There is just something about pink and blue for Christmas! I love stepping away from the traditional reds and greens sometimes, and this color combination gives a holiday card such a fun and playful feel.
For today's card, I'm creating with the Mugs & Kisses Collection from Spellbinders. This collection has so many adorable die-cutting details, and these little penguin mugs immediately caught my attention.
Starting with the Die Cuts
When I'm working with a die-heavy set like this one, I usually start by choosing a handful of cardstock colors and just start cutting! Sometimes I'll even cut the same pieces in a few different colors so I can play around with combinations before committing to the final design.
For these penguins, I kept the color palette pretty simple with pink and soft blue. Once I put the two mugs together and set them next to each other, I loved how they looked like little Christmas besties! From there, I knew I wanted them both on the card.
Finding the Right Background
The background actually took me a little longer to figure out. I first tried an embossed panel, but because I didn't have the coordinating dies for the sentiment, I needed a background where I could stamp my sentiment directly onto the card.
Next, I tried a pierced snowflake cover plate. I loved the look, but I ran into the same problem—it didn't give me the clean space I wanted for my sentiment.
That's when I pulled out one of my favorites, the Faux Watercolor Stencil from Pretty Pink Posh. I love this stencil, and you'll probably see me use it a lot! It adds just enough interest to a background without taking away from the main elements of the card.
Using magnets and a little tape to hold everything in place, I blended some Distress Oxide ink through the stencil. The soft wash of color brought the background to life while still leaving me plenty of room to stamp "Sending Mugs and Kisses" directly onto the panel.
Putting It All Together
Once the background was finished, it was time to add my little penguin besties. I used foam tape behind the mugs to give them some dimension and make them pop off the card.
And with that, the card was complete! I love how the pink and blue color palette gives this Christmas card a completely different feel from the traditional holiday colors—and these two penguin mugs just make me smile.
Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope this inspires you to try an unexpected Christmas color combination or to keep experimenting when your first background idea doesn't quite work. Sometimes a little pivot ends up being exactly what a card needs!
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