Nutty or Nice - special guest - Heidi Jakobs

Nutty or Nice?

Hi everyone, Heidi here, I’m very excited to be back on the Whimsy blog and bring you today’s project as guest designer. I decided to create a set of fun Christmas cards using the adorable “The Nutcracker“ stamp set, combined with various sentiment stamp sets! So, let’s get started!

For my first card I stamped one of the nutcracker images from “The Nutcracker“ stamp set onto Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper using Versafine “Onxy Black“ ink and I clear heat embossed afterwards. Then I coloured the image using my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers and an aquabrush. I used the following Marker colours: Mid Brown, Geranium Red, Deep Red, Light Carmine, Tea Rose, Pale Pink, Ochre, Pale Gray, Blue Gray and Blue. When the colouring was done and dry I added some highlights using a white Gelly Roll Pen and then fussy cut the image leaving a small white border.

Then I started working on my background: for this I first die cut a rectangle panel in the size that I wanted from some crème coloured linen textured card stock. Then I placed this panel in my MISTI, decided where the nutcracker image should go en then positioned the sentiments that come in “The Nutcracker“ stamp set on the panel where I wanted them to be and used the same black ink that I used before to stamp the sentiments.

To finish this first card I die cut a slightly larger mat from some matching blue card stock and adhered both rectangle panels together using liquid glue. These combined panels I adhered to a crème coloured linen textured card base using one millimetre thick foam tape and then adhered the little nutcracker on top also using one millimetre thick foam tape!

For my second card I stamped and coloured another nutcracker image from the same stamp set in the same way as I mentioned for the first card. Then I positioned the nutcracker image, in the same way as I did for the first card, on the crème coloured panel in my MISTI and added the sentiments. For this card I choose a combination of the word “Christmas“ from the “Everyday Scripted Sentiments“ stamp set and “merry“ and “to you and yours“ from the “You’re My Jolly“ stamp set. I love to combine my stamp sets to create new designs!

To put this card together I die cut a slightly larger matching red mat for the crème coloured panel. These panels I adhered together using liquid glue. Then I wrapped some red/white bakers twine around those panels and adhered on the back using regular tape. These combined panels I adhered to a crème coloured linen textured card base using one millimetre thick foam tape and I finished this second card by adhering the nutcracker image on top using one millimetre thick foam tape.

My third and last card for today’s project takes a little bit more time to create but was also a lot of fun. I wanted the nutcrackers to look like the Buckingham Palace Guards in front of their guard houses so I die cut around the stamped images using a smaller rectangle die. I then coloured the images in the same way as I did with the other cards, using the brown colour to enhance the guard house idea. I also stamped and coloured three of the packages that come in the same stamp set and fussy cut around them.

For my sentiment I choose all words from the “You’re myJolly“ stamp set, stamped them on a vellum strip using the same black ink as before and I carefully heat embossed afterwards using clear embossing powder.

Then I adhered the nutcrackers and the packages onto a crème coloured linen textured rectangle panel using liquid glue. This combination I adhered onto a slightly larger red mat also using liquid glue. Next I wrapped the vellum strip around these combined panels and adhered on the back using regular tape and then I finished the card by adhering this combination to a crème coloured linen textured card base using one millimetre thick foam tape.

And that’s it for today’s fun Christmas card project! I wish you all a creative day and a fabulous Holiday Season!