Sometimes when I’m crafting things don’t always go according to plan, or I simply get distracted. That’s what happened today as I sat down to create an autumn project. To be honest I’m not even sure how it happened. One minute I’m working on a sunflower and the next my desk is covered in snowmen. Then as I was using my Snowman Builder Punch for the first time I began to consider the issue of snowman arms. As you do.

Here’s what I finally ended up with today…

SNOWY TAG

This tag started out as a simple 2″ x 4-1/4″ base of Whisper White Card. Then using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I attached a piece from the Let It Snow Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP). After that I shaped the top using the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch.

Once that was done I stamped a To and From sentiment from the Snowman Season Stamp Set on the back of the tag . However instead of using an ink pad, I used the brush tip of a Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker to add ink directly to the surface of the stamp.

SPARKLY SNOWMAN

Next came the sparkly snowman punched from one of the sheets from the Let It Snow DSP pack. This paper has a number of designs that fit the Snowman Builder Punch, and the glitter is part of the design. Next from another sheet I punched the snowman’s hat, then punched two arms from a scrap of Crumb Cake Card.

As I began assembling my snowman I decided his hat was a little too plain. So I went back to the sheet where I punched the hat and cut out a small branch and berry image using Paper Snips. Once I’d added this small detail to the hat with liquid glue it looked much better.

SNOWMAN ARMS

Then I picked up the snowman arms and started to consider exactly where to place them. My initial idea was to have them virtually horizontal, sticking straight out from his sides. It was OK but I wasn’t particularly excited by the effect. Then I happened to glance at one of the sheets from the Let It Snow DSP pack. The designer of that sheet had the arms pointing downwards. So that was a consideration.

Now, if the snowman arms could point down, they could point up too. This made him look as if he was cheering, not a bad expression for a gift tag I thought.

Then I wondered, what if his arms pointed up, but towards his face? Oh my goodness suddenly my snowman looked as if he was peeking out between his fingers. That was the look I wanted, so I used Mini Glue Dots to secure them in place.

NO PEEKING

Although there are some lovely sentiments in the Snowman Season Stamp Set, I went elsewhere for my sentiment. #Elfie. In that stamp set there’s an elf image with “no peeking” at the bottom, it was perfect.

Going back to my Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker I used the brush tip to add ink directly onto the stamp surface just on the sentiment. Then I stamped it onto a strip of Whisper White Card and added a V at the end with my Paper Snips.

With the sentiment done I attached it to the tag base with liquid glue before adding my snowman using Stampin’ Dimensionals. Then to finish I threaded some Whisper White Baker’s Twine through the slot at the top and tied it in a simple knot.

This is such a fun gift tag and although I decided he was peeking through his fingers, he could have been catching a sneeze, or hiding a giggle. Who knew that when I got up this morning I’d be exploring the myriad of expressions that can be conveyed by the simple use of snowman arms.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Snowman Season Stamp Set and coordinating Snowman Builder Punch using the single ‘bundle’ item number. This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. You’ll see that I’ve included both options below so you can explore these further if you wish.