Skating Into the Holidays | Vintage Christmas Cards Tutorial

Hello I am Sweta and I am so excited to share my latest batch of vintage Christmas cards with you today! As the holiday season approaches, the calendar fills up rapidly and craft time becomes precious. Working ahead to build up your holiday card stash before the busy season begins is one of the best ways to enjoy stress-free card making. For this project, I decided to batch six cheerful holiday cards featuring vintage ice skates filled with festive poinsettias, fresh winter greenery, and sweet pink postcard backgrounds.

When batching detailed die-cut cards, selecting sturdy papers with rich textures and striking colors ensures every card looks crisp and luxurious. Consequently, I selected a curated palette of cardstocks directly from CutCardStock to assemble this set of six. I chose DCS Poodle Skirt Pink to die-cut the postage-edge postcard panels. For the vintage skates, I paired the soft shimmer of Stardream Metallic Soft White Eris with DCS Vanilla Bean Brown soles and DCS Shimmer Textured Winter Grey blades and laces. Next, I assembled the layered poinsettias using Lessebo Colors Premium Dawn Maroon and DCS Red Pepper. For the lush greenery, I combined Lessebo Colors Hunter Green, DCS Canvas Textured Bonsai Green, and DCS Canvas Textured Scottish Highlands Green. Finally, I brought in sparkling CCS Gold Glitter Cardstock for the berries and centers, all mounted onto heavy Classic CREST Smooth Solar White 130 lb bases.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Batch Die Cutting the Pieces

To begin, I cut all the components from the Spellbinders Skating Into the Holidays die set. Because I planned to assemble six complete cards, I cut enough pieces in one sitting to keep assembly organized. I cut the skate boots from Stardream Metallic Soft White Eris, the soles from Vanilla Bean Brown, and the blades plus delicate laces from Winter Grey. Next, I cut the poinsettias from Dawn Maroon and Red Pepper, the varied greenery from Hunter Green, Bonsai Green, and Scottish Highlands Green, and the berry clusters from CCS Gold Glitter. Furthermore, I cut six postcard panels from Poodle Skirt Pink using the Allison Hutson Postage die.

2. Assembling the Ice Skates and Florals

Next, I assembled each pair of skates using Bearly Art liquid glue. I adhered the brown soles directly beneath the pearlescent boots and tucked the shimmery grey blades in place. Afterward, I glued the intricate grey laces over each skate front. For the poinsettias, I layered the bright red petals over the deeper maroon base pieces and glued a sparkling gold glitter cluster directly into each flower center.

3. Stamping Sentiments and Positioning Foliage

Before adhering the elements, I checked my spacing on the pink postage panels to ensure the greeting would fit neatly on the top right. Using Ground Espresso Distress Oxide ink, I stamped “HAPPY HOLIDAYS” directly onto the upper portion of each panel. Then, I arranged the pine sprigs, holly leaves, and gold glitter berries to peek out from the top of the skates.

4. Adding Foam Tape Dimension

Once the layout was set, I secured the greenery directly behind the skates with liquid glue. To give the focal arrangement dramatic lift, I placed foam tape behind the ice skate boots and mounted them onto the pink panel. Furthermore, I added small pieces of foam tape underneath the poinsettia petals to lift the festive blooms for extra shadow and depth.

5. Stamping Stars and Final Card Assembly

After assembling the focal piece, I felt the card needed one more whimsical touch to tie everything together. Consequently, I inked up small star stamps with Ground Espresso ink and stamped a scattering of stars across the background. This simple step balanced the open spaces beautifully. For the final step, I mounted each completed postage panel directly onto an A2 card base made from Classic CREST Smooth Solar White 130 lb. Having six cards completed ahead of time makes holiday mailing effortless!

Thank you all for stopping by today! I hope these retro skates inspire you to jump-start your holiday card batching early this year. Before you head to your craft room, make sure to join the CutCardStock Facebook Group! It is the perfect place to find daily inspiration, connect with fellow makers, and share your own gorgeous creations. I can’t wait to see you there!

Until next time, stay crafty!

Sweta

The Supply List

• Cardstock:
  • Classic CREST Smooth 130 lb DTC – 8.5×11 Cardstock – Solar White (Sturdy A2 Card Bases)
  • DCS Discount Card Stock: textured Poodle Skirt Pink Card Stock – 8.5×11 inch / 20 sheets (Postage Edge Card Panels)
  • Stardream Metallic Sparkly Soft White ERIS 8.5 x 11 Card Stock – 74 lb (200 gsm) / 25 sheets (Vintage Ice Skates)
  • DCS Discount Card Stock: Vanilla Bean Brown Card Stock – 8.5×11 inch / 20 sheets (Skate Heels & Soles)
  • DCS Shimmer Textured Winter Grey 8.5×11 Discount Card Stock – 20 sheets (Skate Blades & Laces)
  • Lessebo Colors Premium DAWN MAROON 83lb Cardstock – 25 sheets (Poinsettia Base Layer)
  • DCS Discount Card Stock: Red Pepper Card Stock – 8.5×11 inch / 20 Sheets (Poinsettia Top Petals & Holly Berries)
  • Lessebo Colors HUNTER GREEN 83lb Cardstock – 25 sheets (Pine Sprigs & Winter Foliage)
  • DCS Discount Card Stock: Canvas Textured Bonsai Green – 8.5×11 inch – 20 sheets (Smooth Leaf Elements)
  • DCS Discount Card Stock: Canvas Textured Scottish Highlands Green Card Stock – 8.5×11 inch / 20 sheets (Evergreen Sprigs)
  • CCS Gold 8.5×11 Glitter 74 lb Discount Card Stock – 10 Sheets (Poinsettia Centers & Glitter Berries)
• Dies & Stamps: Spellbinders Skating Into the Holidays Dies (July 2024 Small Die of the Month), Allison Hutson Postage Die, holiday sentiment stamp, star accent stamps.
• Inks & Adhesives: Ranger Distress Oxide Ink in Ground Espresso, Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue, foam tape, acrylic stamping block.