die cuts - Right as Rain

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.

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.

Mixed Media Christmas Card

Hello! Today I’m sharing a Christmas card created with Tim Holtz products. The sentiment and focal items are kept understated to spotlight the background, where the texture and dimension really come through. This mixed media approach is a bit different from my usual clean style, but it’s been fun to experiment.

- Create a monoprint with the Tiny Poinsettia stencil using Decayed Mica Stain. I shared another stencil monoprint card HERE.
- Once dry, ink the poinsettias with the stencil in place.
- Apply Twinkle paste through the stencil and set aside to dry. I noticed that the colors change considerably with the application of the paste.
- Trim and mat the panel with gold cardstock. Add the assembly to a card base covered with seasonal patterned paper (I used Carta Bella from several years ago). The overall size is 4 3/4″ x 6 7/8″.
- Stamp the Festive Overlay sentiment in Library Green ink on off-white cardstock. Cut with a circle die. Mat with a slightly larger vellum circle. Add to the base.
- Cut the bells with dies in the Festive Things set. Assemble and add to the prepared base.

Spellbinders | Shark Slippers

Hello! After recently creating a cow slipper card, I couldn’t resist returning to the Cozy Toes Friends die set at Spellbinders. For this design, I used the shark face dies and paired them with a sentiment from the Cozy Toes Friends stamp set: “Good friends are like well-loved slippers.” The heart envelope pajamas bring a cheerful pop that complements the shark slippers.

- Cover an A2-size card base with patterned paper.
- Cut the shark faces with the Cozy Toes Friends set from a variety of cardstock colors. Assemble.
- Cut the pajamas and slippers with the Cozy Toes Slippers set from cardstock and patterned paper.
- Stamp the Cozy Toes Friends sentiment and cut with a banner die.
- Add assembly to prepared card base.

Spellbinders | When Pigs Fly Charm

Hello! I’m back with another friendship card featuring the Spellbinders November Large Die of the Month. This time, I paired the purse design with the adorable flying pig charm from the Caboodle Offering. The mix adds a whimsical touch to the trendy bag charm theme. For this version, I used different patterned papers for the purse, background, and scarf. You can see my first card with the November Large Die set HERE.

- Create a 5″ x 7″ card base and cover with patterned paper.
- Use the purse die in the Large Die of the Month to cut the purse from patterned paper. Add to the prepared card base.
- With the Large Die of the Month set, cut the charms, purse hardware, and bow from a variety of cardstock colors and patterned paper. Use the Caboodle die set to cut the pig. Assemble items.
- Adhere items to the card base.
- With the Clear Stamp & Die set, stamp the sentiment and cut with the coordinating die. Add to card with adhesive foam squares.