Step by Step Tutorial: Non-traditional Blue & Gold Combo For The Holidays

Hello there, Michelle Short here to share a step-by-step tutorial using the City Holiday Collection by Yana Smakula. This is such a stunning collection! Today my focus is on the beautiful Christmas Cracker Etched Dies. I am not a huge fan of the traditional red, green, and gold colour combo for holiday cards. I’m not even a huge fan of gold to be honest with you, but where it shines? With dark blue! So, I went with a dark blue and gold colour combo for my card, throwing in a bit of green and red too!

STEP 1 – DIE CUTTING THE CRACKER + FOLIAGE

1. Cut pieces of cardstock to be slightly larger than the size of the dies.
2. Place the outside die of the cracker onto Cosmic Sky ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape. Place the inside detail die inside and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
3. Place ribbon, bow, and outside pieces of cracker dies onto Glitter Metallic Gold Treasured Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape (note that the tape will not hold the dies down well, but I still like to use it as it helps to keep them in place a little bit).
4. Place fern dies onto Fern ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
5. Place holly dies onto Rainforest ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
6. Place berry stem die onto Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
7. Place base layer of berries onto Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock, and a top layer onto Pomegranate ColorWheel Cardstock, and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

TIP: Holding dies down with tape prevents them from shifting when going through the die-cutting machine. Use a low-tack tape like Best Ever Craft Tape so that it removes easily from the cardstock.

8. Create your die cutting plate sandwich – (bottom to top) A Platform Base, B Platform Top, C Cutting Plate, cardstock pieces with dies on top, C Cutting Plate.
9. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.
10. Remove dies from cardstock and pop out die cuts.

11. Place outside die of cracker onto Glitter Metallic Gold Treasured Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
12. Place outside die and inside die for sentiment onto Cosmic Sky ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
13. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine to die cut them out.
14. Repeat process to cut outside die for sentiment from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.

STEP 2 – CREATE CARD BASE

1. Create an A2-sized card base from Cosmic Sky ColorWheel Cardstock.
2. Place onto Sticky Mat to hold in place while adding ink blending.
3. Using an Extra Large Blending Brush, blend Nautical Ink around the edges of the card.

TIP: Adding ink blending around the edge of a card in a slightly darker colour than the card base helps to bring your eye into the focal point.

STEP 3 – ASSEMBLE CRACKER + FOLIAGE

1. Apply Bearly Art Glue onto the back of the blue cracker piece.
2. Adhere to gold glitter cracker base.
3. Adhere side pieces onto the back of the cracker, so that a little pokes out the sides.

TIP: When adhering onto glitter paper, be aware that the glue may take a little longer to dry than normal.

4. Add a line of glue onto the crackers and adhere ribbon pieces on top.
5. Adhere bows on top.

6. Adhere red top layer of berries onto bottom white layer.
7. Adhere onto the ends of the stem pieces.

8. Add glue onto the back of the blue part of the sentiment.
9. Adhere onto the white base layer.

STEP 4 – ASSEMBLE THE CARD

10. Cut bottom of ferns off to make them shorter using scissors.
11. Adhere to card using Bearly Art Glue.
12. Adhere holly leaf piece on top.
13. Adhere third fern piece facing towards the bottom of the card.

14. Adhere berry stems onto the card.
15. Adhere individual holly leaves onto the card.

When adhering the foliage to the card, use the cracker as a guide for where to place them. Refrain from adding glue all the way to the tips of the foliage, so that they are not adhered completely flat.  This creates some dimension without adding any foam tape.

1. Add glue onto the back of the cracker.
2. Adhere to card, at an angle, in the middle of the foliage.

3. Add foam squares onto the right side of the sentiment.
4. Remove backings off of foam tape (I like to use tweezers for this) and adhere to card, overlapping the cracker on the left side.

5. Adhere Gold Mix Color Essentials Gems around the foliage to finish.

I really love how this card turned out! I just love that cracker, and I think the foliage around it helps to add that extra festive touch! Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Other Supplies

Hero Arts Nautical Core Ink, Hero Arts Extra Large Ink Blending Brush.