Gnome For The Holidays Card #1

Elderly people are a blessing to me.  I truly feel called by God to work with and for them.  They add a special richness to my life unlike any other age group.  Their appreciation of the simple things in life, their wisdom, and their genuine delight in conversation are why I enjoy being with them.

I recently dropped off a large bag of Christmas cards to my local assisted living facility.  They're used as bingo prizes for the residents and sold to visitors in the gift shop.  All the money is used to fund resident programs.  

The volunteer coordinator keeps thanking me for the donations, but I don't think she understands just how much of a favor she is doing me - the residents' and visitors' love of my cards allows me to keep doing what I love, plus it feels wonderful to know how much they enjoy them.  

This week, I'm featuring the Gnome For The Holidays stamp set.  I HAD TO HAVE this set when the Holiday catalog was first released.  The cuteness and the coloring opportunities are what grabbed me.

Stampin' Blends were my choice of coloring medium, but Stampin' Write Markers would work just as well.  What's the difference between these two types of markers?

Stampin' Blends are alcohol-based.  That means colors can be layered and blended to create highlights and shading, without fear of color-contaminating the marker tips (that is, ruining a tip by getting a different color on it).  Stampin' Blends will also color smoothly, without marker streaks.  My favorite advantage of Blends, though, is the ability to color embellishments (like pearls and rhinestones) with them.

Stampin' Write Markers are water-based dye inks, like our ink pads.  You can color with them, but I especially love them for coloring directly on stamps.  It's an easy way to get multi-colored images.  You can also use them to scribble on a clear block, then pick up that ink with a damp Water Painter and watercolor.

Whichever marker type you use, they'll work for this card.  Draw fun stripes in Real Red and Shaded Spruce for a fun background!  Color those adorable gnomes!

The gnomes are hand-cut with Paper Snips (no dies available for this set) and attached with Stampin' Dimensionals to squares of 'Tis The Season Designer Series Paper, die-cut with Stitched Shapes.

🌞Joyful Stamper Card Recipe

• Fold in half at 5-1/2" a 4-1/2"x11" Thick Whisper White piece of cardstock.
• Draw stripes with a Real Red and Shaded Spruce Stampin' Blends marker on a 4"x5-1/4" piece of Thick Whisper White cardstock.  Glue to card base.
• Tie twine or ribbon of your choice around the top of the card (I used retired silver twine).
• Cut 4 squares using the Stitched Shapes dies and 'Tis The Season Designer Series Paper.  Glue to card.
• Stamp gnome images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Thick Whisper White cardstock.  Color with Stampin' Blends.  I used Basic Black, Smoky Slate, Real Red, Mint Macaron, and Daffodil Delight.  Tip: outline gnome images with a Light Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends to highlight them.
• Cut gnomes with Paper Snips and attach to card with Stampin' Dimensionals.
• Stamp sentiment in Versamark ink on Cherry Cobbler cardstock.  Sprinkle on White Stampin' Emboss Powder and melt with Heat Tool.  Die-cut with Stitched So Sweetly dies and attach to card with Stampin' Dimensionals.

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Shop the Supply List for this card - All supplies are in my store!  Just click the link to see the full list.

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Joy in being creative, community in sharing a common interest, purpose in what we make - this is stamping at its best!  Thank you, friends, for choosing me as your demonstrator!