Elf / Elves
Week 4
Good day, fellow crafters. The connection between elves and Christmas dates back to ancient Norse mythology, where tiny creatures called "nisse" or "tomte" were believed to bring good fortune during the Yule season. This folklore merged with the modern Santa Claus legend, popularized in the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," depicting elves as Santa's helpers in toy-making. This imagery of diligent elves has since become a cherished part of the Christmas tradition, symbolizing the spirit of giving and joy that defines the holiday season, making it a popular theme for greeting cards and festive celebrations.
This is the fourth week of the Run Up to Christmas Hop 2023 series. Join us in embracing the spirit of the season where love, joy, and creativity harmoniously converge. I hope you enjoy my submission to these challenges and if you would like to see the work the other participants in the hop have done then check out #runuptochristmashop2023 or head over to my Instagram page @forgetmenotcardco, find my post with this card, and then follow the other participants listed in the description.
For this card, I wanted something that was very simple but still really cute. To create this card I first began with some pale blue cardstock which I used to cut and fold my card base. I then chose a white glitter cardstock to use to create the ribbon and the bow. The bow was cut out using the Bow Toppers shape die set, featured left, that I picked up some time ago at Scrapbook.com, and for the ribbon, I used the Ric Rac die set from Sunny Studios. I positioned each of the die cuts onto the card with the design intent of creating a present ready to be placed under the tree. I originally had the bow and the ribbons more in the center of the card but it made it look too much like you were looking at the card from the top down so I moved them to their final positions and used liquid glue to put them into place. I really liked the bow overlapping the top of the card as it gives it a bit more dimension and appeal.
For my Elf, again I was going for cute and simple, I decided to use a set from Clearly Whimsy Stamps called Elf Sized, featured right, which are very small compared to the scale of the package I created on purpose. The depiction of Santa's elves as tiny beings can be attributed to a blend of folklore, tradition, and artistic interpretation. In European mythology, elves were often portrayed as small, supernatural creatures with magical abilities. This traditional view of elves as diminutive beings carried over into the modern depiction of Santa's helpers. So to continue that tradition I chose my particular elf and using some black pigment ink and white cardstock, stamped the little guy out. I next used my PrismaColor colored pencils to apply the coloration. Finally, for just the barest hint of dimension, I added a small drop of yellow Nuvo Crystals to the bells on his hat and shoes. I next fussy cut him out and adhered him into place.
For the sentiment I chose to use a sentiment tag frame die, black cardstock, some clear embossing ink, white embossing powder, and a sentiment from the Elf Sized stamp set. Once I had stamped the message onto the black cardstock with the embossing ink, I added and they set the embossing powder with my heat tool. I then used the frame die to cut it out and adhered it to the card using foam dots and a drop of liquid glue so it was easier to position. With that, I called the card complete.
