Hello, festive friends!
Welcome to December. This month at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown, we take a stroll down memory lane and revisit some of our favourite challenges from earlier in the year. Each week in December is inspired by a previous theme, colour combo, technique, or, as in this week’s case… a sketch!
For the first challenge of the month, we always kick off with a sketch, and I chose to revisit the October sketch for my Design Team card. It’s such a clean and versatile layout, and I had a lovely time giving it a seasonal spin.
My Card for This Week’s Sketch Challenge
Base & Background
I started with an A6 card base in Cherry Cobbler, a gorgeous rich red that instantly adds Christmas warmth. For the background, I used some retired Stampin’ Up DSP, which worked beautifully with the sketch and added just the right amount of festive pattern.
Following the sketch, I added a co-ordinating patterned strip across the bottom of the card — a simple touch that really ties everything together.
Focal Elements
Sentiment
I stamped the sentiment onto Very Vanilla cardstock, keeping things soft and traditional. This was die cut using a stitched circle die, then layered over a second circle cut from Cherry Cobbler cardstock. The double layer gives it a nice framed effect, and I adhered it to the card following the sketch layout.
Image Panel
The focal image is a digistamp by Louise — such a sweet design!
I printed it onto watercolour paper, then added shading with watercolours for a gentle, hand-painted look. The texture of the paper and softness of the colours really bring the image to life.
A Little Extra: Turning It into a Gift Card Holder
One of my favourite things about handmade Christmas cards is making them functional as well as beautiful. So I turned this card into a gift card holder!
Inside, I added:
- A strip of cardstock adhered on three sides,
- A thumb notch cut into the top,
- A strip of matching dsp to co-ordinate with the front design,
…creating the perfect spot to tuck in a gift card or a little festive cash. A lovely way to make your card a present in itself!
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed revisiting the October sketch and giving it a fresh life here in December. It’s amazing how a good sketch can inspire something completely new when paired with different papers, stamps, or dies.
I hope you’ll join us for this first challenge of the month — I can’t wait to see how you interpret the sketch and what festive creations you’ll share in the gallery!
Happy crafting, and see you next week for another throwback challenge!
Lily-by-Gilly 
Love that little pair of cuties!
They are adorable,aren’t they?!
Like it, very Retro, like 70s wallpaper and 60s psychedelics, but it works!
So glad you liked it!
oh que c’est adorable Gill, un si mignon duo, biz
Love your critters they are adorable. And the sketch from October was a great one.