Merry Christmas!

Christmas Morning Smiles

I know, I know, the Christmas season is not all about the presents... but man, Christmas morning was sure fun when I was a kid. I mean, look at my face in the picture above. I am ecstatic over my doll... and that Knit Magic and finger paint set is also pretty darn cool!

We had a tradition growing up where my dad would tie a bow on our living room doorway, and we could not go in until my parents were both awake. As you can imagine, this was excruciating. I mean, how long would my mom take? Was she really brushing her teeth AND getting her coffee too?

The doorway had slats in it, and we'd scrunch our eyes, and peak through the gaps, trying to get a little clue of what lay behind. Finally, when the coffee was made, and my parents were ready, the door would open. It was magic. Presents piled high, and the tree glimmering with lights. We'd race to our stockings and being the frenzy.

We've carried on the bow tradition with my kids as well. They absolutely love it. They too have that same moment when the door opens and they see all the goodies! It really is magic.

Even with the present brigade, the season is much more than that - it's family, it's traditions, it's being together and enjoying the moment. I hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with all those moments too!

Goodbye to an Old Friend

We said goodbye to an old friend this week... our 14 year old Jeep. It's been through a lot with us. It drove me to my wedding weekend and brought me home from the hospital with both kids. It bumbled up and down the streets of San Francisco, and commuted many years to Silicon Valley during the high tech frenzy. It went on countless road trips around the West, winding through the woods of the Northwest and cruising the flashy streets of Los Angeles. It spent many snowy days in Tahoe, and sunny afternoons at the beach. But most of all, it toodled around town and took us to places we needed to go. We loved our Jeep and will miss him dearly.

So, to you Jeepy, I say, "Cheers & thanks for all the adventures!"

Free Printable Hand Drawn Merry Christmas Tags

Free Printable Hand Drawn Holiday Tags by B.Nute productions

We're coming in to the holiday home stretch! Yesterday I made caramel for the first time. It was a simple recipe I found on How Does She called 15 Minute Caramels. Making them was easy, wrapping them up was a little more difficult, but either way, they are delicious and well worth the effort.

Felt Gift Card Holders with Vintage Jewelry Embellishments

Felt Gift Card Holders Embellished with Vintage Jewelry

I know, I know... gift cards can be so impersonal. I still do have a couple requests for some on my holiday list, though, so I decided to jazz up the delivery to make them a little more special. There is so much crafty goodness happening with felt these days. I've seen a couple examples of felt card holders on the web, but decided to put a little

Free Printable Vintage Ornament Note Card

Free Printable Vintage Ornament Holiday Note Card by B.Nute productions

Someday I'd love to have a Christmas tree filled with just vintage ornaments. The wonderful shapes, worn textures, retro designs would sparkle among the tree lights. I'd add a little tinsel too, just for more glitter and vintage charm. Since I don't own any of these

Free Printable Good Deeds Cootie Catcher / Fortune Teller

Free Printable Good Deeds Cootie Catcher by B.Nute productions

The holiday season always seems to rush by in a flurry of shopping trips, school events, and holiday parties. Many times my family can get so busy, that we start to loose focus of the real meaning of the season. To help remember the purpose, I've tried to carry on a tradition that my mom started when I was growing up. My mom would ask us to think up a good deed to do for the day during the holiday season. Then, at dinner time, we'd share what we'd done and talk about how it made us feel.

Free Printable Hand Lettered Joy Banner

Free Printable Hand Lettered Joy Banner from B.Nute productions

Here's to more joy coming your way! To match the sweet hand lettered printable JOY note cards I created, I've also made a festive holiday banner. Perfect for decorating a window, fire place mantle, door, or any place you want to add a little joy. En-JOY and have

Free Printable Hand Lettered Joy Holiday Note Cards

Free Printable Hand Lettered Joy Note Cards by B.Nute productions

As many of you may know, I just can't get enough of hand lettering! I had so much fun creating this free printable Joy Note Card. I've been experimenting with all types of drawing apps on my iPad and figuring out which ones I like best. For this card I used "Sketches." It gave me the graphic look I

Free Printable Homemade Goodness Tags

Free Printable Homemade Goodness Tags from B.Nute productions

Yesterday I spent the morning at a wonderful Christmas boutique at Filoli, a historic country estate in the Bay Area. The old mansion was decked out in all it's holiday glory, trees festooned with feathers, glitter and ornaments; gifts and goodies strewn about waiting to be purchased. At the end of the tour,

Free December 2013 Wallpaper: Deck the Halls

Free December 2013 Deck the Devices Desktop and iPad Wallpaper from B.Nute productions

Time to deck the halls (and your electronic devices) with holiday cheer! This month's free desktop and iPad wallpaper is adorned with hand drawn holiday ornaments, bright and cheery for this festive month. Enjoy!

Free December 2013 Desktop and iPad Wallpaper

Free December 2013 Ornament Desktop and iPad Wallpaper by B.Nute productions

1900x1200 December 2013 Deck the Halls Desktop Wallpaper

1980x1600 December 2013 Deck the Halls iPad Wallpaper

To set as your desktop image

Click on the 1900x1200 link above. When the image in view, on a PC, right click and select “Use Picture as Desktop Image”; For a Mac, Control-click and select “Use Image as Desktop Picture”. 

To set at your ipad wallpaper

Click on the 1980x1600 link above. When the image in in view, click and hold. Select "Save Image" from the popup menu. Once saved, select your "Settings -->Brightness & Wallpaper" and change your wall paper to the newly saved image in your photos.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving at the Nute Home, 1959

I love this photo. It was taken Thanksgiving, 1959 at my grandparent's house. My parents were just newlyweds of 5 months (they are not in this picture), and I was not even an inkling in their mind (perhaps my older brother and sister were-- but definitely not me!)

I love this photo so much because it just says "family Thanksgiving." The men are in ties, the women are dressed up. The china is being used and my grandmother's fancy goblets are out. The candles are lit, and there is a welcoming pineapple/fruit centerpiece on display. It's not a Martha Stewart affair, and would not grace the boards of Pinterest for it's recipe or party idea potential, but it sure looks like a festive gathering.

The best part about this picture is everyone has a smile on their face. So even if this was just a down-home Thanksgiving, it must have been fun!

Wishing you and your family have a wonderful, down-home Thanksgiving of your own!

Free Printable Poinsettia Holiday Tags

Free Printable Hand Drawn Poinsettia Holiday Tags by B.Nute productions

Presents, hostess gifts, homemade goodies and more... the holidays are ramping up and gift giving is upon us! I had fun drawing these bright, cheerful and modern poinsettia tags perfect for this time of year. Tie one to a bottle of wine as you head over to a holiday party, or perhaps attach to a poinsettia plant and give to a neighbor to let them know how thankful you are to have them next door. Enjoy.

Free Printable Poinsettia Holiday Tags

Free Printable Hand Drawn Poinsettia Holiday Tags by B.Nute productions

Instructions for Making Your Poinsettia Tags
1. Select the link above, and print out the page on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper. Print on white cardstock to give some weight to the tags.
2. Cut out the tags, and use as you'd like! Cut a small hole and string with ribbon to put on a gift of any kind.

Printable items are copyright protected, and provided free of charge by B.Nute productions for personal use only. B.Nute's printables can not be sold, altered, or provided for download on any other site. For questions or inquiries, please contact B.Nute productions.

Free Printable Thank You Notecards: Giving Thanks to Everyday Helpers

Free Printable Thank You Notecards for Everyday Helpers by B.Nute productions

We order pizza almost once a week from our favorite local restaurant. We've been doing this for some time now, and of course now we recognize the friendly guys that always deliver it to us. There is also our UPS man. Our house is at the end of his route, and sometimes he's dropping packages off past 7pm! Although these great folks are "just doing their job" sometimes it's nice to give them that extra thank you to let them know you appreciate their hard work.

Free Printable Thank You Note Card for the Delivery Person by B.Nute productions

In the spirit of thankfulness this holiday season, I've created a few hand drawn mini note cards specifically for those everyday helpers like your pizza delivery person, your package delivery person and your mail carrier. So print a few out, and write a quick note of thanks to let them know you appreciate what they do. Of course, these note cards can be used all year round so print a few extra to use just when the moment strikes.

Free Printable Thank You Note Card for the Mail Person from B.Nute productions

Free Printable Mini Thank You Notecards
for Everyday Helpers

Free Printable Mini Notecards for Everyday Helpers from B.Nute productions

Instructions for Printing Your Mini Thank You Notecards
1. Select the link above at the bottom of the image, and print out the artwork on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper (in landscape mode.) Use white card stock to add some weight to the card.
2. Cut out the mini notecards and fold in half. Give to your pizza delivery person, package delivery person or mail carrier.

Printable items are copyright protected, and provided free of charge by B.Nute productions for personal use only. B.Nute's printables can not be sold, altered, or provided for download on any other site. For questions or inquiries, please contact B.Nute productions.

Free Printable Thanksgiving Cootie Catchers / Fortune Tellers

Free Printable Thanksgiving Cootie Catchers from B.Nute productions

Here's the perfect printable to add some fun to your Thanksgiving celebration- 2 free Thanksgiving themed cootie catcher/fortune tellers. One is full of fun Thanksgiving facts, and the other will hopefully spur some great conversations about being thankful.

So, print out a bunch out, and set them around the table to keep the conversation going between young and old this Thanksgiving!

Free Printable Thanksgiving Cootie Catchers

Thanksgiving "Thankful" Cootie Catcher

Free Printable Thankful Thanksgiving Cootie Catcher from B.Nute productions

Thanksgiving "Fun Facts" Cootie Catcher

Free Printable Fun Facts Thanksgiving Cootie Catcher from B.Nute productions

Instructions for Making Your Thanksgiving Cootie Catchers
1. Select link above (below each image), and print out from your browser. 
2. Trim the edges/extra paper.
3. Now begin to fold. For detailed folding instructions, see Cootie Catcher Folding Instructions from the Daring Book for Girls.
4. Now read your Thanksgiving fun facts and think of all the things you are thankful for this year!

Printable items are copyright protected, and provided free of charge by B.Nute productions for personal use only. B.Nute's printables can not be sold, altered, or provided for download on any other site. For questions or inquiries, please contact B.Nute productions.

Free Printable Today I am Thankful Artwork

Free Printable "Today I Am Thankful" Artwork from B.Nute productions

The holiday season is officially upon us. There is just a little more than a week until Thanksgiving, and then December festivities follow quickly behind. To celebrate this year I've decided to dedicate the next 6 weeks to a free holiday printables spree! I look forward to creating all sorts of goodies you can use through out the season and beyond.

First up is a whimsical, hand drawn "Today I Am Thankful" printable. It's perfect to frame and place on your fireplace mantle, bookshelf, or shelf behind your kitchen sink. When things get really hectic this season, read it (and reread again) and remember to take a deep breathe and be thankful!

There's a lot going on in my family right now, and although some has been quite stressful, I do realize everyday that I am VERY thankful! It's hard to remember when times are tough, but perhaps that's when it's an even better reminder.

So, enjoy this free printable, and the printables to come in the next coming weeks, and today be thankful!

Free Printable "Today I Am Thankful" Artwork

Today I Am Thankful Free Printable 5"x7" Artwork by B.Nute productions

Instructions for Printing Your "Today I Am Thankful" 5x7 Artwork
1. Select the link above at the bottom of the image, and print out the artwork on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper. Use white card stock to add some weight to the art.
2. Cut out the sign and put in an festive 5"x7" frame. Decorate your space with the art.

Printable items are copyright protected, and provided free of charge by B.Nute productions for personal use only. B.Nute's printables can not be sold, altered, or provided for download on any other site. For questions or inquiries, please contact B.Nute productions.

Free Printable "It's a Party" Invitation

Free Printable "It's a Party" Hand Drawn Party Hat Invitation from B.Nute productions

I'm back from my long weekend in New York City, and ready to dive into the holidays... well, almost! Before the holiday rush, we still have a few birthdays to celebrate around my house.

As I was planning out those celebrations, I had fun doodling various party hats. I just love party hats. My mom has always been a fan as well. To this day, for family birthday celebrations she'll always have hats at the table. Newcomers to the scene may be tentative to put the hats on, but the rest of the family happily grab there's and gets ready to celebrate. There's nothing like a party hat to signify it's time to party!

So in honor of parties and birthdays at anytime of the year, I've created this Free Printable "It's a Party" Party Hat invitation. Just print it out, fill in your details and send it off. A whimsical and playful way to let folks know it's time to celebrate!

Free Printable "It's a Party" Invitation

Free Printable "It's a Party" Party Hat Invitations by B.Nute productions

Instructions for Making "It's a Party" Party Hat Invitations
1. Select link above, and print out the invitations on 8.5" x 11" white card stock from your browser. (Print in landscape mode.) I suggest using a heavier card stock to give the invitations some weight. 
2. Cut out each invitation.
3. Fill in with your party information!

Printable items are copyright protected, and provided free of charge by B.Nute productions for personal use only. B.Nute's printables can not be sold, altered, or provided for download on any other site. For questions or inquiries, please contact B.Nute productions.

Notes from the Studio: New York City Here I Come!

New York City Memories from When I Lived There 20 Years Ago!

Right now, I'm heading on a big jet plane to New York City! I'm off on a girls weekend, meeting up with a college friend for fun. I just can't wait.

It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since I lived in New York City. What?! 20 years? How on earth has time gone by so fast? In some ways, it seems like just yesterday, and in others, a lifetime ago. So many things have changed, but then again, so many things remain the same.

At the top is a collage of pictures I took of New York when I lived there. I was going to graduate art school at Pratt Institute and thoroughly engrossed in computers and art. At the time, multi-media (on CD-ROMs) was blossoming and I wanted to be a part of it. I got my first email address through a very progressive community called EchoNYC. It was dial-up with a command line interface, but the "chat" feature was very cool. The web was in it's absolute infancy. There was talk that the Whitney Museum (in New York) was building a website, and everyone wanted to know more. There were no cell phones, no iPads, no digital cameras, no texting. These things may have been invented, but were definitely not part of everyday living like today. When I think how far technology has come since I lived in New York, it's clear 20 years has passed.

But when I look through the images above, it's fun to see that a lot of what was attractive to me then, still interests me today. Finding back streets with colorful street art, exploring the whimsical Coney Island, the adventure I took to Fulton Fish Market at 5AM, the beauty of the subway that got me everywhere - at any time... For this weekend away, I hope to have some crazy adventures like those back then.

I'll definitely be posting some pictures from the road. As the saying goes, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Look forward to finding out if this is true!

Party Planning 101: Resources for Planning Your Next Party

Party Planning 101: Resources for Planning Your Next Party

My daughter's birthday is coming up, and we are ready to try something different. Now that she's a tween, she's ready to take over the reigns and plan her own party! Although I've always loved to plan my kids' parties, I must say, I'm excited to see what she'll come up with. She already has several themes bubbling in her head, including games, crafts and more. Of course, I know I won't be completely out of the picture (she'll need me to drive her to buy the supplies, food, etc.), I think this will be a great experience for her.

We're going to give her a budget, and I thought instead of reinventing the wheel, I'd look out on the web for party planning worksheets, tips and more she can use.  Within only a few clicks, I found loads of wonderful free party planning resources just waiting to be printed up. There's pretty much a planning printable for any type of party, from your kid's birthday party to your annual holiday get together.

Below is just a partial list of the resources I've gathered. I've also created a Pinterest board: Party Planning 101 with loads more ideas. Such a wonderful party community on the web-- everyone seems to want to help you get plan the perfect party and have fun! So get ready and start planning.

Party Planning Resources from Around the Web

General Party Planning Worksheets, Checklists and Apps

• Party Planning Worksheets (Checklists, Guest List, Gift Record, etc) from A Pair of Pears
• One Page Party Planning Sheet from Printed Ink
• Let's Boogie - Fun Party Planning Worksheets from ARMommy
• Loads of Party Planning Templates on Tip Junkie
• Detailed Kids Party Planning Guide from Start to Finish on The Momiverse from the Party Pail
• Hosting by the Numbers

Budget Planning for a Party

• Party Budget Printable from Parties for Pennies
• Party Budget Checklist from Confetti Sunshine

Theme Ideas

• *The* List of Party Themes
• List of Holiday Party Themes
• List of Baby Shower Themes
• List of Bridal Shower Themes

Places to have a Party

• List of Places to Have a Party

People to Hire to Help at a Party

• List of People to Hire for your Party

Food Ideas and Amount of Food Needed

• List of Party Foods
• Party Drinks - Planning Guide (for Adult Parties)
• How Much Food to Serve at a Party from Chickabug

Game Ideas for Parties

• List of Traditional Party Games

Free November 2013 Wallpaper: A Thanksgiving Feast and a Contest

Free November 2013 Wallpaper: A Thanksgiving Feast from B.Nute productions

November is here! Can you believe it? I can practically hear the jingle bells of Christmas and the holiday season taking over... but before it does, I'm here to get you ready to celebrate Thanksgiving.

For this months free desktop and iPad calendar, I've created a Thanksgiving feast, every possible food I could think of that might be served on Thanksgiving arranged in a calendar. I must admit, although there has never been a shortage of food at our Thanksgiving celebrations, it was somewhat challenging to come up with 30 different items. I'd love to know if I've missed one of your family favorites!

Thanksgiving Giveaway Contest
To add a little fun to this months wallpaper give-away, I thought I'd also hold a CONTEST. Yes, a contest with a PRIZE too! The first person to guess the most number of Thanksgiving foods I have illustrated in this free wallpaper wins. Simple as that! And, what's the prize you ask, I'll send the winner a set of stylish notecards, matching envelopes, and matching stickers, perfect for writing thank yous or greetings to friends and family.

So, here's what you have to do to enter:
1. Send me an email to questions@bnute.com with all your guesses of the food items illustrated in my November 2013 Thanksgiving Feast wallpaper.
2. The first person to guess the most correct number of food items illustrated wins!
3. The contest will end November 30, 2013. On that date, I'll tally up all the answers and see who got the most food items correct.

Look forward to your guesses!

Free November 2013 Desktop and iPad Wallpaper

Free November 2013 Thanksgiving Feast Wallpaper from B.Nute productions

1900x1200 November 2013 Thanksgiving Feast Desktop Wallpaper

1980x1600 November 2013 Thanksgiving Feast iPad Wallpaper

To set as your desktop image

Click on the 1900x1200 link above. When the image in view, on a PC, right click and select “Use Picture as Desktop Image”; For a Mac, Control-click and select “Use Image as Desktop Picture”. 

To set at your ipad wallpaper

Click on the 1980x1600 link above. When the image in in view, click and hold. Select "Save Image" from the popup menu. Once saved, select your "Settings -->Brightness & Wallpaper" and change your wall paper to the newly saved image in your photos.

Happy Halloween!

Boo! That's me, the ghost with my Sisters and Brother, Halloween 1969

Here's one from a long time ago-- yes, that's me, the happy ghost. As you can see, I was very excited to be out trick or treating with my older brother and sisters!

Are you dressing up this evening for Halloween? Are you heading out trick or treating with your kids? Fortunately, my 2 still want me to trick or treat with them. We'll be heading out with friends trying to get as much candy as possible, I'm sure. It won't be long until they want to be on their own, so I'll cherish these last few Halloweens as long as I can.

Hope you have a wonderful and safe Halloween!

Free Printable Halloween Pretend Witches Spells

Free Halloween Printable: Pretend Witches Spells from an Old Spell Book by B.Nute productions

And the Halloween fun continues... today I'm exploring the world of witches and spooky (or not so spooky) spells! Have you ever wondered where that lost toy, lost phone, or lost t-shirt went? Summon it to appear with this Bring Back the Lost Toy spell (substitute the word "toy" with whatever you are missing.) What about bad dreams? I've created the perfect pleasing spell sure to warrant only the sweetest of dreams!

Print these out and add to a spell book for a witches costume, or frame them and decorate the Halloween mantle or bookcase shelf along with other witch and warlock paraphernalia; an old spell book or two, a magic wand, a few tails of newt, a hat and possibly even a broom.

Free Printable Pretend Witches Spell
Bring Back the Lost Toy Spell

Free Printable Pretend "Bring Back the Lost Toy" Spell by B.Nute productions

Sweet Dreams Spell

Free Printable Pretend "Sweet Dreams" Spell by B.Nute productions

Instructions for Making Your Printable Pretend Spells
1. Select each links above (below the image) and print out the spell on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper. Print on white cardstock to give the spell some weight. Now just cut out each, and place in a 5"x7" frame. (Each image is 5"x7")
2. Place the pretend spells on your fireplace mantle, or add to a book case for some spooky witch Halloween decoration.

Printable items are copyright protected, and provided free of charge by B.Nute productions for personal use only. B.Nute's printables can not be sold, altered, or provided for download on any other site. For questions or inquiries, please contact B.Nute productions.

Free Printable Ghostly Ancestor Halloween Photos: Perfect for a Spooky Decoration

Free Printable Ghostly Ancestor Photos by B.Nute productions

Make your mantle, or hallway walls extra creepy this year by hanging these free printable ghostly ancestor photos. Two lovely bride and groom pictures and an old-time musician with skeleton features will haunt your house for old fashioned Halloween fun!

Each photo is 5"x7" and will fit in a standard frame. Just print them out and swap out your cute family photo for these creepy ones-- just for a few spooky days as we get close to Halloween festivities. These images are also the perfect look for a Gothic Halloween party. For extra credit,  make up ghost stories about the folks in the pictures and how they lived!

Free Printable Ghostly Ancestor Halloween Photos

Ghostly Ancestors Halloween Photo #1: Bride and Groom (by B.Nute productions)

Ghostly Ancestors Halloween Photo #2: Bride and Groom (by B.Nute productions)

Ghostly Ancestors Halloween Photo #3: The Musician (by B.Nute productions)

Instructions for Making Your Ghostly Ancestor Halloween Photos
1. Select each links above (below the photo) and print out the photo on a 5"x7" photo paper, then put in a spooky frame to add to the look.
2. If you don't have 5"x7" photo paper, you can also print each photo on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper. Print on white cardstock to give some weight to the photo. Now just cut out each photo, and place in a 5"x7" frame.
3. Place the photos on your fireplace mantle, or on a wall to add some spookiness to your Halloween.

Special thanks to The Graphics Fairy for the original vintage photos (pre-ghost!)
Printable items are copyright protected, and provided free of charge by B.Nute productions for personal use only. B.Nute's printables can not be sold, altered, or provided for download on any other site. For questions or inquiries, please contact B.Nute productions.

Free Printable Bag o' Bones Treat Bag

Free Printable Bag o' Bones Treat Bag Image by B.Nute productions

The Halloween countdown is on, and it's time for some fun (and spooky) free printables! I just love old anatomical bones illustrations, and thought they'd make a great image to put on a treat bag to hand out at Halloween. 

What should you put inside? Well bones, of course... bone cookies that is! There are several different type of bone cookie cutters and skeleton cookie cutters to use to get the perfect shape.  There are also loads of great bone cookie recipes online to try as well. (I've listed a few below.) Your trick or treaters will just love their "bag of bones" they get from your house!

Bone Cookie Recipes

• Boneyard Cookies on Taste of Home
• Clever Skeleton Cookies on Munchkin Munchies
• Halloween Meringue Bone Cookies on Myla Upshaw's Blog

Free Printable Bag o' Bones Treat Bag Image

Free Printable Bag o' Bones Treat Bag Image from B.Nute productions

Instructions for Making Your Bag o' Bones Treat Bag
1. The bones image above is slightly less than 5"x5" and should fit on a standard 5" wide lunch bag. Select the link above, and save image to your local computer. Open image in an editing program and crop out page title/footer. 

2. In your printer dialog box, select a custom paper size of 5"x11" (or size of paper bag you are going to print on.) Feed paper bag through printer and print image on it.

3. Now, fill your bag of bones with all sorts of Halloween goodies!

Printable items are copyright protected, and provided free of charge by B.Nute productions for personal use only. B.Nute's printables can not be sold, altered, or provided for download on any other site. For questions or inquiries, please contact B.Nute productions.

Free Printable Bear Paw Tags

Free Printable Bear Paw Tags from B.Nute productions

I just love the camp-style look, I couldn't stop at just making a Bear Country sign... I had to add some bear paws to the mix too! Here are some free printable bear paw tags, perfect for a Camping Party, a Going on the Bear Hunt Party, a Teddy Bear party, or for anyone that just likes that cabin look. Poke a hole on the edge and tie it on a hostess gift when heading out the door, or use as tags for a goodie bag at a party. It would look great tied around a small teddy bear gift as well!

Another option is to use these printable tags as buffet cards. Print them out and label with a black pen with all your food items. Prop up at the buffet table for a decorative look.

Free Printable Camp-Style Bear Paw Tags

Free Printable Bear Paw Tags from B.Nute productions

Instructions for Making Your Bear Paw Tags
1. Select the link above, and print out the page on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper. Print on white cardstock to give some weight to the image.
2. Cut out the tags, and use as you'd like! Cut a small hole and string with twine to put on a gift or a goodie bag, or use a pen and write menu items on for your buffet table.

Printable items are copyright protected, and provided free of charge by B.Nute productions for personal use only. B.Nute's printables can not be sold, altered, or provided for download on any other site. For questions or inquiries, please contact B.Nute productions.

Free Printable Bear Country 8x10 Sign

Free Printable Bear Country Sign from B.Nute productions

When we're knee deep into the Fall season, and our calendar is filled to the gills with school activities and events, I pine for a weekend in the pines. Fall time up at our family spot in Tahoe is like a little bit of heaven. The summer tourists have gone, and the skiers have not yet arrived. The lake sparkles in peace, making this a wonderful get-away.

When I made this free printable Bear Country sign, I immediately thought of this spot. This sign would be perfect in a frame in what my mom refers to as the Bear room of their cabin. It's decked out with vintage Smokey the Bear items, a log style bed and a Pendleton blanket hanging from the wall.

Well, as I mentioned, soccer games and walk-a-thons prevail... so instead, how about use this sign for a "Going on a Bear Hunt" party. It would look great on the front door, or to let kids know it's time to start a bear hunt game based on the classic children's story. Enjoy!

Free Printable Bear Country 8x10 Sign

Free Printable Bear Country 8"x10" Sign from B.Nute productions

Instructions for Making Your Bear Country Sign
1. Select the link above, and print out the page on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper. Print on white cardstock to give some weight to the image.
2. Cut out the 8"x10" image, and string with twine at the top to hang on your front door. Or, if you'd rather, put the image in a frame for decoration in a cabin-style home or at a party on the buffet table.

Printable items are copyright protected, and provided free of charge by B.Nute productions for personal use only. B.Nute's printables can not be sold, altered, or provided for download on any other site. For questions or inquiries, please contact B.Nute productions.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt Party Invitations and Ideas

Bear Hunt Party Invitations by B.Nute productions

Swishing through the tall grass, wading through a river, squishing through mud and adventuring through a forest... A Bear Hunt birthday party is the perfect theme for your little explorer! Whether you've been reading this classic tale to your child since he was little, or if you have an active gal who can't get enough of her teddy, this theme is versatile for multi-ages. With a outdoorsy flannel background, hand drawn wood texture, and cute bear sporting a raccoon, this Bear Hunt Party invitation is the perfect look to set the tone for your adventure.

Bear Hunt Party Ideas

Bear Hunt Party Ideas
Need ideas of how to entertain the crowd? Here are a host of Bear Hunt Party games sure to please all ages:

Bear Hunt for Little Ones - Set up a bear hunt obstacle course in your own yard (or home) where little ones can crawl under tables and over pillows, where they can stomp through a wading pool of water, and sift through sand. Looking for a simpler game? Tape cutout construction paper paws or bears throughout the yard, and have the little ones find them. Here are more wonderful examples:

• We're Going on a Bear Hunt - on My Little Happies
• We're Going on a Bear Hunt - on Catch My Party from That Cute Little Cake T
• Bear Scavenger Hunt Printable Game (from my blog!)
• Bear Hunt Activity - Colorful bears cut from construction paper hidden around the yard for little ones to find (on Texas Schileicher's blog)

Bear Scavenger Hunt in a Park - Hide some small teddy bears or paper paw prints in a local park, and provide a hand drawn map for the kids to run around and find them! Here is a great example:

• Going on a Bear Hunt - Hidden Bears in a Park on Erin Miller's Blog

Bear Hunt Hike
For a slightly older crowd, head to a local forested park for your bear hunt. Again, hide small stuffed animals, or paper paw prints and have the kids hike out on a hunt! Here is a creative example:

• Bear Hunt on a forested trail on My Mummy's Pennies

Be sure to head over to Pinterest as well to see loads of Bear Hunt Party ideas, perfect to help you plan your fun adventure!

Notes from the Studio: Fall Has Gone Viral + Fall Photography Ideas

Fall Has Gone Viral

As I sit here on a cold, foggy morning, and watch my Pinterest notifications flood in, I realize, Fall has truly gone viral! Who knew this season was so loved? I guess Pinterest did! What's the culprit pin, you ask? A lovely shot of Fall trees, looking up.

The Viral Fall Pin: Fall Foliage Photography Idea: Look Up! (fish eye lens optional)
[Note: Unfortunately, I could not find the source of this picture. If you do find it, please let me know, I would like to give full credit to this viral pic!]

At the end of last week, I created a Fall Foliage board on my Wanderlust Designer Pinterest page. I had just written an article on my other blog about products to pack for your Fall outing. Besides a whole host of pins pointing folks to sites that predict the exact moment to head out the door to see Fall color, I also had fun pinning some sample images for Fall photography inspiration. Seems like folks like photographing fall. The viral pin is one of them!

I haven't yet gotten myself out the door to try these photography shots... here in California, I'm waiting for a few more leaves to turn. We are well behind the rest of the country on Fall colors, but, when they do really change, I'll be ready.

In case you need some Fall photography inspiration, here are some ideas I found by trolling around my favorite spot, Pinterest:

• Look Up - Capture the fall colors by looking up into the trees.
• Fall in the City - It's sometimes hard to see Fall through all the buildings, cars, and city traffic-- but there are shots waiting to be taken. Head to the park, and find a bench. Find a leaf covered street, or a tree lined sidewalk. Juxtapose fall color with concrete buildings and sky scrapers. Fall in the city can be beautiful
• Just the Reflection - After a rainy Fall afternoon, head out and just take pictures of puddles and ponds reflecting the fall colors. The photos can be abstract, artsy and gorgeous.
• Get Low - Get on your knees and shoot pictures of the sidewalk covered with leaves, or the hiking path filled with foliage.
• Ribbon of Highway - If you are off on a Fall Foliage Weekend, but sure to stop the car on a rural street and capture the ribbon of road through the Fall colors. Make sure to watch for traffic, if you do!
• Close Up - Close up of leaves, acorns, and other Fall foliage make great pictures. One friend found a rainbow of leaf colors on a hike, then arranged the in order. The rainbow leaf spread photograph was amazing!
• Playing with Leaves - Kids love to play with leaves in the Fall. Have them throw a pile of leaves in the air and capture the color. Play with shutter speed to get great color blur.

And for more fall photography inspiration, see these sites:

• 24 Beautiful Autumn Pictures on Purple Leaves
• How to Take Awesome Pictures of the Fall - Digital Camera World

Looking forward to pinning your Fall photos and watching them go viral! Have a great weekend.