Honey, I'm Gnome!

I purchased the gnome stamps at Viva Las Vegas Stamps and I've been waiting for the right moment to ink them up.  I thought they should be used with a mushroom/toadstool home, so when I found the new Sizzix pop up card die at Ben Franklin Crafts, I knew what to do.

Here's the card standing up to reveal the greeting.  After die cutting the card from kraft paper core brown card stock, it was run through a woodgrain embossing folder (maker unknown).  Lightly sanding the card brought out the woodgrain.  The gnome stamp had shading so it was easy to color the image with Copic pens from BFC.  For the stem of the gigantic mushroom I used Sierra Pacific birch bark paper.  The polka dot cap of the mushroom was cut using the card as a template. You could make the cap larger than I did but you need to use card stock that has a plain or coordinating back so it doesn't look funny on the back of the card. (My orange polka dot paper had ice cream print in the back and I didn't want it to show, so I cut the mushroom cap to exactly match the shape and size of the card half circle.)

This close-up gives you a better look at the embossed leaves and woodgrain.  I used the same technique for embossing the leaves as I explained in the previous ombre card post.

The side view of the card shows how the card stands up. I put a piece of the birch bark paper inside the card to have a smooth area to write a message. 'Happy Thanksgiving' was stamped in copper and embossed with gold powder. The texture of the green strip was highlighted by rubbing copper ink along the edges and mounting it on a plaid strip, rounding the corners with a corner punch.

I love this new Sizzix stand up card die because it has so many possibilities.  Ben Franklin Crafts has lots of new card dies which would be great for holiday crafting or gift giving.  Be sure to take the time to check them out.  I'm sure they'll get your brain connections exploding with new ideas.  Happy Crafting!