Gnome For The Holidays Card #3

I must confess something: I was born in the wrong time period.  Being an avid reader of biographies and historical fiction, I've long sensed that my soul resides somewhere a few hundred years ago.

I've binge-watched the first 3 seasons of Outlander in the past 2 weeks and oh.my.word.  I need to find those Craig Na Dun stones and get me to the 1740s now.  Watching TV is not a regular pastime of mine, but I did read the first book in the Outlander series years ago, so when I heard Dena Rekow of The Creativity Cave mention how good the tv series was, I tuned in.  Wow.  Just WOW.  Every human emotion is covered in those shows.  And because I know the books are always better, they are all finding their way into my home soon.  

It's a very good thing I made my Gnome For The Holidays cards several weeks ago because there has been NO stamping done since then.  I'm still emotionally recovering from leaving Scotland and Jamie and Claire.

BUT, the 1740s didn't have cardmaking as we know it, so it's probably a good thing I live now.

Isn't this a fun little color combination?  Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Night Of Navy, Misty Moonlight, and a pinch of Flirty Flamingo.

A Few Tips to Up Your Card-Making Game:

• Cut or punch the same shape multiple times in a variety of colors, then randomly glue them across the card (die used here is from Ornate Frames).  Paint a few with a Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush for extra sparkle.
• Use a piece of felt from the Festive Felt Sheets Combo Pack in place of a cardstock mat to add soft texture (Whisper White used here).
• Randomly fill in sentiment letters with either a Stampin' Write or Stampin' Blends marker.  It playfully highlights a greeting (Flirty Flamingo used here).
• Tie cord, ribbon, or twine around the card base at a slight angle to add to the playfulness of the gnomes.

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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.

If you'd like a catalog package for the new January-June Mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogs, email me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com 

If you are enjoying The Joyful Stamper site

• Request a catalog package here, if you don't already have a demonstrator you love.
• Subscribe to Stampin' News, a weekly email that delivers fun, tips, and specials right to you.  Get a free exclusive Stampin' News Subscriber pdf tutorial as a sign-up thank you!
• Shop my store and to save money check out the Clearance Rack and Discounted Bundles.
• Use this month's Reward Code to earn points towards a $50 shopping spree - read the details here.
• Join me every Thursday at 11 AM ET for my weekly Happy Half Hour Live stamping show on my Facebook page.  

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!

Gnome For The Holidays Card #2

IT'S SNOWING!!!  I can hear many of you cringing, but I LOVE winter!  It's my favorite season.  As I type this and look out my window with a mug of hot tea at my side, dainty snowflakes are falling and I'm itching to go for a run.  Running in the snow is serene, calming, and beautiful.

But, again, many of you are saying, "No, Nicole. Stamping inside while it's snowing outside is serene, calming, and beautiful."  I agree with that, too!  And I have more adorable gnomes to hopefully inspire you to pull out your stamps, paper, and ink for a calming stamp therapy session.

 

Just like Monday's card, I used Stampin' Blends to color the gnomes from the Gnome For The Holidays set.  What I was really going for, though, on this card was texture - lots of texture!  Notice the embossed background, the distressed edges of the 'Tis The Season Designer Series Paper, and the soft white felt the gnomes lay on.  Yes, that's felt!  

You may have missed this in the Mini Catalog - Festive Felt Sheet Combo Pack.  The four colors of  Early Espresso, Just Jade, Real Red, and Whisper White can be used together or separately.  The felt can be die-cut and embossed, too!  It has a thicker weight to it so it feels extra-soft and touchable.

To get the different shades in my coloring, I used both the light & dark versions of each Stampin' Blends combo pack.  I like to color with the light marker first, add a bit of the dark marker to areas that would naturally be shadowed, then go over it all again with the light marker.  

🌞Joyful Stamper Tip: Don't be afraid to color!  I am not a coloring expert.  I do not have special training and I never took classes to learn this.  I'm just a girl who loves to play with paper, ink, and color.  Here's what to do - grab a sheet of Whisper White cardstock, a Memento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad, and a stamp set with open images (like Gnome For The Holidays).  Fill the sheet with stamped images, turn on a podcast or TV show, and just color.  You'll love some, you'll trash some, but it will be fun and you'll have a treasure trove of ready-to-apply images to your next card!

Card Recipe (supply list link is below these steps)

• Fold in half at 4-1/4" a 5-1/2"x8-1/2" piece of Garden Green cardstock.
• Emboss a 5-1/8"x4-1/8" piece of Garden Green cardstock with any folder and glue to card base.
• Die-cut from Real Red cardstock a border using the Ornate Borders Dies.
• Glue the border to the left edge of a 2"x4-1/4" piece of 'Tis The Season Designer Series Paper (DSP).  Glue finished piece to the left side of the card.
• Glue (2) 1/4"x2-3/4" pieces of Real Red cardstock to the DSP, towards the right side of it.
• Stamp a greeting in Real Red on a Whisper White piece die-cut from the Stitched Shapes Dies.  Glue to the card.
• Glue a 4"x2-1/4" piece of Whisper White felt to the card.
• Cut a 1/4"x2-3/4" strip of Real Red cardstock and glue to the left side of the felt.  Add 3 Holiday Basics Rhinestone jewels.
• Stamp in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on Whisper White cardstock the 3 gnome images.  Color with Stampin' Blends.  Trim with Paper Snips and glue to the felt.

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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.

If you'd like a catalog package for the new January-June Mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogs, email me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com 

If you are enjoying The Joyful Stamper site

• Request a catalog package here, if you don't already have a demonstrator you love.
• Subscribe to Stampin' News, a weekly email that delivers fun, tips, and specials right to you.  Get a free exclusive Stampin' News Subscriber pdf tutorial as a sign-up thank you!
• Shop my store and to save money check out the Clearance Rack and Discounted Bundles.
• Use this month's Reward Code to earn points towards a $50 shopping spree - read the details here.
• Join me every Thursday at 11 AM ET for my weekly Happy Half Hour Live stamping show on my Facebook page.  

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!

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.

👇👇👇👇👇

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

If you are enjoying The Joyful Stamper site

• Request a catalog package here, if you don't already have a demonstrator you love.
• Subscribe to Stampin' News, a weekly email that delivers fun, tips, and specials right to you.  Get a free exclusive Stampin' News Subscriber pdf tutorial as a sign-up thank you!
• Shop my store and to save money check out the Clearance Rack and Discounted Bundles.
• Use this month's Reward Code to earn points towards a $50 shopping spree - read the details here.
• Join me every Thursday at 11 AM ET for my weekly Happy Half Hour Live stamping show on my Facebook page.  

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!