Combine frosted blues and vibrant reds to create Helen Fitzjohn’s whimsical reindeer set

What you need...

• Card: white, red
  Paper: Canson, icy blue; BoBunny, Dots Flourish, powder blue
  Ink-pads: StazOn, black; Versacolor cubes, Atlantic; baby blue; silver
  Stamps: Kars Christmas baubles; snowflake; Very Merry Christmas
  Paint: matt emulsion, acrylic
  Glitter: blue, white, red
  Acetate
  Craft wire
  Gems, clear
  Wooden blank, scallop heart
  Ribbon
  Wire cutters
  Adhesives

instructions

1. Rocking Reindeer - 1 Print out or copy a reindeer, blanket and base from our pattern pages, then mount onto card and cut each one out to create templates. The blanket’s size will need to be doubled lengthways. Trace the motifs onto white card and
   trim them out. Cover one side and the top of the rocker with blue, then stick spotty ribbon along the bottom. Stamp a ‘Merry Christmas’ sentiment and heart shape using Atlantic blue ink onto white, then cut out and adhere both to the front. Create and score a tab, then glue it to the inside of the rocker.
   
   2 Stamp snowflakes onto the reindeer. Colour the patterned side of the blanket using red paint, then stamp silver snowflakes on top. Score down the middle, then secure the plain side to the back of the reindeer to form a flap on the front. Write or stamp a name onto card and stick under the blanket. Add a red card band to the neck and stamp snowflakes on before adhering. Paint tiny red dots around it and along the blanket. Add detail for the eye, ears, nose and hooves. Stick the reindeer to the rocker.
   
   3 Print five mini baubles onto acetate using black StazOn ink. Once dry, add PVA glue to the centres of three and sprinkle glitter on. Paint the backs of two in blue and red. Cut each one out and poke holes in the tops using a thick needle, then into the antlers. Fix craft wire to the baubles, then attach them to the antlers to finish.

2. Merry Christmas - 1 Create two reindeer with blankets from white card and two neck bands from red. Following the designs on the templates, embellish the blankets and bands using red, white and silver paints, then leave to dry. Add a scallop border along the bottom of a blank, 8.8cm x 16.5cm.
   
   2 Stick a powder blue panel, 7.5cm x 16.5cm, to the blank, then add a length of spotty ribbon over the join. Mount the reindeer to the front, using the image as a guide. Stamp a greeting and heart using Atlantic blue, then cut out and fix between the reindeer. Add acetate baubles to the antlers as before.

3. Wooden Decoration - Trace a two reindeer design onto a heart blank. Fill both in with red, blue and white paints using a small brush. Once dry, fix glitter and gems to the antlers, then add on tiny stars in the background. Next, paint a decorative heart in white before adding tiny blue dots to each crescent. Leave to dry. Attach the hearts together using white organza ribbon.