Hand-Made for the Holidays... Dipping Oil for Bread

My mother, sister and I are big bread people... fresh bread right out of the oven slathered in butter- that's what I'm talkin' bout!

The worst thing I ever bought myself was a bread machine... 'cause if you're not careful, big bread people can turn into plain ole' big people!  That being said, I still love me some bread... and crackers, and   pasta, and potatoes... pretty much, carbs in general!


But I digress...

With a few simple ingredients you most likely already have, you can take this...

and turn it into this...

You'll need this (all dried herbs):

2 T dried minced garlic
1 T crushed rosemary
1 T Italian seasoning
2 t basil
1 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground pepper

Mix it all together and store in an airtight container.

These are the instructions I used on the reverse side of the labels I made.  You could just type them up on a small card as well.

"Instructions:  In a small, microwave safe bowl, mix 4 teaspoons herb mix with 1 tablespoon water.  Microwave on high 10-15 seconds.  Drain excess water; transfer mix to a shallow dish.  Add 1/4 cup olive oil & stir to combine.  Serve with crusty Italian or French bread".

I used bottles I had on hand that hold about a cup or so and filled it with a good quality olive oil; packaged the mix in a cellophane bag, and topped it with a label I created in Photoshop.  I had several wooden boxes on hand that I had made, but you could use a serving dish and wrap everything in a sheet of cellophane, or in a small basket with a loaf of crusty bread.  De-lish!

The recipe for the herb mix is enough for 3 servings... which could be split up into 3 separate portions for three separate gifts to stretch it even further.  The small tins you find in the bridal section of the craft stores (the ones you fill with almonds, etc to give out as favors) are the perfect size for a single portion.  They look good, too!

Now give it a whirl and let me know!

Linking here...

http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/2011/11/tutorials-tips-link-party-37.html
http://theinspiredcollection.blogspot.com/2011/11/debut-of-totally-inspired-tuesdays.html
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/2011/12/frugal-friday.html
http://www.ladybirdln.com/2011/12/weekend-show-off-party-12-2-11.html

Hand-Made for the Holidays.... Vintage Gift Tags

I came across some old Christmas cards I picked up a few years ago and decided to put them to use.  To save myself some money and make gift giving a little more special, I created these Vintage Gift Tags to use in place of the "clip art" style, stick-on ones.

I just import the images into a blank document (I use Publisher, but Word works just as well) and print using card stock.  I've used white and cream colored stock... I like the white for some, but the cream color gives it a little more "aged" look.

Once you've printed them, simply cut them out, punch a small hole in the corner (if you want to use as a hang tag) or just tape them directly to your package.  Easy nuf?

The complete set of six is available if you'd like to use them.  Just leave me a comment and I'll be happy to send you the file.  You can probably save the thumbnail directly from this post, but I'm not sure of the resolution or print quality.... besides, I like receiving comments!

Just let me know....

Photoshop....

I've come across many a posts out in blogland with tutorials on how to use Photoshop (or mainly Photoshop Elements/PSE.... not quite the same thing).  From what I've seen, most people use the program to enhance or correct photos they've taken before uploading them to the web.  There are some great before and after shots out there, I tell ya', and I continue to learn something new all of the time.

I use Photoshop for design work, be it web banners/pages or print media.  Most of the time these days, it's for myself (like the new business card below that I did this morning).  At this point, I do all of my printing myself on an eight-color photo printer.  For the amount I need, it makes the most sense and I've found some great on-line sources for printing materials you can't find at Staples, etc.

(low res copy before printing)

Often I'm hired as a subcontractor to design print ads, forms, flyers, etc for local businesses.

I started using Photoshop about 10 years ago.  At the time, the company I was working for wanted to find a  more cost effective way to produce their annual rental catalog (at 100 pages plus cover,over 200 photos and a boat-load of text) and I basically volunteered.  Crazy, huh?

We bought a copy of Photoshop from a friend of a friend so to speak, so I didn't even have a manual to refer to.  I had used Publisher to some degree in the past, but as anyone who has ever used Photoshop can attest to, there is absolutely NO comparison! And this was ten years ago... a lot has changed since then.

(new package label)

I taught myself how to use the program and it took me almost 3 months to complete the catalog.  But when I was done, I was ready for just about anything.  I'm still using the same version as then and I still haven't learned it all... it's definitely a day-to-day thing for me.  I'll upgrade to the newest version in the next few months and then I guess I'll be back to square one!

(just a little something I worked up yesterday- hope they like the new logo at the bottom!)

So what's out there that you're just dyin' to try?