A Tim Holtz-Inspired Holiday Card

Hello! Mixed media isn’t my usual cardmaking style, but it’s always fun to step outside my comfort zone and experiment. For this Christmas card, I used a variety of Tim Holtz products including stenciling and alcohol inking. The variety of mediums adds character and depth to the design—each layer contributing its own texture and visual interest. It’s a festive project full of wintery sparkle and creative play.

A Tim Holtz-Inspired Holiday Card

    • To begin, create a card base 3 3/4″ x 6 7/8″ from woodgrain cardstock. Ink the sides of the cardstock with Gathered Twigs.
    • Next, create a monoprint on watercolor paper with the Pinecones stencil using Antique Linen Distress Spray and water. There are several of the Tim Holtz makers who regularly use this technique. Once dry, stencil in the pinecones and greenery. Apply the Sparkle paste through the panel and set aside to dry. Tim Holtz recently created a video discussing the many pastes available.; it proved to be an invaluable resource.
    • Once dry, you can add Antique Linen ink to the cardstock since the areas covered by the paste resist the ink. This can help fill in bare spots from the monoprint method.
    • Cut the bird from alcohol-inked black cardstock. I used the same formula as on this card.
    • Cut the greenery, from cardstock to which Distress ink has been applied, with dies in the Holiday Greens set. Add a snow effect by applying Snowfall Grit paste and Rock Candy glitter.
    • Stamp the Festive Overlay sentiment on to cardstock and cut with a circle die. Cut a vellum circle slightly larger. Adhere the two.
    • Trim the stenciled panel and add to the card base. Add sentiment circle, greenery, and bird.

A Tim Holtz-Inspired Holiday Card

It’s a bit more involved than my usual clean and simple cards, but worth every step for the texture and sparkle it brings to the finished design.

Tim Holtz Blooming Into Spring

Hello! It is hard to believe that Easter is already in our rear-view mirror and the calendar has been turned to April. I am sharing a spring-themed card using several Tim Holtz die sets paired with a sentiment in the Spring Shadows stamp set. I shared another spring-themed card with Tim Holtz supplies HERE.

Tim Holtz Blooming Into Spring

    • Stamp Spring Shadows sentiment on Waterfall cardstock. Cut panel with the A2-size die in the Lawn Fawn Large Stitched Rectangle Stackables set. Add to card base.
    • To create flowers and leaves, cut textured cardstock with the Modern Floristry and Brushstroke Flowers 2 sets. (I almost always cut Tim Holtz flowers from inked cardstock; for simplicity, I cut these from textured cardstock.) Assemble.
    • To create the barrel, cut Light Brown Woodgrain cardstock and Brushed Silver cardstock with dies in the Potted die. Add dimension by applying Walnut Stain and Black Soot ink. Assemble.
    • Add assembled barrel and floral elements to card front with foam adhesive.

Tim Holtz Blooming Into Spring


Tim Holtz Spring Die-Cut Flowers

Hello! As winter’s chill begins to thaw and the first signs of spring emerge (I am seeing quite a few daffodils blooming), I am drawn to crafting spring cards. Today, I am sharing a floral, spring-themed card created with Tim Holtz supplies.

Tim Holtz Spring Die-Cut Flowers

    • To create the background, stamp the Spring Shadows sentiment in black ink on white cardstock. Cut stamped panel with the A2-size die in the Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle set. Apply Tumbled Glass Oxide ink to the center of the stamped panel and add to card base.
    • Color Soft-Finish Cardstock with a variety of Distress Oxide inks. Cut pieces with dies in the Brushstroke Flowers 1, Bloom Colorize, and Modern Floristry die sets. Cut flower centers from Tim Holtz Black Alcohol Cardstock. Assemble flowers. I chose to back the open portions of the flowers with inked cardstock.
    • Add assembled flowers and greenery to card with glue and foam adhesive.

Tim Holtz Spring Die-Cut Flowers


Tim Holtz | Spring Florals

Hello! Today I am sharing a spring-themed card combining several Tim Holtz dies and stamp set. This is not to say that it is the least bit springlike where I am!

Tim Holtz | Spring Florals

As I mentioned in this post, it has been a while since I have pulled out any of my watercolors. With the supplies out, I created washes from which to die cut, using Colorburst powders and Daniel Smith watercolors on Arches Cold Press paper.

  • Stamp Spring Shadows sentiment in black ink on white cardstock, cut to A2-size, and add to card base.
  • Cut florals and foliage with Brushstroke Flowers 4, Modern Floristry, Bloom Colorize, and Festive Bouquet dies from the watercolored paper and Black Matte Alcohol Ink cardstock. Darken foliage with Rustic Wilderness ink. Assemble flowers and adhere foliage to underside of the largest flower.
  • Apply Tumbled Glass ink to card panel. Add floral assembly to card with glue and foam adhesive.

Tim Holtz | Spring Florals


Tim Holtz | Mixed Media Poinsettias

Hello! Today, I am sharing a mixed media Christmas card created with several Tim Holtz products including the Festive Bouquet die set. The items for which I have listed product links below are in bold.

Tim Holtz | Mixed Media Poinsettias

  • To begin, I sprayed Watercolor paper with Distress Ink Sprays in Barn Door, Mowed Lawn, and Mustard Seed. I like the vibrancy of the Distress Ink Sprays. I have never used Distress Ink Oxide Sprays, although I have some in one of my online shopping carts!
  • Once the watercolor paper was dry, I cut the poinsettia pieces with the Festive Bouquet die set and assembled the elements.
  • I stamped the Simple Sayings sentiment in Potting Soil on off-white cardstock that has flecks in it. (I am not sure where I got this cardstock from; it might have been My Favorite Things in a sample pack.)
  • I trimmed the sentiment panel and added it to a Paper Bag card base.
  • I adhered the poinsettias and greenery to the card front.

Tim Holtz | Mixed Media Poinsettias