Happy New Year 2015!!

Welcome to 2015!!!  After a couple weeks hiatus, I am back to blogging!

It was great to take some time off traveling, enjoying the holidays, and just taking some time away from my computer.  But as the first full week of January arrives, I figured it was probably time to get back to the real world of working and blogging!

It's that time of year again when we start making resolutions for the new year...........

Have you made yours yet?

We all have them.  It is usually something like, losing weight, getting fit, getting organized, saving money, going to Church more, appreciating life more, not using so much social media.......

For me, I needed to just start January with a new year routine!  Which meant taking down the Christmas decor (so sad to see it go but the holidays are over and it's time to get back to work) and going grocery shopping!  Our fridge was empty!  Back to eating healthy and meal prep.  This will help me stick to a productive, healthy daily routine!  A daily routine really keeps me productive and successful!

I still have goals for the new year though!  Goals sounds so much better than resolutions!  This is a fun little activity I found at Thirty Handmade Days to think about the year ahead and the goals I want to achieve.  You can download and print your own here.

I also want to eat healthy.  Everyday.  Not just for the next 2 weeks!!  At this time I don't plan on doing any specific type of diet -- 24 Day Challenge, paleo, Whole 30.  I am just going to focus on eating fresh foods as much as possible.  Drink more water!!  Water is the cheapest and best thing for your body!  The days go by so fast and sometimes I find myself only have one glass of water by dinner if I am not consciously making myself drink water.  Having a water jug with me at all times really helps me!  Sew more!  I have so many yards of fabric lying around.  I will not buy another pillow cover until I make at least one pillow first.  Spend less.  I need to think twice before I buy!  Do I really need this?  And most of all, I just want to work really hard at growing a great company.  They say the first year is the hardest in entrepreneurship.  Well I made it through the first year and it was so rewarding having my own company!!  I can't wait to see what is in store for Jessica Stout Design in 2015!!!

On a side note -- I love having this blog not only to show all of you my interior design projects, but it serves as sort of a diary for me!  I loved looking back to last year's resolutions and photos from the year previous!  I had a looooooong list of DIY resolutions for 2014.  I achieved most of them.  Some I didn't.  Maybe I will get around to those still on the list this year!

Come on 2015 -- we got this!

{Holiday Decorating} Day 12: That's A Wrap!

My 12 Days of Decorating has come to an end!  

I don't know if I should cry or jump for joy!  It has been so much fun sharing all of my DIY projects, Christmas crafts, giving you a tour of my home, seeing your responses on how you have been inspired to create holiday crafts around your home, and giving you an inside look of what my life looks like around the holidays.

It has been quite exhausting as well, with all of the day-to-day projects, and endless blogging!  I have had SO much fun doing this though, and I appreciate you following along everyday.  I hope I have inspired you to do at least one creative thing this holiday season!

I love hearing from people "I thought of you when I made this" or "I have to show Jessica what I made" and the best "I'm not crafty but you inspired me to make this!"  That is why I write this blog, for all of you!  To get you excited about decorating your home, to show you how easy and inexpensive it can be to decorate or craft, and to help you love the home you live in!  That is why I love my job!

But, I still have one more day to inspire you this holiday season!

 

Perhaps you have all of your gift wrapping completed by now, or you are like me and you haven't even finished the shopping, let alone the wrapping!  Either way, when you get to the wrapping part, I thought you might need some creative ideas and some new gift tags to get you started!

I love nothing more than to give, or receive, a beautifully wrapped package at the holidays.  I have put together some of my favorite FREE printable gift tags and ideas to inspire your gift embellishments this holiday season!

Here is a round-up of my favorite FREE PRINTABLE gift tags this year!  

All of these I have found 1. easy to find from the Pinterest link 2. easy to download  3. and look beautiful printed!

Just click on the picture to be directed to the link for the free printable.

from Lia Griffith - Handcraft Your Life

These are really neat because once you download the PDF and open in Adobe Reader (which it should automatically do for you), you actually just click in the area, type in the names and print!  It just takes a little planning ahead, but now your gift tags have wonderful fonts on them that you won't have to write out!  This lady has amazing printables on her website and even has a free printable for gift wrapping!  I guess for those tiny gifts?!

from Simple As That

I loved these Retro Type Christmas Tags because they come in different colors and you can print the tags in just the color you want or print in all 3 colors.  And the tags are large, unlike some of the other downloads.  I printed the black and the red for my gifts!

from Maiko Nagao

  These are a little more young and fun!  I am thinking of using these for the niece's and nephews' presents.

from Love vs. Design

These are whimsical feather tags that will look great with the tribal name tags above!

from Lindsey Bee

I love these calligraphy tags because there are 12 different gift tag downloads, all with a different quote from her favorite songs or movies of the the season, including Elf and Christmas Vacation.  My two favorite Christmas movies!

from Jones Design Company

These animal Christmas gift tags are oh-so-adorable!  I printed TWO pages of these!  I think these are by far my favorite!  AMAZE-BALLS!

I printed all of these from my home printer and they look great!

More than enough, that is why I like to layer them up!

I made these tags from Paint Swatches from Lowe's!  I just cut them out with a large tag cutout I had. 

I chose black and white wrapping paper so I can add a pop of color with my ribbon and gift tags.

This wrapping paper from Target looks just like Chalkboard Art!!! 

Wrapping paper...check!  Gift Tags...check!  Ribbon...check!

Picking the perfect ribbon to match the wrapping paper!

The ends of the ribbon just look better cut at an angle for some reason!

This simple black and tan buffalo check wrapping paper is manly enough for all of the lads on your holiday list!

It's way too hard for me to pick one style of gift tags for all of my packages.  There are too many great designs out there!  So I like to mix and match, and even layer them up.  Keep your wrapping paper and ribbon coordinating, but feel free to use lots of different tag designs. I like to pick a tag that represents the person's personality receiving the gift.  Funny ones for the guys, and pretty ones for the ladies!

A woven embellishment with twine and red yarn.

My trees outside got a fresh trimming to make these gifts!

This gift was embellished with a mixture of fresh boxwood and fresh pine.

A festive feather cut-out and cute gift tag for this girl!

A fun way to wrap a gift for the littlest receivers!

I'm swooning over this chalkboard replica wrapping paper!  I want to frame it!

 
When it comes to gift giving at Christmas, I like to put just as much love into the wrapping as I know I have with the gift!  For me, Christmas gifts aren't meant to be about the most expensive thing you can buy a person that year, it's about the love and thoughtfulness of the gift!  I truly put a lot of thought and love into each of my gifts I give at Christmas!

Don't Open Until December 25th!  

 

 

For more holiday wrapping ideas, inspiration, and FREE gift tag downloads, follow my Pinterest board Holiday Gift Wrapping & Tags.


Now that I have given away all of my decorating secrets, I'm in the giving mood this season I guess, and with less than a week away from Christmas, I am going to take this time to enjoy what is left of the Christmas season with family and friends!  A bit of traveling for the holidays to my home town and up to Wisconsin will keep me away from my computer for a few days.  So, the adventures of blogging will continue in 2014!

If you missed any of the 12 Days of Decorating, here is an overview of what you missed and links to all the past DAYS so you can check them out! 

Until NEXT YEAR!  

I am so glad you have followed along with me these last 12 days.  Hopefully you will go away with some new ideas for your home.  Which day have you enjoyed the most? 

FREE HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014 PRINTABLE