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.
Welcome to Week 15 of the Art With Heart Team Colour Creations Blog Hop! This week we’re creating with Cherry Cobbler, a rich, classic red that is absolutely perfect for Christmas.
For my project this week, I’ve made a coordinating Interlocking Triangle Gift Box and Christmas card, using the gorgeous Pretty Poinsettia Bundle.
Interlocking Triangle Gift Box
How fabulous is this box? I love the unusual triangular shape and the clever way the sections interlock to close.
The instructions came from “Lauren’s Scrap Lot”, who has a fantastic video on YouTube showing exactly how to make this box. It looks quite intricate when it’s finished, but her video makes the construction very easy to follow.
I decorated my box with the beautiful Basic Beige and Cherry Cobbler striped Designer Series Paper from the A Little Christmas 12″ x 12″ (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Designer Series Paper.
This DSP is a little sneak peek from the new September–December 2026 Mini Catalogue, available from 1 September.
The top of the box is decorated with layered poinsettias and leaves from the Pretty Poinsettia Bundle. I love all the texture in these flowers, especially when the different shades of Cherry Cobbler are layered together.
I finished the box with the Gold Striped 3/8″ (1 cm) Mesh Ribbon, which adds a lovely soft shimmer and ties in beautifully with the gold accents.
This video shows how the box opens up.
A Coordinating Christmas Card
Of course, I couldn’t make such a special gift box without making a card to match!
I carried the same striped DSP, poinsettia and ribbon across to the card so the two pieces work together as a coordinated Christmas gift set.
For the bottom section of the card, I used another new product coming in the September–December 2026 Mini Catalogue, the Softly Woven 3D Embossing Folder. The woven texture is gorgeous and adds so much interest to the Basic Beige cardstock without competing with the poinsettia.
The sentiment, “Bright Christmas Wishes”, has been given a touch of gold to complement the ribbon and the thin gold layer around the card front.
I really love this combination of Basic Beige and Cherry Cobbler with touches of gold. It feels warm and traditional, but the neutral Basic Beige gives it a softer, more contemporary Christmas look.
And I think this little Interlocking Triangle Gift Box would be perfect for filling with chocolates, jewellery or another small Christmas surprise.
Take a look at some more Cherry Cobler inspiration on our Insta Hop!
Our blog hop is now an Instagram hop but the good news is that you don’t need to have an Instagram account to view all of the other projects!
Simply go to my Insta handle in a new search engine window to follow the Instagram hop: @whatcathymade.
