Christmas Joy: Two Festive Cards from One Fabulous Die

Christmas cards are my favourite  type of card-making, and today I’m sharing two cheerful designs created with the same JOY focal die. By changing the colours, characters, and finishing touches, I gave each card its own personality while keeping the process wonderfully simple.

For the first card, I cut the JOY die from red card. I then die-cut only the centre negative piece from the “O” in white, blended ink over it, and added texture with a 3D Snowfall folder from Card Making Magic magazine.

To create the base panel, I used the two largest dies from Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangles: the largest cutting die and the next size down, which adds the delicate pierced-dot detail. Once the JOY was in place, I stamped a sentiment from Rosie’s Studio Hearth & Home set in the lower corner.

Next came the star of the scene: a cardinal from the Waffle Flower Duo Cardinal die set. I cut the bird from white card, then used the coordinating stencils and Altenew inks to build up those gorgeous colours.

A few leftover green branches from a previous project found the perfect home at the bottom of the “O”. I perched the cardinal on top and finished the scene with tiny red glitter dots for berries. Such a simple detail, but it brought the whole design together beautifully.

For my second JOY card, I switched to gold glitter cardstock and made a 5½-inch square card. I used the same embossing folder again, but this time embossed the entire front of the card base before adding the glittering JOY die-cut.

For the focal character, I stamped and die-cut Penny Black’s Snowy. I cut him twice to give the finished piece a little extra stability, then coloured him with Spectrum Noir Tri Blends. Once Snowy was attached to the card, I added Distress Stickles Rock Candy to his pompom for an extra touch of festive sparkle.

I love how differently these two cards turned out, even though they began with the same focal die. One features a classic cardinal and rich red details; the other pairs a playful snowman with shimmering gold. They truly were a JOY to make!