Two years ago we moved. A new house and a new baby meant I was going to be even more forgetful about paying the bills on time. We came from a condo where our only bills were the mortgage, association fee and internet. As new homeowners I had to wrap my head around paying for electricity, water, gas, garbage, etc. Needless to say it was overwhelming. I knew I had to setup a system or we would be up to our necks in late fees! The first thing I did was to setup automatic payments on all the ones I could. But I also wanted to know how much we were spending monthly on everything so we could budget and cut back if needed. This is where the binder comes in:

Each type of bill has a page to track the amount, date due and if it has been paid. This lets me see at a glance the trends in our habits (leaving lights on or too long showers etc.). And I hate to admit it but sometimes I sound like my mom… “turn the lights off when you leave the room!” or “Are you trying to cool the whole house with the fridge?” If she knew I said those things she would be proud that it stuck, hehe.

Instead of filing the paper bills in a folder, behind each bills page I put a letter sized envelope with the top cut so I can slip in the bills.

The inside cover of the binder has a pocket which I put in a letter opener, our checkbook and stamps for easy access.

So, I know it’s already April but it’s never to late to start getting organized. There are two PDF’s one for specific bills and one generic for other types of bills.

Click here to download or click the image.

The PDF includes:

• Cable/Internet
• Electricity
• Garbage
• Gas
• Insurance
• Medical
• Water/Sewage

Click here to download the generic version or click on the image.

Gearing up for 2013! Here’s a little 8×11.5 calendar I made for my office.

(I couldn’t figure out how to make it default to landscape when opening in Adobe Reader. Make sure you check the settings and change it if needed.)

Click here or the image to download.

October already! That means Halloween is coming. Fall seems to be the kick-off for themed decorations for me. How about an early treat? Enjoy this Halloween subway art printable!

It is a PDF and approximately 8×10. Print on 8×11.5 paper. Click on the image to download.

Need some more Halloween inspiration? Check these out from our archives.

Halloween bookmarks – free printable

Halloween wreath – decor inspiration

Halloween party invitations - free printable

They’re finally finished! Turning these into editable pdfs was quite the learning experience. Not only did it take me a few tries to get the process done right I also majorly goofed and used super high res pdf’s that were over 20mb each. I only discovered that when I was trying to upload the “final” pdfs to our server and got an error message that the files were too large. So I took that as a sign that it was time for a break. Seems to always work when I get stuck on a knitting project and turns out to be true for other creations because I took another stab at it this week and SUCCESS!

[Sidebar: if anyone reading knows how to save an in progress form so I can come back to it later and edit please let me know! There were multiple times I thought I was done and found a spelling error only to have to start over.... it wasn't pretty. lol]

Without further ado… my labor of love Colorful Birthday Party Pack.

Invitation – Editable. Enter your kiddos name, date, time, address, ect. into the pdf then print. You can also add a number inside the big red balloon. Click the image on left to download. I printed on regular paper and glued that onto colorful cardstock for a layered look. Also note I had to change the font from the original invite (something about copyrights and legalities… I thought best avoid it!) Fits 4×5 envelopes.

Toppers – Editable. Add a number to the balloons. Click the image on left to download. I printed on regular paper, punched the circles out and glued that onto colorful cardstock.

Month Circles – Click the image on left to download. I used these for a picture display which I forgot to take photos of. (bummer cause it was kind of cute. hehe) I had a wall of photos and included one of each month. These were taped to the photos to identify his age.

Food or Name Labels – Editable. Enter the food or name and then print. Click the image on left to download. No action photos of these either. I cut them out and completely forgot about them when setting up… it was a little hectic! Cut the paper in half vertically then in thirds horizontally, then fold in half.  The stand like a tent. (Oh and I corrected the color order on the pdf, the image below has yellow and orange swapped. Oops!)

Poster – Editable. Enter an age in the balloon. Click the image on left to download. I framed it and placed on the mantle. Like the invites I had to change the font from the original on the right (something about copyrights and legalities… I thought best avoid it!)

Thank you cards – Click the image to download. I’m still a believer in handwritten thank yous. (Although I’ve still yet to send ours…. but better late then never?! And a shame he’s too little to write his own. Maybe a few squiggles will do?) Like the invites, I plan on gluing to cardstock before sending. Fits 4×5 envelopes.

And if you’ve made it this far, thank you! See more photos of the printables in action.

Please do let me know if there are any problems with the pdf’s. I also request that these be used for personal use only and I’d love to see what you’ve done! Feel free to comment or email (info at embeshop.com) us photos.

Remember the Spring Themed Baby shower? I finally turned the boy toppers into a pdf to share. Enjoy!

To download: right click the image or link below, select “save as” and save to your computer.

For personal use only.

Click to download the baby boy 2″ circular topper.

Since the Christmas decorations came down our living room has looked a little naked. There’s one frame on our shelf that I’ve been filling with subway art for each holiday and thought I’d keep it going with a winter theme. And then what’s the point in making subway art if you don’t share it? I picked the perfect day to share- it’s currently 12 degrees in downtown Minneapolis. Hello winter!

Click the image to download or use the link below the image. It’s 8×10 to be printed on 8.5×11 paper. File is PDF.

Download – Winter Subway Art from embeshop

I’m a sucker for free downloads, but I especially love the calendars below. They’re fun and modern and a little bit of style to my otherwise boring office. Hard to believe I’ve been at my job for a year and the only decor I have is a few pics of the kids!

They are all free downloads (yay!) and while you’re visiting the sites check out all their other printables. So cute! So here we go…

Creative Mama Kokeshi Doll Calendar

*image from Creative Mama

These are so cute I squealed when I saw them. Which one is your favorite? I think I like July the best. All the pig tailed ones are adorable too though!

505 design monthly calendar with editable text

This calendar rocks because you can open it in Adobe Reader and add your own events… like birthdays and anniversaries.

Redstamp yearly calendar

The big “2012″ got me on this one.

One of the Little Peanut’s favorite songs lately is the ABC’s. After she learned her numbers I gradually introduced the alphabet song a few letters at a time and before long she was singing the whole thing! Not only that but I’m so proud that she can also recognize the letters too. It really helped that we have the magnetic letters and the Vtech sit to stand alphabet train (Which she loves like mad. One of the best gifts we have gotten!) for her to learn the ABC’s.

We don’t have a lot of wall decor in her play area so I made these fun and colorful abc posters since she’s shown such an interest in the alphabet. Now to find some (unbreakable!) frames or maybe I should try using contact paper…

Get ready for St. Patrick’s Day with these fun crafts I found online.

Living Locurto made some great cupcake toppers but you can use them for anything really. Stickers and buttons come to mind for me. Download them here.

Martha Stewart has a ton of crafts but I think these Shamrock Boutonnieres are sweet way to accessorize your St. Patrick’s Day outfit. Learn how to make them here.

Are you a knitter? Vickie Howell has two free patterns! Make a mitered shamrock or a darling pair of booties for your baby. Get the patterns.

Need a card? Zakka Life has a tutorial for a simple & sweet card.

Add a little note to your Valentines Day gift with our love heart card! The card measures about 3×3 inches.

Download card

Note: I cutout the envelope from the template then traced it onto scrapbooking  paper.

The photo on the card itself are of these darling crochet hearts from Vouge Kntting I made for the Little Peanut to give to her daddy this Valentines day.  If you’re a crocheter you still have time to whip up a few! It took me about 40 minutes to make three and that’s including the embroidery time.