Mele Kalikimaka with Ducks in a Row | A Fun Holiday Card with a Tropical Twist

The holidays always spark so much creativity in my craft room, and I love finding ways to put a playful spin on classic Christmas themes. Living in Alabama, I’m more likely to have sunshine than snowflakes during December, so when I saw the “Mele Kalikimaka” sentiment in the Sentimentally Speaking – Holidays Abroad Stamps & Dies Bundle from The Rabbit Hole Designs, I couldn’t resist. Pairing it with the Ducks in a Row Bundle gave me the perfect mix of festive and fun. After all, who can resist Santa Duck and his trusty reindeer sidekicks?

Mele Kalikimaka with Ducks in a Row | A Fun Holiday Card with a Tropical Twist

Playful Holiday Ducks

For the star of this card, I stamped the Santa Duck and two Reindeer Ducks from the Ducks in a Row Stamps & Dies Bundle on Bristol Smooth Cardstock. I always reach for my Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink for this because it gives such crisp lines, especially when I plan to color with water-based markers.

Speaking of coloring, I used my Tombow Dual Brush Markers to bring these little characters to life. If you’ve ever struggled with blending water-based markers, here’s a pro tip: use a light hand and layer slowly. I like to lay down my darkest color in the shadow areas, then blend it out with a mid-tone, and finally pull everything together with the lightest color. Bristol cardstock is forgiving, so you have a little more time to blend before the ink sets.

Strips that Steal the Show

Instead of covering the whole card with one busy background, I decided to use bold stenciled strips to ground the design. I took the Candy Twist 6x6 Stencil and blended Crimson Ink on a strip of white cardstock—it instantly gave me that peppermint candy vibe. Then I grabbed a piece of green cardstock and used the Oh Duck!!! 6x6 Stencil with Emerald Ink. The tone-on-tone look added depth without overwhelming the card.

Strips like this are my go-to when I want color and pattern but still want the images to shine. They’re also a fantastic solution if you’ve ever finished coloring your focal images and realized you don’t have the energy for an intricate background. Two stenciled strips = instant polish with minimal effort.

A Sentiment with Personality

The “Mele Kalikimaka” sentiment from the Sentimentally Speaking – Holidays Abroad Stamp Set made me smile the moment I inked it up. I wanted it to pop, so I inked “Mele” in Crimson and “Kalikimaka” in Emerald, then cut it out with the coordinating die. A little pro tip here: don’t be afraid to snip your sentiments apart. I trimmed mine to make it fit the design better, and it gave me more flexibility with placement.

Pulling It All Together

Once the strips and sentiment were in place, I arranged the Santa Duck and his reindeer friends around them. Using the coordinating dies made everything look crisp and professional—no fussy cutting required. For the finishing touch, I sprinkled in a few sparkly embellishments to give that extra holiday shimmer.

This card really proves that holiday designs don’t have to stick to traditional snow-and-ice themes. Sometimes a playful tropical sentiment paired with quirky characters is just the thing to brighten someone’s mailbox.

Final Thoughts

What I love most about this project is how the stencils and stamps worked together to create such a cheerful scene without being complicated. It’s a reminder that you don’t have to choose between playful or polished—you can absolutely have both. If you’re looking for a way to stretch your holiday creativity, try combining bold stenciled strips with character stamps. It’s a fun formula that works every time.

Thanks for dropping by today I hope that you found a little spark of creative inspiration with my project today. Wondering what I used in this project? Everything is linked to multiple sources in the thumbnails in the Materials Used section, or in the text below. Compensated affiliate links used when possible.

Materials Used:

Here you will find the list of supplies that I used to create today's card. All supplies are linked to supply sources below. Compensated affiliate links may be used at no cost to you.

Happy Crafting,

Rick Adkins

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