Sweet little fairies delivering messages of love!

The fairies come with a beautiful envelope template so you can send them as valentine cards. Your purchase includes two fairy designs & two envelopes.

How it works:

1. Make your purchase and download your PDF templates.
2. You are now ready to print and assemble your fairies! They can be printed on letter or A4 paper and include full and easy instructions for assembly.

Conditions of use:
This file is for personal use only. Design and concept is copyright happythought 2012.
Please do not redistribute the file or sell printed materials for profit. Thank you!

Happythought has come up with these gorgeous wee ‘Bottle kilts’ for the occasion.

Just fill in your name and email address below (we will not share these details with any third party). Then click the button below and we will send you an email with a link to download your fantastic FREE Tartan Bottle Kilts.

Conditions of use:
This file is for personal use only. Design and concept is by happythought.
Please do not redistribute the file or sell printed materials for profit. Thank you!

3 colours of Paper Kilts: Red, green & blue. (See preview sheets)

Getting in touch with your Scottish roots? Hosting a party for Burns Night?

This great Happythought eBook is a compact guide to remembering the life & times of one of Scotland’s most famous exports, Robert Burns.

Our practical eBook can be used for an informal get-together or a large formal dinner with all the bells and whistles, and includes all you need to know to host a fabulous Burns Night celebration.

From recipes to decorations to essential poems and song lyrics, it’s all here, simply laid out and designed to make planning your festivities fun!

Great Stylish Printables

We have had so much fun putting together these printables for Burns Night and we hope you have fun with them too! Each item comes with full assembly instructions, designed to be easy and quick to put together.

You can download this eBook instantly and start planning and printing for your event right now, maybe with a glass of whisky or red wine in hand!

Featuring 10 Burns Supper printables:
Invitations with envelopes, Order of Events & Menu booklet, a Poem & Song booklet, Bottle Kilt, Stag table ornaments, Haggis sign, Napkin rings, Burns night photo props, Haggis, neeps & tatties garland and some Burns portraits.

Click here to view a sample printable

Food & Drink

With most parties, food and drink play an important part in the festivities and none more so than Burns Night. There is of course the infamous Haggis, neeps and tatties (swede & potato) and Scotland’s famous whiskies to enjoy.

We have selected a few of our favourite recipes and whiskies for a Burns Supper.

‘Bill O’ Fare’

A starter of Cock-a-Leekie Soup followed by the main course of ‘Haggis wi neeps an’ tatties’. Two sweet puddings of Tipsy Laird and or Raspberry Cranachan, finished off with a cheese board known in Scotland as “Bannocks an’ Cheese”, served with coffee.

Click here to view Tipsy Laird recipe page 

Whiskies

We have also selected a top 5 Scottish Malt whiskies to enjoy with your Burns Supper, as well as some modern whisky cocktail alternatives. After all, what’s Burns night without a dram or two of whisky?

Order of Events

There is a standard Order of Events to a traditional Burns Night Supper, but depending on location, your resources and priorities for a party, you may not want to follow them to the letter.

We have put together a suggested short list for a more informal event, including the essential Selkirk Grace, Address to the Haggis, A toast to the lassies (ladies), A reply from the lassies, and finishing with a classic sing-a-long to Auld Lang Syne.

Further explanations of each step and a full list of traditional events are included in the eBook.

Why celebrate Burns Night?

These unique celebrations have become more than just an appreciation of Burns poems and songs. Burns has become a symbol for Scotland and Scots all over the world. His national pride, strong beliefs in human equality and quick wit are admired and celebrated worldwide. A Burns Supper needn’t be a formal, stuffy event.

A perfect Burns Night celebration consists of equal parts good company, good food and drink and a good dose of Rabbie’s finest verses. Click here for a short biography of Robert Burns

The Bard would have wanted it that way!

Conditions of use:
This file is for personal use only. Design and concept is by happythought.
Please do not redistribute the file or sell printed materials for profit. Thank you!

One of the real reasons to celebrate on the 25th of January, first and foremost is to raise ‘a dram’ to the life and continuing legacy of one of the world most famous poets, prolific composers and romantics. The creator of the ‘Auld Lang Syne’ song which ranks as one of the top 3 most popular songs of all time written in the English language. Even after more than 200 years after his death Robert Burns still influences modern artists such as Bob Dylan and including Michael Jackson was reputed to have wanted to release a work of Burns poems set to music.

So remember the bard of Scotland as he would have wanted it. Haggis, whisky, poems & songs with a celebration of all things good and postive about Scottish culture and life in general.

How did Burns night start?

Five years after the death of the poet, a group of his friends gathered together to remember Burns and his poetry. The event soon became an established tradition, and now, every year on his birthday, 25th January, Scots all round the world celebrate Robert Burns with a Burns Supper, following a format similar to the original dinner.

Robert Burns (1759 to 1796)

About the man himself. Robert Burns is Scotland’s best loved bard, and considered one of the most famous characters of Scotland’s Cultural history. He is best known as a pioneer of the Romantic movement and his lyrical poetry and songs are loved the world over.

Burns was born on January 25th, 1759 at Alloway, near Ayr, in the southwest of Scotland. His father was a struggling farmer, and Burns had only a few years of formal education before family financial worries forced him to work as a farm labourer.

It was doing so that he met his first love, Nelly Kirkpatrick. She inspired him to try his hand at poetry, a song entitled ‘O, once I lov’d a bonnie lass’, set to the tune of a traditional reel.

When his father died in 1784, he and his brother Gilbert rented a farm near Mauchline. The farmer’s hard way of life taught Burns to take joy in fleeting pleasure and to be sceptical of the moral codes of the well-to-do. These attitudes, along with his capacity for love, friendship and hearty fellowship, provided the chief themes of his poetry.

Burns cleary had a way with the ladies, and in his short life fathered eight illegitimate children, born to five different women. One of these, Jean Armour, bore him twins and became his wife in 1788.

The poet s first published work was ‘Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect’. This collection of verse contained many of Burn’s best works, including ‘To a Mouse’, and ‘The Holy Fair’ and was released to much critical acclaim.

Burns had planned to escape the tough life of farming by moving to sunnier climes in the West Indies, but buoyed by his flourishing reputation as an unschooled  Ploughman Poet , he moved to Edinburgh and became part of the thriving cultural scene there. In a matter of weeks the poet was transformed into a national celebrity. The trappings of fame did not bring fortune, however, and he took up a job as an exciseman to supplemeant his meagre income.

While collecting taxes he continued to write, also editing a collection of Scottish folk songs, titled “The Scots Musical Museum”, to which Burns himself contributed over 150 songs, including ‘Auld Lang Syne’.

In the last years of his life, Burns penned many of his great poetic masterpieces such as The Lea Rig, Tam O’Shanter and A Red, Red Rose. In 1795, he was inspired by the events of the French Revolution to write  For a’ that and a’ that , his cry for human equality.

One year later, on July 21, 1796, aged 37, Burns died from rheumatic heart disease, from which he had suffered since he was a child. He was buried in the churchyard of St. Michael’s in Dumfries, as his wife Jean was in childbirth with their ninth child.

A visit to Print & Pattern has always been our favourite way to start the day, so we were super excited to be featured there this morning!

Print and Pattern features all that is new and exciting in the world of textiles, cards, gift wrap, stationery, wallpaper, tableware, books and illustration.

The site has spawned two gorgeous books – Print & Pattern 1&2 and has a fantastic Job Oportunities page too.

As they say on the site:
‘Day of the Dead is a time for familia. Involving our niños in a Día de los Muertos party preparation is a great way to share and pass on our traditions. Happythought’s new e-book includes 14 beautiful and easy to make printable invitations, decorations, games,  and party favors. With so many options the fun will surely begin hours before the actual party.’

As parents of two bilingual children we are so pleased to have found the SpanglishBaby site. It’s full of useful resources and information about food, culture, travel and lots more.

Good luck in the competition!

Our favourites at the shop are the burlesque and halloween sections that are bursting full of ideas for the up coming horror festivities. For the little spooky spell caster in the family there are some very cute ideas here.

In the post our children are modeling our paper hat designs that include the mini top hat and our halloween bug hat. Once we had printed these little cuties out onto card and cut them out, the kids were wearing them in no time.

As Tiny Hats Weekly mentions our hats are a quick and economical. They can be prepared in no time and make a sweet impact to any out fit.

Remember to visit our Happythought paper craft shop for other amazing printable paper crafts. Download, print and create!

Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a traditional Mexican holiday, celebrating and honouring those who have departed. It is believed that the spirit of the dead visit their families on October 31st and leave on November 2nd. Homes are decorated with beautiful altars known as Ofrendas (pictured below), laden with offerings of food and gifts for the weary spirit travellers.

Dia de los Muertos is a positive occasion – truly celebrating those who have passed. It is not a sad or morbid gathering – more a festive, family-centred celebration of friends and relatives no longer with us, reflecting the openess and acceptance of death as an integral part of life in Mexican culture.

Like us you probably love the rich and colourful imagery of Dia de los Muertos. Skeletons, or calabras are a very important symbol of Day of the Dead. Besides representing death, they are also shown smiling or doing day-to-day activities such as riding a bike or playing a guitar, showing that death is not something to be feared but is simply part of life.

Ofrenda

An Altar to remember and honour loved ones who have passed – an essential.

Traditionally Ofrendas are colourful and decorative, laden with gifts to please returning spirit guests and adorned with orange marigolds, sugar skulls, candles and papel picada banners.

Offerings of food are also placed on the altar. Some traditional offerings include fruit, hot chocolate, pan de muerto and a glass of water for the weary traveller. Special items belonging to the deceased such as a hat or a guitar can also be displayed. Often a bottle of liquor is laid out for loved ones who enjoyed a tipple.

Your Ofrenda can be a general celebration of ancestors past, or if you prefer you can place photos of loved ones on it and invite guests to do the same.

Some terms and traditions used in The Day of the Dead

• Alabanza – a hymn of praise
• Alfenique – a special confection used to fashion skulls, fruits and other figures
•  Calacas – The Grim Reaper – a whimsical skeleton figure that represents death.
•  Calavera – a skull, also a slang term for “daredevil”
•  Calaveras – Songs, poems or satirical obituaries about the dead or Day of the Dead.
•  Calaveritas de azucar – decorative candied sugar skulls made for the DÌa de los Muertos
•  Careta – mask worn by dancers to scare the dead away at the end of the celebrations
•  Catrina – A female skeleton, created by Jose Guadalupe Posada’s icon of death. Catrina is a satireof a 19th century grande dame.
•  Cempazuchitl – A brightly colored orange or yellow marigold, the traditional flower of the dead which symbolizes death.
•  DÌa Todos los Santos – All Saints’ Day
•  Pan de los muertos – bread of the dead
•  Papel picado – colourful tissue paper garlandss with intricate, festive designs.

Have a go yourself

We have had a great time coming up with colorful, bright and playful designs that are be simple and easy to put together. Easy paper decorations, Party invites  & Envelopes, Masks & Bow ties, Cupcake toppers & Cupcake wrappers, Mini top hats, Mini popcorn Boxes, Coffin favour boxes, pin the head on the skeleton game, Bingo game, Activity colouring-in sheets and Pinwheels to assemble for your party.

Our Day of the Dead project is all about bringing together some of the imagery  and principal influences and try to create  a very small taste of a very big festival or fiesta that is Dia de los Muertos. Crafts have a strong tradition in Dia de los Muertos festivities. We have included  hand-made decorations tutorials on making tissue papel picados and beautiful decorative hecho a mano paper flowers. You too can get crafty with the simple projects and tutorials laid out in a our ‘Celebrate Day of the Dead’ ebook containing 14 stunning and easy to make party printable decorations, games and favours, 10 yummy food and drink recipes, 4 great craft tutorials, party tips and more.

Pick and choose what is right for you and easy to make within the time scale you have provided for yourself. Don’t be scared to ask for some help, as some aspects of a party can always be shared. You can always find a few of your friends or family with a special talent.

Mix it up with delicious food, vivid imagery, tasty drinks and wonderful music. All in all,  Day of the Dead is a very festive and upbeat time, so let’s turn it up and party!

Buy Celebrate Day of the Dead ebook only $9.95?