It’s been a case of déjà vu this morning as I begin to write this blog post. I thought it was time to pull out the Penguin Place Stamp Set and coordinating Penguin Builder Punch to create a sweet Christmas Card. Everything came together as planned and I’m really happy with the results. So why am I left with the nagging feeling that I’ve made this card before? I’ve checked back at my photos from last year and found several projects, but none look remotely like this. Let’s hope so.
FLUFFY PENGUIN
This card was really just an excuse for a little experimental stamping. It was something I’d thought of last year but then things sold out and I never got to try it. My idea was to give the penguin some subtle texture by stamping him onto some Snowy White Velvet Sheet. I wasn’t entirely sure it would work but nothing ventured, nothing gained. However I did think that I’d probably need to stamp the penguin several times to get a really black image, so I enlisted the help of the Stamparatus stamp positioning platform.
After securing the Snowy White Velvet Sheet on the platform I placed the penguin image face down on top. Then I closed the hinged plate to pick up the stamp. The stamp set it made from photopolymer rather than rubber so I wanted to avoid using StazOn Jet Black ink as the StazOn Cleaner would damage the stamp. Instead I decided to try with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.
As expected the first stamping wasn’t very dark, so I re-inked the stamp and closed the plate again. That was definitely better, but I re-inked again and stamped a third time just to be sure.
Next I chose the single image with two feet and stamped that using Pumpkin Pie ink. Finally I stamped the forward facing beak with Pumpkin Pie ink. Now I really wasn’t sure how successful I’d been but I thought it prudent to leave the penguin in place to dry (hopefully). Meanwhile I could get on with the rest of the card.
SNOWY SCENE
For the background layer (and the inside of the card and coordinating envelope) I wanted a simple snowy landscape. So I cut two pieces of Basic White Card, one 4″ x 5-1/4″ and one slightly smaller at 3-7/8″ x 5-1/8″. Then I found some scrap paper and tore some gentle curves from the edge to act as a mask.
After placing the scrap paper onto the first piece of card I used a Blending Brush to add a very light touch of Balmy Blue ink over the curved edge. Then I moved the mask and added inked more. I repeated this process a few times until I had the snowbanks I wanted. After taking away the mask I brushed a little Balmy Blue ink just around the sides and top to give the illusion of a winter sky. With that done I used the same process to add snow banks and sky to the other Basic White piece and the front of a Basic White Medium Envelope.
There are no trees where most penguins usually live but it’s my design and I’ll add them if I want! So I found the small tree image and inked it up with Old Olive ink. I stamped it once towards the top of the snowbanks, then without re-inking the stamp I stamped again to make a lighter colour tree. I repeated this process several times creating small groups of trees at different heights.
TIP: When the stamp extended past the edge of the card I made sure to re-ink it and then ‘stamped off’ onto scrap paper before stamping a lighter tree. This meant I could avoid the hard lines of darker colour ink.
PENGUIN PRESSURE
Now just a little more stamping was needed. First I added a few tree to the larger Basic White layer and front of the envelope. Then using Old Olive ink I stamped the “Seasons greetings” sentiment in the ‘sky’ of the smaller layer. Finally with Balmy Blue ink I stamped the small gift image in the centre of the snow on the smaller layer.
Now I was ready to start putting the card together.
I began by using my Paper Trimmer to cut and score some Old Olive Card for my card base. Then I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder. With that done I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) to fix the larger of the two Basic White layers on the inside.
Next I cut a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Balmy Blue Card and glued the second (smaller) Basic White layer on top. Then I added this to the card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals.
Only the penguin was left. It was the moment of truth.
I went back to the Stamparatus and carefully picked up the piece of Snowy White Velvet Sheet. To my utter delight it seemed like the ink had dried and the image was just as crisp as clean as it started. So I carefully placed it into the Penguin Builder Punch and punched him out. Using a few more Stampin’ Dimensionals I added the penguin to the card front and my project was finally complete.
Oh my goodness I love how this project turned out especially the subtle texture of my penguin. Sometimes trying something new really pays off don’t you think?
For some other projects created using the Penguin Place Stamp Set see these blog posts from 2021:
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