Gnome for Christmas

Hi there, it's Ruby.

Are you starting to get prepared for Christmas? No? Me neither. Well, that's not totally true. I've bought a couple of little gifts, but that's it. I'll be looking for my Christmas tree soon. It will be up on 1st December. When do you put your tree up?

So, today, I have a sweet little gnome card for you, using the Mama Elephant's Little Gnome Agenda stamp and die set. I absolutely love colouring these little gnomes. Look at the one with his tiny little wreath; how cute is that?! I wanted to use slightly muted colours, so I went for an olive, a mustard, and a darker red and blue.

Here's how to make the card:

Stamp and colour the little gnomes on a piece of white card. My card is a hand-made slimline card, 3.5" x 6".

NB. You'll be colouring directly onto the card front, so you'll need a paper that works with your colouring medium.

Using the matching dies for each little gnome, spread them out along the bottom edge of the card.

Line up your die-cutting machine plates so that they partially die-cut the bottom half of the gnomes only.

Make sure that the top cutting edge of the die slightly exceeds the paper's edge, marking the area you want to partially cut. It helps to use low-tack tape to hold the gnomes still (especially after you've done all that beautiful colouring!)

Place the cutting plate on top of the paper and run it through your die-cutting machine.

Make sure that only the area covered by the die and the cutting plate goes through the machine. This will result in a partial cut.

You may need to use a craft knife along the uncut areas between the gnomes to clean up any remaining bits.

If you're stuck with any part of the partial die-cutting technique, check out Jennifer McGuire's video here. She takes you through the process step by step. It's easier to watch the technique than explain it in writing.

Die-cut the sentiment in gold glitter and attach it to the card base. I used a die-cut sentiment but it's currently out of stock.

A great replacement for it would be this Merry Christmas Duo Hot Foil Plate from Waffle Flower or this foil. You'd need to foil the sentiment before doing the partial die-cutting. Concord & 9th's All the Merrys Die would also be great. You would just cut the word 'merry' and add the word 'Christmas' with a stamp.

To create a little backdrop for the gnomes, cut a piece of rectangular cardstock and attach it to the inside panel of your card. Also, cut two strips of gold glitter to finish. (See pic below).

My biggest tip for this card is to practice before you use your coloured gnomes because it can be a tricky technique if you haven't done it before.

Happy card-making!