that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

Charlie Brown Christmas - Kinetic Text Animation from A Pair of Pears on Vimeo

(if you're an email subscriber, you'll need to click the link to view the video)

Charlie Brown Christmas Printable by A Pair of Pears

What's not to love about Linus recounting the story of Christmas? It just never gets old. Plus, Linus has a trusty blanket, and I too had a trusty blanket up until a year and a half ago, so Linus and I have a lot in common. 

xoxo.

diy monday: custom facebook covers [how-to and free downloads!]

Happy Monday, friends! Have you switched to the Facebook timeline yet? I switched a few weeks ago, and I think it's a lot of fun, especially the cover photo. The only problem with the cover photo is that a lot of low-resolution photos (especially ones pulled from Facebook) tend to look blurry when blown up to that size. So, I decided to design a few Facebook cover images with my favorite quotes/verses. Here's what I came up with (and how they would look on my--or your--page):

 

 

If you have photoshop, here's how to make a custom Facebook cover:

Step 1: Create a new document that is 1000x368 pixels

Step 2: Create a New Pattern Fill Layer

Step 3: Select Your Pattern (see sources below)

Step 4: Using the type tool, add text to your image

Step 5: Save the image as a JPEG

And that's it! Also, I should point out that I have no graphic design training, so if I went about this the wrong way, or I'm making any of you real designers cringe, my apologies.

Now, for your free downloads. To download, right click on any of these images, click "Open Link in New Tab" and drag the image to your desktop. Then go to your Facebook page and upload your new cover! 

And here's some versions without text. You can always add your own, or leave them blank.

If you don't have the timeline yet, but want to get it, the easiest way to switch is to visit one of your friend's pages who has timeline, and you should see a prompt at the top to switch to the timeline format.

Happy cover-ing!

xoxo.

Sources

Doily Thoreau Cover: Lace Doily // Paper Background // Typeface

Blue Chevron Isaiah 54:10 Cover: Blue Chevron Background // Typeface

Yellow Lace Churchill Cover: Yellow Background // Lace Ribbon // Typeface

Gray Chevron Hepburn Cover: Gray Chevron Background // Typeface

happy holidays [free download]

 Happy Friday! I've got a fun little freebie for you today...and 8x10 print with my favorite holiday phrase:
merry and bright

I've decided to start offering a free downloadable print each month, and what better time to begin than the holidays? Click here to download the print. All you need is a printer, some cardstock and an 8x10 frame and you're good to go! 

I tried to get a good picture of where I've hung mine, but the lighting was pretty poor. Still, you get the idea...

Click here to download your own. You can either save it to your computer (by clicking File --> Download Original) or print (File --> Print PDF). It will print on 8.5x11 paper or cardstock, and you can use the handy dotted line to cut it to 8x10 size.

Have a fabulous weekend!

xoxo.

P.S. Since this is my first go-around at using Google Docs for free printables, please let me know if you have trouble accessing or downloading the file!

are you a planner? [printable blog calendar]

Now that I'm a working girl, I have to be a little more intentional about posting on The Bright Life. I can't wait for inspiration to suddenly strike sometime throughout the day! Some people might think that planned posts are less inspired, but I beg to differ. I rely on planning, which is why I created this calendar for myself. Aaaaand, lucky you...I'm sharing!

There's a spot for the month, each day of the month (or most of them...i could only fit 28 days), your post idea or title, and a quick description so you can remember what you had planned for the day. 

If you'd like your own, click "Download" and plan away!

xoxo.

don't forget. [free printables]

Happy Thursday friends! I'm a little late in posting today, but I'm hoping to make it up to you with a free download (below)! Landon and I almost always forget something when we go out and about, whether it be our reusable bags for the grocery store or the detergent when we're headed to the laundromat.

To hopefully remedy our forgetfulness, I've made these little tags and posted them by our front door. Everything we need to remember for each of our usual stops. 

Here are the tags, next to our outgoing mail drop [aka ribbon + clothespins]: 

Well, what do ya think? Feel free to download your own below. First up are the tags I made, but if you need a reminder about other items, feel free to download the second, which should allow you to type in your own items. I say should because I've never actually tried using the "create a form" feature on Acrobat until today. 

And friends, I'd love to make more of these, so if I missed one of your usual stops, let me know and I'll make one just for YOU! Isn't that nice? :) Enjoy!

xoxo.

P.S. More downloads here.

get your planning on [free printable]

Looking for a weekly meal planner? Check out this one [designed by yours truly], free for download on the CookingThyme blog! 

xoxo

get organized: keeping track of gifts [free download].

happy new year! for those of you who share my ongoing goal of getting organized, feel free to download my gift tracker! my mom asked me to updated my christmas gift tracker for her, and create one that she can use all year long for birthdays, special events, etc. and here it is! just download the pdf and use it any way you'd like. for more, check out the birthday calendar, bill calendar and christmas gift tracker.

Gift Tracker

wrap it up: christmas edition [download]

Christmas Gift Tracker 2010

as promised, i've created a christmas edition of the "wrap it up" birthday calendar. in the months before christmas, i often get gift ideas but forget them by the time the holidays roll around. this way, i can keep track of gift ideas, then decide what the gift will be, and mark if it's been purchased, wrapped and given. feel free to download it for yourself if you'd like!
for more charts and downloads, click here.

keep track. [download]

Birthday Calendar

i've got another little chart to share. this one is to keep track of birthdays and anniversaries each month, feel free to download it if you'd like.
oh, and there's a christmas edition coming soon.
xoxo.
see more here.

pay up. [download]

Pay_Up_2010

landon and i started financial peace university last week and are determined to stay on track with our finances from the beginning! most of our bills are set to auto-payment and paperless, but i still want to keep track of when they're all due. so i made this chart to fill in the day of the month that each bill is due. feel free to download a copy and use it for yourself if you'd like!

xoxo.