Walking in a Whimsical Wonderland

Whimsical describes something playfully quaint, fanciful, imaginative and slightly odd … often suggesting a lighthearted, unpredictable or charmingly unusual quality not based on strict logic. 

We're asking you to use that definition and make a Whimsical holiday card … it might be mice decorating the holiday tree, a modern wreath, some fun little holiday gnomes, or whatever says whimsical to you.

Here is how we walked through a whimsical wonderland this week.

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I got the Spellbinders Fragmented Gaze Dies by Jaycee Gaspar this week, and I thought it would be "whimsical" to try to turn her into a sassy version of Mrs. Claus (I guess you could say I went with the imaginative and perhaps slightly odd).  I started by using Mirror Ball Luxe Silver Glitter paper as the base (not realizing it would give her a rather creepy glittery eyeball, which I solved with a few cardstock scraps).  I had fun combining some designer papers with cardstock in a holiday palette.  I finished by hand-cutting her Santa Hat that I adorned with some jeweled holly and attaching her to a de-bossed minty card base.  I finished with what seemed like the perfect holiday sentiment from My Favorite Things Sassy Pants Holiday."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "My friend Gina wrapped my holiday gifts in super-cute Hello Kitty holiday paper; which of course I saved carefully and backed with cardstock. Then I cut out alllllll of those presents, trees and Kitties. (Yes, I am indeed nuts; thank you for asking.) I wanted my whole background to be that pale green snowflake paper, but alas there wasn't enough. As it turns out, I think that was a good thing, because it completely changed how I used the tiny cut out houses and trees... for the better! The pine tree background is ancient Pebbles; the scrap of plaid is, I believe, Echo Park; and also quite elderly."

♥♥♥

JB2607: Walking in a Whimsical Wonderland will run until 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, April 8th. Link your wonderful, whimsical greetings right here:

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Thrice as Nice

Creating with trios is fun and satisfying, as everyone who linked up this ofrtnight has proven pretty conclusively! If you haven't scrolled through the Readers' Gallery, we highly recommend the trip. In the meantime, here are (coincidenally!) three cards that especially caught our eye:

Helen of Helen's Craft Haven

...notes humorously in her post that she realized we did not *literally* ask for cards with Three Kings, but when she realized she could do that, it was impossible to resist. We couldn't agree more!

Robyn Oliver of Waterlily Cards

...made this trio of elegant baubles by dipping an empty bathroom tissue roll in watercolor paint, then filling in the circles with sparkly shimmering color!

Jolanda Johnstone of The Inque Spot Studio

...went all in with glorious gold: gold paper, gold foil, gold embossing; this card is most definitely "good as gold"! 

♥♥♥

Many thanks to all who participated. We'll be back at Midnight with a brand new prompt we hope will warm your whimsical heart!

Tinsel Trios

We're still creating in threes this week ... asking you to include 3 of something on your card design.

Here are our Tinsel Trios:

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "I have about half a sheet left of PhotoPlay's Ugly Sweater Party patterned paper, and I must confess that I've never used it in any other way than I've done here; I really only want to cut out the cute little sweaters and put them on cards. So much so, that I had cut out four or five sweaters to make my THREE-centric card before remembering I either had to put some aside or make two cards with three sweaters. Obviously, I chose the latter course. I used my Elizabethcraft Planner Filmstrip die to hold the sweater trios and I computer-generated my silly sentiment, Don we now our ugly sweaters."

 

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "This week's card is an homage to my grandma ... she had a desk in her living room that she filled with all sorts of papers and stickers for her grandkids to play with.  I remember these National Wildlife Association and other charity stickers and stamps.  I also spent hours filling S&H Green Stamp books and choosing what I wanted to buy with them (we saved them up to get my first Black & Decker Teflon Iron for me to take to collage).  I finished with two trios of enamel dots and a three-word Tim Holtz Label sticker sentiment on a kraft card base.  She would have loved it."

We THREE Kings

The next Jingle Belles prompt is asking you to create a card with THREE of one element: three circles, three reindeer, three packages under the Christmas Tree ... you get the picture.

Here are our THREE point shots for this week:

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I started with three vintage chipboard ornament stickers from my stash that I topped with three chipboard snowflake stickers.  For my background, I stamped Simon Says Stamp White Christmas Text on the background in white ink and embossed with white embossing powder for subtle texture.  I finished with a sentiment from Hero Arts Holiday Borders and Icons.  I attached all of the pieces with foam tape on the white-on-white background."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "My card was inspired by three vintage kittens, as you can see. In addition my A6 card has a few more threes: three torn patterned paper pieces and three pieces of doily. I kept trying to add "one more thing" but nothing really seemed right, so I attached the sentiment, did a bit of machine stitching and called it good."

♥♥♥

JB2606: We Three Kings runs until 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, March 25th. 

Link your card(s) right here:

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Singing Along

How delightful to see so many Jingle Belles singing along with our "Fa-la-la-la-la" challenge to incorporate music, instruments or a holiday song title. If you haven't yet seen all the entries in the Readers' Gallery, we highly recommend a little scroll through all of the musical inspiration. In the meantime, here are three cards that especially caught our eye:

Brenda B of Brenda's Scraps of Life

...stamped a beautiful creche scene over the music for "Away in a Manger" using neutral tones with  touches of gold for a look that's soft, sweet and elegant. 

Susan B of Cardmaker's Garret

...made these bold copper-colored watercolor bells the centerpiece of her gorgeous CAS card which also features lots of background texture and a perfectly appropriate sentiment!

Jo from Jo Blogs

...chose a cute and comical caroling kitty to be the star of her charming and adorable greeting! (Bonus points for the super cool Fa-La-La-La-La sky!)

♥♥♥

And now let's find out who will be acquiring that very cool CUTplorations Doodled Christmas Bells Cover Plate Die from Stamplorations:

The Random Number Generator has chosen...

(drumroll, please)

Lucky Number 6!

which means that

Jolanda Johnstone of The Inque Spot Studio

is our Lucky Winner!

CONGRATS!

Please send your snail mail info to

llaurenb (at) hotmail (dot) com 

so we can get that on its way to you ASAP!

♥♥♥

Many thanks to all who participated. We'll be back at Midnight with a brand new prompt that's easy as one... two... three!

A Caroling We Will Go

We're still celebrating Christmas Music this week.  We're asking you to create a card (or tag, or gift card holder, or whatever else you'll be needing for the holidays) that incorporates music, musical instruments, or even the title of a favorite Christmas Carol.

Here's what we're singing:

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "I used a vertical strip of real (torn) sheet music; some horizontal music-printed washi tape; and a tiny journal card with "Deck the Halls" on it, so I think I've covered all the bases. The background paper is from 49 & Market; the ancient slide mount frame is of unknown origin; and the foliage diecuts were leftover from another project... the dies were Tim Holtz for Sizzix Christmas Greenery. I cannot tell a lie: I love how this tuned out!"

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie said, "I flipped over the vintage sheet music I had used for last weeks card, and decided to scan the other side for this week's card.  I cut it into a square to use it with the BYSH Cardmakers Sketch.  I stamped three sets of Jingle Bells from Hero Arts Comfort and Joy Messages.  I finished with a sentiment from the same set."

And to celebrate the reopening of the STAMPlorations Store, we're sharing the CUTplorations Doodled Christmas Bells Cover Plate Die which one lucky (randomly chosen) participant will receive:

Fa-La-La-La-La

This fortnight we're celebrating one of our favorite aspects of the holidays at Jingle Belles... Christmas Music! 

We're asking you to create a card (or tag, or gift card holder, or whatever else you'll be needing for the holidays) that incorporates music, musical instruments, or even the title of a favorite Christmas Carol.

Here's how we're singing this week:

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I started by scanning a piece of sheet music from my stash and shrinking it down to work with my card front.  I added a strip of silver vellum down the left side.  Next I edged the lovely and peaceful scene from STAMPlorations Snowy Christmas Journal Cards in black ink to frame it for the musical background.  I added a sentiment from STAMPlorations Good Tidings Clear Stickers, attaching them both with foam tape for dimension."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "I used Ranger's White Embossing Powder with Simon Hurley's create. Sheet Music Background Stamp on white cardstock, then added a nice dark coat of Best Dressed Archival Ink on top; plus a little flick of Dina Wakley White Gloss Spray. The sweet chickadee image is an older Masterpieces Made Simple card from Penny Black, which I trimmed down just a tiny bit, and adorned with Eyelet Outlet Snowflake Brads. I matted both panels on gold cardstock, added a square of older Ciao Bella paper, a Tim Holtz Christmas Sticker Sentiment and a wrap of crinkly seambinding to complete this dramatic 5.5" square card."

♥♥♥

And to celebrate the reopening of the STAMPlorations Store, we're sharing the CUTplorations Doodled Christmas Bells Cover Plate Die which one lucky (randomly chosen) participant will receive:

JB2605: Fa-La-La-La-La runs until 6pm (Eastern) on the evening of Wednesday, March 11th. Link your music-centric card(s) right here:

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Well RED!

RED was the featured shade this fortnight and everyone who linked up was definitely RED-dy to Roll! If you've not yet checked out the Readers' Gallery, we highly recommend a little scroll through all of outstanding inspiration. In the meantime, here are three cards that especially caught our eye:

Helen of Made by Helen

...went above and beyond when it came to making her card predominantly RED. We love how much texture and interest she incorporated, as well; plus the brilliant way she used white to set off all of the different panels and layers!

Claudia of Claudia's Kaartjes

...went to town with glorious and dramatic elements: layers, textures, trimmings, dimensional flowers, a fancy fold and yes, LOTS of gorgeous RED!

Cindy of @encrepapierciseaux on Instagram

...made a card that's beautiful by any standard; not to mention a FABULOUS example of how to use not only mostly RED but solid RED with accents of gold, white and loads of texture; Bravo!

♥♥♥

Many thanks to all who participated. We'll be back at Midnight with a brand new prompt we hope will have everyone singing along!

Snoopy vs. the ♥♥RED♥♥ Baron

We're still Celebrating Rudolph (and the RED Baron) at Jingle Belles this week by creating cards that primarily feature the color RED.

Here is how we created with RED this week:

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "I am fairly proud of how many scraps of RED patterned paper I combined to make this card (for the record, it's nine); and also the fact that I unearthed and used not one, not two, not three... but FOUR ancient border punches to do so! There are also eight (RED!) stickers; three (RED!) Eyelet Outlet brads and two (RED!) circle diecuts involved. I sewed around the edges to keep the edges on all those borders from curling up and called it a RED-letter day."

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "One thing I like to do when I'm working on a single color design is to pull out all of the scraps of designer paper I have in my scrap bin that are in that color and see what comes together.  Once I did that this week, I decided to cut mostly 5/8" strips of cardstock and create a quilted background (a few were slightly wider or narrower because it worked with the design like the tiny poinsettias in the bottom right).  Since the scrap of cardstock I used for the base was a long rectangle, I ended-up cutting it down into a slimline size.  I added a Simple Stories Holly Jolly Page Pieces Santa and a stamped sentiment from Simon Says Stamp The Man, The Myth."

♥♥♥

Link your (mostly) RED cards on the original post by Wednesday evening, February 25th. 

Rudolph the RED Nosed Reindeer

Are you RED-dy or another new prompt? 

This time, in honor of Valentine's Day, the brief is to make a card that's predominantly... you guessed it... RED! ♥

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I started with a fun Doodlebug Design Santa all dressed in red.  Next I added a stamped sentiment from Concord & 9th Mistletoe Messages in red.  The finishing touch was a two tone red designer paper framed with a thin layer of black and mounted on a red card base."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "I love using the holly dies from Wendy Vecchi's Christmas Add-On Set for her Essential Envelopes to construct double-layer poinsettias. Then I added foliage and hearts from the same set and a couple of Eyelet Outlet Poinsettia Brads to the centers. I placed all of the above on top of a stacked-diamond background pattern made from lots of RED patterned paper scraps that I built on top of some ancient (RED!) My Mind's Eye patterned paper."

♥♥♥

JB2604: Rudolph the RED Nosed Reindeer runs until 6pm (Eastern) on the evening of Wednesday, February 25th. Link your fabulous (RED!) card(s) right here!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Marvelous Mid Century Modern Inspiration

What a fun time we've had admiring the beautiful retro-inspired cards interpreting that fun Mid Century Modern holiday room. If you've not yet checked out the Readers' Gallery, we highly recommend a little scroll through all of the awesome cards. In the meantime, here are three that especially caught our eye this time: 

Deb Horst of Sendable Sentiments

...took inspiration from the colors in the photo, the maximalist ornaments AND --perhaps our favorite thing-- the yellow-dotted paper is representing the circle-bulbed light fixture!

Deanne of A Little Bit O' Paper

...raided her stash of older, vintage-inspired papers to create this beautiful card that references the traditional colors and glorious retro vibes of the photo!

Fabiola of Mon P'tit Monde

...found a retro-themed card kit in her stash that features patterned paper with vintage baubles; a snowman of similar vibe to the fun figurines; and the palette of neutrals with pops of bold mid-century colors!

♥♥♥

Many thanks to all who participated. We'll be back at Midnight with a brand new prompt we hope will help your paint the town (...or at least some of the cards in it...) RED!

Mid Century Modern Inspiration

We're still making cards inspired by this wonderfully intricate Mid Century Modern Holiday Decor photo and YOU are still invited to join the fun! Remember, you can use ANY aspect(s) of the photo that appeal to you (be sure and tell us what they were) and you needn't go full-on retro if that isn't your style.

Here's how we were inspired this time:

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "This week I chose to focus on that beautiful Christmas tree with its red, green and gold baubles and oversized star; which I recreated using Simon Hurley's Classic Christmas Tree Die Set from Spellbinders. I couldn't resist breaking out the woodgrain patterned paper again, and found another piece of so-old-I-can't-believe-I-have-it Daisy D's retro-inspired paper for the background."

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "I built my card arount this pointy-hatted Santa from Pebbles Cozy & Bright collection that reminded me of the Santa on the mantel.  I also saw white reindeer on the mantel, so I added one of those from the same paper collection.  Next was a sentiment square cut from a tag in the same collection - all arranged on a Mintay woodgrain paper background to pull in the wood from the room.  I finished with label sticker sentiments that reminded me of my childhood that was near this design period."

JB2603: Mid Century Modern Christmas runs until 6pm (Eastern) next Wednesday, February 11th. Link your card(s) on the original post, directly below this one.

Mid Century Modern Christmas

This week we're asking you to create a card inspired by this lovely Mid Century Modern Christmas photo from Edward George:

You might take your inspiration from the fun little Santas, the unique patterns and colors on the Christmas Trees, or even the Reindeer or gold star on the top of the Christmas Tree.  Just make sure you tell us how you were inspired in your post.

Here's what inspired our cards this week:

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I started with this fun vintage Santa die cut from Pretty Little Studio that reminded me of the one on the fireplace mantle.  Next, I found a piece of grey designer paper from 49th & Market to bring in the grey of the stone fireplace.  I also matted it on a grey card base.  I added a green stitches sticker from Pretty Little Studio down the left side before attaching my Santa and Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz Tiny Text Christmas Sentiment with foam tape."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "The first thing I noticed in the photo was alllllllllll of that beautiful blonde wood. The walls, the mantel, even the small glimpses of the floor and ceiling we can see at the edges of the picture are covered in it. And since one of the "niche" collections inside my massive papercrafting stash happens to be woodgrain papers, I was pretty sure I could find one (or as it turned out three) woodgrain papers that would/WOOD work! I also stumbled upon some *ancient* Daisy D's retro-themed holiday paper which I cut into little shapes with my Hero Arts Fancy Ornament Infinity Dies, surrounded by shimmering stars and a (woodgrain, of course!) sentiment."

♥♥♥

JB2613: Mid Century Modern Christmas runs until 6pm (Eastern) on the evening of Wednesday, February 11th. Link your cards right here:

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Combining the Old and the New

We had so many beautiful cards combining new crafty items with older stash this fortnight; if you haven't taken time to check out the Readers' Gallery, we highly recommend a little scroll through all of the fine inspiration. In the meantime, here are three cards that especially caught our eye:

Urska of Ustvarjalni Oblacki

...combined beautiful old and new cutting dies, and used a striking palette of green, gold and brown to make her lovely and appealing card.

Iona Bunny of Crafty Nomad

...used an older corner frame die to create a gorgeous shaker card that would hold the beautiful new (PINK!) sequins she got for Christmas!

Bobby of Bits and Pieces Designs

...revisited an older stamp from (the sadly missed) Ellen Hutson with a brand new sentiment die on her artful and elegant card.

♥♥♥

Many thanks to all who participated. We'll be back at Midnight with a brand new prompt we hope will result in a Photo Finish!

Old + New + Joy!

It's week two of our "Something Old... Something New" prompt and we hope you're enjoying it as much as we are. Just a reminder that we'd like to see holiday cards on which you combine an item or two that you've had in your craft stash for a bit; with something new that you received for the holidays... or shopped for yourself!

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "I've had this adorable Simon Says Stamp Gnome Die for a couple of years, and I cannot imagine how I've never used it before?! In a way, it's both old and new, but I'm counting it as my NEW this week; whereas everything else --papers, ribbon, label tab sticker, etc-- are not only OLD but were in my stash as either scraps or things that I had pre-cut (snowflakes) or pre-made (lattice tag) so this c

5.5" square card came together very quickly!"

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "I started my card with the new Tim Holtz Sizzix Side Kick Side-Order - Christmas Mini's for the little snowman and the embossed red panel.  For my CAS design I added some vintage red gems to his top had and an older die cut sentiment from PaperTrey Ink Line It Up: Christmas Dies."

♥♥♥

Scroll down to the original post to see the Readers' Gallery and link your own Old + New masterpiece(s)! JB2602: Something Old... Something New runs until the evening of Wednesday, January 28th. 

Something Old... Something New

You've probably guessed from the title, "Something Old... Something New" that this fortnight  we'd like to see holiday cards on which you combine an item or two that you've had in your craft stash for a bit together with something new that you received for the holidays... or shopped for yourself (we all know we can be our own best Santa)! 

Here's how we mixed the OLD with the NEW this week:

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "My new is Hero Arts Hero Arts A Little Merri-Mint stamps & coordinating dies that Santa Stephanie gifted me for Christmas (I love how she always knows exactly what I want LOL). I paired it with a snarky sentiment for the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers.  The old (but embarrassingly never used) is the Nordic Frames Die from The Greetery together with white pearls that I'm guessing have been hanging around for at least 10 years."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "My NEW things consist of: lots of stickers from the Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Christmas Sticker Book I treated myself to; a brand new pack of EO Angel Brads that I got last summer, promptly lost and just now found again (yay!); and snowflakes diecut from very cool sticky-back felt that a friend gifted me. The OLD stuff is... everything else, lol; including: papers from Prima's Pretty Pale collection; doily scraps; gold glitter cardstock; and chipboard letter diecuts made from well-patina-ed vintage sheet music."

JB2602: Something Old... Something New runs until 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, January 28th. Link your cards right here:

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wrapping Up...

...the first prompt of 2026 and WOW, everyone did such an amazing job making gorgeous cards featuring giftwrap, tags. printed tissue paper and even a mulberry paper giftbag! If you haven't checked ou the Readers' Gallery, we highly recommend a little scroll through all of the fine inspiration. In the meantime, here are three cards that especially caught our eye:

Susan Culotti posting on Instagram

...made a background from gorgeous evergreen patterned tissue paper, used a charming scallop-edge die and then colored her stamped images to match PERFECTLY!

Willa Coates posting on Pinterest

...used beautiful metallic texty giftwrap, then added a simple faux bow and coordinating cardbase for an idea that is as simple as it is beautiful!

Bonnie Klass of Stamping with Klass

...rescued not one, not two, but THREE beautiful gift tags, added them to embossed backgrounds, chose a few embellies, et VOILA: her 2026 holiday card stash is off to a great start!

♥♥♥

And now it's time to see who has scored the very cool Christmas Baubles #2 Layering Dies from STAMPlorations

Would you believe the Random Number Generator chose...

Lucky #1!

Which means that @susan_culotti is our lucky winner!

♥

Please send your snailmail info to 

llaurenb (at) hotmail (dot) com'

and we'll get that on its way to you, ASAP!

Many thanks to all who participated, you're all off to a fabulous crafty start for this New Year! We'll be back at Midnight with a brand new prompt we hope will delight our friends, both Old and New! ;)