stencils - Right as Rain

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

52 Christmas Card Throwdown Challenge

Hello! For the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown Challenge, I crafted a Christmas card that feels both festive and fresh, using the challenge colors of pink, green, and white (the challenge colors). Featuring Memory Box dies, I created a serene forest scene with a cozy A-Frame house nestled among snowy trees.

Working on this card brought back a childhood memory. As a tween, I was convinced that green and pink didn’t belong together—especially when my mother insisted on dressing me in a spruce green sweater and a pink turtleneck for school photos. Now, years later, I see the charm of this unexpected pairing.

- To begin, apply embossing paste through the Snow Flurries stencil on a light green cardstock panel. Once dry, add to an A2-size card base. Cut a 1 1/2″ strip of Snowdrift cardstock for the snow and add to the background panel.
- Cut the pieces of the A-Frame house from Snowdrift and Dahlia cardstock. Apply glue and Rock Candy glitter to the top of the chimney and to the roof. Once dry, assemble the house.
- With dies in the A-Frame house set, cut the wreath from dark green cardstock in the Greenery pack. Apply White Puff embossing powder to create a snow effect.
- Cut the trees with dies in the Layered Narrow Pines set from dark green cardstock in the Greenery pack and Snowdrift cardstock. Apply glue and Rock Candy glitter to the Snowdrift pieces. Once dry, assemble the trees.
- Press the Merry & Bright sentiment in Spruce ink on Snowdrift cardstock. Cut with the die in the sentiment set.
- Add the house, trees, and sentiment to the card with dot and foam adhesive.

To create the effect of snow on the trees and roof, on the wreath, and on the background, I used different techniques, adding dimension and realism. Adding snow to paper creations is a fun way to bring a wintry feel, making your holiday scenes even more magical.

Spellbinders Monstrous Birthday Bash

Hello! Today, I am sharing a birthday card created with the Spellbinders Dancin’ Birthday Monster and Birthday Balloons die sets, part of the Monster Birthday Collection. You can see the other cards I created with the collection HERE and HERE.

- Cover A2-size card base with Teal Topaz cardstock.
- BetterPress in black ink the sentiment from the Let’s Celebrate set on Snowdrift cardstock. Cut with the largest die in the Essential Stylish Ovals set.
- Stencil the oval using the On the Dots Stencil with Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste, masking the area around the sentiment. (I wrote a guest post for the Spellbinders blog spotlighting Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste, which you can read HERE.) Once dry, add the stenciled oval to the card base.
- Cut monsters with the Dancin’ Birthday Monster from a variety of cardstock colors and assemble. Cut balloon pieces with the Birthday Balloons set; assemble.
- Add assembled monsters and balloon to card.

Rainbow Balloon Birthday Card

In the realm of crafting, sometimes less is more. Today, I’m excited to share a CAS birthday card that embodies the beauty of simplicity while packing a punch of joy and color. Following Christmas cards, birthday cards are the type I send most frequently.

- Using the Lawn Fawn Balloons stencil, add balloons and strings on to white cardstock. (Inks used: Distress Wilted Violet, Memento Love Letter, Memento Tangelo, Memento Dandelion, Distress Salty Ocean).
- Cut panel with A2-size stitched rectangle die. Add to card base.
- Cut white glitter foam with Cole’s ABCs to create the sentiment. Add letters to the panel. Embellish with stars cut from white glitter foam. (I used star dies in the Build-A-Barn and Forest Backdrop sets.)

In this post, I shared a collection of birthday cards that I’ve crafted over the years.