One of the best ways to get more creative with your craft supplies is to mix things up! Combining new releases with favorite products already in your stash can spark fresh ideas and help you discover possibilities you might have overlooked.

Today, Carly Tee is sharing a sweet Christmas card that pairs the Jolly Die Set and Let's Be Jolly Stamp & Cut from our November My Monthly Super Hero Kit  with the Candy Cane Swag Stamp Set from our Candy Cane Season collection. The result is a cheerful holiday design featuring candy cane stamping, soft ink blending, and a bold dimensional greeting.

Follow along with Carly's step-by-step photos as she shares tips for multi-color stamping, using acetate to test stamp placement, and adding beautiful ink-blended details. It's a fun reminder that your older stamps and dies still have plenty of creative possibilities waiting to be discovered!

Project Snapshot

Hi Friends! Carly Tee here, and I'm a cardmaker who loves to mix & match supplies! Combining different stamp and die collections always jumpstarts my crafty mojo and helps me stretch my supplies! Today I'm excited to share a card design that mixes one of my favorite holiday collections, Candy Cane Season , with the November My Monthly Hero Kit!

The Candy Cane Season collection and the November MMH Kit both have really cool solid stamps. I love solid stamps because I feel like the bigger surface gives you more room for fun techniques! Today I'm creating a multi-color candy cane background.

If you are new to solid stamps, I recommend checking out this video for all my tips and tricks: Solid Stamping Tips & Techniques .

I also recommend using a stamp positioning tool  to make this multi-color stamping technique super easy!

Step 1: Stamp the Candy Cane Heart

Arrange the candy cane stamps from the Candy Cane Swag set in a heart shape and stamp with Cotton Candy ink. Leave the stamps in place for the next step.

Step 2: Add Color with Ink Blending

Use a blending tool, brush, or even your fingers to apply darker pink ink to parts of the candy canes. Stamp again to create a multi-color effect.

Step 3: Test & Stamp the Candy Cane Stripes

Position the candy cane stripe stamps over the solid images and test the placement by putting a piece of acetate over the cardstock panel.

Ink the stamps and stamp onto the acetate. This gives you a chance to move the stripe stamps if needed before stamping directly onto your card.

After testing, clean the acetate and remove it. Ink the stripe stamps again and stamp onto the cardstock.

Step 4: Die Cut and Layer the Jolly Greeting

Die cut "jolly" three times from Mint cardstock and adhere the layers together.

Step 5: Add Shading to the Die-Cut Letters

Use a blending tool and a darker ink, like Arctic, to add shading to the bottom of "jolly."

Step 6: Plan the Sentiment Placement

Use the "jolly" die cut to plan the layout of the rest of the sentiments from the Let's Be Jolly Stamp & Cut set.

Step 7: Test & Stamp the Sentiments

Move the "jolly" die cut and place acetate over the panel again to ink and test the sentiments.

Remove the acetate, ink the stamps again, and stamp directly onto the panel with Intens-ified Black Ink.

Step 8: Assemble and Add Finishing Details

Adhere "jolly" to the card panel and add faux ink splatter by dotting with a brush pen.

How fun is this combination? We love how Carly brought together two holiday collections to create something completely new! The candy cane heart makes a playful background for the oversized Jolly greeting, while the soft ink blending adds just the right amount of color and dimension.

And don't miss the two finished versions! The white card with mint lettering feels fresh and festive, while the blush background with white lettering gives the same design a softer, sweeter look. It's a great example of how changing just a few colors can make a big difference.

Here's a little creative challenge: The next time you sit down to make a card, choose one of your newest products and pair it with something you haven't used in a while. Try a different color combination, combine unexpected designs, or give a favorite stamp a completely new purpose. You might be surprised by what you create!

We'd love to hear from you! Do you enjoy mixing older products with your newest crafty finds? Tell us in the comments which Hero Arts collections you'd love to combine!

Happy crafting!