My First Holiday Card of the Year!
It’s official — my first Christmas card of the season is here! I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go for card making today, so I turned to a couple of challenges for a creative spark. One challenge needed to include a wreath, any shape die cut, and embossing — and the other asked for traditional Christmas colors. That combination gave my brain just what it needed!
Right away, I grabbed the brand-new Traditional Wreath 3D Embossing Folder. I placed a panel of Basic White cardstock inside and ran it through my Cut & Emboss Machine. When it came out, I flipped the panel to the debossed side and covered it with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I’m not sure what the official name of this technique is — I’ve seen someone call it Black Ice — but whatever it’s called, it’s gorgeous! When you do this, you have to be sure you have Grid Paper or scrap paper on hand to protect your work surface or ink goes everywhere!!
With Sponge Daubers in hand, I added color to the wreath using Garden Green and Shaded Spruce inks, alternating the shades to create a more realistic look. Then I used Real Red for the berries, and oh my goodness — those traditional hues together absolutely sing “Christmas.”
Once the coloring was finished, I layered the art piece on Basic Black and then onto a Real Red card base using Dimensionals for just the right pop.
No holiday card is complete without a little sparkle, so I reached for the Peaceful Garden Glimmer Paper in soft green and die-cut “Happy Holidays” using the Words for the Season dies. With a touch of glue and help from my trusty Crafting Tweezers (and my Silicone Sheet to keep things tidy), I centered the sentiment right inside the black-inked center space of the wreath and for the inside, I kept things polished with a Basic White panel matted on Basic Black.
And that’s it — a traditional, elegant, and surprisingly simple Christmas card that looks like it took all day but really came together in a snap. Don’t you just love when that happens?
I’ve created a free PDF tutorial and a video so you can make this card right along with me. You’ll find both below — and I can’t wait to see your take on this design!
🎄✨ Here’s to the start of another season of joyful, handmade holiday cards!
Supplies used (also listed in the tutorial):