Hey friends!
Today’s card might just be proof that stepping out of your color comfort zone can lead to something merry & bright indeed. 🌟 When you think of Christmas cards, coral might not be the first color that comes to mind… but somehow, it totally works here—and I’m a little obsessed!
🌸 The Technique: Embossing Powder + Brayer = Holiday Magic
For the focal panel, I used the Altenew Magnolia Dreams 3D embossing folder to create those gorgeous raised florals. But instead of stopping there, I rolled embossing ink over the raised areas with a brayer and added gold embossing powder for that extra festive sparkle. I love how the gold catches the light against the coral—it’s warm, elegant, and totally unexpected.
🎁 The Sentiment: From Last Year’s Stash!
The “merry & bright” sentiment is from the Hero Arts Holiday Greetings Stamp & Cut from October of 2024. I cut A TON of sentiments last year during a mass-producing Black Friday card session (highly recommend crafting on Black Friday AND mass-producing sentiments 😉)! It found its perfect home layered over the embossed background, and I love the pop of red against the coral and green.
🍭 Background Fun
For the card base, I added red ink to one side of the Spellbinders Peppermint Stripes embossing folder (can we talk about how perfect that folder is for both holiday and non-holiday cards?). It adds a playful, candy-cane-inspired touch that ties the whole design together without overpowering it.
Honestly, instead of inking the embossing folder, I could’ve inked the cardstock panel directly using the brayer again to keep cleanup a little easier. However, the folder cleaned off easily with a baby wipe, so all good!
💬 Your Turn!
Have you ever used a non-traditional color like coral on a holiday card? What unexpected color combo surprised you in the best way?
Let me know what you think below or tag me if you try something similar—I’d love to see it!
Until next time,
💙 Denise
Discover more from Denise Creates Life
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.