Stretch Your Holiday Stamps! Elegant Non-Holiday Cards: Yippee for Yana 
Hi friend! Please join me in welcoming back the oh-so-talented and amazing Yana Smakula! (Please note: our dear friend Yana is Ukrainian. To show support to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, please see Yana’s post HERE.)
Hello, crafters, this is Yana Smakula for Simon Says Stamp! Welcome back for another Yippee For Yana video! Holiday stamps don’t have to be limited to one season — and today I’m sharing how to stretch a Christmas floral stamp set into beautiful, non-holiday birthday cards using layered stamping, soft color palettes, and a continuous background technique.
If you’re like me and still have a few holiday supplies lingering on your craft table, this project is the perfect way to give them new life while building your everyday card stash.
The Warmth and Wonder stamp set includes a beautiful build-a-bloom floral image made up of three separate layers. When stamped in different ink colors, these layers create a richly detailed flower that feels sophisticated and timeless.
While this set works wonderfully for Christmas cards, the floral design easily transitions into birthday cards, thank-you cards, or everyday greetings simply by changing the color palette.
For this project, I chose:
- Muted greens for the foliage
- Soft pinks for the petals
- A deep navy blue for the flower centers and berries
This color combination instantly removes any holiday feel while keeping the design elegant and refined.
Instead of stamping individual flowers, I created a full stamped background using one floral image repeatedly across a larger panel of cardstock.
Key steps:
- Stamp on a 5.5″ × 8.5″ panel (half of a letter sheet)
- Allow the images to bleed off the edges for a seamless pattern
- Cut the panel in half to create two A2 card fronts
This technique makes the design look like it was cut from a larger sheet of patterned paper — and it’s a fantastic way to get two cards from one stamping session.
A stamping platform like a MISTI is essential here, as it allows you to layer ink and restamp in the exact same position.
To give the florals more depth, I applied ink directly to the stamps using small blending brushes:
- Light ink for the base layer
- Medium ink for soft shading
- Dark ink for shadowed areas
This technique creates the look of hand-shaded images — without any coloring afterward. It’s all done at the stamping stage.
Once the backgrounds were complete, I added sentiments directly on top.
- The large “YOU” stamp from CZ Design was stamped in a soft gray for subtle contrast.
- “Happy Birthday” was heat-embossed in white on sage cardstock strips.
- Inside the cards, I used the Inside Greetings: Birthday stamp set for coordinating messages.
Adding a small floral image to the inside of each card ties the design together beautifully and makes the cards feel extra special.
The result is a pair of elegant birthday cards created from a holiday stamp set — proof that your supplies can work much harder than you think.
If you’ve already packed away your Christmas stamps, I encourage you to pull them back out and look at them with fresh eyes. Many holiday florals are incredibly versatile and perfect for year-round card making.
By changing colors, layouts, and sentiments, you can turn seasonal stamps into timeless designs you’ll reach for again and again.
Thanks so much for crafting with me today — and I hope this inspires you to stretch your stash!
Happy stamping,
Yana
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Ways to support Ukraine:
If you are looking for ways to support Ukraine, we encourage you to visit this page on Yana’s blog:
A big thank you to YOU, our reader — and to Yana for being our guest!
A Sweet Punny Valentine Featuring NEW Lawn Fawn Products by Chari Moss!
Hi friend! Happy Tuesday! I’m delighted to share this sweet project by special guest Chari Moss showcasing some adorable new products from Lawn Fawn! Read on and enjoy!
Hello Crafty Friends and Happy New Year! As we leave behind one holiday season, it’s time to
look toward the next…Valentine’s Day!
The newest Lawn Fawn release focuses on love and friendship, making it perfect for creating
both Valentine’s and cute friendship cards. Our critters might be here to wish you a happy
Valentine’s Day in February, but they will stick around all year to help spread the love. The card I
am sharing today would be great to give at any time of the year.
The new A Mole Lot of Love set features lots of cute moles and, of course, punny sentiments!
For my card today, I paired these cuties with the Heart Tree to create a cute little scene on the
new Postage Rectangle Stackables die cut. These new Stackables also have coordinating
masking stencils, which makes it easy to ink blend the background while maintaining a crisp
white border just like a postage stamp!
I colored my tree with a rainbow of leaves, but choosing pinks and red would give a more
Valentine’s feel, while switching to greens would lean more toward spring. I love that the Heart
Tree can but used all year long. And if you aren’t into coloring, the coordinating coloring stencils
really make coloring with your inks a breeze!
I hope today’s card has inspired you in your love and friendship creations.
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Thanks so much for stopping by, and to Chari for being our guest!
Circle Quilt 3 Ways: Paper Piecing with Bold, Modern Color: Amore Laurafadora
Hi friend! Happy Monday! Please join me in welcoming back special guest Laura Bassen to showcase this super fun feature showcasing our really fun Circle Quilt Die Set in 3 fun ways and adding a custom fun flair with our exclusive CZ Design Little Birthday Banners, Yay You Words, and Just a Note 2 dies for custom flair and fun! Be sure to watch the video for all the details and enjoy!
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A big thank you to YOU, our reader — and to Laura Bassen for being our guest!
