Hello there, Terri here! Today I’m excited to share a fun and festive shaped card featuring the Jolly St. Nick product suite from Concord & 9th. I don’t often make shaped cards, but as soon as I saw this set, I knew I had to — I mean, why not? It’s such an easy card to make, and it even stands up on its own!
I start by die-cutting St. Nick’s head using the Jolly St Nick Die Set. I cut it from 110lb Neenah Solar White cardstock. I find that die-cutting first and then stencilling gives me the best results. I’m sure we’ve all had at least one occasion where we tried die-cutting afterward, only for the die to shift in the machine and spoil our card!
I place the die-cut St. Nick onto a grip mat (I use one from Waffle Flower). This keeps the die-cut securely in place and makes it easier to hold the stencil, too. The Jolly St Nick Stencil Set is numbered and have etched registration marks for easy alignment. I work my way through each stencil, taking colour inspiration from the packaging and from other crafters examples online.
I take a small blending brush and lightly blend a touch of brown and beige to create a soft, aged look — something I’m really into at the moment. Next, I stamp and die-cut the leaves and berries, then set them aside. Using one of the sentiments from the stamp set, I stamp “Merry Christmas” from the Jolly St Nick Stamp Set onto St. Nick’s beard, using the same green ink as his hat. Finally, I white heat-emboss my sub-sentiment onto red cardstock and die-cut it with the curved banner die from the Jolly St. Nick die set.
Now it’s time to create the shaped card base — and don’t worry, it’s super easy! I start with a folded A2 white card base and position the St. Nick die so it slightly overhangs the folded edge. Running it through the die-cut machine will give you a perfectly shaped card — just note, a tiny part of the beard will be cut off. "No worries here—we’ll be placing the stencilled Jolly St. Nick on top. Then I’ll add some cheerful berries and leaves to his hat, and tuck my banner sentiment right under his jolly moustache."
Here it is—a charming, festive Santa-shaped card! It’s perfect for batch-making, and you can even switch up the colours to create a delightful Santa-themed bunting.
