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!

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!

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!!! 

2.Cally Ann http://callyanncraftycreations.blogspot.com 

YOU ARE HERE:  

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

HERE'S YOUR NEXT STOP:

4.Tina Riley http://parablesproductions.blogspot.com 

5.Kristine Koeing http://crystalsoftime.com
6.Janet Murray Nagai http://www.createatdreamscrapbooks.blogspot.com/
7.Candace Zentner http://www.scrappin2littleprincesses.blogspot.com/

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!!

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!!

Christmas Greetings Blog Hop, Day #2

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 #2, Saturday December 3:

I fell SO in love with these little elf fairies that are from Penny Black Stamps. I paper pieced her dress, and used Copic Markers to color her.  I trimmed out her hat's fur using Liquid Pearls.  The paper, banner and "joy" letters are from Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker. 

I have the ornament swinging from the window ledge, cut using a Spellbinders "Our Daily Bread" window die.  I filled the panes with acetate. For the inside of the card, I printed a ClickArt Online image of a sky, ornaments and pine tree, where there's space enough to write a message. 

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!!! 

2.Cally Ann http://callyanncraftycreations.blogspot.com 

YOU ARE HERE:  

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

HERE'S YOUR NEXT STOP:

4.Tina Riley http://parablesproductions.blogspot.com 

5.Kristine Koeing http://crystalsoftime.com
6.Janet Murray Nagai http://www.createatdreamscrapbooks.blogspot.com/
7.Candace Zentner http://www.scrappin2littleprincesses.blogspot.com/

Christmas Greetings Blog Hop, Day #1

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 #1, Friday December 2:

You may recognize this card if you're a subscriber to Cricut Magazine ... I got the idea from their pages.  

I didn't have candy cane striped paper, so I made my own on my computer/printer. (Cute!!!)  I typeset the sentiment too. For the reindeer, I used the Doodlecharm Cricut cartridge, and embossed the face with an argyle pattern, just because....

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 days #2 and #3 and post comments then too, for additional chances to win!!  Thank you and good luck!

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!!! 

2.Cally Ann http://callyanncraftycreations.blogspot.com 

YOU ARE HERE:  

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

HERE'S YOUR NEXT STOP:

4.Tina Riley http://parablesproductions.blogspot.com 

5.Kristine Koeing http://crystalsoftime.com
6.Janet Murray Nagai http://www.createatdreamscrapbooks.blogspot.com/
7.Candace Zentner http://www.scrappin2littleprincesses.blogspot.com/