Donna B Miller

Holiday Fonts

Just four more days till Christmas. The presents are bought and wrapped, but my house is a mess and I still have lots of baking to do. So what am I doing? Working on a new art project, of course.

Kathryn Balint just released the Little Jake collection, and I couldn't wait to begin a new art journal using it. If you like vintage, be sure to check it out. In addition to the beautiful floral papers and elements shown below, the collection also includes a vintage alpha, an amazing torn journal, and a set of stamps.

For this week's Fun Friday Freebies, I've been searching the web for holiday fonts. Here are some of my favorites.

For just plain pretty, you can't beat Santa's Sleigh by HypoTypo

 

Feeling a little Scrooge-like? Check out Grinched by SharkShock.

 

St. Nicholas by Scriptorium is a little more traditional.

Here's a great font that can be used year-round, Holiday Leftovers by Font Diner.

 

Two Peas is offering Gift, a festive little font perfect for titling.

 

And, finally, for those who are crying "Bah, humbug," here's Christmas on Crack from Font Garden.

 

Free Templates

You're the crafty one in your family. That means your gifts, your tree, your packaging are expected to be a little special. Use these templates, and you'll be getting oohs and aahs with a minimum amount of effort.

If you've bought gift cards, be sure to check out the Scrapbookgraphics blog, Studio Matters, for a free template to make these beautiful gift card holders. Designed by my buddy, Karen Maggie, they're easy-to-do, and oh so elegant.

Mirkwood Designs offers dozens of templates for everything from envelopes to boxes to wine glass shades. There's even a template for an old-fashioned fan. Wouldn't this look great on a package wrapped in Victorian papers?

If you're feeling crafty, be sure to check out Stampington and Company's Tempting Template page. Wouldn't this purse, designed by Holly Tondre, make a beautiful gift for a young girl?

 

And, I'll end with a special site, indeed. It just wouldn't be Christmas, if you didn't visit the Toymaker. This is simply one of my favorite sites of all time. Designer Marilyn Scott-Waters has created a magical place, filled with art and papercrafts ready for downloading. Perfect for children, and for the children in all of us, these projects are ready to be cut out and assembled. It doesn't get much easier than that. Click here for the Christmas templates.

   

Quirkle Challenge: Season's Greetings

Ruthpics outlined the parameters for last week's Quirkle Challenge at Digital Art Quirks. Create a 6x6 work using snow, wings, and an emphasized word of meaning to the creator.

I've been thinking a lot about the word joy since my recent trip to Disney World. In the "happiest place on earth," I saw so many people who looked stressed, tired, and just downright angry. What a shame. Sometimes I fear that our society has lost its ability to find happiness in simple things. So that's what I'm wishing my blog readers and fellow Quirks: I wish you joy.

 

Photo from stock.xchng; background paper (blended) and wings from Lie Fhung's Soaring kit; snowflakes and stars from Fhung's Lumoz Whimsy 2.

Freebies: Odds and Ends

Have you missed the Fun Friday Freebies? I'm afraid I've been a very bad blogger. Between a nasty virus, the Thanksgiving holiday, and a week-long trip to Disney World, I haven't had a whole lot of time at the computer.

So let's see what's new freebies are out there for digital artists.

Seishido has a fun little Christmas surprise for those looking for new brushes. She has an advent calendar with a new gift each day. Click on the box that says "Surprise, Surprise, Surprise" and you'll be taken to the calendar. Click on the current date, and you'll find free brushes to download. Be sure to check back each day because the brushes are only available for 24 hours.

Scrap Stew Sue is offering a set of 17 ornament shapes on her blog. Aren't they cute? Be sure to check out her free diamond snowflakes while you're there.

Bittbox is offering five new rock textures that are just plain cool. Here's one of my favorites.

And, just for the holidays, here's a tutorial on how to create a digital snowglobe. It's from Graphics Soft.  Here's the finished product.

Save a Grocery List

Who knew? My favorite blogger, Patti Digh, ended up receiving over 120 pieces of art for her 37 Days book project. Lucky me, I was assigned the essay, "Save a Grocery List," to illustrate. In her article, Patti talks about the importance of handwriting, about the impact seeing a written name, letter, or yes, even a grocery list, can have on our descendents.

I ended up doing a vintage collage, using a shopping list in the background to carry the message.