Video tutorial : Penguin Christmas Cheer | Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Linky Party

Video tutorial : Penguin Christmas Cheer | Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Linky Party

Hello crafty friends! I am so excited to be sharing this fun wintery card with you today as part of my sweet friend Crystal’s Linky party for BYSHC – Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers! I just love what they do over there — Christmas cards all year round is such a smart and inspiring idea, especially when the holiday season has a way of sneaking up on all of us.

For my card, I wanted to create something cheerful, cozy, and full of bright winter fun. I pulled out my Cold Weather Penguins and paired them with bold circles, bright red and aqua colors, and playful patterned paper that feels like peppermint cocoa and snowy photo memories all rolled into one. I also made a video for this card, which I will link below in the post.

This card was such a fun one to make because it has that playful, layered look that still comes together in a really clean and happy way. I saw Crystle's sketch challenge for the month and knew it would be perfect for my card. I started with a slimline layout and built my design around a row of overlapping circles. I loved mixing the different patterns inside each circle because it gave the whole card a festive, cheerful feel without making it too busy.

For the focal point, I chose these adorable bundled-up penguins from Cold Weather Penguins and added the camera image front and center. That really helped tell the story of the card and tied in perfectly with the sentiment, “Capture the Memories.” It makes me think of winter trips, holiday fun, and all those sweet little moments we want to hold onto during the season.

One of my favorite things about this card is the color combination. The bright red mixed with aqua and white feels so fresh and happy, and it works beautifully for a Christmas-in-July style project or for traditional holiday crafting later in the year. The layered circles also make this a great design to switch up with other papers and stamps, which is always a bonus.

I also love that this design would work for so many different holiday card themes. You could recreate it with snowmen, cocoa cups, ornaments, or even little critters and still get that same fun look. It is one of those layouts that feels playful and festive while still leaving plenty of room for your focal images to shine.

If you are hopping along with us, I hope this card inspires you to start building your holiday card stash a little early. Your future self will thank you!

 

📐 Measurements:
Card Base - 7x7 scored at 3 1/2
Layer 1 6 3/4 x 3 1/4
Layer 2- 6 1/4 x 2 3/4
Circles - 2 & 2 1/4

Be sure to check out the video for this card if you would like to see it come together step by step.

Like My Card? Here Are the Supplies I Used:

 


Thanks so much for stopping by today and spending a little time with us! We hope you’ll check back throughout the month for more design team inspiration.

Inky Hugs, 
Cristena
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7 comments

Red & aqua is my favorite color combo for Christmas! This is just gorgeous!! And adorable. Thank you for sponsoring the hop!

Anonymous

Awww… such a super cute and fun card, Cristena! I love the pretty colors and the cute penguins. Thank you so much sweet friend for Sponsoring our first Linky Party of 2026!

Crystal O. Minkler

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