Christmas Coupons for Coffee and Donuts

Coupon for coffee and commiseration, black and white.

Give the gift of good coffee and candid conversation this Christmas. It is both affordable and will build solid relationships.

Coupon for coffee and donuts, black and white.

Christmas Coupons for A New Set of Tires

Full of Life tire coupon, vertical in black and white.

      Clip and print one of these coupons to stuff into a special gift for your adult child for Christmas. The gift of safety on the open road is by far superior to make-up or DVDs! In our home, several of the retired adults prefer to give more practical gifts for Christmas. For many years I have both received this gift personally and have also seen other very needy folks awarded the same kindness by those family members who have more lucrative incomes.

Survive the Open Road tire coupon, horizontal in black and white.

A Christmas Gift Tag Just for Dad!

Here's a little gift tag just for Dad; print it out and decorate his gifts for Christmas this year!

Dressing The Tree in 1902

This old illustration from 1870,
Harper's Bazaar depicts real candles
attached to a living Christmas tree.

How it May Be Done to Secure The Best Effects

      The Woman's Home Companion gives some hints on decorating a Christmas tree safely. It is well known that when tapers are fixed to the laden branches, after the gifts are taken off the lightened boughs spring up and often set each other on fire. The mode indicated here avoids all that. 

      "First," says the Companion, "thin cut the branches sufficiently to allow the gifts to show to good advantage. Then with an auger bore holes in a spiral row about four or five inches apart the whole length of the trunk. Have some flat sticks prepared, an inch wide and half an inch thick, and of varing lengths. Sharpen one end, and insert them according to their graduated lengths, giving each a blow or two with a hammer to insure its being firmly fixed. Paint them green. At the outer end the candle holder is firmly fixed."

      To the topmost branch before the tree is put up, affix the "Christ-child" --the winged doll, secured by slight rubber bands under the wings. Gilt paper stars and crescents are pretty, affixed here and there to the boughs. Gay silk and tarleton bags full of nuts and candy, oranges and apples, bundles of stick candy tied with ribbons, little baskets and cornucopias of figs and raisins, gilded walnuts, popcorn balls, strings of popcorn and cranberries, candy canes, paper chains--all these and other things they will suggest will decorate a tree so prettily that the children for whose pleasure it is constructed will forget, in their delight, that it is not weighted down with costly gifts. The Banner-Democrat. (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.), 25 Dec. 1902.

Decorating Early Christmas Trees:

• Christmas Tree Decoration and It's History
• Christmas Tree Traditions
• The Chronological History of The Christmas Tree

Assemble Victorian Scrap Ornaments for Christmas Fairs

Above is a photo of a Victorian child all bundled up
for Winter in her lovely white wool. I layered these
 images with tinsel rosettes and purchased glittery
snowflakes to create my version of this classic
 Victorian scrap ornament.     

       Sometimes I assemble Victorian scrap ornaments for Christmas fairs. These particular versions are both simple and inexpensive to assemble. I do not sell them for much, only a few dollars each. Whenever you are preparing for a craft fair, it is best to create a wide variety of Christmas ornaments that are priced from $2.00 and up. Some of my ornaments sell for $25.00 dollars and others for pocket change. This is because all kinds of people visit craft fairs. Some of them are looking for truely unique, one-of-a-kind pieces, but there are always patrons that spend more impulsively or that are looking for inexpensive trims for packages. The latter are the folks that I supply Victorian scrap to because these ornaments costs me very little time, energy, and supply to craft. Most folks who attend craft fairs rarely consider profit margins for artisans. Americans are so familiar with purchasing items from manufactures that they have unrealistic expectations when it comes to buying handmade product. They do not take into account the labor or the initial costs in the acquisition of materials. However, if you wish to profit from such ventures, these are important considerations to make on your own. You need to develop product that satisfies the impulsive nature of some folks in order to compete with what they are most familiar with. Don't waste time producing too much inexpensive product though, just have a bit of it for those who expect it. Spend more time producing collectable pieces, for this is the reason to attend excellent craft fairs after all.

       Above you can see that I printed Victorian scrap ladies and then cut them to layer on top of purchased glittery feathers. I cleaned images myself in Photoshop. These were in the public domain and are easy to find all over the internet.

       The finale Christmas ornaments were crafted and assembled for the Christmas fair that I attended last year. I displayed the ornaments in a giant, shallow cardboard box. The box was wrapped in a subtle brown paper so that the full attention of the customers would be focused on the product. I also filled the bottom of the box with wood shavings supplied by my husband's woodworking interests. The shavings added a subtle, pleasant odor and also gave a kind of a folksy ambiance to my displays that year.

• How to Successfully Price Your Crafts
• Save Time and Money, Choose Profitable Crafts
• How to Sell at Craft Fairs and Shows