Drawing digital art: more calorie-free Procreate Christmas cookies for the holidays!

During my last post, I learned from the incomparable Lisa Bardot. This time, I watched a short, sped-up tutorial from The Artmother on Skillshare on how to make a slightly different version of calorie-free gingerbread cookies. Completely different approaches but equally fun!

These gingerbread cookies make the cutest iPad lock Screen and wallpaper, if I do say so myself!)

DOWNLOADABLE VERSION:
Digital art with Procreate makes great, calorie-free gingerbread cookies!
See how cheery they look as a lock screen? It’s the small things…

Drawing digital art: calorie-free Procreate Christmas cookies for the holidays!

Lisa Bardot and team over at Bardot Brush provide such simple, easy, and quick Procreate drawing tutorials and I finally found the time to fit one in. I made a Peace ornament, a plaid Christmas tree, a traditional Christmas tree, and a few alphabet letters. Here are my Procreate drawn holiday cookies. I see a digital Christmas card in my future…

Calorie-free digitally drawn Christmas cookies!
I’ll eventually create a cookie for every letter in the alphabet
and then some…maybe a delicious ampersand?!

Caroling & Hot Cocoa “Bar”

I didn’t want to throw a “real” party.  It’s Christmastime and who, really, has time for all that extra cooking, cleaning and prep?  Not me.  So I decided that I wanted to start a new tradition:  caroling around the neighborhood and then serving hot cocoa afterward.  It was so simple and so much fun!  I’m not sure which was more fun:  watching the kids have a blast or singing the carols (which I love!).  I think watching the kids has the edge, though.  They were so excited but tired easily.

Next year we’ll limit it to one chosen street instead of trying to go around the block.  We were able to sing 10 to 12 times.  I used the collection of sheet music that good ‘ol Martha Stewart put together.  It was a nice mix of Christian and more secular Christmas music (e.g. Up on the Housetop and Jingle Bells in amidst The First Noel and Silent Night).  I was smiling about it for days afterward and hope that those who went with us had as much fun as we did.

smDSC_0076

Afterward, I made Crockpot Hot Cocoa (this filled my 7 qt crock pot!):

  • 2 c. heavy whipping cream (not whipped!)
  • 2 – 14 oz cans of sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 gallon of milk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla powder (or regular vanilla, I used Thrive’s vanilla powder)
  • 4 c. chocolate chips (I used Hershey’s dark chocolate chips)
  • 1 c. powdered sugar

smDSC_0079

I also made White Hot Chocolate:

  • 4 c. heavy whipping cream (not whipped!)
  • 4 c. milk
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly ground cardamom (removed from pods)
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 2 T. vanilla powder (or regular vanilla, I used Thrive’s vanilla powder)
  • 16 oz white chocolate (I used the melting wafers from Hobby Lobby)

The White Hot Chocolate was the bomb.  Seriously.  I did not know it would be so good or I would have doubled the recipe.  Three or four people asked for the recipe!

Here’s the selection of marshmallows and additions including maraschino cherry skewers, spray cream cinnamon and chips of almost every kind:

smDSC_0084

Before everyone showed up (we had two more families come after this shot!).

smDSC_0101

The teenage girls who participated just INSISTED that “Let it Go!” was a Christmas song.  Ahem.  I disagree but they sang it with gusto (along with a few parents!).

smDSC_0109

The best part?  Everyone seemed genuinely welcoming and happy to see us!  It’s definitely a new tradition.  Next year, I’ll make the boys bring their drums and bells from percussion.

What I Designed Today: Christmas Cards for OK Mozart

I loved doing this last year (see below for last year’s version).  This year, another local design company has generously volunteered their time (okay, their interns’ time) to redesign the logo for next year so I changed the Christmas card design to match the lovely greens and sent them two options below.  I would have wrapped their logo on the ornament but these were initial proofs and they chose the dark green so I didn’t bother.  Which do you prefer?

OK Mozart Christmas Card 2013

christmascard120913bWEB

 

OK Mozart Christmas Card – two options for 2014

christmascard120814final3

christmascard120814b

Knitted Things I Found at Target

IMG_2802

IMG_2804

IMG_2803

My little town doesn’t have a Target and, oh, how I truly miss clearance shopping at Target! I enjoyed poking around the store and took a few snapshots of some cute knitted Christmas things. Enough to spark a knitting or recycled wool felt project? Probably! Enjoy!

Christmas Decorating for the Nativity

The world’s best designer was out of commission this year so I was asked to help decorate the refreshment room for our church’s community nativity display. I am by no means a professional but I am pleased with the results. You’d have to know what I had to start with to accurately judge, but since my goal was to PURCHASE next to nothing for this project (I like to throw money at problems when I don’t have time to deal with them!), I can honestly say I achieved my goal. The only two things I purchased: the whole bolt of chocolate brown burlap — and the two 96″ tablecloths used nearly all of that –and secondly, the teeny tiny nativity shown in the glass. It’s still too big but I was amazed at the lack of miniature creches available at Hobby Lobby in my small hometown. Rest assured I’ll be on the hunt for tiny nativities online! All in all, though, few purchases and yet a decent success. My favorite thing: the burlap camels from TJMaxx. They are adorable with or without the gold bells I put around their necks. I hope we get lots of visitors to the nativity display at the church this weekend and that all who come eat cookies and think of the true meaning of Christmas!

wreathcloseup

pineconecandles2

napkinstandcloseup

jinglebells

camels2

birdcage

tablescape3

roomview3

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Our home is a MESS. A huge mess. It was hard for me to “let” the boys go fishing on such a nice November day in Oklahoma because we started on Christmas decorations today and we have so far to go! It still feels nice to have the beautiful decorations going up…even if we fight half the time while putting stuff up {think: don’t drag that! watch the walls! are you hiding in your room playing games?! don’t you like Christmas?!}. The season of peace and joy is about to begin for sure and I love every single second of it. It doesn’t hurt to have a Husker win and college football on in the background, either!

Photography for Christmas Lights

exteriorlights2

exteriorlights1

christmastree2

So our neighborhood is having a Christmas lights contest and, since ours is relatively tasteful, one can be assured we will not win. At any rate, I thought it would be a good time to learn how to use my Nikon D90 and get some pictures of the lights. My hubby is a very experienced photographer so he tried patiently to explain ISO and shutter speed to me. It still doesn’t quite make sense but here goes: ISO goes as high as your camera will go – I set mine at 3200. Interestingly enough, the shutter speed varied – some pictures came out good at 1/10, some at 1/8 and some at 1/25 and lastly, be sure that the camera is in manual mode and the flash is off. We found the interior tree pictures came out best if surrounding lights were turned off, too. It was fun to change the speed and see what happened. Now if I could only figure out how to get the dang camera on and off the tripod…I’m pretty much hopeless when it comes to photography! If composition were the only factor, I’d have it made.

Sleeping Boys

Pretty self explanatory. We only have 4 more days with the parents…we are so sad it is almost time for them to go!

My First “Real” Apron

I wish that I had these skills about three weeks ago. I sent my sister, LeAnne an apron I tried to sew myself and it looks regurgitated next to these aprons that my friend Benay helped me sew yesterday. I now have THE SKILLS. At least to do an apron! So, LeAnne, which of these two do you want and which one can I keep? Look out – if you know me and usually get a gift – it’s probably going to be an apron this year.

Christmas Photos

Photos of Christmas are so memorable. And funny. My Mom is funny in a very quiet way. We will never forget 2008 – our last Christmas in Omaha for awhile. I think that if we never bought presents for the kids they would still be spoiled by my sisters and parents. They loved it all (even the extra Wii controller Jack wasn’t too pleased with at first – he is sure glad to have it now!). I think they’ve already worn out all their moustaches.

Our Neighbor Gifts – A Relish Tray

If you didn’t catch my post over at www.lightrefreshmentsserved.com, be sure to check out the good ideas for neighbor gifts. They have some fun articles running now about the days of Christmas. Back to neighbor gifts — my personal favorite was one that a friend and neighbor gave me years ago (Cole was just a baby then!): a relish tray. I know it seems strange but amid all the sugar and chocolate, it was really appreciated. We nibbled on it all evening long while we watched movies. So, it isn’t fudge and it isn’t a candle (you know, your normal neighbor gifts) but it IS something healthy and not what you would normally do for Christmas and I sure hope our neighbors enjoyed it — even if it is a little different. Just like us, I suppose. It wasn’t very expensive but let me tell you it took me quite awhile to wash, chop and cut. The sun dried tomato dip recipe was really good. We didn’t have any leftover and I’m pretty sure Don will be requesting some more tonight so I’d better get crackin’ in the kitchen again.

Cute Advent Calendar House

Who’d have thunk it? A cute advent house from Gardener’s Supply. Adorable! I’m curious, though, as what to put in the small little boxes without encouraging MORE candy at Christmas? Maybe quotes? Maybe scripture? Love notes? Jokes? Your thoughts on advent surprises?

Guest post about a guest post. ;)

This is a recursive post about a guest post. (You’ll get that if you are a TRUE geek like me, Lizabeth’s hubby.)

The guest post is up! You can see it over at www.lightrefreshmentsserved.com and it looks good.

Here is the image for the knitted bottle toppers that they didn’t post to.

 


 
The page that they live on can be found on their site by going directly here: Sundance Home Decor

 
Thanks for stopping by!

 
Post Poser Don

Christmas Eye Candy

Spotted online and saved for future purchase and/or to spark new ideas when I’m doing my own crafting. Great colors and design! The jumbo stocking was sent to me by my sister, LeAnne, and is now hanging beautifully on our shiny black front door (really, black. really pretty!). It’s from Pottery Barn Kids. The cable stocking and stuffed, plump fabric candy canes are both from Country Home. The tree skirt is from Company Kids. I can’t remember where the mittens are from…anyone seen these? I hate to post it without credit. That’s what you get for saving inspirational pictures at 3 a.m.