Christmas - Right as Rain

Lawn Fawn | Christmas Build-A-Cat

Hello! I am continuing my experiments with Lawn Fawn’s Build-A-Critter die sets. This time, I used the Build-A-Cat set to create another holiday card. You can see my Build-A-Dog card HERE.

Cat Body Colors (left to right): Lawn Fawn Paper Bag with Lawn Fawn Chocolate Bar, Taylored Expressions Poppy Seed, SU Gray Granite with TE Poppy Seed; Cat Ears + Nose: Spellbinders Bellini

I also wanted to try a different red and green combination for the Christmas accessories. Rather than repeat the colors from my Build-A-Dog card, I experimented with another pairing. Cutting the pieces and placing them against the background gave me a chance to evaluate the colors before assembling the card. I chose Taylored Expressions Watermelon and Bazzill Evergreen.

I used the same stitched hill set from my previous card but changed the background, this time using the Lawn Fawn Snowy Sky stencil. I made the design horizontal to accommodate three cats, arranging them across the scene. For the sentiment, I used the now-retired Spellbinders BetterPress Merry & Bright set.

One thing I appreciate about both the Build-A-Dog and Build-A-Cat sets is the thought that goes into their design. The products are similar in concept, with plenty of interchangeable accessories and possibilities for customizing the finished animals. Lawn Fawn also provides detailed assembly instructions, which make it easier to understand how all the individual pieces fit together.

Supplies

Lawn Fawn Build-A-Cat (Scrapbook.com | SimonSaysStamp)

Lawn Fawn Build-A-Critter Christmas Accessories set (Scrapbook.com | SimonSaysStamp)

Lawn Fawn Snowy Sky Stencil (Scrapbook.com | SimonSaysStamp)

Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Borders (Scrapbook.com | SimonSaysStamp)

My Favorite Things Frame die set (retired)

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Lawn Fawn | Christmas Build-A-Dog

Hello! In this post, I created Christmas-themed backgrounds as a low-pressure starting point for holiday cardmaking. On his card, I’m using one of those backgrounds with the Lawn Fawn Build-A-Dog die set and its Christmas accessories.

This is my first time using the Build-A-Dog set (Scrapbook.com | SimonSaysStamp), as it is a fall 2026 purchase. I wanted to spend time working out cardstock color combinations for the dogs. Finding realistic grays and browns can be challenging, especially when finding lighter and darker shades that work well together.

I tried three or four different cardstock colors in each shade. I wanted to see the combinations rather than rely on how I thought the colors would look together. I followed this process for browns and grays. I chose Lawn Fawn Paper Bag and MFT Milk Chocolate for the brown dog and SU Gray Granite and Taylored Expressions Poppy Seed for the gray one.

Once I had settled on the dog colors, I moved on to the Christmas accessories. With the Build-A-Critter Christmas Accessories set (Scrapbook.com | SimonSaysStamp), I cut the hats and package from several red and green cardstock to find the ones that worked with the dogs and with each other. Can you see a theme of overthinking? I chose Taylored Expressions Cherry Pop and Lawn Fawn Noble Fir.

Once the red and green combination was chosen, I could evaluate the dogs and accessories against the backgrounds I’d made earlier. This made it easy to narrow down the choices for both color and embossing folder texture and pattern. I chose a SU Old Olive background dry-embossed with the now-retired Sizzix Cross Stitch folder (658195).

I’m approaching this as a way to build a useful collection of color combinations for the die set. Testing the colors should make it easier to use the set again without repeating all the same decisions. There’s still room to try other combinations, but I’ll have a starting point.

For the sentiment, I used the now-retired Spellbinders BetterPress Merry & Bright set. With its selection of sentiments and ease of use, it has been a great investment. I can add a finished greeting quickly without spending much time on that part of the card. Although this set is retired, there are other sentiment options available that offer similar versatility and long-term value.

Additional Supplies

Taylored Expressions Frame in Frame 3 die set

Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Borders (Scrapbook.com | SimonSaysStamp)

Lawn Fawn Mini Snowflakes (Scrapbook.com | SimonSaysStamp)

Affiliate links are used when available at no extra cost to you.

Christmas Card Prep: Start with the Backgrounds

Hello! With Halloween behind us, I’m getting ready for Christmas cardmaking. When I made my fall cards, I found that having background options was a useful starting point. I’m taking the same approach for Christmas.

Making backgrounds is also an easy, just-because activity. I don’t have to plan a finished card or figure out how all the pieces will come together. I can enjoy the process without worrying about the result. I started by pulling cardstock in shades of red, green, and blue. In fact, I was so energized by the process that I forgot to label the cardstock as I went along, which created extra work later.

I made samples with background stamps and dry embossing folders, using different cardstock colors. Having these samples together lets me compare stamped patterns and embossed textures and narrow down my choices when planning a card.

Testing the stamps helped me identify ink pads that needed reinking. And if I couldn’t get a stamp to produce a good impression, I left it out of the mix.

If you have lots of supplies and feel overwhelmed by the choices, I recommend a low-effort play day. Try some background stamps, experiment with colors, run cardstock through an embossing folder, and see what happens.

My next step is to inventory the Christmas supplies I own, such as sleigh dies or Santa stamp images, and put those in the front of my bins. I also plan to use my stencils for holiday backgrounds, primarily for snowfall, with blue cardstock. I haven’t swatched those combinations yet, so that’s another experiment on my list. I previously wrote about organizing my supplies in My Embossing Folders Needed a System and Crafting Is an Inventory Problem.

Tim Holtz | Winter Skates

Hello! This mixed-media Christmas card was created using Tim Holtz supplies and features a pair of die-cut ice skates filled with festive holiday greenery. A classic sentiment completes the design, giving the card a timeless winter feel that’s both nostalgic and elegant.

- Dry-emboss an A2-size panel of watercolor cardstock colored with Tumbled Glass Distress Spray with a snowflake embossing folder. (I used the now-retired Sizzix Tim Holtz Simple Snowflakes 662432 folder.) Add to a card base.
- Heat-emboss in silver the Mixed Media 32 (aka Sketch Greenery) sentiment on watercolor cardstock and cut with a label die (from the now-retired Tag Collection set 658784). Add to the prepared base.
- With the Vault Winter Wishes set, cut the skates. Color, assemble, and add crochet thread for the laces.
- With the Vault Holiday Greens and Christmas Minis sets, cut greenery and berries from watercolor cardstock color with Distress Sprays. Assemble. Add Snowfall Grit paste to some of the greens.
- Add the assembled skates to the card base with the greenery arranged in the skates.

Elizabeth Craft Designs | Joy to the World

Hello! There’s something comforting about classic Christmas imagery, and this card celebrates the season with timeless botanical details. Using several Elizabeth Craft Designs die sets, I created an arrangement of robins perched among holly, pine, berries, and branch, all die-cut from soft finish cardstock and colored with Distress Oxide inks for a realistic look. A detailed frame helps draw the eye to the focal points, and softly patterned paper in the background adds texture and warmth without overpowering the design. Finished with the “Joy to the World” sentiment, the card feels both peaceful and quietly celebratory.

- To begin, cover a 6″ square card base with patterned paper.
- Cut the Joyous Ornament Round detailed frame from Lawn Fawn Speckled Eggshell cardstock. Use the plain circle die in the same set to cut patterned paper. Add patterned paper to the frame piece, add the assembly to the prepared card base.
- Stamp the Joyous Christmas sentiment in Potting Soil on Lawn Fawn Speckled Eggshell cardstock and cut with a Layered Labels die. Add to the card base with foam adhesive.
- Cut the Festive Robin and Winter Greenery pieces from soft finish cardstock and color with Distress Oxide inks. Assemble robins and greenery items, as required. Gently shape holly leaves.
- Add elements to prepared card base.