When I’m papercrafting I often sit down with no particular idea in mind. If I’m looking for inspiration it may be as simple as picking up a stamp set and starting to stamp. Once I’ve completed one step, the next one seems to come naturally. My strategy is to just keep playing and see where the journey takes me. That doesn’t mean I do something and then never change my mind. It happens. However any unused pieces will be set aside and end up on another project later. I must admit though that wasn’t the case with this cute penguin project. All I knew was I wanted to use that side-view penguin image, and the rest just seemed to slide naturally into place.

PENGUIN PLACE

I began by creating an appropriate place for my penguin to play. First I cut a 2″ x 5-1/2″ strip of Misty Moonlight Card. Next, from the Penguin Place Stamp Set I chose the image with small snowflakes and dots. Then using White Craft Stampin’ ink I stamped the image multiple times onto the card.

For the snowbank I couldn’t resist cutting a 1-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ strip of Snowy White Velvet Sheet. After shaping the top edge into a curve using Paper Snips, I attached it to the stamped piece using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow).

Turning the assembled piece into a bookmark was a simple job. First I punched an oval hole at the end using the Detailed Trio Punch. Then I cut three 6″ pieces of black twine from the Baker’s Twine Essentials Pack. I folded the twine in half and threaded the loops through the hole, before passing the ends through the loops. Once I’d pulled the ends tight the twine was secure.

For the penguin himself I needed three more stamps. First I used Tuxedo Black ink to stamp the sliding penguin body onto a scrap of Thick Basic White Card. Then beside it I stamped the side-view beak and single foot images using Mango Melody ink.

Using Paper Snips I cut around the three images and left a little ‘extra’ at the wider end of the beak to help with the final assembly.

Using a little dot of liquid glue I fixed the foot onto the penguin’s body. Then I added the beak (securing it at the back of the head section with glue on the ‘extra’ part). Finally I mounted the completed penguin onto the snowbank and my project was done.

This fun bookmark would make a perfect addition when giving a book as a Christmas gift. What do you think?

PRODUCT LIST

UPDATE 2022: The Misty Moonlight Cardstock and discounted Penguin Place Bundle have been retired and are no longer available from Stampin’ Up!