2026 Holiday Card Series #2 | Happy Holidays

Hi friends!  Today’s card will be my second installment in my 2026 Holiday Card Series where I am attempting to have my holiday cards mostly completed before mid-November.  I felt the Altenew Pegboard Panels would make a fun focal point for a homespun Christmas card… let’s get started!

The supplies used:

     Altenew – Pegboard Panels Die Set

     Spellbinders – Everlasting Squares Die Set

     Spellbinders – Postage Edge Squares Die Set

     Spellbinders – Scenic Poinsettias 3D Embossing Folder

     Altenew – Warm Blessings Stamp Set

     Scrapbook.com – Heavy Weight Mixed Media Paper Pad (White)

     Anna Griffin – Champagne Matte Foil Cardstock

     Spellbinders – Merlot Colorwheel Cardstock

     Simon Says Stamp – Cabernet Pawsitively Saturated Ink Pad

     Tsukineko – VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad

     Taylored Expressions – Anti-Static Powder Tool

     Ranger Ink – Princess Gold Embossing Powder

     WOW! Dual Speed Heat Embossing Tool

     Altenew – Double Sided Adhesive Sheets

     Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

     Scrapbook Adhesive – Black Thin 3D Foam Squares

     Embroidery Needle

     Red, Green, and White Embroidery Floss

     Scrapbook.com – Foam Ink Blending Tool

     Iuile Watercolors – Star Watercolor Paint

     Honey Bee Stamps – Warm Pearls Pearl Stickers

     Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

Creating the Background Panel

For the background panel, I used my paper trimmer to cut a 4.5” x 7” panel of Spellbinders Merlot cardstock.  I placed this panel into the Spellbinders Scenic Poinsettias 3D Embossing Folder and taped it in place on the side of the embossing folder where the flowers feel raised.  I inked up the surface of the opposite side of the embossing folder using a Simon Says Stamp Cabernet ink pad and ran it through my Anna Griffin die cutting machine.  I repeated this process three or four times until I obtained the results satisfactory results.  Using my paper trimmer, I trimmed the embossed panel to measure 4-1/8” x 6” and inked the edges to darken them using a foam blending tool and more Cabernet ink.  While that dried, I cut a piece of the Anna Griffin Matte Champagne Foil Cardstock to measure 4.5” x 6.25” – this will serve as my matting layer behind the embossed one.  My final touch on the background was to add a few drops of water to my pan of Iuile Watercolor’s Star watercolor paint, frothed the mixture a bit, then used a small paint brush to add gold spatter across the embossed Merlot cardstock panel.

Creating the Focal Point

For the cross-stitched panel, I started by using the two square dies from Altenew’s Pegboard Panels die set and die cut them together using a piece of Scrapbook.com’s white Mixed Media Paper.  I used white dark red, and sage green embroidery flosses to cross stitch the entire panel and placed a piece of Altenew Double Sided Adhesive Sheet that was approximately 2.75” x 2.75” on the back side to not only allow me to adhere it to the card front, but also to ensure the loose ends of the threads stay in place.  Next, I created a frame for the stitched panel by die cutting a piece of Anna Griffin Matte Champagne Foil Cardstock using the third largest postage edge die from Spellbinders’ Postage Edge Squares die set and the 9^th largest die from Spellbinders’ Everlasting Squares die set.  I aligned the smaller square die inside the postage edge one, taped them together, then die cut one from the gold foil and two more from Spellbinders Merlot cardstock.  I glued the three framing layers together with Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue and set aside to dry.

Creating the Sentiment

For the sentiment, I used a scrap piece of the Spellbinders Merlot cardstock and placed it into my MISTI stamping tool and dusted it heavily with anti-static powder.  I used the “happy holidays” sentiment from Altenew’s Warm Blessings stamp set and VersaMark ink to stamp the image onto the cardstock.  Once stamped, I applied a layer of Ranger’s Princess Gold embossing powder onto the stamped cardstock, tapped off the excess, and used my heat tool to melt the embossing powder.  After it cooled, I buffed away the excess anti-static powder and fussy cut the sentiment with scissors.  Lastly, I placed Scrapbook Adhesives Thin 3D Foam Squares (black) behind the sentiment.

Assembling the Card

I glued the champagne foil cardstock panel to the front of an A2, side folding card base and glued the Merlot, embossed cardstock panel to the center of the foil panel.  Next, I added glue to the back side of the foil, postage edged frame, and adhered it on top of the cross-stitched panel.  Once the glue dried, I removed the backing paper from behind the cross-stitched panel and adhered the focal point to the card front.  After removing the backing paper from the black foam squares behind the sentiment, I adhere it to the lower portion of the card front.  My final touch was adding a five of the Honey Bee Stamps Warm Pearls pearl stickers to the center of the cross-stitched piece and that wraps up today’s card.

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

Hello Gorgeous | Spellbinders & Pinkfresh Studio

Hi friends!  Spring brings a fresh burst of life, color, and energy. It's the perfect season to create projects that capture the essence of renewal and joy. This spring-themed tag featuring flowers and bees combines natural beauty with a touch of whimsy, making it a delightful way to brighten someone’s day. Let's get started!

The supplies used:

     Spellbinders – Daffodil/Narcissus & Antique Vase with Honey Bee

     Pinkfresh Studio – Go For It Stamp/Die/Stencil Set

     Altenew – Textured Blocks Embossing Folder

     Sizzix – Framed Tags Die Set

     Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz - #8 Distress Tags

     Paper Rose – All Occasion Sentiment Sheets

     Craft Consortium – Ink Drops – Candy 12x12 Paper Pad

     Elizabeth Craft Designs – Reminiscence The Book 8 Patterned Cardstock Pad

     Copic Markers – W2, W0, Y26, N6

     Simon Says Stamp – Ink Pads:  Ballerina, Guava, Watermelon,

          Orchid, Amethyst, Field, Fairway

     Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz – Gathered Twigs Distress Ink Pad

Altenew - Mini Blending Brushes

     Scrapbook.com – Foam Ink Blending Tool

     Altenew - Double-Sided Adhesive Sheets

     Scrapbook Adhesives – Thin 3D Foam Squares

     Spellbinders – Glaze & Glue Resin Adhesive

     Open Studio – Clear Droplets Embellishments

     My Sweet Petunia - MISTI Original Stamping Tool

     Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

Creating the Background Panel

To create the background, I used one of the Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz #8 Distress Tags, peeled off the hole reinforcer that comes with the tag, and covered it with a layer of the Altenew Double-Sided Adhesive Sheets.  I pulled a scripty text piece of patterned paper from the Elizabeth Craft Designs Reminiscence “The Book 8” patterned cardstock pad and removed the backing paper from the adhesive sheet adhered to the tag and carefully adhered the patterned cardstock to the tag.  Using a paper trimmer, I removed all the excess patterned cardstock until I was left with only the tag’s shape.  I used a foam blending tool and Gathered Twigs Distress Ink to add some distressed edging and interest to the tag’s background.

Creating the Focal Point

Using a piece of patterned cardstock from the Craft Consortium Candy Ink Drops paper pad, I die cut it with the vase die from the Spellbinders Daffodil/Narcissus and Antique Vase with Honey Bee die set and die cut two of the bee die cuts from white cardstock.  I placed the vase die cut into the lower right quadrant of Altenew’s Textured Block embossing folder and ran it though my Anna Griffin Empress machine.  I used Copic markers W2 and W0 to add some shading to the vase for depth.  For the bees, I colored their wings with W0, lightly drew lines with the W2 markers and placed a blanket coat of Y26 over the bee bodies and colored dark grey lines on the body segments using N6.  Lastly, I applied a layer of Spellbinders Glaze over the bees.

For the florals, I used the Pinkfresh Studio Go For It stamp/die/stencil set and stamped the floral image onto a piece of white cardstock.  Next, I used the coordinating stencils and blended ink to the flowers and leaves using these ink pads:

     Pink Flowers:  Simon Says Stamp Ballerina, Guava, and Watermelon

     Purple Flowers:  Simon Says Stamp Ballerina, Orchid, and Amethyst

     Leaves:  Simon Says Stamp Field and Fairway

The florals were die cut using the coordinating dies from the Go For It set.

Creating the Sentiment

For the sentiment, I chose to go with a the “HELLO GORGEOUS” greeting from Paper Rose’s All Occasion Sentiment Sheets.  I used a black marker to go around the edges of the sentiment just to make it look as if it was printed on black cardstock.

Assembling the Card

I die cut the hole reinforcer for the top of the tag using Sizzix’s Framed Tags die set and a scrap of the patterned paper I used for the vase from the Craft Consortium Candy Ink Drops paper pad.  I used whatever ink was left on the Gathered Twigs foam blending tool to distress the edges of the hole reinforcer die cut for a more cohesive look.  I positioned the florals where I wanted them in the vase and glued them into position.  I added Scrapbook Adhesives’s Thin 3D Foam Squares to the back side of the florals and the vase and adhered them to the tag front and used scissors to trim off the portion of the vase that extended beyond the bottom of the tag.  I used the Altenew ¼” Black Instant Dimension Foam Tape to adhere the sentiment on the lower portion of the tag.  Lastly, I added glue to the back side of the bee die cuts and adhered them to the background and added a sprinkling of Open Studio Clear Droplets to the flowers.

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

2024 Holiday Series #6 | Sending Holiday Cheer

Hi friends!  For today’s holiday series installment, I decided to do some die cutting with a beautiful snowflake die set from Spellbinders called “Snowflake Card Creator” and an ornament from the Altenew “Lovely Ornaments” stamp and die set.   

The supplies used were:

Spellbinders Silver Treasured Cardstock – Glitter Metallic and Matte Metallic

Spellbinders “Snowflake Card Creator” Die Set

Altenew “Lovely Ornaments” Stamp and Die Set

Spellbinders “Festive Ornaments” Die Set (ornament topper)

Spellbinders / Simon Hurley 3D Embossing Folder “Sparkling Snow”

Simon Says Stamp “Christmas Wishes” Sentiment Strip

Pinkfresh Studios Navy Glitter Cardstock

Spellbinders Indigo Cardstock

Spellbinders Glimmer Foil – Silver

Nuvo Crystal Drops “Liquid Mercury”

Taylored Expressions Anti-Static Powder Tool

DMC Silver Diamant Thread

Simon Says Stamp Clear Embossing Ink

Brutus Monroe “Sterling” Embossing Powder

Heidi Swapp Mini Minc Machine (for foiling)

Wagner Heat Embossing Tool

Misti Original Stamp Positioning Tool

Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

I started today’s card by cutting a piece of Spellbinders Indigo cardstock to measure 5”x5” and cut a piece of Spellbinders Glitter Metallic cardstock from the Treasured Cardstock collection to measure 5-1/4” x 5-1/4”.  These two pieces will be used as my card front’s background.

Using the Spellbinders/Simon Hurley “Sparkling Snow” 3D Embossing Folder, I misted the 5”x5” Indigo cardstock with a little bit of water and placed it into the embossing folder and ran it through my Empress die cutting machine.  I removed the cardstock from the embossing folder and, once dry, I used tape runner to adhere the 3D embossed cardstock to the front of the Silver Glitter Metallic cardstock.

I created two snowflake die cuts using the large snowflake die from Spellbinders’ “Snowflake Card Creator” die set – one was cut from a previously splattered silver and white background piece of cardstock and the other was cut from Spellbinders Matte Silver cardstock from the Treasured Cardstock collection.  I placed liquid adhesive to the back side of the splattered cardstock snowflake and adhered it to the center of the embossed, indigo cardstock then placed liquid glue to the back of the matte silver metallic snowflake diecut and adhered it to the top of the last snowflake but twisted its orientation so they would be offset from one another. I carefully trimmed off any of the snowflake pieces that extended beyond my card front.

Next for the ornament.  I used my Misti and Altenew’s “Lovely Ornaments” stamp and die set and placed the stamp that looks like streamers on top of a scrap piece of gold matte cardstock and picked it up with my Misti door.  I inked the stamp with Simon Says Stamp’s clear embossing ink, applied a generous amount of anti-static powder to my cardstock, and stamped the impression onto the gold cardstock panel.  I used Brutus Monroe’s “Sterling” embossing powder and applied it to the embossing ink, tapped off the excess, and heat set it with my heat tool.  After the cardstock cooled, I used the circle die from the “Lovely Ornaments” die set to cut the gold, silver embossed cardstock with my die cutting machine.  Then I used a die from the “Lovely Ornaments” set that looked almost like dripping icing and die cut it from a piece of Pinkfresh Studios’ navy glitter cardstock.  I adhered the navy glitter die cut to the top of the gold ornament base using liquid glue.  I took a piece of silver DMC Diamant thread and tied it into a double bow (leave the tails long) and set that aside for the moment.  For the ornament topper, I wanted one that was more substantial than what came with the “Lovely Ornaments” die set, so I used the Spellbinders/Nichol Spohr “Festive Ornaments” dies and selected the two ornament topper pieces and cut the one with the base out of a scrap of silver metallic cardstock and the one with the hanger loop from some gold metallic cardstock.  I glued the metallic silver die cut on top of the metallic gold ornament topper die cut and held those two together with my reverse tweezers until they dried.  Once dried, I adhered the new ornament topper to the top of the navy/gold ornament and glued the silver thread bow to the top of the ornament hanger with liquid glue.  While the glue was drying on the bow, I decided to add some more texture to the ornament by adding Nuvo Crystal Drops “Liquid Mercury” to each of the little dots created with the embossing of the lower half of the ornament and set the ornament aside until all components were dry.

I selected the “Sending holiday cheer” sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp’s “Christmas Wishes” sentiment strips and used silver Spellbinders Glimmer Foil to add a metallic shine to the toner sentiment strip.  Once foiled, I added small, thin foam squares to the back of the sentiment strip.

I added thin foam squares to the back of the now dry ornament and adhered it to the center of my card front.  I removed the release paper from the foam squares on the back of my sentiment strip and adhered it to the lower center of the card front and that completed today’s card.

I hope you enjoyed the card and found inspiration for some of your own holiday projects!  Until next time… happy making!