Elf Mail and a Wobbly Raccoon

Hello everyone, and happy February! I hope you’re all staying warm as we finally move past a very cold January. ❄️

I’m getting a head start on my Christmas cards with the help of the Splitcoaststampers Fan Club Christmas Challenge, and February’s theme is Postage. I couldn’t resist creating something playful and nostalgic—especially since this card is for my daughter, who absolutely loves the movie Elf!

I’ll admit… I wasn’t a fan at first. But after watching it about ten times with her, it definitely grew on me—and now I think it’s pretty hilarious. 😊

For this card, I used the Elf Culture stamp set by Hero Arts and paired it with the Postage Collage die, stencil, and stamps by Waffle Flower. I die-cut the collage layer, then inked each postage section in green using the coordinating stencil. Inside the sections, I included items from Buddy’s famous “Four Main Food Groups”: candy canes, candy corn, syrup, and candy.

One of my favorite details is the Sketch-a-Lot image. In the movie, it’s used to show Buddy’s early struggles as an elf—making only 85 toys a day—and later his impressive artistic talent when he draws a detailed Mona Lisa to decorate Gimbels. It felt like the perfect little storytelling touch for this card.

 I stamped "Does Somebody Need a Hug?" at the top and added a die-cut Santa hat over part of it for extra holiday fun. And of course, I couldn’t forget the raccoon! I colored him, die cut him, and popped him onto a wobble. What a hoot! 🦝

In one of the movie’s memorable scenes, Buddy encounters a raccoon while traveling from the North Pole to New York City and cheerfully asks if it needs a hug—with predictable results. That moment inspired the action element on this card, which also allows it to play along with the Closing Ceremonies VSN Challenge.

I’m so happy to have this Christmas card finished ahead of time. I wanted to make one like this for my daughter last year, but the season was just too busy. It feels great to be ahead this time!

If you enjoy card challenges, be sure to stop by Splitcoaststampers — we’d love to see your beautiful projects in the galleries!