A couple of weeks ago I started doodling and sketching some cowboy images for a denim valance I got a few years back.
What’s so much fun about working online is all of the creative opportunities there are. It feels like I learn something new every day! When I was sketching & doodling I showed my friend Angie from The Country Chic Cottage. She just happened to be planning a cowboy-themed birthday party for her son and wondered if I could turn some of my stuff into printables.
Um . . . printables? Sure! Why not?
Lemme answer why not before you do. Perhaps because I have no idea what printables are. Or perhaps because it’s been close to 20 years since I gave a kid’s birthday party. And I definitely never gave a themed birthday party.
It was the 90’s, my friends, when my boys were small. Before Pinterest. Heck, before the Internet! Digital meant nothing to me. And, in the 90’s, I happened to be working with computers. I was publishing Step Parenting Today, my bimonthly free magazine. Nothing ‘digital’ about it. There was a whole lotta cut ‘n paste and I mean literally cut ‘n paste.
Where was I? Oh yeah, printables for birthday parties.
Angie sent me links to some Etsy shops that sell party printables.
SELL???? You mean people buy this stuff? Harrumph. You gotta be kiddin’ me. I mean, how hard could it be to make these “printables”, right? They’re just different patterns & templates. And I already had some cowboy stuff painted so, I repeat, . . . how hard could it be?
Um, turns out, they’re pretty dang hard.
Ok, making printables isn’t as much difficult as it is incredibly time-consuming. At least for me with my very limited knowledge of Photoshop. It’s just possible it would’ve taken me less time to handpaint every single cupcake wrapper then it took to figure out how to Photoshop them.
But then, I happen to like puzzles. And challenges. Eventually I did make those cupcake wrappers –
And some toppers to go with them –
Huh, huh?!! Yes, indeedy. I made them on the computer, I did. To ‘celebrate’ my big accomplishment I’m giving them away for free! Just click here:
for the high resolution graphics.
I had so much fun, once I got the hang of it, that I made an entire ‘collection’ of Cowboy Party Printables for my online shop! (Yes, that’s coming from the person who wondered why people actually sell printables, the person who spent hours and hours putting them together. Ha.)
Truth be told, I love the idea of turning my paintings into printables. Any time I can find a new way to transform my art, I want to try it.
As a matter of fact, I just might have a few more cowboy ‘gear’ coming up. Stay tuned! In the meantime, go grab yourself some free cupcake toppers & wrappers (or at least tell your friends about them.) Mwah!
Btw, do you wanna see how Angie’s cupcakes turned out?
How cute are those cupcakes?!? And just look at the chocolate cowboy hat & boot! Drop by The Country Chic Cottage and see the birthday cake too! Just adorable.
Colleen
[…] little boy dreams of being a cowboy and I used these free cowboy printables from Just Paint It myself one year. Everyone loved this themed party and I know your guests will […]