HGTV DIY Holiday Countdown {Free Download}

Guess what. . . today is a very good day!! Are you shocked you are hearing from me so soon? I know, I’m hoping to keep this trend going! Now, back to the real excciting news!!! If you “like” my page on facebook you might remember seeing a “teaser” photo that I posted back in mid-September. The project I was working on has gone LIVE, and now I can share all the juicy details with you too. Okay, so there really aren’t any “juicy” details, but that just sounded more enticing!

Back in July, my DIY mini Cupcake Stands were featured on HGTV.com. They were included in the DIY Party Decor: Simple and Creative Ideas for Your Next Bash. Check out photo number 4 on the slideshow!

I was totally honored to be featured for two reasons. One, this was actually my own photo. I am not at all a professional photographer, nor do I aspire to be, but I do love a good photo! I always try to take photos that will look “pretty” on my blog! So, having one of my own photos used, as opposed to one taken by my fabulous photographer friends/family members was pretty cool. Two, it’s nice to know that tons of people will get to see my mini cupcake stands and hopefully they will be inspired to make them too!

Don’t get me wrong, the more publicity the better, right? The only thing that was a little bitter sweet about the whole feature was that I didn’t “design” these. I mean, I created them yes, but I’m a graphic designer. That’s my bread and butter. So, it was super cool that these were featured, but it would have been way cooler had I DESIGNED them, you know?

Fast forward just a few months. . . I was contacted again by HGTV.com, assistant editor, Kayla Kitts (to be more specific). She wanted to know if I was up to styling/creating “something” for their upcoming “24 Handmade Holiday Decorations” segment (check out photo number 2). Are you kidding me? Of course, I jumped at the opportunity! I don’t know about you, but I am not trained to start thinking about Christmas until late November. My photos had to be submitted on September 14th. Let the challenge begin. . .

Honestly, I had no idea what I was going to design! I knew I wanted to showcase my graphic design abilities this time. After spending some much needed time browsing Michael’s Craft Store for inspiration, I came up with an idea. Design a holiday tag! Not just any tag though, a Holiday Countdown Tag!!! Let your creativity run wild with these. Use them however you see fit!

In fact, it wasn’t until I went to my girlfriend, Laura’s house and scanned her garage full of decorations that I decided how I was going to use them. Isn’t the cloche dome just beautiful. Not familiar with the word cloche? Don’t worry, I wasn’t either until I googled “chicken wire dome decoration” and realized it had a really fancy name! By no means, do you need to use them like “we” (Laura helped me style these photos) did! Play with them until something inspires you! I’d love to see what you come up with though, so shoot me an email or send me a message on facebook to show off your creations!

Plus, I didn’t just design them in one color. Oh, no! You know me, I am an overachiever. I designed them in 4 colors. Yes, that’s right FOUR colors!!! This should give you some creative freedom! Have fun with them!

Want to know the good news? All of these tags are available for FREE! If you check out the HGTV.com feature, you can download the “Green” Tags. However, all of them are available right here!!! Please share these, pin them, tell your friends and family, etc.

Teal Holiday Countdown Tags

Green Holiday Countdown Tags (see photo 2)

Blue Holiday Countdown Tags

Pink Holiday Countdown Tags

*** I’d like to say thank you to Laura Grim for helping me style the shoot and for the use of her fabulous photo props. She never lets me down. I’d also like to thank you too, Kayla Kitts, for believing in me and giving me an opportunity to showcase my work!!