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Paper Rose Studio Mistletoe Market: Pinwheel Fun Fold Card Tutorial
I love a card design that looks more complicated than it really is, and a Pinwheel Fun Fold is definitely one of those designs! For these two Christmas cards, I wanted to see how much personality I could get from one basic fold simply by changing the way I used the patterned paper and embellishments. The result is two festive cards that feel different even though they share the same basic layout. I used the beautiful Mistletoe Market 6x6 Pattern Paper, Mistletoe Market Cut-a-

Rick Adkins
Aug 25


The Ultimate DIY Santa Gift Card Box for the Holidays
Gift cards are one of those holiday gifts that are always appreciated, but let's be honest—they aren't always the most exciting gifts to wrap! I love finding ways to make a gift card feel a little more special, and this Santa-themed gift card holder does exactly that.

Rick Adkins
Aug 12


Christmas Cardmaking Tutorial: Create a Layered Ornament with Stencils and Die Cuts
I love when a Christmas card can look detailed and dimensional without requiring a complicated card layout. That was the idea behind this card. I wanted the ornament to be the star of the design, but I also wanted the background to have enough interest that the card didn't feel like a plain white panel with a large die cut sitting on top.
For this project, I combined stenciling, stamping, ink blending, and die cutting with several products from Emily Moore Designs. The res

Rick Adkins
Aug 8


Create a Layered Handmade Christmas Card with Stamping and Alcohol Markers
Christmas cards don't always have to be elegant or traditional. Sometimes the ones that get the biggest laugh are the ones people remember long after the holiday season is over. That's exactly what inspired today's card featuring the Merry Crisis Stamp Set from Unity Stamp Company. The whimsical Santa, adorable reindeer, and humorous sentiment immediately caught my attention, and I knew they deserved a design that felt just as fun without becoming overly busy.

Rick Adkins
Jul 30


Create a Sweet Christmas Card with the Pixi Dust Designs Gingerbread Bakery Die Set
There’s something about gingerbread-themed Christmas cards that instantly brings back memories of holiday baking, warm kitchens, and spending time with family. Even if you don't bake a single cookie during the season, those familiar shapes and cozy colors create a feeling that makes handmade Christmas cards extra special. That's exactly what inspired me while creating this card featuring the Pixi Dust Designs Gingerbread Bakery Die Set and Gingy Dress Up Stamp Set.

Rick Adkins
Jul 22


How to Create a Dimensional Christmas Card with Stamping and Fussy Cutting
It may be the middle of summer, but I love taking a break from seasonal heat to create a Christmas card or two. There’s something refreshing about pulling out holiday stamps, rich colors, and festive designs when they aren’t competing with the busy holiday season. "Christmas in July" is also the perfect opportunity to experiment with new techniques and build up your handmade Christmas card stash before December arrives.

Rick Adkins
Jul 19


Why You Need This Coffee Stamp Set for Your Holiday Crafts
If you caught my recent project on the Miss Ink Stamps blog, you already know I had a lot of fun creating a festive coffee-themed Christmas card. Over there, I walk through the project and show how I used the featured products to bring the design together. Here on my blog, though, I wanted to take a different approach. Instead of walking through the process again, I thought it would be more helpful to share the design decisions behind the card, what I learned while creating i

Rick Adkins
Jul 18


Santa Says Stamps & Dies Bundle: Easy Handmade Christmas Card Tutorial
There’s something about Christmas cards that brings me back to the basics of why I enjoy cardmaking so much. While it's tempting to reach for lots of embellishments and specialty techniques during the holidays, I often find that combining a fun stamped image with beautiful patterned paper creates a card that feels festive without becoming overwhelming. For this card, I reached for The Rabbit Hole Designs Santa Says Stamps & Dies Bundle and let the cheerful Santa take center s

Rick Adkins
Jul 11


Why I Chose a Bold Foiled Background for This Christmas Card
Sometimes the most interesting part of making a card isn't the technique itself—it's deciding how to let that technique shine. This project reminded me that when a background is this striking, the best design choice is often knowing when to stop adding more.

Rick Adkins
Jul 11


Easy Christmas Card Idea Using Pattern Paper
Christmas cards don't always have to be filled with traditional reds, greens, and bold holiday prints. Sometimes, choosing a softer color palette is enough to make a card stand out while still feeling festive. That's exactly what inspired today's project. I wanted to create a Christmas card with a light, cheerful feel that shows how pastel colors can work beautifully for the holiday season.

Rick Adkins
Jul 8


July 2026 New Release: Galaxy Pattern Paper Christmas Card with Santa Says Stamps
One of my favorite things about Christmas cardmaking is finding unexpected ways to create a festive design. While traditional reds, greens, and snowy scenes will always have a place on my craft table, sometimes it's fun to step outside those familiar colors and try something completely different. That's exactly what inspired this card featuring the new Santa Says Stamps and Die Bundle and Galaxy 6x6 Pattern Paper Pack from The Rabbit Hole Designs.

Rick Adkins
Jul 1


Two Quick and Easy Card Ideas: Perfect for Mass Producing Cards
When you need handmade cards in a hurry, it helps to have a simple design that still feels special. That’s exactly what inspired today’s pair of cards. I wanted to create something quick enough for busy crafting days, but with enough detail to make each card feel polished and thoughtful. By combining patterned paper, a simple fun fold, and a few layered embellishments, these cards come together in just minutes while still delivering that “wow” factor we all love.

Rick Adkins
Apr 25


Easy Clean & Simple Christmas Card | Baby’s First Christmas
There’s something so special about creating a clean & simple baby’s first Christmas card , and this project felt especially fitting for my Gingerbread Greetings Video Series for December 2025. For today’s card, I used the Baby’s 1st Christmas Stamp Set from The Rabbit Hole Designs to stamp the presents, toy train, and box car images onto Hammermill Smooth 100 lb Cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink . I kept the look soft and sweet by coloring everything with my Copic m

Rick Adkins
Dec 25, 2025


Clean & Simple Christmas Card Using a Nontraditional Color Palette
If you love clean & simple Christmas cards but want to step outside the usual red and green, this project is such a fun way to do it. I used the I Believe Stamp Set from Miss Ink Stamps and stamped the bold sentiment in pink ink right in the center of the card front, then built the design by stamping the playful underwear images around it in a dark brown ink. All of the images were colored with my Ohuhu Brush Markers , using a nontraditional yet seasonal color palette pul

Rick Adkins
Dec 20, 2025


You Know You're Old When You Want Socks For Christmas Card | Pixi Dust Designs
There’s something about a clean and simple Christmas card that really lets a fun focal image shine, and this Santa sock made me smile from start to finish. I cut all the parts for the Santa Sock from my scrap cardstock using the Snowman and Santa Sock Die Set from Pixi Dust Designs , which is perfect for using up those leftover bits we all seem to collect. A little ink blending around the edges added just enough depth, and once everything was assembled with liquid adhesive,

Rick Adkins
Dec 19, 2025


How to Make a Birthday Card with Christmas Stamps | Santa’s Workshop
If you love stretching your crafty stash, this cheerful birthday card is such a fun way to turn Christmas stamps into something completely new. I started by stamping the teddy bear, robot, two presents, and the adorable elf popping out of a gift from the Santa’s Workshop Stamp Set by Scrappy Boy Stamps . After coloring everything with my Ohuhu Brush Markers , I pulled patterns from the Love The Mouse 6x6 Paper Pack and matched my markers to the bright reds, blues, and yello

Rick Adkins
Dec 8, 2025


A Festive Joyeux Noël Duck Card with TRHD Stamps & Dies
Today’s project is one of those cards that just makes me smile from the moment the background comes together. I started with a smooth ink-blended panel and brought it to life using the Holiday Background Builder Stencil from The Rabbit Hole Designs. The star pattern was perfect for a festive night-sky feel, and adding Champagne Gold Stencil Butter to the top and bottom gave it that gorgeous, twinkly shimmer. To tie everything together, I created my own coordinating gold-edg

Rick Adkins
Nov 28, 2025


Oh Holy Night Nativity Card | 5x7 Christmas Card with Holly Jolly Stamps
Today I’m sharing a sweet and peaceful 5x7 nativity Christmas card created with the Holly Jolly Stamp Set , Holly Jolly Pixi Cuts , and the Oh Holy Night Sentiment Die from Pixi Dust Designs. I started by stamping the manger image onto Hammermill Smooth Cardstock and coloring everything with my Ohuhu Brush Markers to give the scene a soft, warm glow. Once everything was cut out with the coordinating Pixi Cuts, I moved on to the background—my favorite part. A fresh panel of

Rick Adkins
Nov 27, 2025


Quick & Easy Santa Christmas Card with Kraft & North Pole Pattern Papers
Today I’m sharing a sweet little project from my monthly Gingerbread Greetings Series, and this one is all about simple layers and warm kraft tones. I started by stamping the adorable Santa from the A Little Ho Ho Ho Stamp Set onto kraft cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink , then die-cut him with the Nested Postage Labels & Tag Etched Dies from Spellbinders. Coloring him with my Ohuhu Brush Markers gave him that soft, cozy look I love for holiday cards. Once he was r

Rick Adkins
Nov 25, 2025


Creating a Magical Mouse Shaped Christmas Gift Tag with Scrappy Boy Stamps
There’s just something extra special about a handmade Christmas tag, and this little mouse-shaped cutie might be one of my favorites yet! I started with the Mouse Ears Mini Album Die Set to create the shaped base, then reached for the Christmas Carol 6×6 Paper Pack and chose the gorgeous Christmas street-scene pattern to set the holiday mood. That stitched mouse head outline frames the background so sweetly, and once the base was ready, it was time to bring in the star of t

Rick Adkins
Nov 24, 2025
