December 15, 2014.

I’m so excited to launch a new series I’m calling “Nature’s Design.” In this once-a-month series I’ll be focusing on a seasonal element of the natural world (ideally found in my backyard or neighborhood) and illustrating it in a variety of mediums. To kick things off, I’m paying homage to these beauties – shiny, red and brightly cheering up my otherwise muted and drab backyard. Known as the winterberry bush, or Ilex verticillata (if you’re into Latin like my arborist hubby), they cluster tightly around skinny dark branches and are visible from far away due to the intensity of their red hue. I love catching glimpses of them from my kitchen window this winter, especially with a bit of snow – so pretty! 

I decided to work from a photograph I took of the winterberries in my backyard and illustrate it in a graphic style. Once I had the branch and berries complete, they felt like they need a “home”, so I took a Mason jar design I had previously done and voila – a sweet Christmas bouquet.

Since I’ve just begun wrapping presents the past day or so, my mind has been in gift wrap mode. I thought this illustration would make a nice gift tag design that I could print and cut out myself and tape or glue to my packages. But it seems a bit selfish to keep these tags all to myself, so I’m offering them up to you gift-givers out there who might be in need of a festive gift tag or two. Simply download the free PDF file (click on the download link underneath the preview below), print on paper of your choice and cut out the (9) tags. You can punch a hole and attach to a gift with some twine or string, or skip the hole punch and simply tape or glue to your presents. Happy gift giving!

Download Mason jar winterberry gift tags