I'm on vacation until January, so see you then! Thank you all very much for your companionship in blog land this year. I might be a teeny bit biased, but I think How About Orange readers are the kindest people on the internet. Warmest wishes for a happy holiday season to everyone!
I didn't have any self-adhesive label paper in the house when I was printing gift tags, so I pulled out my Xyron machine. I first used one of these at a design firm to mount prints onto presentation boards, but it's so useful I decided I needed one for home, too. It's light years better than glue, little pieces of double-stick tape, or spray mount that takes two days to wear off of your fingers. 
Peel off the top sheet and cut your print into stickers if you like. Then just peel the paper backing off each sticker to use them. 
I'm in present-wrapping mode, so I've rounded up a supply of printable gift tags for myself. Need some?
Freebies from Blush Printables
Tags from Wee Life: get the Tree set here and the City set here
Labels from Whisker Graphics
Help yourself to some Lemon Chicken. Designed by Crack-a-Jack Studios, it's a tasty little retro font available at no charge from Font Squirrel.
The astoundingly productive Helen Dardik has posted another freebie for us: printable holiday gift tags. Featuring her delightful illustrations, they're available right here on her site.
My Christmas tree needed more orange (of course), so I made this little thing. It appears to be a spaceship which has crashed into a circus tent. To make your own circus spaceship, you'll need two colors of regular paper, scissors, needle, thread, pencil, ruler, and two beads.
1. Cut the paper into strips that are 3.5" long and 0.5" wide. (This makes a small ornament about 3" in diameter.) Cut 9 strips of each color. Cut two 0.75" circles. Tracing around a penny works nicely.
3. String a bead onto a length of thread. Then push both ends of thread through the needle so the thread is doubled.
4. Poke the needle through one of the circles to string it next to the bead. Then string on all the paper strips near one end, alternating colors. 
5. After all the paper strips are added, begin threading the opposite ends onto the string. To do this, start with the strip you put on first (the one next to the paper circle). Take its loose end and push the needle through it. Continue threading on the paper strips in order. They'll naturally begin to fan out as you go.
6. Add the second paper circle.
My ornament has a bit of a gap on one side where the papers meet at different levels. I'll put that toward the inside of the tree, and no one will be the wiser. You could also try stringing a piece of a drinking straw inside of the ornament to act as a spacer and help it keep its shape, as suggested by a smart commenter!
Check out the charming Merry Mixer bottle labels and recipes at Hi, Friend. Print out instructions for making cranberry cocktail, apricot ginger fizz, and a pomegranate cosmo. Yum! Delight the host of your next holiday party and put to shame your friends who bring boring old bottles of wine.
Today's fun giveaway comes from Jo Totes. If you're tired of carrying your purse and a separate camera bag, one of these lovelies might be just the thing for you. Jo Totes bags do double duty—not only will they hold your camera and an extra lens or two, they'll also hold your wallet, phone, and all the other goodies you squirrel away in your purse. Repositionable pads allow you to customize your own bag. Jo Totes sent over a sample, and I can tell you the construction is top notch and the bags are gorgeous. 
Giveaway details
I've made a simple computer wallpaper version of a ribbon I designed awhile back. Download this little holiday camper desktop right here. It's mostly blank space so you can still find all your files and folders. And should you need matching ribbon, click here.
You're devastated. You were hoping to buy your mother a Hermès collier de chien bracelet, only to learn it costs $2,600 and you're ten dollars short. No worries—make a paper one. To get the printable template, click here and choose "Travel the world of Hermès." When the page loads, click the orange bar at the left and choose "Surprises." Click on the bracelet image.
Though no longer in elementary school, I still get a kick out of paper snowflakes. I made this snowflake garland the other night from origami paper, dental floss, and tape. 
Here's an 8-pointer. Unfolding is my favorite part; it's practically as thrilling as bungee jumping. To get them nice and flat, iron your snowflakes with the steam setting turned off. 
If you're hosting a cookie exchange this year, head to Joy Ever After. You'll find an entire set of printables to download, including an editable recipe card, gift tags, and more. 
We added a little more orange around the place recently. Awhile back I'd ordered some of these super inexpensive frames that come in a million sizes. I love changing things up, so we plan to switch out the prints now and then. The little cactus is from Home Depot, and our magazines and owner's manuals are now tucked away in orange files from IKEA.
A little Friday fun... If you adore Nelson clocks and Tulip tables, this quiz is for you. See how you score on these questions at TLC Home.
I love spiky starburst shapes, so I attempted a version of the traditional Polish porcupine ball. Here's how to make this cool 3D ornament—great for Christmas or decorating any time. I can imagine jumbo sized versions hanging at parties or weddings. They take awhile, though, so you'd better start making them five years before you plan to get married.
1. Cut out ten paper circles, using a jar lid or CD for a template. (My circles are 5" in diameter. I stacked sheets of computer paper and cut out several circles at once.)
3. With a pointed pen or sharp pencil, curl each tab into a cone and secure with a dot of glue. If you can pull off a tightly rolled perfect point, congratulations. I was running a little low on patience and settled for "sort of pointy," which I think also looks nice. 
4. Cut two small pieces from a wide rubber band. These will hold the ornament together at each end.
5. Thread a needle and knot the ends of the thread together. String on one of the rubber band pieces.
6. Push the needle through the centers of five stars with their flat sides face down. Turn over the remaining five stars so their flat sides are facing up and thread them on, followed by the second rubber band piece.
7. With a chopstick or pencil, push down on the rubber band to compress the stars into a ball while pulling upward on the string with your other hand. The rubber should hold the stack together without requiring a knot. Adjust the paper cones as needed to make a pleasing shape. 
I've got a DIY tutorial up at Design*Sponge today: coasters made from vintage postage stamp images. A quick and easy handmade gift idea, perhaps? Click over to the site to get the instructions along with a printable PDF for making your own.
West Elm is offering a set a of DIY downloads for Christmas gift labels, menus, recipe cards, name tags, and more. Choose from four different suites and print away.
Vintage coffee set by Follyandglee
Creative Zone by Superflash Photography
Happy Thanksgiving, all! You might enjoy this printable illustration from Draw Pilgrim in Australia—a conciliatory gesture for Americans arriving at her website after searching the internet for how to draw pilgrims. Funny. Pilgrim suggests posting it on your door to welcome guests or laminating it for placemats. 
A handful of sweet items to sew or craft:
Happy Monday, all! I'm delighted to announce a new giveaway: two readers can win a framed art print of their choice from the new and improved Thumbtack Press! Thumbtack offers a curated collection of work from over 100 artists and illustrators. When I say I'm delighted, it's not blogger hyperbole, either. I've ordered from Thumbtack Press myself and can verify that their prints are terrific. Their paper stock is really heavy, and their inks are archival and stated to be fade resistant for 100 years, which ought to be just about long enough. Prices are super affordable.
How to win a framed print
The owl craze is still going strong. For those who can't get enough of them, I present to you the Owl Lover 2011 printable calendar by My Owl Barn. Customize your calendar online by choosing from 30 different owl illustrations. Then generate a high res PDF, download, and print. Nifty!
New jacquard ribbons I designed for J Caroline arrived on my doorstep yesterday. It's always exciting (and scary) to see the finished product since I never know if the colors will turn out as expected. And flat Illustrator files always look cuter with real life texture than they do on my monitor, so I eagerly await these samples.
Everybody else got dumped onto a piece of foamboard. Here are all three colorways.
Sewing ribbon warranted a few props since it was easier to find a spool of thread than recruit some squirrels to pose with their ribbon. 
These are now available at J Caroline Creative in 25-yard rolls and at Banberry Place (check pages 3 or 4) by the yard. Coming soon to other retailers!
If you want to get a jump on printing out Christmas goodies, here's a hand-drawn holiday card, compliments of Mufn Inc. 
Possibly my Christmas shopping would be more inspired if I wrote ideas on special stationery. Download a printable shopping list from Atypical Type A.
