2026 Holiday Card Series #1 | Merry Christmas Stitched Poinsettia

Hi friends!  Today marks the start of the 2026 Holiday Card Series where I try (LOL!) to have my holiday cards mostly completed before mid-November.  I’ve never tried stitching on cardstock before so I thought that would be a good start with attempting a technique I’m very new at… let’s make a card!

The supplies used:

Spellbinders – Stitched Poinsettia & Holly Die Set

     Taylored Expressions – Flickering Stencil

     Waffle Flower – A6 Piercing Layers Die Set

     Honey Bee Stamps – Simply Stated: Holiday Stamp and Die Set

     Spellbinders – Alabaster Cardstock

     Spellbinders – Merlot Colorwheel Cardstock

     Spellbinders – Poppy Field Color Essentials Cardstock

     Spellbinders – Sage Color Essentials Cardstock

     Concord & 9^th – Juniper Cardstock

     Anna Griffin – Gold Matte Foil Cardstock

     Simon Says Stamp – So Very Black Cardstock

     Tim Holtz/Idea-ology – Christmas Backdrops Patterned Paper Pack

     Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz – Old Paper Distress Oxide Ink Pad

     Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz – Lost Shadow Distress Oxide Ink Pad

     Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz – Black Soot Distress Oxide Ink Pad

     Simon Says Stamp – Sage Pawsitively Saturated Ink Pad

     Simon Says Stamp – Eucalyptus Pawsitively Saturated Ink Pad

     Simon Says Stamp – Sangria Pawsitively Saturated Ink Pad

     Simon Says Stamp – Cabernet Pawsitively Saturated Ink Pad

     Scrapbook.com – Foam Ink Blending Tool

     Scrapbook.com – All Purpose Craft Scraper Tool

     Altenew – Mixed Media Palette Knife

     Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz – Opaque Distress Texture Paste

     Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz – Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide Spray

     Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz – Shabby Shutters Distress Oxide Spray

     Iuile Watercolors – Gold (Q21)

     Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz – Distress Splatter Brush

     DMC – Gold Diamant Thread (D3852)

Embroidery Needle

     Honey Bee Stamps – Holiday Wishes Gems Stickers

     Tsukineko - VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad

     Ranger Ink – Super Fine Detail Black Embossing Powder

WOW! Heat Embossing Tool

     My Sweet Petunia – MISTI Original Stamping Tool

     Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

     Scrapbook Adhesives – Thin 3D Foam Squares

     Scor-Tape Double Sided Adhesive

     Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

Creating the Background Panel

I started the background by using a foam ink blending tool and Tim Holtz’s Distress Oxide Ink Pads in the colors Lost Shadow and Old Paper.  I ink blended the two colors in random places on a 5”x7” piece of Spellbinders Alabaster cardstock then spattered clean water with my fingertips across the inky panel and picked up the excess water droplets with a paper towel.  Next, I applied a layer of Distress Opaque Texture Paste through the Taylored Expressions Flickering stencil to the background using an Altenew palette knife and my Scrapbook.com craft scraper tool.  Once completed, I set the panel aside to dry completely.

After the panel dried, I used my Tim Holtz Splatter Brush and spattered Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide Spray – heat dried the panel –Shabby Shutters Distress Oxide Spray – heat dried the panel - and lastly a heavy spattering of Iuile Watercolors’ Gold (Q21) watercolor paint then I set the background aside to dry again.  I die cut a piece of Simon Says Stamp So Very Black cardstock using the largest die in the Waffle Flower A6 Piercing Layers die set and die cut the inky, pasted background using the second largest die in the die set.  Using Scor-Tape, I adhered the two background layers together.

Creating the Focal Point

Using the Spellbinders Stitched Poinsettia and Holly stitching die set, I die cut more green and red leaves than I’ll ever need from the following cardstock colors:

     Red Leaves:  Spellbinders Merlot and Poppy Field

     Green Leaves:  Spellbinders Sage and Concord & 9^th Spruce

     Foil Centers:  Matte Gold Anna Griffin Foil Cardstock with

               Honey Bee Stamps Gold Gem Stickers at Center

Before stitching the elements, I added a bit of depth to each leaf by lightly ink blending the edges with Simon Says Stamp inks in the colors Eucalyptus (light green leaves), Sage (dark green leaves), Cabernet (Poppy Field leaves), and Sangria (Merlot leaves).  I used DMC Diamont gold thread and an embroidery needle to stitch the accents onto all the die cuts.  After the stitching was completed, I glued a Poppy Field stitched die cut on top of a Merlot stitched die cut then placed one of the matte gold foil die cuts that serve as the poinsettia center to the middle of the stacked poinsettia leaves.  Once the glue dried, I adhered three gems from the Honey Bee Stamps Holiday Wishes Gem Stickers to the center, matte gold foiled die cut piece – I repeated these steps a second time to create another poinsettia bloom.

I selected one of the backdrop sheets from the Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Christmas Backdrops patterned paper pack and trimmed the paper by first, die cutting it with the second largest die from the Waffle Flower A6 Piercing Layers die set so the edges of this panel would line up perfectly and have the paper piercing that the inky/texture paste covered background panel has, then I cut this height of the patterned paper to measure 2.25 inches.  Next, I die cut a 2.5” tall scrap of the Simon Says Stamp So Very Black cardstock with the same Waffle Flower die as the patterned paper (again, I’m trying to maintain the pierced edge as the other layers).  I used Scor-Tape to adhere the black cardstock panel to the card front and used glue to adhere the patterned paper on top of the black cardstock panel. 

I arranged the five green leaves and both poinsettia flowers to the card front and used liquid glue to adhere them to the card front once I was satisfied with the positioning.  I did have to add a few small foam squares to three of the top flower’s leaves to help level them out with the other elements.

Creating the Sentiment

For the sentiment, I used a scrap piece of the inked background (before I added the texture paste) and used the Honey Bee Stamps Simply Stated: Holiday stamp and die set to stamp “Merry Christmas in VersaMark embossing ink which I heat embossed with Ranger’s Super Fine Detail Black embossing powder.  I die cut the stamped sentiment and applied a very light amount of Distress Black Soot Oxide Ink to the edges to distress the look a bit and added small foam adhesive squares and liquid glue to adhere it to the card’s focal point. 

Assembling the Card

I added strips of Scor-Tape behind the background panel and adhered them to an A6, side-folding card base to help flatten the pasted background that can sometimes warp in the drying process.   My final touch was adding a few more of the Honey Bee Stamps Holiday Wishes gem stickers to the card front to complete the look. 

Thank you for stopping by and checking out today’s blog post, I really appreciate it.  Until next time, happy crafting!

2025 Holiday Card Series #11 | JOY

Hi crafty friends!  For today’s card, I decided to watercolor a background panel and literally add some joy for a focal point!  Let’s get busy…

The supplies used:

Penny Black – Immense Joy Die

     Spellbinders – Simon’s Snow Globe Die Set

     Spellbinders – Precision Layering A2 A Die Set

     Ampersand Hardbord Panel – 9” x 12”

     Paul Rubens Hot Pressed Watercolor Cardstock

     Cardstock Warehouse – Stardream Silver Cardstock

     Simon Says Stamp – Snow White Pawsitively Velvet Cardstock

Gina K. Designs - Onyx Black Cardstock

     Vellum Cardstock

     Matte Silver Cardstock

     Aquarello Artistico Extra White Watercolor Paper

     Altenew – Moonstone Glitter Cardstock

     Copic Alcohol Marker – Y11

     Duck Brand Clean Release Painter’s Tape

     Schmincke Watercolor Paints – Tundra Blue, Deep Sea Blue, Tundra Violet

     Iuile Watercolors – Silver

     Winsor & Newton White Designers Gouache

     Ranger / Tim Holtz – Distress Rock Candy Glitter

     Pink & Main – White Iridescent Sequins

     Scrapbook Adhesives Thin 3D Foam Squares

     Scor-Tape Double Sided Adhesive

     Altenew – Instant Dimension Foam Tape, ¼” x 1/16”

     Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

     WOW! Dual Speed Heat Tool

     Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

Creating the Background Panel

To begin today’s card, I trimmed a piece of watercolor cardstock to measure 5-1/2” x 7-1/2”. Next, I used painter’s tape to adhere the watercolor cardstock to a hardboard.  Using a ¾” oval paint brush, I applied a heavy wash of water to the watercolor paper and while it was still wet began painting a layer of the Tundra Blue watercolor paint.  After rinsing my brush in clean water, I immediately began adding small “puddles” of the Deep Sea Blue and Tundra Violet watercolor paint in random dots across the watercolor cardstock.  Using a spray bottle, I misted a generous amount of water across the entire panel then picked it up and tilted it to one side to get the watercolors moving and began drying it with my WOW! Heat tool until completely dry.  Once dry, I used a #2 round brush and silver Iuile watercolor paint and began adding spatter to the watercolored panel.  I applied heat to the panel to dry the silver spatter and repeated the spattering process with Winsor & Newton white gouache.  After the panel was completely dry, I used the second to largest die from Spellbinders Precision Layering A2 A die set to die cut the watercolor panel and the largest die to die cut a piece of Gina K. Designs Onyx Black cardstock.

Creating the Focal Images

Using the Penny Black Immense Joy die, I die cut four JOY words from Cardstock Warehouse Stardream Silver cardstock.  I used Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue to adhere all four of the JOY words together and placed a large acrylic block on top and set them aside to allow the stacked words to dry. 

I wanted to place a small snow globe scene in the center of the “O” in JOY, so I selected the Spellbinders Simon’s Snow Globe die set and die cut the back row of houses and group of three trees dies from Simon Says Stamp Snow White Pawsitively Velvet cardstock, the little light posts die from a scrap of matte silver metallic cardstock, the front snow bank from Altenew’s Moonstone Glitter Cardstock, the back drop circle die from vellum cardstock, the large house’s roof die was die cut from the Cardstock Warehouse Stardream cardstock (same cardstock as the word JOY), and lastly the large house was die cut from Aquarello Artistico Extra White Watercolor Paper.  I used Copic alcohol marker Y11 to carefully add a yellow tint to the windows of the large house die and added glue to random places on the trees followed by a nice layer of Distress Rock Candy glitter to make them sparkle.

Once the die cutting was completed, I began using liquid glue to adhere all the layers together for the snow globe scene then placed the scene behind the “O” and used a pencil to trace around the “O” and fussy cut around the trace line and glued the scene to the back side of the “O”.  I did add a few small pieces of Scrapbook Adhesives thin foam squares behind the trees and the large house so they were more level in the scene. 

Finishing the Design

To complete the card, I added Scor-Tape to the back side of the watercolor panel and adhered it to the black cardstock panel.  Next, I glued the background panels to the front of an A2 size, top folding card base.  For the focal image, I added Altenew Instant Dimension Foam Tape to the back side of the “J” and “Y”, then added thin 3D foam squares behind the snow village and “O”.  Lastly, I glued a few Pink & Main White Iridescent sequins to the card front for that extra something special.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out today’s blog post, I really appreciate it. Until next time, happy crafting!

2025 Holiday Card Series #9 | Merry Christmas

Hi crafty friends!  Today I am sharing a wintry card featuring Spellbinders’ City Holiday die set designed by Yana Smakula.  I’ve been wanting to work with this die set all season long and am finally getting the opportunity to do so.   I put my fate once again in Sarah Renae Clark’s Color Cubes and a random number generator to pick my color scheme and today’s Color Cube card was #010.  This one feels more autumnal; however, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will be magical!

The supplies used:

Spellbinders – City Holiday Die Set

     Birch Press Design – Merry Christmas Dapper Script

     Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz – Distress Ink Pads – Chipped Sapphire, Villainous Potion,

          Brushed Corduroy, Mowed Lawn

     Waffle Flower – Background Blender Brushes

     Spellbinders – Timber, Cinnamon, Terracotta, Indigo, Peridot, Alabaster,

          Plum Cardstock

     Concord & 9^th – Peanut Cardstock

     Altenew – Moonstone Glitter Cardstock

     Idea-ology/Tim Holtz – Gold Metallic Kraft Cardstock

     Scrapbook Adhesives Thin 3D Foam Squares

     Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

     Winsor & Newton White Designers Gouache

     Rainbow Splash – Rainbow Gem Stickers

     Altenew – Mini Blending Brush

     Krylon Workable Fixatif Spray

     Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

Creating the Card Front Background

I cut a piece of white cardstock to measure 5” x 7” and selected Chipped Sapphire, Villainous Potion, and Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks to use for ink blending my night sky. 

For the sky, I started ink blending at the top of the cardstock using Chipped Sapphire and blended about a third of the way down the panel, switched to Villainous Potion for the next four or so inches and then finished ink blending the remaining bottom portion of the panel using Brushed Corduroy.  Since I will be spattering white gouache over the background sky, I took the panel outside and sprayed it with Krylon Workable Fixatif Spray to try to keep the Distress Inks from seeping into the white spatter.  I set the sprayed background panel aside to dry and moved on to the focal point.

Creating the Focal Point

For my focal point image, I used the Spellbinders City Holiday die set and cut the individual pieces from the following cardstock colors:  

     Snow:  Altenew Moonstone Glitter Cardstock

     Roof, Window and Door Sills & Steps:  Spellbinders Timber Cardstock

     Trees and Wreaths:  Spellbinders Peridot Cardstock

Stars on Exterior Trees:  Idea-ology/Tim Holtz – Gold Metallic Kraft Cardstock

     Door and Window Frames:  Concord & 9^th Peanut Cardstock

     Draperies:  Spellbinders Indigo Cardstock

     Building Structure:  Spellbinders Cinnamon Cardstock

     Wreath Bows and Swags:  Spellbinders Cranberry Cardstock

     Inside Windows:  Spellbinders Alabaster Cardstock

     Gifts:  Spellbinders Plum Cardstock

I assembled all the pieces for the apartment building using Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue.

Building the Sentiment

Utilizing Birch Press Design’s Merry Christmas Dapper Script sentiment die, I die cut the sentiment once from the Idea-ology/Tim Holtz Kraft Gold Metallic Cardstock and two more times from Spellbinders Indigo cardstock.  I glued the three layers of the sentiment together in a stack and placed an acrylic block on top until the glue dried.

Finishing the Design

To complete the card, I mixed a small amount of Winsor & Newton white gouache with a couple drops of water and spattered it heavily across the background panel.  Once the spatter dried, I glued the snow hill across the bottom of the card and then adhered the apartment building in the center of the snow hill.  For the exterior trees, I lightly ink blended Distress Mowed Lawn Ink with an Altenew blending brush along the bottoms of the trees and added a little up the sides.  I adhered the two trees on either side of the building using thin foam squares and liquid glue, added some yellow Rainbow Gem Stickers to the trees, and added the sentiment to the top of the card.  Lastly, I adhered the card front panel to a white, 5” x 7” card base.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out today’s blog post, I really appreciate it.  Until next time, happy crafting!