Cozy Winter Card with Hero Arts Cup of Cheer | Caffeinated Christmas Guest Designer

Hello, friends!

I am so excited to be sharing a card today as a guest designer for the Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge, over on the Coffee Loving Papercrafters blog. This challenge is such fun, and I’m thrilled to be joining them this month!

Today’s card features the adorable Cup of Cheer Letterpress + Foil plate from Hero Arts. Isn’t Santa just the cutest? He looks so relaxed and cozy, and that feeling became the inspiration for this design.

I wanted this card to feel like resting beside a lit Christmas tree with a big cup of your favorite warm drink—whether that’s coffee, hot chocolate, or a mix of both (my personal favorite!). A peppermint latte would fit right in too. ☕✨

To capture that mood, I chose some colors that reminded me of Christmas lights from the Distress Ink line: Blueprint Sketch, Twisted Citron, Lucky Clover, with just a tiny bit of Cracked Pistachio blended between the colors for a softer transition.

I started with a BetterPress cotton panel, using a very light hand to ink-blend a base layer of color while keeping the center mostly white. Then I went back in with the same inks using the Snowflake Pattern stencil from Hero Arts, keeping the background soft and low-contrast to evoke an airy, glowy feel.

Next came the BetterPress plates. I chose a warm ink for Santa’s mug—Grapefruit from Concord & 9th. For the sentiment, “Yule Fuel,” I went with a soft gray ink, Granite from Hero Arts, so the sentiment would feel integrated into the overall atmosphere of the card. I love the crisp look of letterpress in the center of that ethereal background.

To finish the card, I added a whisper of Wink of Stella to Santa’s mustache and eyebrows—so cute in real life! It doesn’t show up in the photo, but it’s a fun little Easter egg for the recipient when they tilt the card. I also added a tiny bit of pink color to Santa’s nose and cheeks using Peony ink from Hero Arts and a detail blending brush.

Supplies Used

• Hero Arts Cup of Cheer Letterpress + Foil Plate
• Hero Arts Snowflake Pattern Stencil
• Spellbinders BetterPress Cotton Cardstock
• Distress Ink: Blueprint Sketch, Twisted Citron, Lucky Clover, Cracked Pistachio
• Concord & 9th Ink: Grapefruit
• Hero Arts Ink: Granite and Peony
• Spellbinders BetterPress System
• Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Machine
• Ink blending brushes
• Wink of Stella (Clear)

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you’ll check out the Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge this month if you’d like to play along—it’s such a fun and welcoming challenge.

Have a wonderful day, and happy February! ❄️💙

XOXO,

Denise