ThePowerOfACard

Saturday, September 19, 2026

Christmas Cards in Unexpected Colorways

I love Christmas. I love making Christmas cards. I love decorating for Christmas. And I loved making this video for you! (Please note, if you are trying to watch the video prior to September 30th, you'll need to wait until then to see it.) When you make as many Christmas cards as I do, it's a good idea to start early. I've been featuring at least one in my monthly card classes for the past several months. Normally, I make them in the traditional color schemes - mostly red and green. However, you don't have to stick to tradition! I've selected non-traditional colorways for the cards in this video. There will be color combos you don't typically see in Christmas cards and I hope it will inspire you to try something different this year, if only for a card or two!

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Thick Basic White 4-1/2" x 11"; Basic White 2-1/2" x 3-1/2"; Artisan Sketched Garden DSP 4-1/2" x 5-3/4"; Granny Apple Green 1-1/4" x 3-1/2"; Strawberry Slush 1-1/8" x 3"; Lemon Lime Twist 3/4" x 2"
Stamp Bundle: Holly Jolly Branches
Die: Scalloped Christmas Cheer
Inks: Strawberry Slush, Granny Apple Green, Lemon Lime Twist
Embellishment: Adhesive-Backed Bats Ghosts & Dots

The card I'm demonstrating features the Scalloped Christmas Cheer dies. It's a simple layout with a wow factor because of the dies. I've made mine as a side open card, but you could easily make this as a top fold by changing the dimensions of the card base to be 5-3/4" x 8-1/2". After scoring and folding the card base, use the largest scallop die and cut out the card. Make sure the bottom of the die is just above the two edges. The top edge of the die will hang over the fold - this is needed so that the card opens properly. Also cut the same shape from the DSP. The black and white patterned paper is from one of my favorite packs, the Artisan Sketched Garden. This will be adhered on the cart front. Because this is a full scallop, the card front now looks complete (and not chopped off at the side like the card base).

While you are cutting, cut out the three trees from the Holly Jolly Branches bundle - the largest in Granny Apple Green, middle one in Strawberry Slush and the last in Lemon Lime Twist. Also cut out the second largest scallop from the white. Assembling the card is easy - stamp the sentiment on the left side of the label in Strawberry Slush, then adhere the three trees using Mini Dimensionals. Add some black embellishments to match our color scheme. On the inside, add a stamped tree in Strawberry Slush and stamp the sentiment in Granny Apple Green. Use the small cluster of stars to stamp on the left side of the envelope in Lemon Lime Twist.

The initial card I created with this layout was done in Azure Afternoon and Shaded Spruce. The paper I used is from the Whispering Woods pack of DSP. I love that $3 from the sale of each pack is donated to charities around the world. The patterns are lovely and are a mix of scenes and subtle patterns. There are four sheets each of the three double sided papers, which makes this a great pack when you are making multiples of your cards. I used the stamps from the Scalloped Christmas Cheer for my sentiment and holly leaves and berries. They do have to be fussy cut, but that's pretty simple to do.

My next colorway is a pastel rainbow. I loved the little trees I used in my demo card and decided to make a rainbow of them. Normally, I go for the bright colors for my rainbow, but decided to use Bubble Bath, Highland Heather, Pool Party, Soft Sea Foam, Lemon Lolly and Calypso Coral from the Subtles color family. I didn't know exactly what size tree I would need in each color, so I just cut all three sizes from each of them. Then I liked using all of them, but there were too many to fit in a "normal" card size. I decided to add in Strawberry Slush and change the layout to a slimline card and was thrilled with the result! I cut the bottom edge of my inner Crumb Cake Layer in a wavy line as if there was snow at the bottom. Linen Thread behind my sentiment, also from the Holly Jolly Branches Bundle completes the card front. I stamped another rainbow of trees on both the inside of the card and on the envelope. This card turned out to be surprise favorite!

If you saw my video from September 16th called Additional Ways to use the Hot Foil Dies), you will see how I "stamped" my snowflake and sentiment in Highland Heather for this Light Purples color combination. My card base is Fresh Freesia, stamped with dots from the Balloon Festoon stamp set to add texture. I used Fresh Freesia Two Tone paper to mat my snowflake, then tied a knot of Fresh Freesia Satin ribbon. The Sunset Sparkle Sequins have just the right one to add the sparkle this card needed. For the inside, I cut a circle from the center of the two-tone paper before I attached the snowflake and added a sentiment made with the Magical Christmas Hot Foil die.

My next card uses more paper from the Whispering Woods pack and features Soft Sea Foam and Pretty Peacock. This is another wonderful card to make when you want multiples! I stamped the sentiment directly on the DSP, matted it with a thin layer of cardstock and popped it up on the background piece of DSP - super easy! My sentiments are from the Stitched Stockings stamp set.

I've always liked Melon Mambo and Pumpkin Pie together and you've probably seen me use this combo often. I made a background using the Starry Night Hot Foil die and the light pink foil. Then I made ornaments using the Festive Cheer bundle - some of them are full strength, while others were stamped off or a mixture of the two. There is a die for cutting the "strings" and I recommend using adhesive sheets with these because it makes adhering them to the card so much easier!

Secret Sea and Cloud Cover are two colors that also work well together. I used the Pretty Poinsettia bundle, which has the most gorgeous flowers and leaves that work with the Impressions plate, to make my arrangement. I did cut apart the leaf to make a more compact arrangement. The DSP is Nature walk and it was torn to follow the torn edge of the card front. To add the Cloud Cover Textured ribbon, I cut a slit in the card fold with an exacto knife, then I tied it with Secret Sea Bordered Open Weave ribbon and white Baker's Twine (from the Essentials pack). I really adore this card, but it is not one that I would like to make multiples of since it is a bit more time consuming!

My last sample uses Crisp Cantaloupe, Very Vanilla and Pretty Peacock. I also added some Petal Pink, which acts as a lighter shade of the Cantaloupe. I decided to CASE (Copy and Share Everywhere) a card from the September - December catalog. The suite shown on pages 16 and 17 is so lovely in warm, natural colors and I thought this would be perfect for my alternate scheme. I used the Noel Tidings and Welcome Noel bundles, plus the Softly Woven embossing folder, just like they did in the catalog. I added the 2026-2028 Pearlized Specialty DSP, Baker's Twine in vanilla, Crisp Cantaloupe Shimmer Brush, and the Moody Palette Glossy Dots. To make my dots match, I colored them with my dark Pretty Peacock Stampin' Blend marker.

Thanks so much for watching my video - even if you want to use traditional Christmas colors, I hope I've shown you some fun ideas for your Christmas card making projects.

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

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Product List

Scalloped Christmas Cheer Dies

[168544]

$33.00

Holly Jolly Branches Bundle (English)

[168280]

$40.50

Artisan Sketched Garden 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[167752]

$13.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock

[159229]

$17.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Granny Apple Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[146990]

$14.00

Strawberry Slush 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[165625]

$14.00

Lemon Lime Twist 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[144245]

$14.00

Strawberry Slush Classic Stampin' Pad

[165286]

$11.00

Granny Apple Green Stampin' Pad

[147095]

$9.00

Lemon Lime Twist Classic Stampin' Pad

[147145]

$9.00

Adhesive Backed Bats Ghosts & Dots

[168180]

$9.00

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$6.00

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$28.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

$140.00

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Additional Ways to use the Hot Foil Dies

I am so very excited about today's video!! You may have heard that Stampin' Up! released a new line of products for hot foiling - I love the system and all of the dies/stamps they have released. But this video is not about hot foiling - it is about how to use those hot foil dies in alternative ways than foiling! This will make them more useful and valuable in your craft room. I know they are a big investment and I am thrilled to show you how to get more from them.

I have two techniques that I'm demonstrating in the video and I won't be making a card. However, I have twelve (yes, twelve!) cards to show you using these two techniques. The first one is by using the Impressions Plate and the hot foil die and the result is almost like an embossing folder. I normally like to spritz my paper with water before making my sandwich, but I forgot when filming. As you can see, it works fine, but with the addition of a little water spritz, it will make the paper fibers less likely to crack. You will get a deep impression, but it's not as crisp as what you would get from a 3D embossing folder. The second technique is inking the die, either with Versamark (a clear ink most commonly used with heat embossing) or regular ink pads. For this method, I will be using the sandwich used for hot foiling plus an additional paper shim.

Both techniques require the use of the Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine (SCEM). Here are the layers used for making an impression:

Plate 1 (the thick base plate)
Plate 2
Hot Foil Die with smooth side down
Paper
Impressions Plate (the black rubbery one)
Plate 4 (the gray plate used with 3D embossing folders)

For inking, here are the layers:

Stampin' Hot Foil Platform (not hot!)
Hot Foil Die with inked surface up
Paper
Hot Foil Shim
Hot Foil Spacer
Paper shim (I used some of the white paper that comes in the packs of DSP) - you may not need this depending on the pressure in your SCEM

My first card features the Botanical Glow Bundle, which was my favorite set from the first release of Hot Foil products. I made my impression on Crumb Cake cardstock. Both sides look great an I chose the debossed side. Before adhering it to my card base with Dimensionals, I used a Blending Brush to add some Pecan Pie ink around the edges. I completed the card by stamping some of the leaves from the bundle and a sentiment from Words of Beauty on a circle of Basic White.

This one actually features three Hot Foil sets and a little gold foiling too. The background was done with the Starry Night Bundle on white. My tree is from the Twinkling Tidings Bundle (inked with Garden Green, Granny Apple Green and Pecan Pie), and the star and sentiment are from the Magical Christmas Bundle. After doing the initial gold foiling for these words, I used the Reverse Plate to use the leftover foil sheet, thus getting the gold background around "white" words. This is a fantastic die to have because it allows you to get double the designs from a single piece of foil.

My last impressions sample features the Buffalo Check. This is a large die and it works so well to give the detailed impression of the checked design! I was actually surprised at how well it worked with the Impressions Plate. I used the embossed strip on a card base of Daffodil Delight, then used the Fern & Flora bundle to make the rest of the card elements. I love the black and white pieces on the bright yellow. The dots are from the Adhesive Backed Bats Ghosts & Dots embellishments.

Switching to the second technique, the first batch of cards were done with Versamark ink. This ink will leave a darker shade of the paper it's stamped on as a watermark. I used the Lustrous Leaves Bundle (which also has Decorative Masks to color the leaves) and cut out five leaves in each of Granny Apple Green, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Cajun Craze, Real Red and Poppy Parade. My sentiment and label are from the Radiant Sunflowers Bundle. I love the subtle look of the veins in each of the leaves. Since I had so many leaves cut out, I've made several other cards using them and still have leftovers!

This next card once again features the Magical Christmas Bundle. For this one, I didn't cut out the words but left them as the focal point of the card. I have to thank my upline, Dena Rekow, for giving me the idea for this in the first place. She made a card with another Hot Foil die and that got me to experimenting with this being my first card. I used Real Red as my card base and the Pretty Poinsettia stamp set for the rest.

The Echoes of Detail Bundle has three Hot Foil dies and six stamps for making cool backgrounds. I used the brick die on Cajun Craze, matted with Early Espresso and placed it on a base of Crushed Curry. The vase of flowers was made using the Radiant Sunflowers dies and the Sunflower Fields DSP pack. My sentiment is from a recent Product of the Month, Begonia Belle. A bow of Linen Thread adds the finishing touch.

To color my wreath, which is from the Wreath & Wonder Dies, I used Watercolor Pencils and a Blender Pen. I added a double Linen Thread bow and mounted it on an arch cut from Cherry Cobbler cardstock using the Everyday Arches dies, then embossed with the Softly Woven 3D embossing folder. The sentiment (from Stitched Stockings) was heat embossed with white (WOW Embossing Powder Basics) and the background of the card was stamped with texture from Gears & Textures.

The Framed & Fabulous Bundle is one of my favorites, mainly because of the sentiments that are in the stamp set. I inked the large scalloped circle with Versamark on Cloud Cover paper. The smaller circle was used without the coordinating hot foil die and stamped in Secret Sea. The DSP is the 2025-2027 In Color 6" DSP and the ribbon is Cloud Cover Textured ribbon.

This card has both inked and Versamark pieces. I used the Starry Night dies with Balmy Blue ink on white, and Versamark on Balmy Blue paper. The letters were cut with the Party Alphabet dies and stamped with the Starry Night stamp. I added a little shine with a sparkle gel pen and tied a bow with the Balmy Blue Gingham ribbon. My inside sentiment came from the Pretty Poinsettia set.

A Christmas Wish has a large snowflake with Christmas Wishes as the center sentiment, which can be cut with the die. For my card, I inked the die with Garden Green on white, which was matted in the same color and popped up on a Crumb Cake base. The inside sentiment was made with the Magical Christmas Bundle, also using Garden Green ink. I also tried this one with inking and the impressions plate - the result was OK but not as good as I would have liked. Still, it made an interesting sample and I may give it a try again to see if my results are any better.

My Buffalo Check with black on Poppy Parade is the traditional color combo for this pattern. I have to give a shout out to my daughter Kristin for the suggestion. I didn't think it would work as well as it did and it has become one of my favorites! I used the Stitched Stockings Bundle for the gift and sentiments and a little Wink of Stella to add a little glimmer to the bow/ribbon on the gift.

My last card features the Butterfly Flight Bundle. This was part of the first release of Hot Foil dies and also comes with Decorative Masks to color the butterflies easily. Since we can never seem to have enough butterflies in our lives, I made mine with black ink (our foils come in Gold, Silver, Light Pink, Copper, Red, Green and Silver Opal, not black (yet)) and colored them with Darling Duckling, Timid Tiger and Strawberry Slush. I added a die cut black body and mounted it on a square cut with the Tile Garden dies. My sentiment is from All Aflutter and the DSP is the Basics Painted Patterns.

There are so many possibilities for using your Hot Foil Dies! My hope is that knowing you can use them for more than just foiling, you will consider the investment to be worth it. I had a ton of fun making these samples for you - which is your favorite? Which will be the first one you want to try? Please enjoy!

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

Shop my Store! (or use the QR code below)