include items as simple as different shaped stones and leaves. Or you can hide objects of your own around the yard and give your children clues that will help them find them!
   
   
8. Make Music
   You can create music with just about anything that makes a sound. You can buy cheap kazoos or make your own by covering a comb with waxpaper (a clean comb!) Pots can serve as drums and lids can be cymbals. Empty jugs can be used, too, to make "music." It's easy to kids to get carried away with just making noise, so be sure to make this activity a musical one. Help your kids learn about music, while having fun.
   
   
9. Have a Yard Sale
   This activity can have several goals. You can get your house cleaned of clutter, give your kids something to do, and make a little money! You can also take the opportunity to teach your children a little about economics!
   
   
10. Make a Map of the Neighborhood
    This activity can provide a little exercise, too, since children have to walk around the neighborhood to make notes of what they see and determine what belongs where on a map. You should set boundaries so your children don't go farther than you want them to go. For areas farther from your house than you would like your children to go and for children who are too young to walk around the neighborhood on their own, you can go with them and get a little exercise yourself!
    
    
11. Conduct Simple Experiments
    Most of us don't have a handy list of easy experiments to draw from, but libraries have plenty of books with experiments for children. Plan a trip to the library (another great activity) and find a book or two with experiments.
    
    
12. Put on a Play
    This activity can be as simple or as complex as your children would like it to be. The simplest way to put on a play is to act out a familiar story (like Little Red Riding Hood), using whatever you can find around the house for costumes. The more complex methods of play production would start with the children making up their own story, writing a script, planning the costumes (that mom and others might help make), rehearsing, creating a flyer, and making tickets.

List from About.com.

Cloud Nine

One of the many perks of being a design professional is having the opportunity to work with so many gifted and creative individuals. One such individual I have had the pleasure to work with is the multi-talented Ariana Broerman. Ariana's skills as a print and web designer are amazing. However, in recent years she has taken her penchant for design and applied it to a line of environmentally friendly products and textiles including pillows, lighting and apparel.

In 2005, Ariana, and her designer husband Matt, launched Paper Cloud. All of their creations are printed exclusively with water-based inks, on natural, eco-friendly fabrics, such as 100% linen and 100% certified organic cotton. The company has grown from their original offering of whimsical, hand screened pillows to now include incredible pendant lighting and apparel. Also, I have it on good authority that they will be adding some new, fabulous product to their line within the next few months.

So, if you enjoy finding truly unique products for your home, be sure to visit Paper Cloud....great product, hand-crafted by even better people!

Enjoy!
Susan