This week’s theme over at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is Candy Canes, and I couldn’t resist diving into my (slightly chaotic!) stash to see what I could come up with. As it turns out, I’d recently treated myself to the Rosie’s Studio Peppermint Twist 6×6″ Designer Paper by Spellbinders in their sale — and honestly, it couldn’t have been more perfect timing.
Full of soft, pretty patterns, including one covered in tiny candy canes, it practically made the design decision for me. I paired it with a co-ordinating candy stripe and let the papers do most of the talking… with a few fun extras along the way.
What You’ll Need
- Cardstock: Soft Sky, White, Real Red (Stampin’ Up)
- Designer Paper: Rosie’s Studio Peppermint Twist 6×6″
- Stamps: Candy cane stamp (Stampin’ Up), sentiment stamp (vintage stash favourite!)
- Dies: Circle dies, coordinating candy cane dies
- Embellishments: Die-cut hearts, glazing glue
- Ink: Real Red ink
- Extras: Scraps (lots!), ribbon, foam adhesive, liquid glue, glue dots
Step 1: Start with the Base
This card actually began with a lucky find in my scrap box — an A6 easel card base that I’d already cut and scored ages ago. Don’t you love it when something like that finally gets its moment? I love this pale blue teamed with red – my favourite.
I cut an A6 soft sky panel to sit on the front, then added two pieces of the Peppermint Twist DSP, leaving a generous border all the way round. I made sure the tiny candy cane pattern was the main focus, pairing it with a coordinating candy stripe design.
Step 2: Bring the Design Together
To neaten up the join between the two patterned papers, I added a strip of Real Red cardstock right across the panel. It’s a simple trick, but it really helps pull everything together and adds a nice pop of colour.
Step 3: Create the Focal Point
Another rummage in my scrap box turned up a stitched circle in Softy Sky, so I cut a slightly smaller white circle to layer on top.
For the sentiment, I reached for a much-loved (and very underused!) stamp set I’ve had for about 20 years. You know the kind — you don’t use it often, but you’d never part with it. This felt like the perfect card to give it a moment to shine.
I stamped the sentiment in the centre of the white circle and layered it onto the blue one, then positioned it over the paper join to anchor the design.
Step 4: Add the Candy Canes
Sticking with the theme, I found a candy cane stamp by Stampin’ Up, stamped it in Real Red ink onto white cardstock, and die cut it with the matching dies.
These were then adhered at a slightly jaunty angle to the top left of the sentiment circle — because candy canes should always feel a bit playful, don’t you think?
Step 5: Embellish with Scrappy Finds
I have a habit of keeping little boxes of leftover die cuts and bits from previous projects (I just know they’ll come in handy one day!) and this card was the perfect excuse to dip into them.
I found several pink die-cut hearts that matched the tones in the paper beautifully, so I scattered them around the card as embellishments, and a tiny fork-tied bow in co-ordinating colours which I attached with a glue dot.
Step 6: Don’t Forget the Easel Stopper
For the inside — which is what allows the easel card to stand — I used more pieces from my scrap box to create a little layered element. Completely by accident, it ended up looking like a tiny envelope, which I absolutely love.
I added a few more matching hearts here to tie the whole design together from front to inside.
Step 7: Add a Touch of Shine
To finish, I wanted to echo the glossy look of the tiny details in the patterned paper, so I added glazing glue to the hearts. It gives them a lovely shine and just lifts the whole card that little bit more.
Final Thoughts
This card was such a joy to make — a mix of new supplies, long-forgotten favourites, and those “I’ll keep that just in case” scraps that finally found their purpose. The soft blues, pinks, reds and whites feel fresh and festive, and the easel design makes it a little bit special.
If you’ve got any candy cane supplies (or even just something red and stripey!) why not join in with this week’s 52 Christmas Card Throwdown challenge? It’s a brilliant way to use what you already have and maybe rediscover a few forgotten gems along the way.
Happy crafting — and don’t forget to check your scrap box… you never know what treasures are hiding in there!
Lily-by-Gilly 