Learn how you can make FOUR holiday cards from ONE card sketch using some easy adaptations!

Today I am sharing an idea for making four holiday cards from one card sketch – all different, all adorable and all easy! Once you see how you can adapt a card sketch with different patterns, focal elements and accents, your card design gears will start to spin and you will have endless ideas popping! First, take a look at the sketch:

I’ve turned the sketch to show you how you can orient this design either vertically or horizontally. When you see a card sketch you like, try turning it different ways to see what other layouts you can create – some of them look like they are “one way” but when you start playing around, you will see that they are almost ALL totally versatile! 

You can slide your focal element to one side, center it, add it above or below your spanning feature – I usually place them here and there and see what speaks to me. I use a spanning strip here to give that focal element something to be anchored to but if your background pattern gives you the same effect, you can skip the strip!

Now when you start with patterned paper, like I did with these gorgeous designs from Rubbernecker’s Ho Ho Ho Paper Pad, you can use the pattern to help you choose your focal element. I LOVE using these new patterned card stock panels as card backgrounds because the overall design means I have less “work” to do on the background and can really pack my focal elements and accents with detail.

Let’s look at each card individually. I’ve listed the products I’ve used for each one above the photo. I will be honest with you and share that at the latest show, this Ho Ho Ho Paper Pad was EXTREMELY popular and I am just a little worried that it will sell out. If these cards really strike your fancy or you’ve been planning to grab one, I recommend you do this sooner rather than later. No one wants to be in a panic waiting for something to make their cards!

Ho Ho Ho 6×6 Paper Pad, Winter Cocoa, Winter Village, Tiny Ornaments

For this card, I pulled the idea of a tasty treat from the design of the patterned card stock and created that decorated mug of cocoa with a sweet tangle of tiny ornaments on a golden string. In this case, the dies did ALL the work and all I had to do was line everything up and stick it together!

Ho Ho Ho 6×6 Paper Pad, Holly #2, Wreath Set and Greenery #1

For this card, a simple little cluster of winter foliage – all made with dies and a teeny bit of shaping – was all it needed to add a festive feeling to that pretty repeat pattern.

Ho Ho Ho 6×6 Paper Pad, Slimline Christmas Tree, Christmas Minis and Christmas Cheer Clear Set.

This card just BEGGED me for a tree under which all the presents in the background could go! I used my crimper on both the span strip and the tree to help build out some texture, layered the tree pieces and just popped on some little red ornaments and this card almost made itself!

Ho Ho Ho 6×6 Paper Pad, Santa With Presents, Santa’s Sleigh, Flying Reindeer, Deckle Hills

And last, I loved the look of this Santa character in his sleigh against that paper! This card is just a teeny bit more complicated than the others but it’s still relatively simple and if you wanted to make a stack of these, very doable in steps.

I am going to share each of these cards in their own posts so you can get every little step, tip and trick I use to make them so come back and watch for them. As I’ve said before, I love making super duper detailed cards and I also love making more quick and easy cards, especially when they are cute as these four holiday cards from one card sketch! Come back to get the details and if you haven’t already, start thinking about what YOU want to make and send this year!