CCC 2023 Day 17 ☃️ Elf Gnome Layered Designs
It’s time for the project you’ve (hopefully) been waiting for… CHRISTMAS GNOMES!!
During last year’s Christmas Craft Countdown we made Santa and Mrs Claus gnomes, so I thought that it was only fitting that this year we added some elves to help him make all the gifts in time for Christmas.
As you may have possibly guessed from my outfit, I LOVE gnomes!
Both the male and female elf gnomes are included in today’s project.
This project was part of 2023's Christmas Craft Countdown.
Materials supply list
Here is a list of the materials that I used to make this project.
Please note that some of the links included in this article are affiliate links, which means that if you click through and make a purchase I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). You can read my full disclosure at the bottom of the page.
- Cricut machine
- Light blue Cricut cutting mat
- Coloured Card
- Collall All Purpose Glue
- Needle Tip Applicator Bottle
- 3D foam pads
This project is suitable for the following types of Cricut machine: Explore Air 2, Explore Air 3, Maker, Maker 3, Venture and Joy Xtra. You will need to resize the gnomes smaller to use with the original Cricut Joy machine.
Video tutorial
Watch the video below to see how to make this project. Keep scrolling for a written tutorial.
Written tutorial (with photos!)
Here’s how to make your very own elf gnomes using a Cricut machine!
Step 1) Download the cutting file(s) & unzip the downloaded folder
Download the files using the box below.
Before you upload the SVG files to Design Space, you need to unzip the download folder that they come in.
Step 2) Upload the SVG files into Design Space
Open up Cricut Design Space and start a new Project.
Click “Upload” and then find your unzipped version of the downloaded files for this project.
The files to upload for Cricut Design Space are the ones which start svg- in the filenames.
This is an example of how the elf gnomes look after you have selected the file:
All the layers should appear “on top of each other” as per the image above. If you see all the layers next to each other instead, that means you’ve accidentally uploaded the wrong file type. If that’s the case, click “Cancel” on the bottom-right of the screen and try again.
Make sure you upload the files which start svg- in the filename!!
After uploading, the designs will show in your “Recently Uploaded Images”.
Click on them and then press “Add to Canvas” to put them onto your Project.
Step 3) Size the elf gnome designs
Click the gnomes on your canvas and use the width/height boxes near the top of the screen to make them the size that you want to cut them.
TIP: Make sure the padlock icon above the width/height boxes is CLOSED before you resize. If it appears “open”, click it with your mouse to close it.
I resized the male gnome to 7.5 inches tall (5.464 inches wide) and the female gnome 7.75 inches wide (7.772 inches tall).
If you are cutting the gnomes on the original Cricut Joy machine, you’ll need to make them a maximum of 4.5 inches wide each.
If you are cutting the gnomes to fit in a specific frame, watch this video to see my top tips on how to resize it to fit perfectly, or read the tutorial here.
Step 4) Cut out all the layers
When you’re happy with how the project is looking in Design Space, click “Make It” and follow the instructions on-screen to cut out all the layers.
To change the paper size, go into the dropdowns over on the left side of the screen and choose the paper size that you want to use. You need to change it for every single colour.
To save space on your cardstock, you can move things around by clicking and dragging. Make sure when you’re moving things about that nothing overlaps because otherwise, it won’t cut out properly.
TIP: New to cutting cardstock with a Cricut? Check out this in-depth tutorial which goes through every step of the process, including tips for getting the best quality cuts from your Cricut.
Step 5) Stick the gnomes together
Use 3D foam pads and glue to stick the layers together.
Use these guides to see the order to stick the layers together in.
Printable versions of these assembly guides are included in the folder when you download the cut files.
My favourite glue to use on papercraft projects is Collall All Purpose Glue.
It’s SO good because it doesn’t “warp” or bend the cardstock like some glues do. You can use as much of it as you want and the card stays perfect – and it dries perfectly clear too!
To make it even easier to apply glue to layered card projects, I highly recommend getting some of these needle tip applicator bottles to put the glue into.
The nozzles are REALLY tiny which makes them perfect for putting glue onto the pieces of cardstock that make up this design.
The foam pads that I use are from “Dot & Dab”, but any foam squares will work. If yours are big then you may need to cut them smaller with scissors to fit inside the edges of the layers.
When adding the foam pads to larger pieces of card, make sure you add some in the middles of the pieces of card so it give stability to the middles.
If you don’t add any foam pads in the middles then it can “sag” under the weight of the other layers which doesn’t look as good.
Continue sticking the pieces together, following the assembly guide, until your Christmas elf gnomes are all finished.
Elf gnome layered papercraft designs
After sticking all the pieces of card together, you’ll have two cute little elf gnomes all finished and ready to start causing mischief this festive season!
You could frame them in a shadow box, put them on a greetings card, use them in your Christmas decorations or festive displays, or even stick them straight to the wall with some blu-tack or command strips, or prop them up on a shelf.
Check out these free easel stands for a fun way to display them.
Happy crafting,
Sarah x