cardmaking - Right as Rain

Penguin Birthday Card Idea Using Winter Supplies

Hello! Winter-themed crafting products aren’t just for Christmas! Today, I’m sharing a playful winter birthday card featuring a penguin holding balloons, set against a snowy, dry-embossed sky. You can easily repurpose supplies designed for holiday cards, like snowflakes, snowy skies, and winter-themed focal die sets, to celebrate birthdays during the cold winter months. It’s a great way to stretch your crafting supplies. For more inspiration, I did something similar on this card. Spellbinders is holding a Big Holiday Wrap-Up sale, now until December 25, 2024, at 11:59 PST.

- Create an A2-size card base with gold cardstock.
- Cut a soft blue cardstock with a die in the Essential Stylish Ovals set and dry-emboss with the Sparkling Snow folder.
- With the next larger oval in the set, cut textured white cardstock. Add the dry-embossed panel and add the assembly to the card base.
- Cut the penguin with dies in the Playful Penguins set and assemble.
- Cut the balloons with the Birthday Bliss set (the November 2024 Small Die of the Month offering) and assemble. Trim the bottom of the balloon strings.
- Press the Let’s Celebrate sentiment in black on Snowdrift cardstock. Cut with a die in the Essential Stylish Ovals set and one of the Color Block Scenic Scape dies.

Elegant Valentine Card with a Monster Twist

Hello! Following the design of my first Valentine’s Day card with the Spellbinders December 2024 Large Die Kit Club Monster Love Pop set, I’ve created a new version with this month’s Caboodle Bonus! This card showcases a playful monster in formal Valentine colors—gold, black, white, and red—holding a love letter in one hand and a heart on a stick in the other. This card combines sophistication with whimsy. Scroll for info on the Big Holiday Wrap-Up, available from December 17, 2024, to December 25, 2024, at 11:59 PST.

- Create a patterned paper frame (Honey Bee Pinstripes And Polka Dots Holiday) with a die in the Underwater Tunnel set.
- Adhere a coordinating patterned paper to an A2-size card base, leaving a narrow white border from the cardstock base for added contrast.
- Add the frame to the base with foam adhesive.
- Cut the monster, heart, and sentiment with dies in the Monster Love Pop and You’re My Favorite Monster sets from a variety of cardstock colors. Assemble.
- Cut accessories and heart embellishments with dies in the Parcel & Post Mailbox and Parcel & Post Heart Decorations sets.
- Press the Always and Forever sentiment and cut with the coordinating die.

Simon Hurley | Deck the Halls

Hello! Today, I’m sharing a festive card created with Simon Hurley’s layering stencil – Mod Christmas Trees. This design features three inked Christmas trees adorned with gold decorations, adding depth and shimmer. The “Deck the Halls” sentiment ties the design together, complementing the trio of decorated trees.

- Create an A-2 size card base from Pomegranate cardstock.
- Stencil the first layer of trees with Later Gator green ink.
- Next, add Rustic Wilderness ink to all three trees with the half tree portion of the Mod Christmas Trees stencil.
- Stencil gold pigment ink (I used Color Box) through the stencil for the tree trunks.
- Next add the three gold pastes (left to right) – Slippery When Wet Astro Paste, Slippery when Wet Lunar Paste, and Golden Hour Solar Paste. Once dry, trim the panel and mat with gold cardstock. Add assembly to card base.

- Glimmer foil the Joyful Christmas Sentiments plate in Matte Gold and cut with the coordinating die. Add to the card with foam square adhesive.

This Clean and Simple card design shines with its simplicity, but achieving that effortless look takes attention to detail and a steady hand.

Snow Much Fun | Waffle Flower

Hello! Today, I am sharing a winter-themed, holiday card created with one of the Postage Collage stencils offered at Waffle Flower. I have seen creations with these stencils for months now and wanted to give the products a try. The Waffle Flower Postage Collage Snowy stencil set makes it easy to layer winter mountain scenes with its multi-part stencil design. You can customize the colors for a different look, and the “stamps” can be separated for more creative possibilities.

- To begin, I swatched a number of different inks in my collection looking for purple, red, two shades of green, and two shades of blue. Knowing which inks I would use for the elements saved a lot of time. Scroll for the entire list of inks I used.
- I cut the stenciled scenes with the Postage Collage die. Next time I will probably cut the cardstock first and then stencil. If you have used these products, what did you do – stencil first or cut the collage first?
- I finished the card with one of the Snow Cheer Sentiments, which I cut with its coordinating die. I was particularly impressed that the sentiments are numbered on the packaging and the coordinating dies are etched with the corresponding number. All in all, I was very impressed with all of the Waffle Flower packaging.

Ink List – Mountains: Taylored Expressions Jelly Donut; Sky: Distress Ink Tumbled Glass; Lake: Taylored Expressions Sprinkles; Trees: Simon Hurley Later Gator, Distress Ink Rustic Wilderness; Cardinals: Memento Love Letter, Distress Ink Aged Mahogany, Distress Ink Black Soot

Spellbinders | Winter Birthday Card

Hello! Winter birthdays offer a special kind of celebration, blending the magic of the holiday season without veering into full-on Christmas themes. Featuring a sweet mouse dressed in a cozy scarf and sweater, holding a balloon, this card combines winter magic with birthday joy. With a snowy ground and snowflakes in the sky, it’s perfect for anyone celebrating their special day during the colder months!

- Cover an A2-size card base with patterned paper.
- Dry-emboss arch-shaped cardstock, cut with a die in the Essential Arches set, with the Floating Balloons folder.
- Cut white-textured cardstock with a die in the Color Block Scenic Scape set and again with a die in the Essential Arches set. Add to the dry-embossed balloon arch; add assembly to the card base.
- Stamp the Monster Birthday Sentiments on Chamomile cardstock and cut with a die in the Color Block Balloons set. Assemble and add to the card base.
- Cut the mouse from a variety of cardstock colors with the Dancin’ & Giftin’ Mouse set. Assemble and add to the card base with foam square adhesive. This mouse die set was originally released with a Christmas collection. I gave it a fresh twist by adding a balloon from another set—showing how versatile Christmas-themed products can be with a few simple changes.
- To reinforce the winter theme, embellish card with snowflakes cut with a die in the Christmas Wreath Add-Ons set.