Let's build a Krampus with the Sizzix Infinite Doodles collection and put him on a card for some Krampusnacht greetings.
Krampus (pronounced krahm-pooce, not cramp-us) is a big thing in Austria. There was a horror movie made in the United States about Krampus, but I can tell you that Krampus does not drag naughty children off to hell, nor is he Santa's evil twin as many non-Austrians would have you believe.
So who is Krampus? He is St. Nicholas' brother. Not St. Nick as in Santa, but the actual Saint Nicholas, who is celebrated on St. Nicholas Day which is on December 6. It's a Catholic holiday part of Advent where kids expect to wake up to shoes full of chocolates, nuts and oranges.
But like all good Germanic peoples, Austrians love to scare their kids into good behavior. This is where Krampus comes in. The evening of December 5 is Krampusnacht (Krampus Night). Krampus comes along with St. Nicholas to all the children's homes and if the children were good, they would get sweets from St. Nicholas. But if you were a bad child, Krampus would pull out his switches and swat your bottom!
Krampus is half man half goat. He has a long tongue, sometimes forked, and is often depicted with horns. He has a tail, hoofed feet and carry a basket of switches on his bag. Sometimes he is also shown wearing red robes and wearing chains around his arms and wrists and sometimes has jingle bells attached to the chains.
While not everyone in Austria is a practicing Catholic anymore, Krampus is still very much celebrated with fun and revelry. Many Austrian towns hold a Krampuslauf (a sort of Krampus parade or run) on Krampusnacht. People dress up in Krampus costumes and parade down the street pretending to swat spectators with switches.
So in honor of the upcoming Krampusnacht and my Austrian heritage, I wanted to create a Krampus using the new Sizzix Infinite Doodles collection. Here is what you'll need for this project:
- Sizzix Infinite Doodles #1, designed by Pete Hughes
- Sizzix Infinite Doodles #2, designed by Pete Hughes
- Sizzix Alpha-Numeric Tiny Type Upper, designed by Tim Holtz
- Sizzix Surfacez White Smooth Cardstock
- Sizzix Surfacez Opulent Silver Cardstock
- Sizzix Surfacez Festive Cardstock
- Sizzix Surfacez Opulent Festive Cardstock
- Sizzix Surfacez Muted Cardstock
- Sizzix Surfacez Classic Assorted Cardstock
- Sizzix die cut machine, like the Big Shot Switch
- Sizzix Express Glue
- Scrapbook.com 1/8" Foam Adhesive Strips and/or Foam Squares
- Pinkfresh Essentials Glitter Drops in Ruby
- Sizzix Intricate Multi-Tool (optional)
- Scrapbook.com Mint Tape (optional)
- Scrapbook.com Magic Mat Plus (optional)
I cut Krampus' body, legs, tail and hands from two different grays and dies from Infinite Doodles #1. I also cut his hooves from some gray using a small half circle die. To create the hoof notch, I cut into the more flat side with the tip of a skinny triangle die.
I cut his eyes from red cardstock using a tiny notched circle die from Infinite Doodles #1 and his mouth from the zig zag pattern from Infinite Doodles #2.
His horns were cut from a creme cardstock and his eyebrows from black cardstock. I decided to dress this Krampus in some red robes, so I used the same shape that I used for his body to cut some pearlescent cardstock.
His basket and switches were then cut from brown cardstock and I also decided to make some chains for him too. The switches and chains were cut using the same zig zag pattern that I used to make his mouth.
Krampus was then glued together with Express Glue and foam adhesive. The Intricate Multi-Tool's sticky tip is perfect for helping you place those smaller die cuts, like his eyes and eyebrows.
For the sentiment, I cut out "Gruss vom Krampus" (Greetings from Krampus) using Tim Holtz's Alpha-Numeric Tiny Type Upper letters from black cardstock. I lined my letters up on my glass craft mat that has grid pattern on it. Once they were even, I pressed a piece of Mint Tape onto the letters. Once stuck to the Mint Tape, it's easy to add some Express Glue to the backs of the letters then press them onto the card. Strips of Sizzix's Sticky Grid would also work for this!
Once the letters were down, I added Krampus and a few glittery gems from Pinkfresh because this opulent robed Krampus needed some bling! I hope that this article gave you a little insight and understanding into the folklore that is Krampus! I also hope that this tutorial gave you some inspiration to create your own characters using the new Infinite Doodles collection. Until next time, happy crafting!
Adrienne
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Below are the main products that I used for this project.
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