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

Happy Christmas

Since Christmas is just a few days away (and tomorrow we're hosting a family Christmas at my house), thought I'd pop in to say Happy Holidays and show a few gift card holders I've made with the Technique Tuesday pull-tab die. I bought it and the little saying stamps that fit it when I won a gift card from them.

Here's a close-up of the pull tab on one of the cards. 

I picked up the pad of Christmas paper at Tuesday Morning, a great place to find craft supplies at a discount. You never know what they'll have, but that's part of the fun. And lastly, here's a little papier mache box I got at the craft store. I added Doodlebug Design paper to the lid and the My Favorite Stamps Santa here. I fussy cut him out after coloring with pencils and gel pen.

And with that, I'll sign off and say, "Merry Christmas!" Hope you get a lot of crafty stuff and time with family this season!

Happy Friday!

Chark

Brrrr...Time for a Cuppa

It's time for the Fall/Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. All you gotta do is create a fall or winter themed coffee/tea/cocoa project and then link it to the hop and you're entered to win tons of prizes! I love the hop, it's a great way to get inspiration, learn about new crafty companies and visit some caffeinated friends!

This digi is from Craftin Desert Divas and I got it free in the Kit and Clowder FB group. They have great coloring classes and you can even find a free one. They have 24 days of giveaways right now, but you have to join the Facebook group to comment. They aren't pushy at all and I love the free digis you get occasionally just for being in the group.

I used Prismacolor pencils on this and trimmed it to fit my card, then I wrote out the sentiment because I love the idea of Santa drinking a tea while he sorts his mail. I added dots with a white gel pen and a black Faber-Castell pen.

Hope you'll join in the Coffee Hop with me! And if you wanna win some free crafty stuff, check out the four posts before this one and comment/follow me or head to my IG account (in the sidebar) and enter there! Commenting open until Dec. 6 at 11:59 pm Eastern time...better hurry!

Happy Tuesday!

Chark

Hero Arts Ornaments Dies in Two Ways

Hi, friends, I'm up on the a2z Scrapbooking blog today using the ornament dies from Hero Arts in a new way...I made Santa and Rudolph with them! Here's a peek...head to the blog here to see more info and pics.

And here are the same ornament dies in a more traditional use as tags. I used coated paper (the kind that has a sheen to it but isn't actually glossy photo paper) and alcohol inks and just dripped away. Here's the pile I ended up with.

And here are some in close-up. I don't think I have a bad color combo, even though I wasn't too careful on what I was putting next to each other. If something looks off, I just dab and add more color and it will work out okay.

I've always loved how alcohol inks spread and combine and just have such fabulous depth of color and now that Jennifer McGuire is revisiting them in her work, I was reminded to get mine out and play too. I just wrote names on these, but you can use letter stickers too.

On these, I added white Uniball ink initials. I'm using them for family so they'll know who they come from, but you can always add more info on the back of the tags.

So, if you need your own set of Infinity Ornaments dies, you can head to a2z and pick yours up today! And use my blog readers' code of CHARK15 to get 15% off your cart of $25 or over.

Happy Monday!

Chark

Hero Arts Paper Layering Santa

Originally I was going to title this Santa Die Card but that sounded harsh (no, Santa, don't die), so yes, I used a die to make this card, but officially it's called Paper Layering Santa Face and that sounds so much better! :)

I used this die new this season from Hero Arts...it has an outline die too, so you can cut out a Santa face and I've used that to make tags, but for this card, I just used the die to cut into the card front, not to totally cut it out.

Then I used the script stamp from this new Vintage Christmas Wishes set from Hero Arts for the edges and then inked them with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I used Prismacolor pencils to color him in.

The Merry die cut is from this set from, yep, Hero Arts!

After adding some washi and ribbon, I used an aqua card base just for fun!

Happy Wednesday!

Chark

Pretty Little Studio Christmas Die Cuts

I love Pretty Little Studio and their vintage die cuts, and I have a bunch of their Santas...plus I got some vintage Santa face stickers. This Santa came as a group of cut-aparts on cardstock, so I can make a bunch of these cards and still have a leftover for a scrap page if I want.

I used a glittered journaling card from Me & My Big Ideas for the ho ho ho and the card base is actually from a card kit I tried from Stampin' Up. 

The new Christmas collections from PLS are beautiful, some vintage, some watercolor and whimsical and some traditional...and I love that the company is a small one, run by one woman. They have the most beautiful printed vellum and printed acetate sheets. And I always get a little surprise freebie when I order. I highly recommend them.

I'm sending this card to the Caring Hearts Card Drive for those in nursing homes...a little merry is always good for those who are shut in.

Happy Friday!

Chark

Wintery Wednesday

The temperature decided to dip back into the 30s today, which means it feels more like December...brrrr! All the better to get me in the mood to finish up my cards (yes, I know it's getting ridiculously close to Christmas). 

Today I'm over at the a2z Scrapbooking Supplies blog with my trusty triangle die from Hero Arts that I love so much. It's so fun and versatile and can make any card a statement card.

Here's a peek at my post and cards today, which involve gelatos and watercolor and in which Santa guest stars. 

If you're looking for crafty gift ideas, head over to the a2z Scrapbooking shop for some goodies. If you use the code CHARK15, you can get 15% off your order of $25 or more. Because my blog readers rock...and cuz they told me you could use me as a coupon. 

Happy Wednesday!
Chark

Wait A Minute, Mr. Postman

Love this song by the Marvelettes—I'm a sucker for any Motown really—and it's the thing that popped into my head as I got this post ready. I made a Christmas card mailbox with Doodlebug Designs products. Love how cute their products are. I got the idea from their blog last year and pinned it for this year.

1. I started with a papier mache mailbox from the craft store, and then covered the main part with the gingerbread boy paper. It doesn't cover all the way, so I flipped the paper over to the green side and used a scallop punch for the bottom section on either side.

2. I used some white grosgrain ribbon for the edges and glued it into place. I added some glittery stickers for a little elf scene.

 

3. I used green cardstock for the end piece and added another sticker scene. 

4. I used red cardstock for the front of the mailbox and added more cute stickers. Mrs. Claus has a gingerbread cookie for Rudolph.

5. For the inside of the lid, I added the same red cardstock and some patterned paper from the same Doodlebug line. I fussy cut out the gingerbread boy and gave him a friend and a house.

6. I replaced the plain metal brad with a fancier one, covered the flag in washi tape and added my last sticker. Here's the mailbox with cards. 

It was a fun project that took about an hour, since I wasn't sure what I was doing! The flag took the longest because I was going to cover it in paper and then paint it and finally decided on washi. I used glue stick for the large paper bits because I thought it would be more economical to cover the whole thing than if I used tape runner.

Here's my inspiration over at Pinterest, if you're interested.

Happy Monday!
Chark

Products I used  
Santa Express 12x12 Paper
Santa 's Workshop stickers 
EK Success Edge Punch 

Cocoa For Santa

See below to win!*

I made this gift bag to resemble a Santa coat just for fun! I've seen candy bar wrappers that look like this and loved it, so I gave it a shot in mug form. I used a free digi mug art and Barn Door Distress Ink, applied straight from pad to paper for depth and richness, added a buckle and belt and then made some whipped cream that I stuck straws in. Delicious!

I used a sizzix woodgrain folder to emboss the paper bag before attaching everything. I added the straws at the last minute and loved how it finished it off and made it more realistic looking. Mmmmm...hot chocolate and whipped cream. And now I want some hot cocoa.

I'm entering the Tsuruta Designs Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. Hope you'll join me in a cuppa and in making a fun holiday drink craft. You could win prizes if you do!

SPONSORS

17 Turtles:  $15 Store Gift Card

A Muse Studio/Chris Franco:  Cup of Good Cheer stamp set

Add a Little Dazzle:  $25 Store Gift Card

Butterfly Reflections Ink:  Prima Coffee Break

Color Cast Designs:  Coffee Lovers kit

Create a Smile:  Monster Party stamp set

Hero Arts:  A Little & Today's Special stamps/Cup 'O Joe Shadow ink

Kraftin' Kimmie:  $25 Store Gift Card

Kreative Kymona:  Fancy Mug Giveaway

Latina Crafter:  Cafe Wood Veneers + $25 Store Gift Card

Neat & Tangled:  Warm Wishes stamp set

Newton's Nook:  $15 Store Gift Card

Paper Smooches:  $25  Store Gift Card

Pickled Potpourri:  $7 Store Gift Card

Poppystamps:  Tea Cup Stack Die

Reverse Confetti:  $15 Store Gift Card

Stamp Academy:  2 classes

Stampin' Up/Veronica Zalis:  $20 Store Gift Card

STAMPlorations:  $10 Store Gift Card

Stamp Simply Ribbon Store:  Coffee Cup Prize Pack

SugarPea Designs:  $20 Store Gift Card

Sweet 'n Sassy:  Pick Me Up Clear stamp & die set

The Alley Way Stamps:  Tea Par-tea stamp set

Two Paper Divas:  Your Warm My Heart stamp set

Your Next Stamp:  $20

Verve Stamps:  $25

Whole Wild World:  Coffee before Talkee mug

CANDY ALERT: *I'm giving away your choice of stencil from a2z Scrapbooking Supplies, where I'm on the Design Team. All you gotta do is comment on any of my three Friday posts about the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop and you'll be entered. I'd love if you followed my blog, but that's not required. I'll announce the winner next week. Contest will end on Monday, Dec. 15, at 11:59pm (edt).

p.s. If you spend $25 or more at a2z Scrapbooking, you can get 15% off your total if you use CHARK15 as your coupon code...hey, I'm a coupon! 

Happy Friday Redux,
Chark