Gift Boxes Christmas Card Tutorial with Gift Boxes and Bags Etched Dies
Posted by Spellbinders Team on August 11, 2026

Gift Boxes Christmas Card Tutorial with Gift Boxes and Bags Etched Dies

Hello crafters! It’s Lisa Tilson here with you today to share a card using the Snowflake Kisses Collection by Lisa Horton. I am going to be doing a step-by-step photo tutorial showing you how to create a Christmas card using the Gift Boxes and Bags Etched Dies and I’m using a more unconventional colour palette to make it. Sometimes it’s fun to create with colours that are unexpected and I used the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion set to help me pick this pretty combination.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set

Also included in this lovely collection from Lisa Horton are the Snowflake Background Plate, a Snowflake Wreath set, the Layered Snowflake Etched Dies, and the Snowflake Joy Sentiment Set, which includes a set of clear stamp sentiments along with a beautiful “Joy” word die which features a snowflake in place of the “o” – gorgeous! There is also the Infinity Trees Stamp and Die Set, and you will have all sorts of fun making cards with the contemporary tree designs. Finally, you have the Snowflake Kisses Sentiments Press + Foil Plate and Die Set, which I use on my card today. A plethora of must-have sentiments for the holiday season. This is a beautiful Christmas crafting collection that will have you running to your desk to get your cards started! Let’s kick off the card for today.

Wrapped With Love

For all the die cutting, use the Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine with the die cutting sandwich as follows (from bottom to top):

  • Plate A – Platform Base
  • Plate B – Platform Top
  • Plate C – Cutting Plate
  • Plate C – Cutting Plate

The cardstock/die will be inserted between the two cutting plates with the die sitting on top of the cardstock, cutting edge down.

Choosing Your Colours

The Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion set is an add-on to the DIY Color Deck System. The original Color Deck System has 52 cards in it and they each contains an image on the left-hand side and five square sections on the right-hand side. Take inspiration from the colours in the image and create swatches to use on the project using ColorWheel Cardstock and a 1” Square Punch. They can then be popped onto those five squares and kept as a handy reference. The Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion set has 12 additional cards you can use to spark your Christmas crafting. These cards are a fabulous way to create outside of the box, find unexpected colour combinations, and use those colours that you may ordinarily veer away from. Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Choose a card from the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion set.
  2. Find ColorWheel Cardstock that reflects the main colours – used here are Blush, Tutu, Sicily, Windy and Oceanside.
  3. Use the 1” Square Punch to cut a swatch from each cardstock and temporarily adhere it to the Color Deck card. The swatches could be adhered permanently or temporarily – whatever you wish.
  4. Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock will also be used for other elements of the card.

Die Cutting and Assembling the Gift Boxes and Bags

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652 The dies in the photo are laid out on their respective cardstocks, cutting side up, to enable them to be more easily referenced. When die cutting, these will be turned over so that the cutting edge is directly on the cardstock, and they will be taped in place.

  1. Take the Gift Boxes and Bags Etched Dies and place the dies onto the coloured cardstock as shown in the photo. Tape them in place, cutting side down.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Run them through the Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Place the resulting die cuts into a Medium Craft Stax Tray.
  2. Tape the remaining dies onto their cardstock and run them through the die-cutting machine.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Start by creating the long, shallow box, which was die-cut from Sicily ColorWheel Cardstock. Place a narrow line of Bearly Art Glue along the top edge and adhere the white lid on top. That’s it, done!

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Next, take the light blue sack and adhere the two Oceanside die cuts onto it using small dabs of liquid glue.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Adhere the white string around the neck of the sack to finish it.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Use the Precision Tool from the Handy Craft Tool Set to poke out the tiny pieces from the light blue box top/ribbon die cut.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Add liquid glue onto the back of the light blue box top/ribbon piece and adhere it onto the dark teal box.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Adhere the Blush lid onto the Tutu

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Then adhere the white ribbon on top.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Take the Tutu box base and adhere the diamond box top in place.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Next, adhere the light pink die cut on the left-hand side of the box.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Then adhere the darker pink die cut onto the right-hand side of the box.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Glue the white ribbon in place to finish this box.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Add the tiny light blue die-cut onto the right-hand side of the gift bag.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Glue the two light blue circles onto the bag. The front handle will sit on these.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Adhere both handles to the bag.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. To finish the bag, glue the light blue tag to the bottom of the handle at an angle. Add the flower on top. (There are two layers to the flower, so you need to adhere both).

Creating the Embossed Background

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Place the Sprinkled Confetti Press Plate onto the BetterPress Letterpress System magnetic plate.
  2. Tape an A2 panel of Porcelain BetterPress Cardstock onto the underside of the platen using Best Ever Craft Tape.
  3. Flip the platen over and place it back onto the magnetic platform, and run this through your die-cutting machine.

NOTE: Not adding any ink to the plate means that when you run the sandwich through your die-cutting machine, it will create a simple embossed/letterpress panel. It’s a great way to stretch the use of your plates and add background interest to your project. You can add extra shims to create an even deeper embossed impression. Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Run your fingers over the beautiful texture on your panel!

Creating the Sentiment

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Take the Snowflake Kisses Sentiments Press + Foil Plate and Die Set and place the plate, which includes the sentiment “Wrapped with Love” onto the BetterPress Letterpress System magnetic platform.
  2. Tape an A2 panel of Porcelain BetterPress Cardstock to the underside of the clear platen.
  3. Ink up the plate with Spruce BetterPress Ink using a pounce and pivot motion.
  4. Flip the platen back over, place it down onto the magnetic platform, and run it through your die-cutting machine.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Take the coordinating die from the Snowflake Kisses set and tape it in place.
  2. Run it through your die-cutting machine.

Die Cutting the Snowflakes

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Take the Frozen Flurries Etched Dies and an A2 panel of Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock and run them both through your die-cutting machine.
  2. Pop out all the snowflakes and place them into a Craft Stax Medium Tray.

Assembling the Card

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Add some small White Foam Adhesive Squares onto the back of the sentiment and remove the backings.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Temporarily place three of the boxes onto your panel and use them as a guide for where to add the sentiment. The sentiment is about 1/5th of the way up from the bottom of the card.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. One by one, adhere the three boxes in place using liquid glue.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Temporarily place the sack and bag onto the panel and glue the pink box in place using liquid adhesive.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Now adhere the sack, again using wet adhesive.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Add a small piece of foam tape to the right of the sack and adhere the gift box down onto that.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Add a Silver Mix Color Essential Gem onto the light blue box top/ribbon and add one onto the ribbon around the pink box at the bottom right.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Add snowflakes onto the box at the top, the sack, and onto the pink box at the bottom right.
  2. Add Silver Mix Color Essential Gems onto the snowflake on the sack and pink box.

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. Adhere the entire panel onto a top folding A2 white note card created from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock (11” x 4.25, scored and folded at 5.5”)

Create A Holiday Card using Lisa Horton Gift Boxes and Bag and the Holiday DIY Color Deck Expansion Set, S4-1553, BP-377, BP-200, S5-652

  1. The card is now finished. When placing the completed card next to the inspiration card, you can clearly see how the colours have been replicated across the design.

I hope you find today’s tutorial informative. Using the Color Deck Systems to create your cards takes you in new directions, and it can really help if you are struggling with colours or if your crafty mojo has gone missing and you want to find a way back! Even if none of those apply, it’s just a fun way to experiment with colour and see how you can use your supplies in new ways. If you would like to see more of my cards, I would love to have you join me over on my blog, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube. In the meantime, thank you so much for joining me here on the Spellbinders blog today. I hope that you have a wonderful day!

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