DIY notecards with Digital Holiday Stamps designed by Jen Goode

Handmade notecards featuring art by Jen Goode

If you’re thinking about making your own holiday cards, gift tags or other seasonal crafty creations, I have a lovely selection of holiday themed digital stamps now available. There are poinsettias, gingerbread men, carolers and even a cute penguin. You can create a wide variety of paper crafts and mix media projects using these images. I’m adding more designs regularly and love to hear your suggestions so please feel free to drop me a note with your requests.

Handmade notecards featuring art by Jen Goode
Handmade notecards featuring art by Jen Goode

Take a look at these holiday examples featuring JGoode Designs digital stamps. I mixed the stamps with other paper patterns, card stock and glitter. Simple and easy to make cards featuring super cute art! (Yes, I’m a little biased.)

Handmade notecard featuring gingerbread man art by Jen Goode
Handmade notecard featuring gingerbread man digital stamp art by Jen Goode
Handmade notecard featuring penguin art by Jen Goode
Handmade notecard featuring penguin digital stamp art by Jen Goode
Handmade notecard featuring Poinsettia art by Jen Goode
Handmade notecard featuring Poinsettia digital stamp art by Jen Goode
Handmade Christmas Tree and Gifts card by Jen Goode
Handmade notecard featuring Christmas Tree and Gifts digital stamp art by Jen Goode
Handmade notecard featuring Holiday Caroler art by Jen Goode
Handmade notecard featuring Holiday Caroler digital stamp art by Jen Goode

What is a digital stamp? Digital stamps are printable art you color yourself. You download the art, print it at the desired size and then color or paint it however you like to use in your own handmade creations. These are all the designs I wanted to show you, so I printed them all out, colored them using colored pencils and design markers and then cut them out. You can find all my digital stamp designs at LilGoodies.com

Holiday digital stamp designs by Jen Goode cut out and colored
Holiday digital stamp designs by Jen Goode cut out and colored

 

What fun creations do you have planned for the holiday season?

Creativity is YOUR middle name, really!

“Everyone can draw – if you draw you look and if you look, you see.” Steve Eddy, a zoo keeper at the Exmoor Zoo.This is what inspired today’s topic, what does that mean?

I believe it means,

everyone is an artist because everyone “sees”.

I have always loved to create. My mother claims to have caught me coloring on the wall by age 2 or 3. However, I don’t think my perspective is skewed when I say, I honestly believe everyone is creative. What I think is usually the road block is the definition of creative. Creative doesn’t mean art… creative means thinking beyond the obvious, even for a moment. Creative means creating something.
Webster’s Dictionary says creative is “marked by the ability or power to create”. So really, if you can create, regardless of what it is, you are creative. Don’t argue, it’s true!

Image by Maven

Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.
~ Arthur Koestler

To take this one step further,

I believe that everyone is artistic in their own realm of the world.

Art doesn’t have to be a photo or a painting or even music. Art doesn’t have to be something that is pretty to look at. Art is an expression, a representation of an emotion or message that others can experience.

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.
~ Erich Fromm

In my mind, a skilled professional or a skilled trademan is more than likely artistic and creative in their skill. Artistic writing, thinking, building, helping, calculating, managing… each skill, each talent is a facet of what makes the world such a wonderful place to be; those creations of others make the whole that we each are a part of.

Image by Jef Safi

So the next time you think “gosh I wish I would draw” or “wow I wish I were creative” or “I can’t draw a straight line to save my life”,

stop and think about what you CAN do.

You have talents and skills, do them to best of your ability and do them with the ability that is uniquely you. This is your beautiful contribution to the rest of the world. Share it!

Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.
~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

Image by Kazze

Start seeing, and watch what comes of it.

More thoughts on creativity:

You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.
~ Nietzsche

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
~ Scott Adams

Another word for creativity is courage.
~ George Prince


Gerber Daisy in Green by JGoode

I’d love to hear about it.

What is your perspective on creativity and art. Do you believe there is an artist in us all? Do you have a favorite creative quote?

My Penguin is a tattoo – now it's more than just a coloring marker!

I started my day today with a fantastic email from a JGoode Penguin fan. I think I now have to dub her the penguin’s biggest fan. Yay! We actually have a biggest fan- today is a historical moment for JGD…

This is a photo from her message to me…

This is the original design:

Blue Fairy Penguin
Little Blue Fairy Penguin

I personally think its pretty darn cool that someone likes my art enough to permanently attach it to their being. That’s the whole point of the penguins… find your own penguin personality! This fits right in with my newest penguin themed site, Penguinality. Here you can find the penguin you like most and then personalize it just for you. Check it out!

Now I know, some of you may wonder, as some have mentioned.. copyright issue? Sure, could be. usually you need persmission for artist use their art… but really, is it an issue? Probably more so if the tattoo owner is planning on selling her arm – which I highly doubt she is. ha!

Special thanks to Kayla for sharing this with me. It really made my day!!

Summertime Daisy

I started out as a doodler, grew into the role of a designer for clients (advertising, print media), morphed with technology into website design and development and then found myself burnt out and unable to draw a single line. That’s when I picked up a camera just so I could add a bit of color back into my day.

This design is a combination of photography and digital design.


Gerber Daisy in Lavendar

I’ve been meaning to create more art like this. I love the combination of organic and geometric with a slightly crafty feel. However, an image has to somehow talk to me for me to create something new out of an already available visual. Lately all I hear are kids and digital noise – wow the world has gotten loud. So for the time being, enjoy this rare bit of art from me. There are others.. if you look for them.

Vintage Butterflies for a modern day

A year or so ago I went through a phase of needing to create pretty things. Really frilly, girly, ice tea on a hot southern day kind of “old time”, almost Victorian kind of pretty. During that period the Vintage Butterflies was created.

Vintage Butterflies

It’s a combination of real butterfly photos and old ad line drawings intertwined with a Nathanel Hawthorne quote that reads:

Happiness is a butterfly which, when pursued is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.

This is the only image of its kind in my current collection. I haven’t found that place in my mind to create another that is inspired in the same way. I have a dear friend that would jump for joy if I created another, and I’ve promised her that one day I will… but for now, the vintage butterflies stand alone in their happy place.

Peace Sign Doodles

One of the very first designs I ever put up for sale that wasn’t, at the time – in my mind, a “real” peace of art… was my doodle peace Love and Happiness design.

Peace , Love and Happiness

Peace , Love and Happiness

I loved the concept and the style, but it was more for me than it was for my online art collection. I needed the light and airy happiness. I need the bright colors and I needed that extra bit of sunshine. Most of all, I needed to share that whole concept….

Amazingly, the peace sign, by itself started to sell quite often. I still am not sure what triggered the interest.. but I’m so glad people found it and liked and it wanted one for themselves.

Peace Sign Doodle
Peace Sign Doodle

I’ve since added a collection of “Peace, love and happiness” designs… all in the same style. If you’re interested in a version of this design not yet available, let me know!

The Penguin and a Student Art Show

I am all about art and art education and art for the sake of just being creative for 37 seconds. So when I was asked if I could help out with an art show at the Ellen Browning Scripps school in San Diego, I jumped up at the opportunity. The school’s mascot is a penguin, so it was a perfect fit

I created 575 mini buttons and sent them to California this past week.

Each button had a picture of my penguin as the art penguin with the words “creativity is something wonderful” written above. Then, I put each button in a mini jewelry bag and included a card that said…

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” ~ Edgar Degas

“I Believe there is an artist in us all. How or what you choose to create is entirely up to you. I’ve created drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures – big, small and much more. My favorite creations are always those that remind me of a special moment. My life is my art and my art is my life. ” ~ Jennifer Goode • jgoode.com

I spent a few days putting all this penguin fun together, but when it was all done and said it was SO worth it. I was sent some of the most wonderful photos in return. Kids and their art and art by the kids and just art every where. I Love it! It’s so fantastic to me to see what results from a little creative inspiration. Amazing, really amazing.

The art show’s theme was “Thumbs Up for Art”.

The event committee also created a penguin (With my written permission of course) big enough to allow all the students to add their thumb print, creating a group masterpiece. The result was a terrific pointillism penguin.

Check out this wonderful art created by the students…

A special thanks to Tara for asking me to be involved in this fabulous event… thousands of miles away, yet I had a delightful time!

note: these event photos are courtesy of and used with permission by the original photographer.