Gingerbread Man!

(playing with the Gingerbread Man dies)

Hello!  Starting the week with the first significant snowfall of the season certainly helped with jumpstarting my festive spirit, and since gingerbread men, in all forms, are a staple of the festive season, today I am sharing a few projects I worked on this week using the Stampin’ Up!® Gingerbread Man dies (item 165784).  These dies, which are also available together with the co-ordinating Gingerbread Man photopolymer stamp set (item 165778) in the the Gingerbread Man Bundle (item 165785), are featured in the September-December 2025 Mini Catalogue, and include all the accessories any gingerbread man - or woman - could need!  The large double-gingerbread man die is designed for an easy die cut card or gift tag with the fold line on the left hand, but the die cut gingerbread man can easily be separated into two individual gingerbread men for other projects.  Pecan Pie cardstock (item 161717) shaded with Pecan Pie ink (item 161665) and a little Early Espresso ink (item 147114) around the edges makes the perfect "baked" gingerbread - and I used this combination for all my gingerbread men.

To complete my projects this week I combined the Gingerbread Man die cuts with die cuts made using the following additional die sets:

• Stylish Shapes dies (item 159183) - square dies for die cutting windows in framing mats, and the long narrow banner die for the loop on one of the tags;

• Online Exclusives Creative Haven dies (item 167208) - foliage, rectangle tag, and flag dies;

• from the retired Snowy Wonder dies (item 164124 - featured in the September-December 2024 Mini Catalogue) I used the small detailed snowflake die; and

• for the spilling hot chocolate in the gingerbread men mugs I used trimmed negative sections that are left over after using the slime die from the retired Online Exclusives Potions & Spells dies (item 164141).

Just a brief summary of the additional basic tools and supplies I used to complete my projects this week:

• Paper Trimmer (item 152392) - for trimming cardstock and watercolour paper, and for scoring card fold lines.  To ensure crisp card folds I also burnished all the scored fold lines with my Bone Folder (item 102300);
• Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine (item 149653) - for all die cutting;
• Take Your Pick Tool (item 144107) - the spatula and tacky putty tips are definitely a great help for manipulating and placing small die cuts and embellishments; and
• for the main adhesive, Multipurpose Liquid Glue (item 110755).  For one project I had to glue DSP to a trimmed cardboard base panel.  After applying the glue to the cardboard panel and spreading it over the panel with an old paint brush, I placed the DSP over the panel, and used a brayer (Stampin' Brayer - item 162936) to roll over the DSP to ensure even coverage of the liquid glue and good even adhesion of the DSP to the panel.  After the glue was thoroughly dry I used my craft knife to carefully trim away any excess DSP from around the edges of the panel.

I used Blending Brushes (item 153611 - package of three) and Small Blending Brushes (item 160518 - package of three) to apply Classic Stampin' inks to shade/colour cardstock die cuts.

To add white highlights to the eyes I used a 0.7mm Posca White Paint Marker.

On with the projects!

Additional supplies used to complete this 5 5/8" square top-fold card:

• watercolour paper for the card base, and the 5 1/4" square matting panel with 2 3/4" square window opening that was die cut using the largest square die from the Stylish Shapes dies;
• Basic Black cardstock (item 121045) for the 5 3/8" square matting panel;
• Berry Burst cardstock (item 144243), shaded with Berry Burst ink (item 147143), for the 5 1/4" square top matting panel with 2 1/2" square window opening (cut using the Stylish Shapes dies), the hat, bow, and outer ring of the candy.  After die cutting the window opening in the top matting panel I used Berry Burst ink to stamp the small snowflake images from the Online Exclusives Festive Friends stamp set (item 166035), before shading around the edges of the panel with Berry Burst ink;

• Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the "icing" rick rack trim, mouth, cheek highlight circles, and buttons, and for the candy wrapper and the candy center circle;
• Petunia Pop cardstock (item 163801), shaded with Berry Burst ink, for the candy's inset swirl;
• Early Espresso cardstock (item 119686) for the eyes;
• Pretty In Pink cardstock (item 163793) for the cheeks; and
• Granny Apple Green cardstock (item 146990), shaded with Mossy Meadow ink (item 147111) for the two Creative Haven foliage die cuts.  

Additional supplies used to complete this 5 7/8" square top-fold card:

• Basic Black 12" x 12" cardstock (item 166786) for the card base, and a scrap of Basic Black cardstock for the eyes;
• watercolour paper for the 5 5/16" square matting panel with 2 3/4" square window opening that was die cut using the largest square die from the Stylish Shapes dies, and for the 5 5/16" square inside panel;
• Flirty Flamingo cardstock (item 141416), shaded with Real Red ink (item 147084), for the hat and outer ring of the candy;
• Poppy Parade cardstock (item 119793), shaded with Real Red ink, for the bow, the candy's inner swirl, and the outer ring of the lollipop;
• Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the "icing" rick rack trim, mouth, and buttons, and for the candy wrapper, "marshmallow" (gum drop die), lollipop inner swirl, and the circle centers for both the candy and the lollipop;
• Pretty In Pink cardstock (item 163793) for the cheeks;
• Crumb Cake cardstock (item 120953), shaded with Crumb Cake ink (item 147116), for the lollipop stick/base;
• Coastal Cabana cardstock (item 131297), shaded with Shaded Spruce ink (item 147088), for the mug;
• Early Espresso cardstock (item 119686) for the Potions & Spells spilling hot chocolate;
• Shaded Spruce cardstock (item 146981), shaded with Shaded Spruce ink, for the two Creative Haven foliage die cuts;
• Linen Thread (item 104199) for the bow tied around the lollipop stick - I secured the knotted ends with tiny dabs of Multipurpose Liquid Glue; and
• two small and one large of the Pecan Pie dots from the Online Exclusives Neutral Matte Dots (item 165561) added to the bottom right corner of the watercolour paper framing mat.

In addition to a $1.00 thrift store wood frame with inside back dimensions of 4" square, glass removed, I used the following additional supplies to complete this project:

• Pool Party patterned paper from the retired Online Exclusives One Horse Open Sleigh 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper (item 162118) to cover the cardboard panel trimmed to fit the back opening of the frame;
• Shaded Spruce cardstock (item 146981), shaded with Shaded Spruce ink (item 147088), for the hat;
• Poppy Parade cardstock (item 119793), shaded with Real Red ink (item 147084), for the bow, and outer ring of the lollipop;
• Flirty Flamingo cardstock (item 141416) for the cheeks;
• Basic Black cardstock (item 121045) for the eyes;
• Early Espresso cardstock (item 119686) for the buttons, and the Potions & Spells spilling hot chocolate;
• Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the "icing" rick rack trim and mouth, and for the "marshmallow" (gum drop die), and the inner swirl of the lollipop;
• Crumb Cake cardstock (item 120953), shaded with Crumb Cake ink (item 147116), for the lollipop stick/base;
• Pool Party cardstock (item 122924) for the mug (shaded with Shaded Spruce ink), and the center circle of the lollipop; and
• Linen Thread (item 104199) for the bow tied around the lollipop stick.

For a little more stability I glued two of the gingerbread die cuts together, and I used double-sided tape (Tear & Tape Adhesive - item 154031), applied along the raised lip of the frame, to secure the completed gingerbread man to the frame.  I thought maybe this little framed project would find a home in my kitchen - where the gingerbread cookies (definitely not baked by me!) would be plated, and the hot chocolate prepared. 

Tags are definitely a lot of fun to make - and can serve double duty as embellishments for gifts and as Christmas tree decorations!  For each of these two tags I used Pool Party cardstock (item 122924) for the circle bases (die cut using the Stylish Shapes dies), over which I stamped the snowflake images from the Festive Friends stamp set using Pool Party ink (item 147107) before shading the circle die cuts with additional Pool Party ink.  I used Garden Green cardstock (item 102584), shaded with Mossy Meadow ink (item 147111), for the Creative Haven foliage die cuts; Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the "icing" rick rack trim, mouths, and for the Snowy Wonder snowflake die cuts; Early Espresso cardstock (item 119686) for the eyes and eyebrows; Garden Green cardstock shaded with Mossy Meadow ink, and Flirty Flamingo cardstock (item 141416) shaded with Real Red ink (item 147084) for the bows; Pool Party cardstock shaded with Shaded Spruce ink (item 147089), and Granny Apple Green cardstock (item 146990) shaded with Mossy Meadow ink for the hats; Pretty In Pink cardstock (item 163793) and Flirty Flamingo cardstock, both shaded with Real Red ink, for the cheeks; and Pecan Pie cardstock shaded with Pecan Pie and Early Espresso inks and splattered using Titanium White Acrylic Gouache, and Pool Party cardstock shaded with Pool Party ink for the Creative Haven tag bases - I also used Pool Party cardstock shaded with Pool Party ink for the Stylish Shapes banner loop on the second tag.  I added eyelets purchased at my local scrapbooking shop; and used some 3/8" white gross grain ribbon from my dollar store stash, and gold cord from the retired Simply Elegant Trim (item 155766) for the hanging loops.

And finally . . .

For my "Archie" project this week, included at the bottom of this blog post, I was inspired by the Albert Schweitzer quote I used last week, and 
I combined images and die cuts from the retired Cheerful Basket stamp set (item 15158675), the retired Encircled In Nature stamp set (item 163623), and the retired Full Basket dies (item 158679) and retired Encircled In Nature dies (item 163628) on a 6" square top-fold card.  I used Basic Black 12" x 12" cardstock (item 166786) for the card base; watercolour paper for the 5 3/8" square framing mat with 2 3/8" square window opening that was die cut using the Stylish Shapes dies, and for the 5" square inside panel.  I used a piece of coffee-dyed vintage sheet music to back the window opening, and added a 4" x 1" strip (ends torn) of the same paper to the bottom of the inside panel.  The images were stamped on watercolour paper using StāzOn Jet Black Ink (item 101406), and the floral and foliage die cuts were cut from watercolour paper.  To colour the images and additional die cuts I used Pumpkin Pie ink (item 147086), Pecan Pie ink (item 161665), Highland Heather ink refill (item 147167), and Mossy Meadow ink (item 147111).  The Cheerful Basket stamp set and co-ordinating Full Basket dies were featured in the May 2022-April 2023 Annual Catalogue; and the Encircled In Nature stamp set and co-ordinating Encircled In Nature dies were included in the Online Exclusives March 2024 product release.

Thank you for visiting my blog!  I had a lot of fun getting into the festive spirit with my Gingerbread Man projects!  If you are looking for some co-ordinating products for the Gingerbread Man dies or Gingerbread Man Bundle you may want to consider the Online Exclusives Homemade Treats Bundle (item 166017), which includes the Homemade Treats cling stamp set (item 166013) and the co-ordinating Homemade Treats dies (item 166016) - lots of possibilities for lots of fun projects with these co-ordinating Bundles - especially if you like to bake your gingerbread men too!  Of course, like the Gingerbread Man dies and the Gingerbread Man stamp set, the Homemade Treats stamp set and the Homemade Treats dies are also each available separate from their Bundle!

If you are interested in purchasing any of the available Stampin’ Up!® products I have used in my projects, and you live in Canada and do not have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, please do not hesitate to visit my online store found on my website https://archiesatelier.stampinup.net/ at your convenience, or simply click under the "Shop With Me" tab on the right sidebar of my blog, which will take you directly to my website and online store.  I very much appreciate your business, and would be very pleased to be your demonstrator! If you need any assistance please do not hesitate to contact me (lmccoyarchie@gmail.com), and I will try my best to help!  In addition to the digital version of the September-December 2025 Mini Catalogue, the digital version of the May 2025-April 2026 Annual Catalogue is also available for you to access at your convenience on my website.   If visiting the online store don't forget to check out the Last Chance Products, and all the Online Exclusives - new Online Exclusives products, including the Creative Haven dies - were introduced on Tuesday November 4, 2025!  Just a reminder that all Last Chance Products are available only while supplies last!

Have fun creating!

Laurel

*It has come to my attention that quite often email correspondence from me is delivered to the recipient's spam or junk mail folder - if you have corresponded with me I have replied so be sure to check your spam or junk mail folder!  Thank you!! 

"There are two means of refuge from the misery of life - music and cats."

- Albert Schweitzer -