Hello, crafty friends! It’s time for another 52 Christmas Card Throwdown challenge, and this week Valentina has chosen a lovely colour combination for us to try: sage green, cinnamon and dark wine. These aren’t necessarily the first colours that spring to mind when I think of Christmas cards, so it was fun to look through my stash and find cardstock that I thought came closest to the challenge colours. I settled on three shades from my Sizzix cardstock collection, which I thought were a pretty good match.
For my Design Team card, I decided to create a slimline-style Christmas card featuring a decorative bauble, some pretty floral embellishments and, of course, a little sparkle!
Here’s how I made it.
Materials Used
- Cardstock: green, cinnamon and deep red linen card by Sizzix, white.
- Dies: DL Decorative Rectangles dies, Chloe’s Creative Cards; Bauble Overlay die set, Craft Addiction UK; Holiday Blooms die set, Spellbinders; circle die
- Stamps: Christmas Tiny Tag and Sentiments stamp set, Chloe’s Creative Cards
- Inks: black, old olive, pumpkin pie, cherry cobbler
- Adhesive: liquid glue, chisel-tipped glue pen, foam adhesive, glue dots
- Additional: blender brushes, white glitter, ribbon
Step 1 – Create the Card Base
I started with a piece of white cardstock measuring 8¼” square, scored and folded in half at 4⅛” to create a slimline card.
I cut a piece of dark wine cardstock to fit the front of the card and adhered it to the base. This rich, deep colour makes a lovely background for the lighter panels and really helps the other elements stand out.
Step 2 – Add the Decorative Panels
For the first white layer, I used the largest DL Decorative Rectangles die from Chloe’s Creative Cards to cut a decorative panel. I adhered this to the card base using foam adhesive to add some dimension.
Next, I cut the centre panel using the next size down, choosing the stitched-edge die from the same set. To add a little extra sparkle, I used a chisel-tipped glue pen to run a fine line of glue around all four edges of the panel, then sprinkled over some white glitter and tapped away the excess. Once the glitter was dry, I attached the panel to the card using more foam adhesive.
I love the way the decorative and stitched edges create layers of detail without making the card feel too busy.
Step 3 – Create the Christmas Bauble
For my focal point, I reached for the Bauble Overlay die set from Craft Addiction UK. I used the largest bauble overlay die to cut the design from white cardstock. I then cut a circle of white cardstock using a circle die and adhered it to the back of the bauble overlay. This gave me a neat white area in the centre for the sentiment.
I stamped a sentiment from Chloe’s Creative Cards Christmas Tiny Tag and Sentiments set onto the circle using black ink.
The contrast of the dark sentiment against the white background keeps the greeting clear and easy to read, while the decorative bauble provides a lovely frame.
Step 4 – Add the Flowers and Foliage
Now for one of my favourite parts — adding the flowers!
I used the Holiday Blooms die set from Spellbinders to cut a selection of flowers and foliage from my coloured cardstock, choosing the shades that best represented the sage green, cinnamon and dark wine in this week’s challenge.
To bring the flowers to life, I added some shading using inks in similar colours. This gives the petals and leaves a little more depth and helps the individual layers stand out.
Naturally, I couldn’t resist adding a sprinkling of white glitter here and there, too! It adds a lovely frosty touch without overwhelming the rich colours.
Once everything was ready, I arranged the flowers and foliage on the bauble, placing them above and below the sentiment so that the greeting remained clearly visible.
Step 5 – Assemble the Focal Point
With the flowers and foliage in place, I was ready to attach the bauble to the card.
I used foam adhesive to secure it in the centre of the stitched white panel. The extra dimension helps the bauble stand out against the layered background and gives the whole design a lovely finished look.
I made a hand-tied bow in dark wine-coloured, grosgrain ribbon and attached it to the top of the bauble with a glue dot. I think the bow is the perfect finishing touch, bringing the dark wine colour back into the focal design and making the bauble look ready to hang on the Christmas tree!
To tie in with the words in the sentiment, I die cut a small heart in dark wine and adhered it below the sentiment.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed working with Valentina’s colour combination this week. It was a little different from the traditional red and green we often reach for at Christmas, but I love how the sage green, cinnamon and dark wine work together to create a rich, warm and elegant festive design. The white layers help to balance the darker colours, while the decorative dies, floral embellishments and touches of glitter add plenty of interest and texture.
And I do love a Christmas bauble on a card — especially when there’s an opportunity to dress it up with flowers, foliage and a pretty bow!
Why not have a rummage through your own cardstock stash and see which shades you can find to match this week’s challenge? You might be surprised by the combinations you can put together.
We’d love to see what you create for this week’s 52 Christmas Card Throwdown Colour Challenge, so come and join us in the gallery!
Happy crafting and happy Christmas card making!
