Free Shipping Today Only & Danish Nisse Punch Art for Color Throwdown

Looking for some challenges to spur me on yesterday, I found a new colour challenge at the Color Throwdown challenge blog:

Black, red and gray immediately made me think of the Danish nisse - Christmas gnomes, so prevalent in Scandinavian holiday decor:

So, I began to formulate how I could create one using punch art! Here's how it turned out:

• The card is not layered, as the single card base really adds to the cleanness of the Scandinavian look. I just added some ink splotches along with some embossed splotches using White Stampin' Emboss Power and the stamp from Timeless Textures.
• The sentiment is from the Christmas Pines stamp set. I really liked the font from this set for this challenge.
• The foliage is from the Pretty Pines Thinlits, die cut from Whisper White, Smoky Slate and Basic Black cardstock, and bow die cut from Real Red cardstock. I also used the Martha Stewart leaf punch.
• The little nisse himself is created from the following punches and put together with Glue Dots: the Fox Builder punch for the body with the haunches trimmed off; the Holly Berry Builder punch for the bow at his neck; the 3/4" circle punch for the head; the Bow Builder* punch for the hat and stripe on the body; the 1/2" circle punch for the pompom on his hat. 
• *I punched out the long loop piece of the bow and cut it in two, one end slightly longer than the other. The longer end, I curved using the 3/4" punch. I punched a 1/2" pompom from Whisper White cardstock and glued it on the end of the hat where the square tab from the bow is at.

Stampin' Up! has pulled another surprise promotion on us! Today you have another Free Shipping Day from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm Mountain Time (11:00 pm Sunday - 10:59 pm Monday Pacific Time) This is good for any kind of orders, so you can contact me with your order no later than 7 pm tonight and I'll submit it OR you can submit it yourself on line by going to my On-Line Store and shopping for yourself. Please use the Host Code: K3U2S7BC if your order is under $200. If it is $200 or over you will earn your own Stampin' Rewards, and so you won't want to forfeit those by using the Host Code. There is no minimum order, so you won't be penalized by the flat rate shipping charge if you want to place an order under $100.

Remember you only have a few hours to respond! Let those who may be buying for you for Christmas know as well and give them my contact info.

Have a great Monday!

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today.

Product List

Christmas Pines Photopolymer Stamp Set [142049] $43.00	Timeless Textures Wood-Mount Stamp Set [140514] $36.00	Timeless Textures Clear-Mount Stamp Set [140517] $27.00	Basic Gray 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [121044] $10.00	Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [102482] $10.00
Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [121045] $10.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $11.25	Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [131202] $10.00	Versamark Pad [102283] $11.25	Embossing Buddy [103083] $8.00
White Stampin' Emboss Powder [109132] $6.75	Heat Tool [129053] $40.00	Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies [141851] $34.00	Big Shot [143263] $136.00	Fox Builder Punch [141470] $23.50
Bow Builder Punch [137414] $23.50	3/4" Circle Punch [119873] $17.00	1/2" Circle Punch [119869] $8.00	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755] $5.25	Glue Dots [103683] $7.00

Pretty Pines for The Paper Players

I'm always so happy to be able to play with The Paper Players, because I don't always get the chance, but from the moment I saw LeAnne's Holiday Pines theme challenge I was dying to take part and I had a germ of an idea about what I wanted to do. Here's the challenge banner:

That looks right up my alley doesn't it! I wanted to use the Pretty Pine thinlits (even though they drive me crazy because I can't easily get the paper out of the pine branch thinlits) and some embossing paste to make snow! I also was thinking of this card that I made last year and I was hoping for something of the same vibe.

                                       

Here's what happened:

• I used Crumb Cake instead of white for the top layer of the card as it helps with a more rustic feel to it. I wanted some white splatters on it, but stamped splatters with Craft Ink were too contrived looking. In the end, I pulled the nib off the refill of a white gel pen and blew through the other end to get these more random dots of pure white.
• I cut pine branches (actually fir branches) in Lemon Lime Twist, Emerald Envy and Tranquil Tide. I added Embossing Paste to them and sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds glitter in it for the snowy look. Glue dots do the trick adhering them to the card front.
• The sentiment is from the Cheers for the Year stamp set and it's stamped right on the card front in Early Espresso.
• The Swirly Scribbles Thinlits provided the die for the wreath cut from Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper backed with a Multipurpose Adhesive Sheet to make it easier to adhere to the card front.
• I added some extra fir branches and some other die cuts from Pretty Pines in Early Espresso and Basic Black cardstock for the finishing touch.

The weekend is upon us, so take some time to enjoy yourselves. We've been having snow, snow, snow and we're kind of hoping it takes a break over the weekend so we can get outside a bit. I was hoping I'd be able to be in Salt Lake City for OnStage Convention, but it wasn't to be this year! I'm kind of sulking at home a bit, thinking about all the fun I'm missing!

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today.

Product List

Cheers To The Year Wood-Mount Stamp Set [144925]	Cheers To The Year Clear-Mount Stamp Set [144928]	Tranquil Tide 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [144246]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]	Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [120953]
Emerald Envy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [141415]	Lemon Lime Twist 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [144245]	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [121045]	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119686]	Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper [135315]
Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [126974]	White Signo Uni-Ball Gel Pen [105021]	Embossing Paste [141979]	Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter [133751]	Palette Knives [142808]
Silicone Craft Sheet [127853]	Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies [141851]	Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies [141497]	Big Shot [143263]	Big Shot Die Brush - New Configuration [144262]
Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets [144106]	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755]	Glue Dots [103683]