Nice To Gnome You

Is it really Thursday already? Wow, this week is just flying by! Well, except for today. Today has taken up too much of my time and I am so ready for it to be over! Four words for ya: BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING. Now, normaly this is my favorite time of year. Better than Christmas. I just love the smell of new pencils and notebooks and the sight of so many pretty folders and crayons all lined in a row... Going by myself? Sheer paradise. Going with my three boys? A trip in the other direction, if you get what I'm sayin'. Not fun. Not fun at all. But completely necessary. I vowed last year when I brought home stacks of new shirts and pants that were met with cries of "Ew! I'm not wearing that!" that from now on they would have to go with me. Choose their own clothes if they're going to be so dang picky! So that's what we did today. My head feels as though someone drove a railroad spike through it, but at least they have some school appropriate clothing that they're happy with. Which means I'm happy. Or, at least I will be once the Advil kicks in. Can any of you moms out there sympathize?

In other news, I was over at The Stampingbug blog earlier this week and Kerry was posting her card for the Woodware USA stamp company weekly challenge. The theme was to use the colors kraft, red, and turquoise. I thought that sounded like a yummy combination, so I decided to make a card for it. And in fact, it might even pass for the color challenge at the Dancing In Pajamas blog. Their colors are denim, kraft, and candy apple red. Though mine is more of a light wash denim. See?


I began with, of course, kraft cardstock, which was actually the leftover piece from the last card I made. I always just score and fold the extra as well when I cut a piece of cardstock, that way I have a blank one all ready to go for the next one. I even found a cheap and easy way to store them, which I might share with you all tomorrow. I'm all about cheap and easy storage solutions.

The paper I used was some My Mind's Eye scraps, the blue being the B side of the orange geometric also from the last card. Then I stamped this hilarious little gnome from Rubber Soul that I've had for a couple months now and have just been waiting for the right opportunity to use. Isn't he funny? I love him. I stamped him in a row with Colorbox Fluid Chalk ink in Chestnut Roan, then cut out an extra to pop off (the one below came out missing part of his hat. Shhh.). I wanted something punny for my sentiment, so I spelled out "Nice to gnome you!" with Harold's ABCs from Lawn Fawn. ADORE that company. Their stamps are so my style. Fun and whimsical. I want to own them all.


I ran some red tacky tape across the front of the card where I wanted my ribbon, starting at the left and overlapping a little onto the inside of the right, just to keep it straight, since I knew I wouldn't be tying it. Then I laid town some Pure Color beige grosgrain leaving enough to overlap nicely in front. Then I repeated the process with a layer of Studio 18 (dollar bin at Michael's) ribbon. I paper pierced a hole and added a corduroy brad from Paper Scraps to hold my ribbon ends in place, but after I was done I decided it needed a little something extra. So I cut two circles freehand from another scrap of the red polkadot, roughed them up a little with my Cutterbee scissors, and added them beneath the brad. Viola! A little flower! Cute, no? It's not like I invented it or anything, but it's the first time I've tried it for myself. I like the way it turned out.

And there's my card! Now I'm off to drown the day away with a big 'ol glass of ice water. How about you? How do you like to unwind at the end of a long day?