A group of creative friends from the Art with Heart team are back with our Annual Heart of Christmas blog hop. Follow through the blogs each Monday night until the end of November for Christmas card inspiration.
This week, I have created a collection of elegant Christmas cards featuring my current favourite combination of techniques and products: hot foiling, heat embossing and gold foil.
These techniques work beautifully together to add layers of shine and texture without overwhelming the design. The hot-foiled details provide a delicate metallic finish, while the gold heat embossing and Gold Foil add further depth and a touch of Christmas luxury.
My colour combination is Basic White, Basic Beige, Old Olive and Gold Foil. I seem to be reaching for these elegant neutrals a lot lately. Basic White and Basic Beige create a soft foundation, while Old Olive and Gold Foil add traditional Christmas warmth, shine and sophistication.
The Flourish & Frames Hot Foil Dies were used to create the beautiful foiled details. I paired these with the Festive Cheer Bundle and the Lovely Stripes Embossing Folder, which introduces subtle texture and helps bring the different elements of each card together.
The Delicate Dreams Specialty Designer Series Paper adds a subtle variegation to the Old Olive foliage. Gold Foil backed with an adhesive sheet was used for selected die-cut elements, while sentiments stamped in Versamark ink and heat embossed with Gold Metallics Embossing Powder complete the coordinated metallic look.
Although several techniques and finishes have been combined, limiting the designs to a restrained colour palette keeps the cards balanced and cohesive.
It’s hard to capture the gorgeous shine of all the gold touches, hopefully this portrait shot gives you a better idea of how it shines in real life.
I used some leftover pieces to decorate the inside of my card.
Take a look at some more Heart of Christmas inspiration!
Now it is time to continue our Heart of Christmas Blog Hop and see what the next talented member of the Art With Heart Team has created.
Next in our blog hop is Judy May. Click on the link below to see her beautiful Christmas project.
If the next button link is not working or you’d like to see the entire list of participants, go to Sharon Davern‘s blog.
A group of creative friends from the Art with Heart team are back with our Annual Heart of Christmas blog hop. Follow through the blogs each Monday night until the end of November for Christmas card inspiration.
This week’s card is a fancy fold I designed as my “Make and Take” project for when I caught up with some of our Art With Heart team members at an event in the Adelaide Hills a few weeks ago.
My Neutral Noel Single Step Card, features a dimensional Christmas village in a warm, earthy colour palette of Pecan Pie, Mossy Meadow, Basic White and gold.
I love a fancy-fold card that creates plenty of impact when it is displayed. This single step design provides several different levels for building a scene, so the houses and trees appear to stretch into the distance.
This is what it looks like when laid flat.
The Welcome Noel Bundle was perfect for creating my little Christmas village. I used the coordinating stamps and dies to build rows of houses and trees across the different sections of the card.
The detailed Pecan Pie house on the back panel has been layered over Gold Timeless Metallic Specialty Paper, giving the windows and door a lovely warm glow. More touches of gold appear in the die-cut stars surrounding the large Merry Christmas sentiment.
Although the card has plenty of dimension when standing, the design folds down for placing in an envelope. I also added a Basic White panel to the back of the card, providing plenty of room to write a personal Christmas message.
Free Single Step Card Tutorial
Because I created this project as a “Make and Take” I have a FREE PDF tutorial to share with you so you can make this card yourself.
Welcome to Week 1 of the Heart of Christmas 2026 blog hop! It’s lovely to be creating Christmas cards again with the Art With Heart team, and I’m looking forward to sharing a new project each week as we head towards Christmas.
This week’s card is a CASE of a beautiful design created last year by Mikaela from The Crafty Oink Pen in 2025. CASE stands for Copy And Share Everything, and it’s a wonderful way to take inspiration from another card maker while adding your own creative touches.
There were several elements of Mikaela’s original card that immediately caught my eye. I loved the way the embossing folder was positioned on an angle, rather than straight across the card. The neutral combination of dark green, cream and dark brown was also beautiful, as was the stamping directly onto Designer Series Paper.
The Perennial Postage Dies added another lovely detail, giving the layers a decorative edge without overwhelming the design. I wanted to retain these elements while creating a version in my own colour palette.
When you look at the two cards side-by-side so you can see how I’ve CASED Mikaela’s card and changed the elements of the design to make it my own.
Both cards have a Mossy Meadow card stock base with an embossed Mossy Meadow card stock or my card. Once again I’ve used the Softly Woven 3D Embossing Folder.
The beauty of a large embossing folder is the ability to angle the card stock layer in any direction you chose. I kept the angled embossing detail that I loved so much in Mikaela’s design. It adds movement and texture to the background and makes the card feel a little different from a traditional straight-layered layout.
However, I’ve used a slightly different colour scheme and moved my pinecones and foliage to the other side of the card to allow the elements on the DSP to be seen
I chose a limited colour scheme, combining Mossy Meadow, Basic Beige and Early Espresso (colours in the Yuletide Carols DSP), with touches of gold to finish.
The foliage was created using the large oval wreath die from the Noel Tidings Dies. Rather than using the wreath as a complete oval, I snipped the die-cut apart to create individual branches. The pine cones are stamped in Early Espresso onto Basic Beige card stock.
The “Sending Cheer” sentiment is from the Noel Tidings stamp set, stamped directly onto the Yuletide Carols Designer Series Paper. I love stamping onto patterned paper when the design is subtle enough to allow the sentiment to remain clear. It creates an extra layer of interest without needing another piece of cardstock.
I carried the design through to the inside with more stamped foliage and the sentiment: From our home to yours.
It’s a simple detail, but I always enjoy adding something to the inside of a handmade Christmas card. It makes the card feel finished and gives the recipient another little surprise when they open it.
Take a look at some more Heart of Christmas inspiration!
If the next button link is not working or you’d like to see the entire list of participants, go to Sharon Davern’s blog.
Tonight’s our final Heart of Christmas blog hop for 2025 AND it’s only a month to Christmas? Have you made your Christmas cards yet?
I’ve got six cards to share with you tonight, all made using the Calm & Bright Kit. You get everything you need to make nine cards, three of three different designs. This gorgeous kit does not photograph well on the website, however, in real life it is stunning!
Here is the photo from the website:
I love the stamp set that’s included in the kit!
These are the three cards I made following the instructions with a few small tweaks.
Can you see how much more vibrant these cards are in real life? The main reason they are more vibrant is that I’ve used the Lost Lagoon ink spot (included in the kit) for all my stamping, whereas the sample images on the instructions actually use Gray Granite instead.
These are the tweaks I made on each of the cards.
For the card one I used one of the larger layering pieces from the card kit as there are a lot of trees on this design.
For card two I’ve removed the twine wrapped around the base and replaced the star stamped bauble with a simple bow of the white twine.
Card three has one of the smaller layering rectangles and I’ve simplified the design by removing the wrapped twine and the star tag.
These cards are so pretty with their soft colour combination of Pretty in Pink, Lost Lagoon and so much white space!
I then made three more cards, changing the designs around and adding in some Basic Beige card bases to match the envelopes that come in the kit.
For this card I’ve cut down one of the white card bases that come in the kit and layered it onto a Basic Beige card base. I’ve kept the card design similar to the kit design, simply changing where the bow, foliage and tag is placed.
This might be my favourite version of all the cards I’ve created from this kit. I’ve stamped the tiny star stamp on the tree multiple times and added some of the tiny pink dots to the Lost Lagoon tree. I loved stamping the tiny house stamp on the tag to match the pink house above the sentiment!
This final card uses one of the card bases from the kit, but once again I’ve mixed up the design.
Here are all three of my versions of the cards from the kit. Do you have a favourite?
Take a look at some more Christmas Card inspiration!
Now it’s time to hop in over to our next participant, the lovely Sharon Davern I can’t wait to see what Sharon has made this week!
If the next button link is not working or you’d like to see the entire list of participants go to Sharon Davern‘s blog. Sharon has done an amazing job of hosting our Heart of Christmas blog every Monday. Thank you so much, Sharon.
Our AWH team will be back on Wednesday night, showcasing Lost Lagoon on our Insta Hop. I hope you can join us then!
Can you believe this is our penultimate Heart of Christmas blog hop for 2025 AND it’s only five weeks to Christmas today?
If you feel like the silly season is already in full swing and you won’t have time to make your Christmas cards this year, don’t panic as I’ve got the perfect card for you!
This design is so easy to make (I designed it and made it it under 10 minutes), it’s easy to mass produce and it can be made using any colour combination, DSP or sentiment.
I’ve used products from the the Modern Christmas Suite collection, including the Ornamental Christmas Bundle and the the Modern Christmas 12″ x 12″ (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper. I heat embossed the sentiment in gold to match the DSP and the feature star.
This photo shows just how pretty the gold foil star looks on top of the gold foiled paper.
For the inside of the card I’ve stamped the beautiful scripted “Merry Christmas” stamp and added some gold foil embellishments die cut using the Ornamental Christmas dies.
Take a look at some more Christmas Card inspiration!
Now it’s time to hop in over to our next participant, the lovely Judy May I can’t wait to see what Judy has made this week!
If the next button link is not working or you’d like to see the entire list of participants go to Sharon Davern‘s blog. Sharon does an amazing job of hosting our Heart of Christmas blog every Monday.
Our AWH team will be back on Wednesday night, showcasing Lost Lagoon on our Insta Hop. I hope you can join us then!
I’ve been away overseas on holidays for the past few weeks, but it feels so good to be back in my craft room again! And can you believe it’s nearly Christmas already? Time is flying, and after tonight there are only three more Heart of Christmas blog hops left for the year.
For my card this week, I wanted to create something lighthearted and full of festive cheer. This little dachshund in a Christmas jumper just makes me smile! I’ve paired him with a vintage-style post box and some tiny envelopes, ready to deliver all the Christmas joy.
My dog is a German Shorthaired Pointer (which is basically a sausage dog on steroids with super long legs) so I have a soft spot in my heart for dachshunds.
The colour palette for this card includes Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Real Red, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, and Basic White as I also created this card for a colour challenge. I don’t usually use Very Vanilla, however this colour combination is a fun and fresh mix that feels both classic and playful.
The background paper and envelopes are from the North Pole Delivery DSP, which adds that perfect snowy touch.
The adorable dog image comes from the Long Time No See stamp set, coloured with Stampin’ Blends to match his festive jumper.
I finished the design with a combination of stamped sentiments from the Peace On Earth stamp set and die-cut “Christmas” from the Words for the Season Dies to create my “Sending Christmas Joy” sentiment.
I love how this card captures the happiness of reconnecting with family and friends at Christmas through the age old tradition of sending Christmas cards.
Take a look at some more Christmas Card inspiration!
Now it’s time to hop in over to our next participant, the lovely Rachel Woollard. I can’t wait to see what Rachel has made this week!
If the next button link is not working or you’d like to see the entire list of participants go to Sharon Davern‘s blog. Sharon does an amazing job of hosting our Heart of Christmas blog every Monday.
Our AWH team will be back on Wednesday night, showcasing Lemon Lime Twist on our Insta Hop. I hope you can join us then!
When time is short but you still want that handmade touch, there are plenty of ways to create quick and easy Christmas cards.
You can use card kits, add ephemera pieces from specialty paper packs, or mass-produce one simple design. Today I have used another favourite method: a large sentiment stamp combined with stunning Designer Series Paper and a few sparkly embellishments.
With just a handful of products, you can make a whole stack of cards in one sitting!
Quick and Elegant Christmas Cards in Red and Gold
My colour combination is classic and simple: Real Red, Gold and white
I’ve used just a few favourite products to create these elegant designs:
The red and gold DSP pattern from the Season of Elegance 12″ x 12″ Specialty Designer Series Paper
Gold Foil
The large Merry Christmas Stamp, inked in Real Red Classic Stampin’ Pad
Traditional Sparkling Sequins in gold and red for a little extra sparkle
For this card the “Merry Christmas” sentiment was fussy cut to highlight the gorgeous scripted font of the sentiment.
While for this card I did not fussy cut the sentiment, instead layering it onto gold foil to for a clean, classic finish.
You could use this large “Merry Christmas” stamp with any Christmas DSP, varying the ink colour and embellishment to match the colours in the DSP.
Take a look at some more Christmas Card inspiration
Now it’s time to hop in over to our next participant, the lovely Kate Morgan. I can’t wait to see what Kate has made this week!
If the next button link is not working or you’d like to see the entire list of participants go to Sharon Davern‘s blog. Sharon does an amazing job of hosting our Heart of Christmas blog every Monday.
Our AWH team will be back on Wednesday night, showcasing Granny Apple Green on our Insta Hop. I hope you can join us then!
For week five of the 2025 Heart of Christmas blog hop I’ve made three more cards using products from the gorgeous gold foiled Traditions of Christmas Suite.
All three cards are a simple fancy fold created by cutting a sheet of A4 cardstock in half lengthways, trimming each piece of cardstock to 10.5 cm x 28cm. I scored and folded each card base at 14 cm and 21 cm.
The three different colours I’ve used for the cardstock bases all come from colours in the Traditions of Christmas Specialty DSP.
Card One – Real Red and Bubble Bath
I’ve used Bubble Bath cardstock to pick up the pink in the Traditions of Christmas Specialty DSP, die cut using the Christmas Greenery Dies, part of the Traditions of Christmas Suite Collection.
Here’s what the card looks like when opened up. I’ve used the Traditional Labels dies to stamp and die cut the sentiment. There is a white panel on the back of the card for writing a message.
Card Two – Pool Party and Secret Sea
Card two picks up the two blues in the flower bouquet and the all over floral pattern DSP. Just like the first card, I’ve used embellishments from the Traditional Sparkling Sequins.
Card Three – Old Olive and Real Red
As the Old Olive DSP on the right hand side of the card is “less busy” and the all over floral design on the first two cards, I’ve moved the bunch of flowers to the other side of this card.
For all three cards I’ve lined up the position of the front sentiment label to cover the inside sentiment label. Do you have a favourite colour/design?
Take a look at some more Christmas Card inspiration on our Heart of Christmas blog hop!
Now it’s time to hop in over to our next participant, the lovely Judy May. I can’t wait to see what Judy has made this week!
If the next button link is not working or you’d like to see the entire list of participants go to Sharon Davern‘s blog. Sharon does an amazing job of hosting our Heart of Christmas blog every Monday.
Our AWH team will be back on Wednesday night, showcasing Fresh Freesia on our Insta Hop. I hope you can join us then!
It’s week four of the 2025 Heart of Christmas blog hop and just over 13 weeks until Christmas. Have you started making your Christmas cards yet?
For this week’s card I wanted to create a card that highlighted the gorgeous variety of patterns in the Christmas Tags & More DSP while also making the sentiment as the star of the card.
The “strip technique” (I’m not sure of its official name, but this is what I call it!) is great for mass production of cards as it really maximises your DSP and is so quick and easy to create. I cut strips approximately 2 cm wide and lined them up across a panel of Basic White cardstock on a Real Red cardstock base.
The two strips on either end are pre-cut strips from the Christmas Tags & More DSP.
The word joy is stamped in Real Red using the Jolly Holly Bundle and cut out with the matching die.
To give the sentiment extra dimension, I used a blending brush to add Soft Sea Foam ink to a scrap of Basic White cardstock. I then flipped the cardstock over, traced around the joy die on the reverse side of the cardstock, and fussy cut it out by hand. This creates a soft backing layer that makes the word pop against the patterned background.
This backing layer makes the word “joy” pop against the patterned background. I also added a white heat embossed greeting “Wishing You & Yours” stamped onto Basic Black cardstock, layered onto a strip of Basic White cardstock for extra detail.
The holly and foliage were stamped in Memento Black Ink and coloured with Stampin’ Blends in Real Red and Soft Sea Foam Stampin’ Blends.
Since there isn’t a Stampin’ Blend in Garden Green, I used a Garden GreenWatercolour Pencil add some of the darker Christmas green. The leaves and berries were then cut with the coordinating Jolly Holly dies and arranged around the sentiment for balance.
Inside the card I’ve stamped another sentiment from the Jolly Holly stamp set and added two more holly leaves coloured in to match the holly on the front of the card.
To finish the card, I adhered a few red Traditional Sparkling Sequins, the perfect way to add a little shimmer and bling without overwhelming the design.
Take a look at some more Christmas Card inspiration on our Heart of Christmas blog hop!
Now it’s time to hop in over to our next participant, the lovely Sharon Davern. I can’t wait to see what Sharon has made this week!
If the next button link is not working or you’d like to see the entire list of participants go to Sharon Davern‘s blog. Sharon does an amazing job of hosting our Heart of Christmas blog every Monday.
Our AWH team will be back on Wednesday night, showcasing Flirty Flamingo on our Insta Hop. I hope you can join us then!
Are you ready for some more Christmas crafting inspiration?
It’s week three of the 2025 Heart of Christmas blog hop and our Art With Heart team have plenty more inspiration for your Christmas projects.
My Christmas card this week combines products from the Peaceful Garden Suite Collection and the Modern Christmas Suite. I love it when products from different suites work so well together!
The Ornamental Christmas dies are part of the Modern Christmas Suite and they include two large Christmas bauble dies with ornament cap dies, just perfect for showcasing beautiful patterns in DSP.
I’ve seen a few Christmas cards that have used the Bauble Blooms Dies with the Peaceful Garden 12″ x 12″ (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Designer Series Paper, so I thought I’d see if it also worked with the Ornamental Christmas dies and I’m really happy with the result!
I’ve used the ornament cap dies to die cut the Peaceful Garden 12″ x 12″ (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Glimmer Paper, adding a touch of shimmer to my Christmas card. I had to photograph my card outside this week to capture the glimmer – I think this photo shows it the best.
Such a pretty card deserves a handmade envelope, so I made one using the Peaceful Garden 12″ x 12″ (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Designer Series Paper .
The “Happy Christmas” sentiment is stamped in Secret Sea using a sentiment from a gorgeous stamp set called the Gift of Joy Stamp Set.
Take a look at some more Christmas Card inspiration on our Heart of Christmas blog hop!
Now it’s time to hop in over to our next participant, the lovely Sharon Davern. I can’t wait to see what Sharon has made this week!
If the next button link is not working or you’d like to see the entire list of participants go to Sharon Davern‘s blog. Sharon does an amazing job of hosting our Heart of Christmas blog every Monday.
Our AWH team will be back on Wednesday night, showcasing Early Espresso on our Insta Hop. I hope you can join us then!
