2026 Holiday Card Series #4 | Have a Merry Christmas

Hi friends!  Today’s card will be the fourth installment in my 2026 Holiday Card Series where I am attempting to have my holiday cards mostly completed before mid-November.  I’ve created with elements from this Tim Holtz/Sizzix die set before, but this time I wanted to try using it in more of the traditional sense.

The supplies used:

     Sizzix/Tim Holtz – Vault Christmas Magic

     Simon Says Stamp – Cozy Christmas Stamp Set

     Concord & 9^th – Festive Phrases Stamp Set

     American Crafts Cardstock – Christmas Textured Cardstock

     Simon Says Stamp – So Very Black Cardstock

     Simon Says Stamp – Black Glossy Cardstock

     Copic – Sketch Alcohol Markers Y08, R39, R29, R24, B97, B95, B91,

          G28, G24, G21, E74, C7, W9

     Tsukineko - Memento Black Dual Marker

     Lawn Fawn – Jet Black Ink Pad

     Simon Says Stamp – Pawsitively Saturated Ink Pads – Sky, Dusk & Night

     Tsukineko – VersaFine Claire Nocture Ink Pad

     Iuile Watercolors – Silver Watercolor Paint Pan

     Ranger Ink – Glossy Accents

     Posca Silver Pen PC-1MR

     Altenew – Masking Paper

     Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

     Scrapbook Adhesives – Thin 3D Foam Squares

     Picket Fence Studios – Candy Cane Gem Embellishment Mix

     My Sweet Petunia – Original MISTI Stamping Tool

     Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

Creating the Background

For the background, I took a piece Altenew’s Masking Paper and die cut it using the cityscape die from the Sizzix Vault Christmas Magic.  Next, I trimmed a piece of white cardstock to measure 4.5” x 6.25” and used a pencil and a t-square ruler to draw a line across the bottom of the panel (portrait orientation) 2.25” from the bottom edge of the cardstock.  I removed the adhesive backing from the cityscape mask and adhered the bottom edge of the mask along the top of the pencil line.  Using Simon Says Stamp ink pads, I began ink blending with Sky ink starting at the top of the buildings and continued blending the night sky with Dusk and Night inks until the entire sky area was ink blended.  Before removing the cityscape mask, I added a light spattering of Iuile Watercolors’ Silver watercolor paint across the sky for my stars.  I carefully removed the mask and set the panel aside to completely dry.

Creating the Focal Points

Using the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Vault Christmas Magic die set, I die cut the dies from the following cardstocks:

     City Scape:  American Crafts Cardstock – Christmas Textured Collection – Dark Grey

     Santa & Reindeer:  Simon Says Stamp – So Very Black Cardstock

     Lamp Post:  Simon Says Stamp – Black Glossy Cardstock

     Wreath & Bow:  Green and Red Scraps from my Scrap Bin

I used liquid glue to adhere the cityscape die cut along the top of the pencil line drawn onto the lower portion of the background panel and added the Santa/reindeer die cut above the buildings in the sky.  I used a pair of scissors to the trim off the excess reindeer that extended outside the card panel.  Next, I used the Y08 Copic Sketch alcohol marker to fill in the window openings on the buildings.

Then, using the Simon Says Stamp Cozy Christmas stamp set, I stamped the two vehicles, Christmas tree, and evergreen tree (twice) with Lawn Fawn’s Jet Black ink onto X-Press It blending cardstock.  I colored the images using Copic Sketch alcohol markers in these colors:

     Red Car:  R39, R29, R24, W9 (tires), C7 (windows), Posca Silver Pen

          on wheels and bumper trim – R29, B97, B95, B91 (gift)

     Blue Car:  B97, B95, B91, W9 (tires), C7 (windows), Posca Silver Pen

          on wheels and bumper trim – G28, G24, G21, E74 (tree)

     Trees:  G28, G24, G21 and the lights were dotted using the same Sketch markers

          I used on other elements listed above

Once the images were colored, I fussy cut them and used a black Memento marker to cover the white edges of the trimmed images.  I added Ranger’s Glossy Accents to the windows of both vehicles and to the Christmas tree lights just for fun.

Creating the Sentiment

For the sentiment, I used the Concord & 9^th Festive Phrases stamp set’s “have a merry Christmas” greeting and stamped it on the lower center portion of the card front using VersaFine Clair Nocturne Black ink.

Assembling the Card

I used liquid glue to adhere the two regular trees and the red card to the card front, then used Thin 3D Foam Squares to adhere the blue card and the decorated Christmas tree.   Using my paper trimmer, I cut a scrap piece of green and red cardstocks to measure 5” x 1/8” and glued those below the cityscape die cut on the card front and trimmed off the excess with scissors.  Lastly, I added a sprinkling of Picket Fence Studios’ Candy Cane gem embellishments around the sentiment and adhered the card front to a white, side folding, A6 card base.

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

Hooray… It’s Your Birthday | Katzelkraft + Hero Arts

Hi friends!  Today’s card will be a silly, festive birthday card using an older Katzelkraft stamp set that I had yet to use and some of the products from the May 2026 Hero Arts My Monthly Super Hero subscription kit.  Let’s get started!

The supplies used:

     Katzelkraft - Les Suricates Red Rubber Stamp

     Hero Arts – MMSH Birthday Icons Stamp & Cut Set

     Waffle Flower – A6 Piercing Layers Die Set

     Kristina Werner – Splash Stencil Pack

     Spellbinders – Sentiments for Everyday Hot Foil Plate & Die Set

     Altenew – Time to Celebrate Mini Delight Collection

     Spellbinders – Waterfall Cardstock

     X-Press It Blending Cardstock

     Lawn Fawn – Jet Black Ink Pad

     Simon Says Stamp – Pawsitively Saturated Ink Pads – Marine, Heather, & Bubblegum

     Copic Sketch Alcohol Markers – BG49, BG23, BG11, YG25, YG01, YG11,

          RV23, R85, BV00, RV66, RV55, RV21, BV08, BV13, BV01, BG07, FBG, BG01

     Waffle Flower – Background Blender Brushes

     Spellbinders –Lavender Petal Glimmer Foil

     Ranger Ink – Glossy Accents

     Altenew – 1” Double-Sided Adhesive Tape

     Scrapbook.com – ¼” Foam Adhesive Roll

     Scrapbook Adhesives – Thin 3D Foam Squares

     Hemway – Pearl Iridescent Eco-Friendly Biodegradable Glitter

     Trinity Stamps – Cave Crystals Embellishments

     My Sweet Petunia – Original MISTI Stamping Tool

     Anna Griffin Empress Gild Hot Foiling Machine

     Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

Creating the Background Panel

For the background panel, I die cut a piece of Spellbinders Waterfall cardstock using the largest die from the Waffle Flower A6 Piercing Layers Die set.  I added Altenew’s 1” double-sided adhesive tape to the back side of the Waterfall panel and adhered it to the front of a white, A6 card base.  Next, I used the Kristina Werner Splash Stencil Pack and selected two of the stencils to add Simon Says Stamp Marine, Bubblegum, and Heather inks to a white cardstock panel using Waffle Flower Background Blender Brushes.  Once the ink blending was completed, I used the second largest die from the Waffle Flower A6 Piercing Layers Die set to trim the ink blended panel to size, then used the third largest die from the Whimsy Stamps Wavy Nested Frames die set to cut an aperture in the center of the ink blended panel.

Creating the Focal Point

I chose one of the meerkats from the Katzelkraft stamp set called “Les Suricates” because he had his hands held out as if in celebration.  I stamped the image onto a piece of X-Press It cardstock using Lawn Fawn’s Jet Black Ink Pad.  I colored the meerkat using Copic Sketch alcohol markers in these colors:

     Belly & Muzzle:  YG25, YG01, YG11

     Rest of Body:  BG49, BG23, BG11

     Eyes:  BV00

     Tongue:  R85, RV23

Next, I stamped the balloons and one of the party hats from the May 2026 Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Subscription Kit called “Birthday Icons Stamp & Cut” onto a piece of X-Press It cardstock using Lawn Fawn Jet Black ink.  I colored the images with Copic Sketch alcohol markers in these colors:

     Pink Balloon:  RV66, RV55, RV21

     Purple Balloon:  BV08, BV13, BV01

     Blue Balloon:  BG07, FBG, BG01

     Party Hat:  YG25, YG01, YG11, RV66, RV55, RV21, BV08, BV13, BV01

Once the coloring was completed, I used the coordinating Hero Arts Birthday Icons Stamp & Cut dies to die cut the balloons and party hat.  For the party hat, I used a craft knife to cut along the inner edge of the bottom of the hat so that I would be able to adhere it to the meerkat’s head.  Lastly, I added Ranger’s Glossy Accents to all the balloons and the meerkat’s eyes.

Creating the Sentiment

For the sentiment, I used the “Hooray… It’s Your Birthday” greeting from the Spellbinders Sentiments for Everyday Hot Foil Plate and Die Set and used my Anna Griffin Empress Gild along with Spellbinders Lavender Petal Glimmer Foil to foil the sentiment onto a piece of Spellbinders Waterfall cardstock.  I trimmed down the sentiment and added Scrapbook Adhesives Thin 3D Foam Squares to the back of it.

Assembling the Card

I used Glossy Accents to adhere a piece of acetate slightly smaller than the ink blended front card panel and placed an acrylic block on it until it dried.  Once the Glossy Accents dried, I added Scrapbook.com’s ¼” Foam Adhesive tape around the aperture in the ink blended panel and around the outer edges of the panel.  On a 3.5” x 5” piece of white cardstock, I used the same blue and purple shades of Simon Says Stamp ink colors as I used for the inky background panel and ink blended them in a circular fashion, starting at the center of the piece of cardstock, to create a background panel for the aperture.  Once completed, I removed the adhesive backing from the aperture panel and added pearl iridescent Hemway Eco-Friendly Glitter inside the shaker well and carefully placed the ink blended backer panel to enclose the glitter in the shaker element.  I added strips of Altenew 1” adhesive tape to the shaker panel and adhered it to the card base.

I added Thin 3D Foam Squares to the back side of the meerkat image and the balloons and adhered them to the card front over the shaker well.  I decided to add a bow where the strings meet on the balloons so I die cut the two bow dies in the Altenew Time to Celebrate Mini Delight Collection die set – one from a scrap of purple cardstock and the other from a scrap of blue cardstock and glued those on top of each other just above the meerkat’s hand.  My last step was to adhere the sentiment to the bottom third of the card front, glue a few Trinity Stamps Cave Crystals embellishments here and there, and that wraps up this card.

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

Sending Love | Simon Says Stamp + Hero Arts

Hi friends!  Today I’m sharing a Father’s Day card with you that I created utilizing products from Simon Says Stamp, Hero Arts, and a host of other company’s products – sort of a “shop your stash” extravaganza.  Let’s get started!

The supplies used:

     Simon Says Stamp – Friend Like You Stamp Set

     Waffle Flower – Cloudy Stencil

     Spellbinders – Precision Layering A2 A Die Set

     Simon Says Stamp – Love Garden Greetings Stamp/Die Set

     Hero Arts – Butterfly Confetti Die

     Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz – Tumbled Glass Distress Ink Pad

     Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz – Unchartered Mariner Distress Ink Pad

     Simon Says Stamp – Field Pawsitively Saturated Ink Pad

     Lawn Fawn – Jet Black Ink Pad

     VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad

     Brutus Monroe – Alabaster White Embossing Powder

     Taylored Expressions – Anti-Static Powder Tool

     Scrapbook.com – Heavy Weight Mixed Media Paper

     X-Press It Blending Cardstock

     Spellbinders – Oceanside Cardstock

     Altenew – Mini Ink Blending Tool

     Scrapbook.com – Foam Ink Blending Tool

     Copic Alcohol Markers:  E37, E35, E33, E31, E44, E55, E42,

          YG45, YG23, BG09, BG53, B00, R20, R00, R0000, E04, R32,

          R11, W3, W1, W00, E34, E43, E40

     Scrapbook Adhesives Thin 3D Foam Squares

     Sakura Black Glaze Pen

     Sakura #431 Moonlight Gelly Roll Pen

     Sakura Black Pigma Micron 03 Fine Liner Pen

     Ranger Ink – Glossy Accents

     Altenew – Instant Dimension Foam Tape

     Winsor & Newton White Designers’ Gouache

     Altenew – Carbon Black Artists’ Gouache

     WOW! Dual Speed Heat Tool

     My Sweet Petunia - MISTI Original Stamping Tool

     Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

Creating the Background Panel

To create the background, I used a sheet of Scrapbook.com’s Heavy Weight Mixed Media Paper and smooshed Tumbled Glass Distress Ink onto my work surface.  I used a mister to spray a generous amount of water to the ink and used a scrap piece of plastic packaging to dip into the ink and place it in random locations onto my mixed media paper.  I repeated this step until I was satisfied with my results.  Utilizing the Spellbinders Precision Layering A2 A die set, I used the second largest die to die cut the inky, mixed media panel and used the largest die in the set to die cut an A2 matting layer from Spellbinders Oceanside cardstock.  I used the Waffle Flower Cloudy Stencil and an Altenew Mini Blending Brush to ink blend clouds across the top two-thirds of the background panel.  Next, I grabbed a foam ink blending tool and Uncharted Mariner Distress Ink to ink the edges of the mixed media paper panel to add depth and interest.  To add the grass, I used grass cling stamp from Simon Says Stamp’s On the Ground stamp set to stamp a row of grass along the bottom edge of the inky panel using Simon Says Stamp’s Field Pawsitively Saturated ink and my MISTI Stamping Tool.  Lastly, I used Winsor and Newton white gouache and Altenew’s Carbon Black Gouache to add spatter across the inky panel and placed Altenew Instant Dimension Foam Tape to the back side of the background and adhered it to the Oceanside cardstock panel.

Creating the Focal Point

I chose the cute critter scene on the Simon Says Stamp Friend Like You stamp set as my focal point.  I stamped the image onto a piece of X-Press It Blending Card using Lawn Fawn Jet Black ink since I will be coloring the image with Copic alcohol markers.  The Copic colors I selected for the stamped image were:

     Tree Stump Bark:  E37, E35, E33, E31

     Tree Stump Top:  E44, E55, E42

     Leaves:  YG45, YG23

     Grass:  YG45

     Bird:  Blue Tail - BG09, BG53, B00

               Belly - R20, R00, R0000

               Head/Back - E04, R32, R11

     Chipmunk:  W3, W1, W00, E37, E34, E31, E43, E42, E40

Once the coloring was completed, I fussy cut the image with scissors and placed Scrapbook Adhesives Thin 3D Foam Squares on the back side of the image.

Creating the Sentiment

For the sentiment, I chose to go with a the “sending love” greeting from Simon Says Stamp’s Love Garden Greetings stamp set.  I used VersaMark Ink to stamp the sentiment onto a scrap piece of Spellbinders Oceanside cardstock that I coated with anti-static powder, then applied a coating of Brutus Monroe’s Alabaster White embossing powder.  Once heat set, I wiped off the excess anti-static powder with a microfiber cloth and used the coordinating die to die cut the sentiment and die cut two additional blank sentiment die cuts to glue behind the heat embossed one for dimension.

Assembling the Card

I removed the adhesive backing paper from the focal point image and adhered it to the bottom of the card front panel.  I used a black Sakura Glaze pen to color the bird and chipmunk’s eyes and added Glossy Accents to the chipmunk’s nose.  I used liquid glue to adhere the sentiment to the card front.  For the embellishments, I decided to die cut the Hero Arts Butterfly Confetti die from pink shimmer cardstock that I found in my stash and cut it from a piece of black cardstock from my scrap bin.  I selected three sizes from the pink die cut butterflies and selected three of the black ones that were the same size.  I trimmed the middle/body portion from the black butterfly die cuts and glued the body parts to the center of the three pink butterflies.  For the butterfly decorating, I ran a bead of Ranger’s Black Enamel Accents on all the black bodies, used a black fine liner pen to draw antennae on the butterfly heads, then used a Sakura #431 Moonlight Gelly Roll pen to add small dots on the butterfly wings.  Once the Enamel Accents had a chance to dry, I adhered the card front to a white A2 card base.

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