I had absolutely no intention of making Christmas cards this year!
I'd taken a little break from crafting over the past few weeks. Life had been busy, and then I got sick. With all our usual plans cancelled, I found myself craving something creative to do that didn't require too much energy.
Cardmaking has always been a bit of self-care for me, especially when I can follow someone else's inspiration rather than having to come up with everything myself. So when Justine Hovey's 12 Days of Christmas challenge popped into my inbox, I decided to play along!
Justine and I share a love of using what we already have in our stash, which made this challenge particularly appealing. I didn't buy a single new supply for these projects, instead challenging myself to find ways to interpret her ideas with what I already owned. That turned out to be one of the most satisfying parts of the process!
Today I'm sharing all twelve cards, the inspiration behind them, some of the creative workarounds I came up with, and a few honest thoughts about how they turned out.
Day 1 - The Christmas Cluster Card
For Day 1, I actually made two versions because I couldn't decide between two different background ideas.
Justine used an embossing folder featuring Christmas sentiments arranged in a circular design. I loved that detail, so I went looking through my embossing folders and found this lovely oval floral design.
I also love having text in my backgrounds, so I tried a second version using lightly stamped Christmas sentiments. Both worked nicely, and I added a little splatter for extra texture.
For the focal point, Justine used little white die-cut houses. I didn't have anything similar, but I did have some Christmas tree dies! I used white-on-white heat embossing for the stamped trees, giving them a soft, almost vanilla appearance, then added die-cut outlines for definition.
Some vanilla-toned patterned paper from my stash brought everything together.
Day 2 - The Layered Stencil Card
I quickly discovered just how much Justine loves her layering stencils!
For Day 2, she created a gorgeous Christmas tree background using layered colours and patterns. I loved the effect, but didn't have a stencil like hers, so I decided to make my own using some acetate and a Christmas tree silhouette die.
I added another layer of interest with a diamond-pattern background stencil and some stars, blending in a darker red.
I was really happy with the result! I used a stitched oval die-cut from my stash for the sentiment, then added a strip of ribbon and one of these little star ornament embellishments to finish it off.
Day 3 - The Embossed Card
Day 3 was a fairly straightforward interpretation. I loved the three-panel embossed background Justine created, and it was great to reach straight into my scrap cardstock stash for this one. I don't often use my embossing folders, so Justine definitely inspired me to dust off quite a few of them throughout this challenge!
Day 4 - The Die Cut Card
For Day 4, I was delighted to have some gorgeous glimmer paper in my stash.
I didn't have a snowflake die to recreate Justine's focal point, and as an Australian cardmaker, snowy Christmas imagery isn't something I've invested in over the years — even if my last name is Frost! But I did have this beautiful deer!
I kept this one quite clean and simple. I love the contrast of the black-and-white sentiment against those gorgeous glitter strips.
Day 5 - The Stamped Card
Day 5 featured a stamped focal point, with Justine using layered stencils to create some beautiful colouring.
I was feeling pretty unwell this particular day, so I wasn't really up for a big creative effort. I had this little Creative Place Christmas sticker collection in my stash, so I decided to use one of those as my focal point and paired it with some patterned Christmas paper.
It's cute, and I think it works, although the style isn't quite me. So later I decided to have another go at the design using a stamped Santa instead.
I was much happier with this version. It feels a little more like my style. Having said that, I think the sticker idea would be lovely for crafting with children, or even just when you want to put together some cute Christmas cards without spending too much time on each one.
So perhaps both versions have their place!
Day 6 - The Layered Card
I was really excited to try day six. Of Justine's challenge samples, this was one of my favourites. She'd created a gorgeous background with pine cone imagery using layered stencils, and added beautiful gold hot-foil stripe detail.
I absolutely loved the look, but I didn't have the right imagery or layering stencils, and hot foiling isn't something I'm looking to invest in at the moment. So I started looking through my patterned papers.
I found this lovely large leaf design and decided it could work as a starting point. I added a stamped background over the top with gold heat embossing, which gave me some of that lovely gold detail without needing a hot-foil system.
Without large lettering dies, I used the smaller alphabet dies I already owned and arranged them differently.
Initially, I wasn't completely happy with the finished card. It felt like it needed a little more depth and texture. So I came back to it later and added some green ink blending over the patterned paper to deepen the background. I also incorporated some little ribbon offcuts for another layer of texture.
And I think that made all the difference!
This is definitely one of my favourites. I love how the different elements came together, and it's a really good example of how you can keep working with a design until it feels right to you.
Day 7 - Busy Background Card
I didn't have the supplies to recreate it, but I did have this older panel of Christmas stocking patterned paper sitting in my stash. The original paper had a plain white background, so I decided to use a soft blue alcohol marker to colour around the stockings, leaving a little white border around each image.
It gave me some of that contrast I loved in Justine's design, and I really like the combination of blue and the busy pattern.
It's a little patchy if you look closely, so perhaps don't look too closely!
Justine also used die-cut wording with a white outline, a technique I've used myself when working with busy patterned backgrounds. I thought that was a fun connection between our approaches.
She softened the bottom of her design with some vellum as well, so I gave that a try.
I'm happy with how this turned out, and I love being able to use some of those older patterned papers that have been sitting around for years.
Day 8 - Nature Theme Card
Day 8 was another highlight for me. I just loved the beautiful night scene Justine created, with its deep blended sky and little branches extending across the design.
This was also a fun-fold card, which I decided to have a go at.
I enjoyed putting the scene together, but I have to admit that the fold was a little fiddly. I actually prefer the way my card looks when it's folded down rather than opened out, so if I made this again I'd probably simplify things and just use a regular card base.
For my focal point, I decided to go in a slightly different direction. I had this little Santa silhouette die in my collection and thought it would be lovely against the night sky. I had to adjust the die-cut a little to make it fit the scene, but I really like how it turned out.
Day 9 - Holly Berry Card
I had a look through my stamps to see if I had anything that might work as a substitute, but unfortunately I didn't really have anything suitable. So, back to the patterned paper stash!
I'm still not entirely convinced by this one, though. I have a little of the paper left, and I've been wondering whether I might go back and try cutting out some of those florals and arranging them differently across the card, a little more like Justine's original composition.
Perhaps that's a project for another day!
Day 10 - The Shape Card
I really loved the ombre stripe effect in Justine's design, so I decided to have a go at creating something similar using a masking technique.
I really enjoyed this process. The gradual change in colour is so pretty, and I think it makes a lovely background. I added stamped detail using white ink. It wasn't standing out quite as much as I'd hoped, so I went back over the same stamping with a little shimmer paint to give it more presence.
I also didn't have an arched die to create the shape I wanted, so I used a partial die-cutting technique with a circle die to create my own arch.
It's a good reminder that you don't necessarily need a specific die shape to achieve the look you're after. Sometimes you can get creative with the dies you already have.
Day 11 - The Book Theme Card
Justine is a fellow book lover, and she created this really fun Christmas tree shape using little stacks of books. I thought that was such a clever idea!
I started by looking through my stamps for something small enough to build into a similar tree, but then spotted this little pre-printed ornament image left over from a tag collection I'd bought years ago. I thought it would make a lovely alternative focal point.
I added some little scraps of patterned paper behind it to fill out the design, then incorporated some thin ribbons looped into little bows at the top.
I love that I was able to find a completely different focal point using something that had been sitting in my stash for years.
Day 12 - The Texture Card
And finally, we have Day 12!
This is another one of my favourites. I just love all those beautiful greens.
Justine created this lovely wreath design, and I decided to see whether I could make something similar using the dies I already owned.
I started by using nesting dies and some scrap cardstock to create a ring, then cut a whole collection of little leaves from my stash. I glued those around the ring to build up my own wreath.
It was a little bit of a process, but I really enjoyed putting it together, and I love how all the different shades of green work together.
And that's all twelve days!
I had such a lovely time working through this challenge, and it was a great reminder that you don't need to have exactly the same supplies as someone else to take inspiration from their designs.
Some cards turned out better than others, and a few pushed me to try techniques or revisit supplies I hadn't used in a while. But that's part of the fun of using your stash and making a design your own.
A big thank you to Justine for sharing her creativity and inspiration. If you'd like to see her original designs, be sure to check out her 12 Days of Christmas challenge!
Cardmaking with Scraps
If you enjoy finding creative ways to use the supplies you already have, you might also enjoy my Cardmaking with Scraps projects.
Issue 2 will be available as a free printable for a limited time when it’s released. If you'd like a copy while it’s free, you can join my mailing list here and I’ll let you know when it’s available.
