Christmas Gnome

I know Santa has elves as helpers but I'm not too sure about gnomes.  However I've used a free seasonal stamp and die set from last year and it definitely features gnomes aka tomte.  The signpost and toadstool 'workshop' were stamped and coloured with alcohol pens, as was the gnome but the gnome was the only stamp which had a matching die so the other two were cut out with scissors.  I then die cut some snow layers and a few Christmas trees, finally stamping Santa sailing across the sky being towed by his reindeer team.  I really enjoyed making this cheery card and it certainly helped to brighten up a really wet and windy day when I decided staying indoors was probably the best option.

Sky - printed from Artylicious Season's Greetings CD
Snow - dies from Lawn Fawn using Centura pearl card
Trees - dies from Crafter's Companion and larger ones from unknown source
Santa in sky - free stamp given with magazine
Gnome, signpost and toadstool - from set of stamps/dies free with magazine last year

Playground challenge #340

It is well worth a visit to the Playground just to see the really amusing card which Di has for us this time around and of course the stamp set is the prize on offer to whoever is lucky enough to be drawn out of the 'hat'.  My snippets card this time is seasonal but I'm gradually catching up with the Christmas cards so that's a good thing because as we all know time flies when we are having fun.The only thing which isn't a snippet is the blue snowflake paper which is a sheet I printed - I do have a few snippets of that one left for another time though!  The birch trees were die cut from Centura pearl card and the circles from bits and pieces of blue with scraps of kraft used for the deer.  Sentiment is one which I downloaded and resized before printing off a sheet so that they could be punched out when needed.  The layering of the various circles, trees, deer and the frame required a bit of juggling but it came right in the end.

Snowflake paper - printed from Season's Greetings CD Artylicious
Birch Trees - die which seems to have lost its packaging, sorry
Circles - Sue Wilson Noble Pierced circles die set
Deer - Sizzix die set
Sentiment - download from Netty's Cards

Snow Globe

Despite knowing that I really didn't need anything else to make Christmas cards I was tempted when I spotted cards made by my friend Anne using a matching stamp and die set - a snow globe with three little scenes to stamp.  The images were stamped onto white stamping card (Misti came in very handy here to line them up) and then coloured with Copic pens.  Having die cut the globes I then had to decide how to compose a card to use one of them so I found a piece of background paper which I'd printed recently and some scraps of blue and kraft card to cut the circles.  Greeting was die cut from a small scrap of the left over white card and also some small snowflakes were punched.  I felt it just needed a little something else so scrabbled in my box of random die cuts where  luckily I found some greenery and fir cones.

I have three more globes ready prepared to make more cards so it is thinking cap on - miserable day today and getting a bit dark to do much more now.  I reckon I should make a warming cuppa and sit down for a 'think'!!!!  Some people sits and thinks but some just sits - I will try to do the former.

Background - printed from Seasons Greetings (Artylicious) onto iridescent white paper
Circles - Spellbinders and Creative Expressions dies. Stampin' Up embossing folder
Snow globe - die set with matching stamps from Studio Light
Foliage and Fir cones - used freebie dies
Sentiment - Britannia dies

Penguin Family

I'm still ploughing on with Christmas cards and I must make sure I keep up to date with the inserts and envelopes as well because this isn't one of my favourite jobs and I hate it when there is a huge pile to do.  I die cut this penguin family and assembled them all which does take a bit of time and involves a bit of snipping with scissors to add the feet, hats etc but worth it I feel.  The background paper was printed from a CD and I then die cut some 'snow' for them to stand on,  Sentiment was stamped using the Misti which is so handy for good placement.

Background - printed from Seasons Greetings CD Artylicious
Snow - stitched hillsides from Lawn Cuts
Penguins - die set from Tonic
Greeting - free stamp from a Christmas set given with magazine

Snowflakes are ...

The die used here is quite large and it has a stamp set to go with it not much else is needed to make a card.  I cut the word from Centura pearl card and the rectangular layer from a dark red pearl card.  The little sentence was stamped onto some matching white card before cutting out a banner shape.  I simply added a die cut snowflake and backed everything with a piece of snowflake design paper which I printed from a CD which I've had for many years.  My collection of Christmas cards is growing which has to be good.

Background printed from Season's Greetings CD Artylicious (no longer available I imagine)
Rectangle die - Wonky stitches rectangles from Creative Dies
Snowflake Word - die and stamp set by Creative Expressions
Snowflake - Docraft die
Banner - Creative Expressions die Sue Wilson

Christmas Wreath

Yesterday I spent some time die cutting a selection of seasonal bits and pieces so that they are ready to hand to make a few cards today.  In the end I only had time to make the one because I had the offer of being taken out shopping - nothing exciting, just food but it was an outing.

I started by cutting a square on which to put the wreath - doubled up one in brown and one in kraft - then I assembled some of the flowers and leaves before adding a bow and the sentiment.  One more card for the box but still plenty more to make.

Square - Noble pierced squares die by Sue Wilson
Wreath and most of the flowers/leaves - Sizzix die
Bow and a few odd small flowers - a freebie die and some punched 'waste' from a border die
Sentiment - from Netty's cards on punched shapes by Stampin' Up.

Christmas Joy

I've settled into making some Christmas cards mostly using up pieces of backing paper which I've had for some years and of course delving into my boxes of snippets.  I was rather caught by surprise when I die cut this large holly sprig because when I bought it I'd not realised that it cut the leaves out with separate outline, veins and the inner parts of the leaves.  However I found another shade of green to cut out another one so that I could mix and match and helpfully the berries are separate as well.  I had thought the whole thing would cut with maybe embossed details for the veining - that will teach me to look more closely in the shop!!  The 'joy' die was much more straightforward to use.  A piece of paper with music and holly sprigs was used as a background and I've kept the whole thing fairly flat for posting.

Background - paper from Craftwork Cards a while ago
Dies - from The Works