Introducing Gingerbread Friends and the Accessory Alphabet

Good morning! Do you realize that we are less than six months away from Christmas? Let the countdown begin! I'm (mostly) kidding, but that six-month mark always gets me scheming. This year, I thought it might be fun to start a new tradition and get others scheming with me.

So on Saturday, July 2nd we're hitting the holiday ground running! We have a handful of seasonal delights ready to get you in the mood to make merry. Today we're introducing you to our Gingerbread Friends and the very handy Accessory Alphabet die. But first, let's take a look at the very talented ladies who are joining me in the introductions.

Our first Guest Creator for this release is Kelly Griglione.

Kelly's projects are always a feast for the eyes, brimming with luscious layers and marvelous details. She puts so much thought and effort into her designs and I have been such a fan for ages. She'll have a blog post up today sharing a Gingerbread Friends project with you, so be sure to head over there for a visit. I'm sure you'll be amazed by her creativity!

Our second Guest Creator for this release is Koren Wiskman.

Koren is a multitalented creative powerhouse and we are thrilled to have her joining us! Her coloring is incredible. Her card designs are inspiring. She even quilts (she claims to be a novice, but I'm not buying it). I have no doubt that you'll be blown away by Koren's creations on her blog post today!

Now let's take a peek at some of the new accessories that will be debuting this weekend. This Color Story was inspired by delicious gingerbread and royal icing.

Whether your family gingerbread recipe is heavy on the molasses or more golden in tone, you'll be covered with this trio of perfect neutrals. The collection includes three rolls of 100% wool felt, coordinating thread, and a carefully curated assortment of beads and sequins. We're trying our best to keep value in mind, so this trimmed-down Color Story will retail for $38.

This Color Story includes the *new* Walnut, *new* Gingersnap, and Tundra felt. We're filling out some of our neutrals and the warm, earthy tones are a welcome addition to the family.

As I mentioned, Walnut is a new color for us. This is a lovely dark brown that is sure to become a favorite in no time.

Gingersnap is also a new color for us this time around. It's brighter and more yellow than Cocoa and it's a nearly perfect gingerbread color which might come in handy very soon *wink, nudge*. 

Here's a comparison photo of Cocoa next to these two new colors (from left: Walnut, Gingersnap, Cocoa). Both of these new colors of felt will be available individually for $6.75 per roll.

Now that we've laid the groundwork, let's get on to the creative bits! Today, I'm sharing some projects made with the Gingerbread Friends Die (retails for $50) and Accessory Alphabet Die (retails for $19).

I wanted to start out today showing the gingerbread lady and fella on a card and gift tag companion set.

I used to make cards all day long, nearly every day so I miss it quite a bit. These gingerbread folks are the perfect size to be a focal point on a card and it was super fun to get back to paper crafting for a moment.

I used some light brown cardstock for the bodies and added the face and piping details with white embroidery floss. I used all six strands of thread in the floss to make my stitching line extra thick to look like royal icing (I usually use 2-3 strands when stitching most things).

I did simple French knots for the eyes, but you could also opt for a bead or enamel dot (if you're left-handed like me and you've struggled to find a tutorial that actually resulted in a successful French knot, click HERE). The sparkly buttons were easy thanks to a standard 1/4" hole punch, some glitter, and Glossy accents. 

For the card, I stamped a greeting from The Greetery's Candy Pops Sentiments stamp set onto a white panel before affixing that to a white card base with foam tape.

The tags were stitched with a solid ginger-person on the back that I had stamped with "To:/From:" using The Greetery's Tag Team Duo Labels. 

When I stitched the outer piping line, I left a 5" long tail at the beginning with the understanding that I would have similar excess at the other end to use as the tie for attaching to a package. That way I didn't have to deal with any knots and the end results were a bit tidier.

I can't wait to use these on a package this year. I'm super tickled with how they turned out!

I also created a simple pair of ornaments using the Gingerbread Friends Die. The die includes both lady and gent shapes, so you’ll be able to create an ornament or garland for everyone on your list.

There are also accessory options for these sweet little friends of ours. There are two button variations along with a small heart that is just the right size for embellishing this cookie couple.

I created the gent with the layered button option. These dies give you the opportunity to give your gingerbread friends colorful buttons with contrasting "piping" trim. I chose to use Arugula felt for the buttons on this little guy.

The lady is sporting the simpler button style. That die simply cuts a row of three holes. You can use a combination of beads and sequins together to add buttons or use beads by themselves to achieve a more streamlined look. I went with the beads alone since I was adding sequins and hearts to the hem of her dress.

These look so adorable all stuffed like this, but these gingerbread people are just as charming with a chipboard insert keeping them flat (simply die cut from chipboard and trim off the stitching holes for a custom-shaped insert). I am most certainly making more of these before the holiday season!

Lastly today, I have a personalized mug ornament created with the Homespun Holiday: Cozy Cocoa Kit and the new Accessory Alphabet. I used the Modern Holiday Color Story for this ornament and it has really put me in the mood for a chorus or two of Jingle Bells. Who's with me?!

The Accessory Alphabet is ideal for the times you want to add personalization, but a bolder monogram just won’t quite fit the bill. These letters can be used to spell out names (4-5 characters fit on many of our past and present ornament shapes), add initials, or customize your projects with special messages.

I've done a set of initials encircled by the wreath on today's ornament, but you can even pair the Accessory Alphabet with the Monogram Alphabet and Inline Monogram Alphabet for creations that are tailor-made for your friends and loved ones!

On the back, I went ahead and used the "FA LA LA" from the Cocoa Messages die. The style of the Accessory Alphabet actually coordinates quite nicely with the phrases in the Cocoa Messages, so they look great together!

I hope you've enjoyed this introduction to our very first Christmas In July release! I'll be back with more projects and introductions tomorrow that you definitely don't want to miss!

*THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED*
In the meantime, it wouldn't be a grand debut without a giveaway! Leave a comment on this blog post letting us know your favorite holiday treat before 7am EDT on July 1st and I will randomly select one winner to receive a $50 credit to our store! The winner will be announced on Saturday (7/2) morning's post at 9am. The winner has 30 days to contact Customer Service (customerservice@poshtadesign.com) and claim their prize. Good luck and we'll see you tomorrow for even more inspiration!