Video: Ink Blending + Pearl Paste for a Shiny Holiday Tree

Hi crafty friends! Charlene here, and today I’m excited to share a holiday card full of shimmer, color layering, and playful details. I used the October 2025 Layering Stencils of the Month: The Tree along with stamps from the October 2025 Card Kit of the Month to create this festive scene. There’s a full video tutorial below, so you can follow along as I walk through each step!

To start, I used The Tree Layering Stencils with a trio of Hero Hues Core Inks in Green Hills, Fresh Lawn, and Pine. I ink blended each layer from light to dark to create soft pine boughs with lots of depth. Instead of following the traditional stencil order, I skipped stencil layer 2 and completed layers 1, 3, and 4 first. This allowed me to build the tree’s greenery without muddying the pink accent layer later on.

Once the green blending was complete, I returned to stencil layer 2 and added Peony ink for the pink ornament bulbs and ball details. While the ink was still fresh, I applied a thin coat of White Pearl Hero Paste through the stencil. This helped the paste absorb the pink ink and dry with a soft, pearly pink glow.

To finish the card, I stamped two bows and the “Have a Ball This Christmas” sentiment from the Card Kit of the Month in Intens-ified Black Ink. I stamped the inner layer of the bows using Peony ink to match the rest of the card. After die cutting everything, I adhered the sentiment and bows with foam squares for extra dimension.

For the background, I mounted the stenciled panel onto a piece of Blush Colorwheel Cardstock, trimmed off about 3/8” from the right edge, and added a thin strip of silver glitter paper from the Treasured Cardstock silver assortment along the seam for extra sparkle. The full panel was then mounted onto an A2 card base.

This project was such a fun combination of color layering, shimmer, and clean holiday design. I love how the pink and green palette gives a fresh twist to a classic Christmas card.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy crafting!