cardmaking - Right as Rain

Cozy Christmas Forest | Mix & Match Stencils

Hello! For those of us who love crafting, there’s a joy in building a layered scene with stencils. On this Christmas card, I combined two Newton’s Nook stencils to craft a playful forest view. Mixing and matching stencils opens up so creative possibilities, allowing you to experiment with color and composition. It’s also a fun way to challenge yourself to try more complicated scene-building on your holiday cards.

Begin with a draft scene, stenciling in black on scrap paper to determine the placement of the trees and bird feeders.
Once the scene is determined, stamp the Holiday Haul sentiment on to white cardstock.
Next, cut the hillside with a die in the Nature Borders set from vellum and stencil the sky above the snowbank with Tumbled Glass ink.
Stencil the Birdhouse Line birdhouses and Christmas Tree Line trees in steps, adding the layers of embossing paste last.
Adhere patterned paper to an A2-size card base. Trim the stenciled panel and add to the base.
Finish the scene with snowflakes cut from glitter foam using dies in the Lawn Fawn Mini Snowflakes and Sizzix Festive Things sets.

Hero Arts | Get Well Soon Card

Hello and happy December! I didn’t expect this card to be quite so fun to make but the Hero Arts Alphabet Soup die set, this month’s Hero Studio Die Set of the Month turned out to be one of those kits that invites you to play. As I built the little bowl of tomato soup, adding the spoon, crackers, and floating letters, I found myself enjoying the scene-building far more than I anticipated. And the black-and-white check patterned paper gave the whole card a warm, kitchen-table charm. And honestly, “Get Well Soon” cards are ones we reach for more often than we think. The card feels nurturing rather than saying, “oh woe, you’re sick.”

- Cover an A2-size card base with patterned paper.
- Cut the Alphabet Soup pieces from a variety of cardstock colors and textures. Assemble as necessary and add to the card front.

Christmas Cards with Stenciled Monoprints

Hello! Today, I’m sharing two Christmas cards created with Tim Holtz products, and yes, I’m back with the same stencil I used on a recent project! I’ve been on a real stencil monoprint kick lately, and these cards are an example of how much variation you can get from a single tool. Both backgrounds began as monoprints, followed by inks added through the stencil. On one card, I added Sparkle Paste for shimmer and texture, while on the other I kept it simple with ink. With so much happening in the backgrounds, I finished each design with a clean sentiment to let the stenciled layers shine.

For the first card, I embraced a more dramatic, sparkly finish that instantly makes the background feel rich and joyful.

- Create a monoprint with the Tiny Poinsettia stencil using Fresh Balsam Mica Stain. Set aside to dry. Once dry, ink and then add Sparkle Paste through the stencil. Again, set aside to dry.
- Adhere a cardstock panel to a card base measuring 4 3/4″ x 6 3/4″.
- Trim stenciled panel to 3 3/8″ x 6 3/4″. Add to a Speckled Eggshell cardstock panel measuring 3 5/8″ x 6 3/4″. Add assembly to the prepared card base.
- Stamp the Mini Holidays 5 sentiment in Library Green ink on Speckled Eggshell cardstock. Cut the sentiment with a tag die. (I used a now-retired die from the Tag Collection set 658784). Add ribbon to the tag. (I used ribbon in my stash which I colored several years ago with a metallic Distress Spray.) Add the tag to the card front.

For the second card, I went in a different direction letting the clean, inked stencil and woodgrain base create a warm, rustic look.

- Create a monoprint with the Tiny Poinsettia stencil using Antique Linen Distress Spritz. Set aside to dry. Once dry, ink.
- Adhere a Light Brown Woodgrain cardstock panel to a card base measuring 4 3/4″ x 6 3/4″.
- Trim stenciled panel to 3 3/8″ x 6 3/4″. Add to a warm red cardstock panel measuring 3 5/8″ x 6 3/4″. Add assembly to the prepared card base.
- Stamp sentiment, included in the Stamptember 2018 set (this set contains several of the Stampers Anonymous Festive Overlay set in a slightly larger size), in Library Green ink on Speckled Eggshell cardstock. Cut with a circle die, back with a slightly larger vellum circle, and add the assembly to the card front.

Tim Holtz | Mixed-Media Christmas Tags

Hello! Today I’m sharing three mixed-media Christmas tags that spotlight Tim Holtz stamps, stencils, and die sets. What started as a simple plan to make a few monoprint backgrounds quickly turned into an hours-long creative rabbit hole. I could have kept going indefinitely! Each tag ended up with a background created in a different way, and I’ll walk through those variations in the post.

All three tags feature Christmas Minis die-cuts, each set against a stenciled monoprint background. The base tags and sentiment tags were cut with dies in the now-retired Tag Collection set 658784.

For the Santa tag, I created the monoprint with the Tiny Holly stencil and Antique Linen Distress Spray. Once dry, I inked the leaves and berries and added Sparkle paste.

For the Gingerbread Boy tag, I created the monoprint with the Hollyberry stencil in the Mini Stencils Set 54. Once dry, I inked the leaves and berries.

For the Snowman tag, I created the monoprint with Fresh Balsam Mica Spray and the Pines stencil in the Mini Stencil Set 32. Once dry, I added white Texture Paste Opaque.

For the sentiment tags, I clear heat-embossed Tiny Text Christmas images stamped with Lumberjack Plaid ink and added them (once cut with the aforementioned Sizzix tag die) with Peppermint Twine.

Holiday Trees Mixed-Media Stenciling

Hello! Today, I’m sharing two mixed-media holiday cards featuring the Tim Holtz Tree Lot stencil that start with the same design but are finished in different ways. On both, the background begins with a monoprint. From there, I explored two approaches. One version combines inking with Sparkle paste, while the other layers paste with Distress Glazes for dimensional shine. It’s a fun reminder of how many directions a single stencil can take you.

Both cards start with a monoprint of the Tree Lot stencil on watercolor paper with Frosty Mint Mica Stain. To note, Ranger’s Mica Stains are not part of the Distress Ink color line from Tim Holtz, so you won’t find them in the standard Distress collection colors.

For the first card, once the monoprint is dry, stencil the trees with Twisted Citron, Lucky Clover, and Mowed Lawn inks. Clean the stencil. Add Sparkle paste through the stencil and set the panel aside to dry. Once dry, trim to 4″ x 7 1/2″, and add to a card base.

Heat-emboss the Bold Tidings Mini sentiment in Princess Gold on white cardstock and cut with a square die. Add a slightly larger vellum square. Add the assembly to the card base with foam adhesive.

For the second card, once the monoprint is dry, add Sparkle paste through the Tree Lot stencil. Sprinkle on Distress Glazes in Twisted Citron, Cracked Pistachio, and Rustic Wilderness. (I started with the Rustic Wilderness; next time, I plan to start with the lightest glaze first.) Set panel aside to dry; when dry, heat-emboss the glazes. Once dry, trim to 4″ x 7 1/2″, and add to a card base. For more inspiration, you can see two cards using this technique and the same stencil HERE.

Heat-emboss the Bold Tidings Mini sentiment in Silver on white cardstock and cut with a square die. Add a slightly larger vellum square. Add the assembly to the card base with foam adhesive.