Doodlebug Christmas Cards

I have loved Doodlebug Designs forever...they have adorable graphics on every collection. If you're not into cute stuff, you're not going to be a big fan probably. But I am both those things! So I  made a few cards with my collection of Doodlebug products, most from the Milk and Cookies and Sugar Plums collections.

On these cards, I did no stamping on the front and just stamped a greeting inside, so they came together so quickly. This one uses a gingerbread boy die cut and stickers, along with Doodlebug paper in a 6x6 pad.

The paper on this one is from another paper pack...I think it's just one from Tuesday Morning last year. I cut a lot of them up into card panels and I don't have the pack anymore. Sorry about that. The little house and stickers are from Doodlebug Design, as are the pink and dotted papers. The sentiment is printed from the computer.

Santa is from a sheet of 12x12 Doodlebug paper and cut down to card size, and the candy can, star and speech bubble are stickers from Doodlebug. I added glossy accents to the white parts of his hat for a little fun.

This last card uses an adorable Santa paper (from the 6x6 pad) and a sentiment sticker from Doodlebug. The ribbon is theirs too. I added little flat holographic stickers for shininess.

These cards are on their way to nursing home residents via the Caring Hearts Card Drive that Vera Yates (Ling) runs every year. I love participating and I get the family involved with signing and delivering the cards when we need to. 

This card drive runs each year, so if you have any Christmas cards to pass on to seniors, check out her blog here. This year's collection has ended but October will be here again before we know it and it's such a lovely thing to participate in. She also takes monetary donations for the shipping and I just threw in a $5 bill this year. It's heavy to send large boxes of cards around the world!

Happy Saturday!

Chark

I Heart Gingerbread Boys

I have always loved the little gingerbread boy icon for holiday decorating and actually, just plain decorating (I have some in my kitchen year round) and this card came about because I had to buy the sticker set from Doodlebug with all the little gingerbread Santa Express stickers.

I added some of the gumdrops to the roof and gave the little guy a piece of candy. Now that's a scene I could get into. I love eating gingerbread too, though I prefer the cake version to the cookies. I'm all about the Betty Crocker Gingerbread mix, but here's an actual from-scratch recipe if you're thinking you need some gingerbread. I prefer whipped cream on mine but lemon glaze is good too.

I found these cutie earrings on Etsy and I might have to put them on my Christmas list...I can start that in September, right?

I saw this little guy on Pinterest (with no link to the original) but he looks pretty easy to sew up from felt, even for a novice seamstress like me.

When I saw this Santa Snacks stamp and cut set in the newest Hero Arts release, I had to get them. Now, what to make with them?! If you want your own set, head to the a2z Scrapbooking Supplies store and hit custom order. They're sold out already, but you can ask special order them at no extra cost. Also, you can head to the a2z blog here and enter the CASE a designer September challenge through the end of the month. Just pick a project you like on the blog and use that as inspiration with your Hero Arts products and you could win $25 to the store!

Happy Friday!

Chark

2 Cute 4 Me

I joined the 2 Cute Ink Stamp Club and had some coloring fun the other night. I haven't used these for a project yet, but they are so stinkin' cute! The club is $5 a month for a set of digis and then you get an exclusive digi each month and can buy any from her etsy store for $1 each. Seems worth it to me, I love her drawings!

Here's a close-up of the cutie gingerbread boy.

I love using Prismacolor pencils on kraft, they are so vibrant.

Happy Monday!
Chark

Happy 2016!

Well, crafty friends, it's a brand-new year! I have a brand-new stamp I used for today's project. The stamp is a digi from 2 Cute Ink. You can purchase individual stamps from the etsy shop, but there's also a club on facebook. 

You pay $5 each month and get all that month's stamps for free plus an exclusive digi. And you can purchase stamps for $1 from the store, instead of the $3.99 price. I gave it a lot of thought and asked some questions and decided to take the plunge. (You can cancel at any time btw.)

So I got this cutie December stamp by joining and looove him! I made this card last night while watching New Year's Rocking Eve on tv. I was inspired by others at 2 Cute Ink to try white on kraft and love how it looks!

I used Prismacolor pencils on a thin kraft paper. I printed him the size I wanted him on the 8x11.5 paper and then added in the snow and trees. Love that glitter tape from American Crafts. I'm trying to decide if he needs Stickles on his clothes or the snow. We'll see, you know how I love my glitter!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!
Chark

Gingerbread Girl Power

Ok, love that there is both a gingerbread boy and a girl in this mini stamp set by Kelly Purkey. For a Hero Arts Flickr Secret Santa, I made a card and tag with the girl, cuz girls rock! :)

Here they are. I used the Spellbinder Tranquil Moments dies I've had for awhile. Turns out the thicker paper works better here because the thinner paper tears a bit when you take it out of the die sometimes.

This adorable stamp set is on sale at a2z Scrapbooking, along with tons of new items, so hop on over and find some bargains or brand-new Valentine goodies for your stocking!

Happy Monday!

Chark

Gingerbread Decorating Day

Tomorrow is officially Gingerbread Decorating Day. As a gingerbread (cake and cookie form) lover, I'm happy to know there's an official decorating day. Because naked gingerbread boys are just disturbing. :) 

We always do gingerbread houses here and yes, each kid wants their own, and yes, my kids are 15 and 21 and I tried to stop the tradition last year and heard all about it. So, I'm planning to make them again. Not tomorrow, of course!

Here's a throwback to 2009 of the kids decorating one house for a local competition. We didn't win, but it was fun to try!

So you like gingerbread? My kids will keep eating these houses until they're extremely dry. But if you dunk it in milk (or tea!) it's just fine!
Here's a recipe in case you're craving gingerbread.

And today begins the Coffee Lovers' Bloghhop, where you can win prizes and see amazing coffee, tea and cocoa projects galore! 
Happy Friday!
Chark

Authors Need Love Too

(Winners from the CASEing Kelly blog hop are in this post below)

In celebration of authors everywhere, yesterday was National Author's Day in the U.S. Here's the funny thing, I've never heard of it until this year and it's been around since 1949. That leads me to believe we don't celebrate authors enough. 

Writers open new worlds, introduce us to new people and new ways of thinking and doing and living, plus they make us laugh and cry. I personally believe you can learn something from everything you read. 

Do you read your cereal box? You know how many calories, fiber and sugar in your Cocoa Sugar Bombs. Do you read historical fiction? You know how customs and fashion has changed. Do you like Stephen King? Then you know exactly what scares you and what can happen if you go too close to a sewer drain (thank you, It, for freaking me out about evil clowns). If you read graphic novels, you can learn about Norse mythology (thanks, Thor) and if you read Shakespeare, well, you learn a lot about people and funny language from the 16th century.

Got a favorite author? Send them a little Thank You email if they're living, or if not, give them a shout-out on your blog and link to their books. Purchase a new author's books to support them or give books to a charity that collects them. Books rock, writers rock and words rock. 

I can't share just one favorite author, but here are a few of my favorite books from living authors.

St. Iggy by KL Going is a novel about Iggy, a sixteen-year-old whose mom is gone and dad is stoned and his best friend is a law-school drop out who smokes pot. It's hard to find your place in the world with no skills and no one to help you. The journey of Iggy is eye-opening.

Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang—a memoir about the Chinese Cultural Revolution, something I knew nothing about and found fascinating. This reads like historical fiction, but has the punch of truth behind it. A must-read.

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh—I found Allie's unique art online and found her hilarious, and when I picked up her book, I found her insightful. Her drawings crack me up and her writing style is just as funny. What surprised me was how truthful her writing about depression was. She breaks it down for anyone who doesn't struggle with depression and she's spot on about how it feels and makes you laugh anyway.

If you've seen this online, you've seen Allie's work.

Happy Belated Author's Day to people brave enough to face that blank page and share knowledge with the world!

And I have a project up at a2z Scrapbooking Supplies today, I'd love for you to pop by and say hi! Here's a peek at one of the tags. We have a new challenge for the month up too and will be announcing the winners from the Sept and Oct soon very soon!

Oh, and before I go, here's a list of the winners from the CASEing Kelly Blog Hop—thanks to everyone who commented!

• the Winter 2015 card kit from Create a Smile Stamps #3 Maaike Uijthoven (from Jen Lotfield’s blog)

• $25 gift certificate from Simon Says Stamp #38 Arianna Barbara (from Shelly’s blog)

• $25 gift certificate from the Ink Road  #10 Henriette (from Brandi’s blog)

• a Police Woman digi stamp from Lia Stampz #83 Angela Restad (from Ardyth’s blog)

• $25 gift certificate from a2z Scrapbooking #24 Charlene (from Dee’s blog)

• a crafty goodie bag from a2z Scrapbooking #19 Leslee (from Amy’s blog)

• a crafty goodie bag from Hero Arts #37 Liz Gessner McAlliston (from LauraJane’s blog)

• a $25 gift certificate to any online craft store (winner’s choice) from djkardkreations #56 Cat Craig (from Kristie Goulet’s blog)

• a $25 gift certificate from Altenew #53 Vinita Jain (from the A2Z Scrapbooking blog)

• a stamp set from Dee’s Artsy Impressions  #53 Jeanne (from Char’s blog)

Yay, winners!! Congrats! They'll be contacting you soon, Jeanne!!

Happy Monday,
Chark