Introducing The Christmas Characters Collection

I also have a Release Details and FAQ post up HERE if that would be helpful for you.

Good morning! We have one last day of introductions to share with you today and it's almost too cute for words. Today the Guest Creators and I are showcasing the Christmas Characters Collection! Both the Classic Evergreen and Pencil Pine dies have a coordinating set of dies that will transform your trees into charming holiday figures.

The Classic Evergreen Characters Die allows you to reimagine your Classic Evergreen shapes into Santa Claus, a happy Elf, and Frosty the Snowman. Spread a little Christmas cheer by bringing these seasonal favorites to life!

We also have the Pencil Pine Characters Die! Transform your Pencil Pines into adorable reindeer and penguins using these accessories. This die includes everything you need to create these festive animal friends!

Also coming your way this release are three new neutrals that you can use for skin tones or hair colors for your Santas and Elves (or anything else, really). Why? Because Santa is for everyone.

With these three new neutrals, we now have at least ten felt colors that cover a wide spectrum of skin tones (From Left: Peach Puff, Chai, Morel, Shortbread, Barley, Gingersnap, Russet, Cocoa, Walnut, and Truffle). I genuinely hope everyone can find a color with which they identify.

Barley is a medium tan or camel color. It's lovely and warm and it's a great bridge from some of our darker browns to our lighter tones (like Chai and Shortbread).

Here's the comparison between Shortbread and Gingersnap.

Peach Puff is a pale peachy beige. This color has a slightly pink undertone that is soft and light and delicate.

Here you can see Peach Puff with Sweet Nectar and Chai.

And finally, Truffle. Ooh, Truffle. This color is a gorgeous, rich, dark brown.

This is Truffle next to Walnut and Cocoa for comparison:

All individual rolls of felt will retail for $6.75 per roll.

We are also starting to carry 1cm wool felt balls in four colors. These little felt balls are perfect for adding pom poms to the top of the character hats (I like to use hot glue). The green is a good match for Katydid. The white are a good match for Tundra. The Aqua are very similar to Poolside. And the red are great for Cardinal. They will come in single-color packs of 20 that retail for $3 per pack.

Ok...are you ready for some projects? Let's check in with the Guest Creators!

From little pink noses and a french knot smile, Marisa's characters are packed with charming details that make you want to give them a squeeze. Check them out for yourself HERE.

So often Christmas brings out super saturated colors, but Mary chose softer, gentler colors for her characters and I am totally on board! Visit her HERE to see even more details.

Just look at this character placemat!!! This incredibly cute mat is perfect for a candle or other seasonal tabletop decor. Totally clever and amazing. Check it out on Miriam's blog HERE.

I can't wait to share my projects too, so let's jump in!

I am so in love with these Classic Evergreen Characters. Honestly. I'm already planning for the kids in Tilly's preschool class (and school won't even start for another two months). I can't wait.

This little elf has a Katydid and Peppermint Stripe hat with a Cardinal pom pom. His hair is Russet and his skin is Peach Puff. The eyes on these little guys can either look like happy squinting or like eyebrows. For this elf, I used white sequins and aqua beads to create eyes. Then, I chain stitched the eyebrows for a stronger, more decorative line. I embellished his hat for a bit of sparkle. Gahhh! Isn't he the cutest?!

The snowman has a jaunty Vintage Glass Dot and Gecko hat (with a sequined pom pom) and a Monarch nose. I stitched his smile with white thread and then added a handful of iridescent black sequins along the smile line to look like lumps of coal.

On the back, I personalized the snowman for a special little girl in our lives. I added a monogram using the Monogram Alphabet and the year using the Keepsake Dates Die.

I love these Santas so darn much. I've created these in the three new neutrals (Truffle, Barley, and Peach Puff). The Truffle and Peach Puff have Cardinal hats and the Barley Santa has a Red Currant hat. All of their hats are embellished with sequins and pom poms. A little tip about attaching the pom poms: I like to trim off one side of the pom poms using sharp scissors (watch your fingers) so one side is a little bit flat. That flat side is perfect for adding adhesive (I like hot glue) and then the pom pom lays a little more nicely.

I also want to make a note about assembling the Santa. In an effort to keep costs down, I didn't include a beard die. Instead, you just need to cut a portion of the large triangle from white felt (you really only need the bottom third or so of the triangle). Then you add the detail holes and trim off the beard area. There's a diagram on the included Inspiration Guide to make it really easy. The moustache covers the edge, so it doesn't even have to be all that perfect. It's very forgiving.

Next up, let's take a look at the Pencil Pine Characters!

These little animal friends make me smile. I love their sweet faces.

I created the Rudolph out of Gingersnap, Barley, Tundra, and Cardinal felt. I really want to make a garland that includes eight reindeer with Inkwell noses and one with a Cardinal nose. I've got to find a way to make that happen before Christmas! I embellished his nose with some sparkles and I love how it shines. You could also just embroider the antlers if you didn't want to use an additional felt layer. Options!

I used Inkwell, Tundra, Glacier, and Clementine to make this little penguin friend. I used two aqua beads to embellish his eyes and a bead and sequin to embellish his hat. Just like the stars in the Christmas Greens Collection, these dies come with little circles that you can use to embellish the tops of the characters' hats. They don't have stitching holes, so you can either freehand stitch them or glue them into place.

Well there you have it! I hope you have enjoyed all of the introductions this week. It has been a blast sharing with you these past few days. I hope you've been visiting the Guest Creators to let them know how amazing they are. I'll be back tomorrow morning with some announcements and another batch of projects, so I'll see you then!

I'm going to go live in my Instagram stories tomorrow morning (Saturday 7/1) at 10am EDT, so feel free to join me over there if you want to ask any questions or see some behind the scenes peeks!