Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011: My Favorite Work and Blog Candy Alert!!!

Hi, all ...

So I decided to do a review of my blog for 2011, to see which projects I liked the best each month.  Do you agree with my selections, and which project is your favorite of my year?  Let me know in a comment below (and please be a follower if you aren't already!), and be eligible to win: 

MARTHA STEWART FRINGING SCISSORS!
Okay, without further ado:

January:
A Valentine's Day card, created with Cricut cartridges

February:
Pomander ball, created with Fairy Cut software
March:
Disney Pixar Blog Hop - House from SVG Cuts, embellished with Cricut cuts

April:
Frog hop card, Cricut cut, Spellbinders circles, computer set sentiment

May:
Ventured into the world of hand-making card embellishments

June:
Handmade beaded bracelet as an embellishment to a card.

July:
Freedom Month: Freedom from clutter -- organized myself

August:
Card for Olivia

September:
Halloween Banner for Special Needs Kids

October:
A favorite Christmas card, with braided ribbon

November:
A card for Brookie -- learning to use my markers, pencils
and follow challenges.
December:
Rubber stamping, Copics, and paper piecing

Friday, December 30, 2011

Winner, winner - Chicken dinner!! (no, no dinner -- just a BLINGED Pink ATG gun!!)

The FIRST winner of my "Okay, 1K!!!" celebration weekend is new follower ANN LESSNER of Creative Ramblings!!  You've won a blinged out PINK ATG GUN!!  Give me a few days to bling it on, and I'll get it shipped in the new year.  Ann, please e-mail me at cardmonkey@comcast.net with your mailing address.

CONGRATULATIONS, and thank you!!!

Wooooo-HOOOOOO!!! 1,000+ followers

Thank you all for helping me reach my personal blog-follower goal for 2011!  You are incredible!  I hope to bring you fantastic ideas, hops, challenges and more in the new year. 

Now stay tuned .... I'm off to Michael's to buy some PRIZES ... it's going to be a celebration weekend!  Stop back often this weekend, while you're watching the Mummers. 

MUMMERS, you ask??!  What, you've never heard of a Mummer?  Clearly, you're not from Philadelphia!  Here's a picture of one to get your party started!!  And you thought feathers were only for cards and strippers!  ;-)

Refer a Friend and Help Me Hit 1,000 Followers!

Dear Crafty Friends:

I am  >>>>this close<<< to reaching my personal goal for 2011, and that is to reach 1,000 followers of this blog by the time the New Year's ball drops in Times Square.

Can you help me? 

Refer a friend to follow ... have him/her leave a comment on this post that he or she has been referred by you ... and you (dear referring follower) become eligible to win a PINK ATG GUN

New follower yourself? Please leave a comment below to let me know that you've become one of the 23 I need to hit 1,000, and you are also eligible to win.

Now here's a question for you to answer in your comment, too.... If you win, do you want me to bling out this ATG gun, or leave it plain/as-is, new in box?  If you've never used an ATG gun before for your adhesives, you'll just LOVE it!!! 

THANK YOU, and Happy New Year one and all.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Wishing you a Whymsical New Year! Whymsical Christmas and New Year's Blog Hop, Dec 28 & 29.

Thank you to all of you who hopped with us on the Whymsical Christmas Blog Hop yesterday ... and special appreciation to those of you who enjoyed my Chapter One of my novel-in-making with some Whimsy Christmas.  Your encouragement may one day see me actually publish that book!!  (If you missed Day one, it's still posted -- scroll down.)  

Today I don't have a long story (phew) to go with this posting ... just a picture and a description with my New Year's Whymsical posting...

Here's what I made (tah-dahhh!) ...


It's a Monster of a New Year's Greeting....

This little house-shaped box is going to my next door neighbor's house tomorrow. The greeting (on the flap adhered to the bottom of the box) says: "May your road to happiness be paved with nothing but happy surprises! Happy New Year!"  


Inside -- lift off the roof! -- I'll pack a bunch of Hershey's Kisses and Hugs.  


To make this greeting, I used the SVG pattern from SVG Cuts, cut on my Cricut machine using SCAL software (yes, the older version still works on Cricut), and I embellished it using my favorite Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker papers.  This line is the "My Li'l Monster" pattern. The balloons were cut from circle patterns on the paper, then puffed with Glossy Accents over baker's twine. To make the shingles on the roof, I used an eyelet Martha Stewart punch and curled up the lower part of the punched out edges. 


Do you like it?  I enjoyed making it!

By the way, yesterday I posted this picture of a Christmas Fairie:
Is it just my imagination, or does the Fairie illustration (drawn decades ago, artist unknown) look like the spitting image of my granddaughter, Charlotte?  She is MY special Christmas Fairie, for sure!

Since I'm the last stop on the hop, I have no place left to send you ... however .... If you've missed any stops, be sure to go back and visit, follow and comment ... there are prizes to be had, offered by our Blog Hostess Jessica at Scrappy Luvs.  

Here is the full line-up:








Whymiscal Christmas and New Years Blog Hop - Dec. 28 and 29 ..

One of the greatest joys of Christmas, I think, is getting ourselves into a joyous carefree child-like and magically whimsical mode -- much like it was when we were children.  So it was in that spirit that I hope to reclaim that I joined this Whymsical Christmas Blog Hop ... and share with you the quite long novella chapter, below.

First, a story and a card. I made this card to bring out my Inner Christmas Fairie (ICF) ... long lost by the pressures of today's strife-filled world.

Christmas Fairie digi-image and sentiment by MelJen Designs: paper piecing and specialty papers by Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker LLC paper; colored with Copic Markers; mounted with Ranger dots, machine and faux-stitched.
...Now I know many of you are here for the Whymsical Christmas Hop and want to get on with the business of hopping.  So before I keep you as long as I'd like, to tell you what inspired this card, let me just tell you this ...

     You should have arrived here from Alina's blog ...
If you'd like to start at the beginning, hop on over to Jessica's sweet blog at Scrappy Luvs...

     Your next stop is: Well, I'm the last stop, and it's a short list, perfect to visit each of us ....

     The full blog line-up is here:

So since this is the last stop, I decided to add something whimsical ....

For those who'd like to linger here, please grab a cup of tea and something sweet ...

Elf on the Shelf plushie



Have you and your family members yet gotten into "Elf on the Shelf"?  The principle behind it is that Santa needs little magical helpers to watch for those girls and boys who may be naughty and nice. The theory is that nightly, the Elf leaves his familiar perch (by Elfin -- or parental -- magic!), visits the North Pole to rat out boast about the household children.  I'd like to start an Elfin tradition for my little granddaughter Charlotte next year.

Bakerkins Kindle, by Byers Choice
But before "Elf on the Shelf" was ever dreamt up, there were Kindles. Kindles are Elf-like miniatures from Santa's workshop made by a local (to me) company called Byers Choice.  I happened upon the sales prototype for the Kindle, and snatched up 20 or so to make my own Santa's workshop as decoration one year.  I was so taken by these little guys that I approached one of the company's vice presidents, Jeff Byers, with a marketing idea and a story about the founding of the Kindles.

While I didn't get a marketing job, the copy for my story was bought by Byers Choice, and a good bit of it was used on the packaging for the Kindles, which sell nationwide for $25/ea.  I can't find my original copy that I sold to Byers, but below you'll see a chapter I wrote on "spec" for a broader book about life in the North Pole. I hope one day to expound upon it and share it with Charlotte as a gift -- maybe next year, even though it will be self-published and perhaps self-illustrated.  

This year, the chapter is my little gift to you... in the Elfin Spirit ...



 
Chapter One:

Surely it was elfin magic that kept their limbs moving a’pace their hearts and spirits, for long after Santa returned from delivering his packages that Christmas Eve, the wee elves were still scurrying about the North Pole going about the day’s business.

The reindeer demanded feeding by the stablehand elves, as carrots left at various houses throughout their route were barely enough to sustain the reindeers’ flight. The sleigh needed securing and perhaps a good waxing. Bells needed to be polished before the winter’s chill caused them to rust.  There was hardly time to celebrate a “mission accomplished,” with little time off before beginning work on next year’s sketching, building and painting of toys.

            Santa, more content than exhausted and dragging his empty sack behind him, stripped off his heavy woolen jacket to expose his thermal shirt under the straps of his straining suspenders. He had clearly overdosed on warm milk and cookies this evening, though for the last dozen or so houses he collected the cookies instead of eating them, and brought them home as a treat for Mrs. Claus. He fell with a plop into an overstuffed chair by the fireplace, and lifted his heavy feet to the nearby ottoman.

Taylor, the trusted gentleman elf, bustled over toward Santa, leaning to unbuckle Santa’s boots. Yanking and tugging with all his might, Taylor’s grip slipped on the snow-crusted boots, and he landed, unnoticed with an “oomphf” on the carpet without either boot. Santa’s twinkle directed at Elf Clara alerted her that this boot removal project was a two-elf job. Arms around Taylor’s waist, Clara joined in the tugging and soon Santa’s tired toes were baking by the fire’s warmth raised by Stoker, the chimney elf.

            What a delightful smell of cinnamon buns came from the kitchen!  Mrs. Claus, along with Tucker the head baker elf and his trio of assistants, had been up much of the night preparing a working man’s feast. The December 26th breakfast had become quite a tradition at the North Pole, one where all of Santa’s elves traveled from throughout the Arctic Circle to celebrate yet another successful season of merriment.

So hearty was the breakfast that Santa would later slip into what the elves determined must be at least a month-long bear-like hibernation, for have you ever seen the big, bearded, red-suited man in January?

            Benson the butler elf rang the breakfast bell. Within the blink of the untrained eye, the dining hall suddenly teemed with elves, giddy in knowing that every child had received prized packages under their trees and had their stockings fully stuffed. If you listened carefully over the dining hall’s din, you’d swear you could hear the world’s children ripping tinseled paper from their gifts, closely followed by their squeals of childhood delight.

Santa’s elves by their very nature are sweet and empathetic beings. Each year, they are delighted to play this small (and very small if you measured them in inches!) part in bringing joy to any child. No matter the age, from infant to grandparent, they were all called “children” by the eternal elves, especially at this time of year. Christmas just brought out the child in everybody, Santa said. Christmas spirit made everyone good, kind, generous, warm-hearted and usually contented. That’s what made this time of year even extra special the elves thought -- almost magical as if humans could be so.

            Back at the dining hall, unending buckets, plates and pots of food were passed to each elf’s table until every belly strained in its sweater. Eggs and biscuits, potatoes and hash, pancakes and waffles and gallons of syrup passed over the smiling, chattering lips.  Afterwards, Santa’s elves rose in unison and gave Santa a hearty ovation, which he humbly and gratefully accepted with a belly-wobbling “Ho, ho, ho.” Few speeches were offered. Francois the floral elf was typically bashful in delivering the traditional floral bouquet to Mrs. Claus – a small token of gratitude from the elves for her kindness and support throughout this very busy season.

            As quickly as Mrs. Claus could say “pixie dust,” the hall was cleared and dishes done.  Santa adjourned to his study to finish his report, and his elves scattered about to finish their assignments with cheer.

            Jimmy the janitor elf found his push broom and set about cleaning what he knew from his hundred-plus years of experience was the busiest and shop-worn of all North Pole rooms: the mailroom.

            Every year, from October through Christmas Eve and every hour on the hour, satchels brimming with letters to Santa were delivered by the postal elves and sorted by their mailroom friends. There, they piled a stack for doll requests, another for trucks, the largest for video games, and the smallest for clothes. Why, last year the pile for those tickle-me dolls grew larger than the one not too many years ago for dolls from some cabbage patch! Stacks of letters were then dispatched to the proper elfin division. As if by magic, the artisan elves completed the toys to match the lists, and the packages were sent off to the gift-wrapping elves.  It always amazed Jimmy, on his daily rounds, that somehow all those letters stayed organized.     

There was one day, Jimmy heard it told, when all the sorting came undone. It was just after Thanksgiving or so and tumbling toward “D” Day (Delivery Day!) when the cart would fly, that the North Pole’s chill air was exceptionally gusty. Perhaps it was a blast of El Nino, or maybe a practice run of The Sleigh, but whatever the cause, the door to the mailroom blew open with a rush. Letters scattered everywhere, all the way to the top of the high ceilings of the Tudor-style madhouse with its darkened exposed beams.

Soon it was raining letters and Santa’s elves followed their tiny upturned noses to the ceiling to look more in amazement than dismay. Watching the letters dance to the floor reminded them of large and playful snowflakes. They took the dilemma in stride, smiling, laughing, running and plopping into each other in a game to see who could retrieve the most letters before they hit the floor. Most everyone was sure that every letter was caught and restacked, and it wasn’t until this day that Jimmy would discover otherwise.

            The room echoed when Jimmy pushed the door open to start his work in the mailroom. It was empty now that each of the letters had been read, requests filled and catalogued and stored away in the drawer next to the “Naughty” and “Nice” Lists. He polished the tables and swept under each table, whistling a merry tune (a Christmas carol, still, of course).

Whew, this room could use a good airing out he thought, as he lifted one of the corner windows with a grunt. A winter’s chill shuddered through the room. As it did, that long-lost letter fell from its rafter perch, floating with a trail of pixie glitter until it landed with the sound of a broken heart at Jimmy’s feet.

            “Dear Santa,” the letter started, “This has been a pretty hard year for me and my family. Daddy is out of work since the mill closed down, and Mommy cries a lot. There’s not always enough food for our family, and Daddy is worrying. Johnny and I are trying to be good but sometimes we squabble. I guess that’s natural. My mom says we’d for sure be on your ‘Nice List’ though. So here’s my wish list: Mom needs a coat. She and Dad share one they got from the church.  My father could use a pair of galoshes to put over his holey shoes on rainy days so his feet don’t get wet. Baby Matthew, well, he won’t notice if he doesn’t get a new rattle. But his blanket is a hand-me-down and it doesn’t have the satin trim around the edges any more. Johnny needs gloves badly, his hands are so chapped. For me, well, it is plenty to ask if you could just get everything else on the list, I have enough though someday I would love a marionette ….”

            How the letter tugged at Jimmy’s heart! How could we have missed this one letter, forgotten this one child, he wondered, and one so needy too? Collecting his wits and his dust cloth, he darted from the mailroom.

“We just can’t let this letter go unanswered,” Jimmy told a gathering of Santa’s most special elves. They huddled together their long, pointy hats, whispering in secret to make plans to visit this little town of Montgomeryville while Santa snoozed unaware. They thought they might be late, but it is never too late to bring joy to a child.  Surely, Santa would forgive them if they made this special trip without him. Somehow, they figured, they could slip into the life and soul of little Clarissa Kindle and the family she loved.

 Many people, it turns out, believe in 
Christmas fairies.  If you do, and you really 
believe Christmas magic can come true, 
leave me a little comment here, sprinkle it
with a bit of fine fairie glitter, make a wish..

...and let's see what comes your way. 

Merry Whymsical Christmas! 

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Nikki's Showcase includes ME!

Every month, Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker's blog features cards, layouts and altered items made with the fabulous NSS papers. I these papers and use them as often as I can!  In fact, I love them so much (shhhh), I've applied to be a part of the NSS design team -- wish me luck! 

This month, the pull-out card I made and featured on the recent Christmas Cards & Cookies Blog Hop was published today on Nikki's blog.  In case you missed my post on my site then, HERE is the link, and here is the card:


Hop on over to Nikki Sivils' blog for more
fun ideas on ways to use her paper.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Quick Holiday Gift for Teachers

I can provide step-by-step directions; leave a comment.
While daughter Emily and I made these cute snowmen as party favors for Charlotte's first birthday party, I think they'd make sweet, quick holiday gifts for teachers.

It's a cute way to gift two helpings of hot chocolate mix with a marshmallow topping. 

Craft ingredients:
  • Two CLEAN (no adhesives) baby food jars with lids
  • Black cardstock to make stove top hat
  • Ribbon for the hat
  • One brown pipe cleaner, for arms.
  • Pink (or other color) fleece cut into a scarf and fringed
  • Sharpie Paint marker - orange for the nose
  • Sharpie Marker - black
  • Two Googly eyes
  • Three small black buttons
  • Glossy accents or another adhesive that dries clear
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks, to glue the top jar/bottom jar together
  • Hot cocoa mix, marshmallows to fill
  •  

    Saturday, December 17, 2011

    Awesome end-of-year giveaway by Melissa

    Give unto others ...

    If you're looking to compete in an awesome blog candy giveaway, jump over to MELISSA's blog. She is giving away a $150 Michael's gift card, a Copic air sprayer starter set, and other Copic goodies (including a set of 36 markers.  Jump HERE!

    Santa Melissa, stop HERE!!!!!

    Tuesday, December 13, 2011

    Wondering about my latest banner?

    Here is the latest banner I made -- this one to celebrate granddaughter Charlotte's first birthday.  The theme was Winter ONE-derland, complete with penguins and snowflakes.  If you look closely, you'll also see a banner on Charley's high chair ... unless you're mesmerized by the flood of tomato sauce on her high chair tray!  Ahhhhh, meatballs!!

    Friday, December 9, 2011

    Martha Stewart's Fabulous Christmas Cookies!

    If you're stumped as to what Christmas cookies will be top on your list to make this year, head on over to Martha Stewart's blog for oodles of fantastic recipes. 

    My "thing" this year is Gingerbread (read earlier posts).  Here is Martha's take on decorating them:


    EEEK, so gorgeous!!! 
    Go here if you'd like instructions.

    Have a happy Christmas sort of Day!

    Thursday, December 8, 2011

    Busy, busy this time of year -- Aren't we all!?

    Hello, Papercrafters! 

    I realize I've been quiet. I haven't had a lot of time in the Paper Jungle, creating anew. Instead, I've been helping my daughter Emily finish projects for granddaughter Charlotte's birthday party decorations and attire, including this little onesie for Charley to wear under her tutu:



    Then when that one didn't match daughter Emily's "vision" (sometimes it's hell having a creative daughter!!), I went on to make this one:



    ... and three more versions too. I stopped taking pictures after Versions 1 and 2 ... will take a picture and show you the one Mom dresses her in, at the party on Saturday.

    This is a digital montage I made in celebration of Charlotte's first year. I plan to print this out and use it as the cover of my card.



    
    
    I've also been cleaning -- the Paper Jungle as well as the whole house, as my family (including my dear Mom, Dorothy, coming from FL) is coming for a weekend visit to help celebrate the special occasion.

    We'll cap the weekend with a show at Philadelphia's largest theater, the Walnut Street Theatre, where "The King and I" is playing. My nephew, Conrad, has the child-lead in the musical, playing Louis, the son of Anna (who is the "I" in "The King and I").  Anna is being played by Rachel York, a Broadway star.

    .... and work. UGH. I have a very sad admission I'm working on ... At age 2 months, the baby was badly abused, allegedly by a parent; life support sustains the infant, and no miracle will ever be enough for this beautiful little baby. Beyond sad. What kind of monster can do this?!  As much as it is so hard to see children who suffer diseases or injuries that are traumatic but no one's fault, it is soul-sucking to bear witness to this sort of damage.

    Not to be "Debbie Downer" here, but I've learned my crafting friends can help me distract and rebirth my "joie de vivre" after such difficult days.

    On that note, I leave you with a gift of sorts. Coupons! A.C. Moore is having a terrific sale tomorrow and Saturday -- $10 off your purchase of $30, so that's 33% off!  Also, there's a bonus coupon, 50% off a papercrafting item. Here ya go ... Merry Christmas to YOU!!  Shop early, shop often!

    Sunday, December 4, 2011

    Christmas Greetings Blog Hop, Another Card here for Day #3

    If you are here for the Christmas Cookies and Cards Blog Hop, please click HERE.


    Welcome to the Christmas Greetings Blog Hop (12/2-12/4), featuring Christmas cards made by some very talented ladies. Stop back to each of the HopStops daily this weekend to see a new card on each day. We'll each have a Christmas gift to brighten the day of a winner chosen at random from those who leave comments and follow.

    Here is my card for Day #3, Sunday December 4:


    I fell SO in love with these little elf fairies that are from Penny Black Stamps. I used Copic Markers to color her.  I trimmed out her hat's fur using Liquid Pearls.   (Note, the holly stamp at her hem isn't really on the finished card ... I'm just trying to protect a "lift".) 

    For my blog candy, I have a super sweet pair of Stainless Steel soft-handled scissors by Recollections. These have adorable pink/white padded finger holes and terrific tiny-points for intricate fussy cutting. 

    To win, simply leave a comment on this post and be a CardMonkey follower.  In your comment, please leave a way for me to contact you, when you win.  Winner will be chosen at random on Sunday, 12/4 and posted on Monday, 12/5.  Come back on Day #3 tomorrow and post a comment then too, for an additional chance to win!!  Thank you and good luck!

    ... AND do come over to see my projects for the Christmas Cookies and Card blog hop this weekend, too!

    Now hop over to the Treeeeeeemendous Tina for your next stop. Here's the entire line-up, in case you get lost:

    1.Angela Holt http://www.theblingtheory.blogspot.com        BLOG STARTS HERE!!! 



    YOU ARE HERE:  
    3.Ellen Card Monkey Jarvis http://cardmonkey.business.blogspot.com 

    HERE'S YOUR NEXT STOP:


    Christmas Cards and Cookies Blog Hop - Day #2

    If you're here for the Christmas Greetings Blog Hop, please click HERE.

    Welcome to the Christmas Card
    and Cookie Blog Hop!

    Today is Day #2 of the Christmas Card and Cookie Blog Hop.  Are you stuffed yet?  Drooling??!  If you'd like to start at the beginning of this fun and gather up some great recipes and crafting ideas too, click HERE to go to Dena's blog.

    My cookie is the Classic Gingerbread.

    How can you go wrong when this cookie gives your house a distinctly Christmas aroma?


    For today's post, I expanded upon the idea of making gingerbread to make other cookies with essentially the same dough.  When you make the gingerbread cookies, turn them into "sandwiches" like S'Mores. You'll be slathering the underside of one cookie with melted bittersweet chocolate, topping it with Marshmallow Fluff mixed with cream cheese and a second cookie!  


    For another take on the recipe, take the scraps and roll them into balls ... roll the balls in sugar (or even sugared cinnamon), and bake them as "ginger crisps".  


    Now for the card:




    This is the exterior of a 5x7" card. I used Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker paper and a Pure Innocence digi-art girl from Heather Ellis.  In the digi-art, the girl is holding a cupcake. It's EASY to cut that out, and instead change it out for a gingerbread man, cut from a Sizzix die.  


    Here is the inside:


    The inside features a pocket that contains all three recipes. The embellishments are by Sizzix (gingerbread men die) and by Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker.


    More typically, I use this pocket card style as a "slider", where there item on the outside (in this case, it would be the gingerbread man) would move up and down when the insert was lifted. You can see last year's slider/Gingerbread card by looking at the tutorial posted in the right-hand side of my blog ... yes, over there....>>  

    Now, before you head to the kitchen, I have a sweet (LITERALLY) bit of blog candy for you ... your very own kit to make some gingerbread cookies. I'll include some edible embellishments, a gingerbread man cookie cutter, and some cute Ikea magnetic storage tins that when you're done baking, you can use the tins to store your craft supplies!!



    To win this gift, just leave a comment on this posting and be/become a CardMonkey blog follower.  In your comment, please tell me if you have a favorite Christmas memory of time spent with your Grandma ... I'm searching for a tradition for my precious Charlotte to share, and I'd like your help.
    Also, please leave a way for me to contact should you win this very special prize!

    Now hop on over to KERRI to see what sweetness she has in store for you!  Happy baking, and Merry Christmas!!

    Saturday, December 3, 2011

    Gingerbread Friends - Hopping for Holiday Recipes!

    If you're here for the Christmas Greetings Blog Hop, Click HERE please.


    Welcome to the Christmas Card
    and Cookie Blog Hop!

    When my sweet friend Dena Jones (all the way across the bridge to Hawaii ... oh, how I wish there was a bridge!!) asked if I'd join in this fun, I was more than happy to oblige. If you'd like to start at the beginning of this fun and gather up some great recipes and crafting ideas too, click HERE to go to Dena's blog.

    My cookie is the Classic Gingerbread.

    How can you go wrong when this cookie gives your house a distinctly Christmas aroma?




    Not mine ...  I can only dream
    of being this talented!!





    Of course, you can use your gingerbread to make festive Gingerbread Friends, as I did ...or use it to cut, bake and decorate all sorts of shapes. Have you tried to make a gingerbread house yet?  Perhaps that's a tradition I'll start with my granddaughter this year?

    Anywhoooo, let me show you the card I've made to accompany some cookies.  There's a exterior "pocket card", with the pull-out Gingerbread Friends recipe inside:





    More typically, I use this pocket card style as a "slider", where there item on the outside (in this case, it would be the gingerbread man) would move up and down when the insert was lifted. You can see last year's slider/Gingerbread card by looking at the tutorial posted in the right-hand side of my blog ... yes, over there....>>  

    However, today, I wanted the recipe to be fully removable. 

    As you can see, I'm much more comfortable in my craft room than my kitchen!!  Okay, you really can't see, because I didn't take a picture of the Kitchen Disaster I create when I am baking. Let's not go there!

    I hope you'll try the Classic Gingerbread, in whatever form you cut the dough.

    Now, before you head to the kitchen, I have a sweet (LITERALLY) bit of blog candy for you ... your very own kit to make some gingerbread cookies. I'll include some edible embellishments, a gingerbread man cookie cutter, and some cute Ikea magnetic storage tins that when you're done baking, you can use the tins to store your craft supplies!!

    To win this gift, just leave a comment on this posting and be/become a CardMonkey blog follower.  In your comment, please tell me if you have a favorite Christmas memory of time spent with your Grandma ... I'm searching for a tradition for my precious Charlotte to share, and I'd like your help.
    Also, please leave a way for me to contact should you win this very special prize!

    Now hop on over to KERRI to see what sweetness she has in store for you!  Happy baking, and Merry Christmas!!