One Christmas Stamp Set, Four Completely Different Ideas | Winter Woodland Altenew

Card 1 — A Shaker Card

For my first card, I used the entire Winter Woodland image and heat embossed it in sparkling silver.

Instead of using the stamped image as a focal point in the usual way, I turned it into the background of a shaker card.

I added a frame and a soft ink blended poinsettia to the front, keeping the colors cool and wintry. I really like how the silver embossing catches the light when the card moves.

And because I know some people don't love bulky shaker cards that won't fit through a regular envelope, I also made sure this one can be flattened enough to mail. 

It's a good example of how changing the role of an image can completely change the finished card.

Card 2 — Cutting the Image Apart

For the second card, I stamped the Winter Woodland image onto dark blue cardstock and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.

But instead of keeping the whole image together, I cut it into two separate panels and framed those.

I then added very soft blue ink blending to the greenery and a blue ink-blended poinsettia to bring the two panels together.

I love how different this card feels from the shaker card, even though I started with exactly the same stamped image.

Sometimes we don't have to find another stamp set. We can simply cut the image differently.

Card 3 — Turning the Image Into a Background

For this third card, I used the Winter Woodland image in a completely different way again.

This time, I heat embossed small portions of the image on some places in clear embossing powder directly onto a spray colored background.

The stamped image isn't really the star of the card anymore. Instead, it becomes a subtle part of the mixed media background behind a little hot cocoa scene.

I added a frame, the stamped mug, cookies, spoon and sentiment, together with some greenery.

This is probably one of my favorite ways to stretch a stamp set: use small portions on a mixed media background and then build a completely different little scene on top of it.

The stamp set is still doing a part of the work, but it doesn't necessarily have to be the main focal point.

Card 4 — Let the Whole Image Take Center Stage

For the last card, I went back to the full Winter Woodland image, but this time I wanted it to really take center stage.

I heat embossed the entire image in gold and then created a red background with darker ink blending around the edges and a lighter area in the center.

I added a large sentiment with a gold vellum shadow and finished the card with some string and a wax seal.

This one is definitely more traditional than the others, but the same stamp set gives a completely different impression because of the colors, the embossing and the way the image fills the card.

And this is probably my favorite thing about using one stamp set in different ways: the stamp set itself doesn't change, but the card can feel completely different.

A Little Video Inspiration

I also made a short video for the Altenew Fan Group where I show all four cards and talk a little about how I used the Winter Woodland set differently for each one.

I also included some gift tags I made with the same stamp set, so you can see that the possibilities don't have to stop with cards! 

These aren't meant to be perfect or incredibly complicated cards. My goal with this takeover is to give you ideas to get started.

If you have ever sat down to make Christmas cards and thought, “I have no idea what to make…” I hope these examples give you a starting point. And maybe you think of many more ways to use it!

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed making these four cards because it forced me to stop looking at the Winter Woodland stamp set in just one way.  And it reminded me that sometimes our existing supplies have many more possibilities than we give them credit for.

So before you add another Christmas stamp set to your shopping cart… Have a look at the ones you already have and see what else you can do with them.  You might surprise yourself!

And if you want to see even more Christmas inspiration, don't forget to check out the Tag, You're It! challenge from my takeover too. Some of the tags were made with this same Winter Woodland stamp set.