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The holiday crafting season is officially here, and I couldn’t resist pulling out one of my absolute favorite embossing folders — the Branching Holly 3D Embossing Folder from the recent And Everything Nice release by SSS. This folder stole my heart the moment I first used it, and today, I’m bringing it back for a quick, elegant, and incredibly festive card design.
If you’re looking for a technique that’s easy to mass-produce yet looks beautifully detailed and luxurious, this project is perfect for you!

The Branching Holly folder creates gorgeous raised details of twisting branches, holly leaves, and berries. I started with a rich maroon cardstock panel and gently swiped metallic gold pigment ink over the raised areas. This highlights all the beautiful texture and gives the panel a festive, vintage glow. I also brushed the ink along the edges to bring the whole design together.

To add extra sparkle, I spritzed the panel with Gold Distress Mica Spray and set it aside to dry. For the sentiment, I heat-embossed “Merry Christmas” in gold on black cardstock using the Peaceful Trees stamp set and coordinating die.

Once dry, I popped the embossed panel onto my card base using foam tape for dimension, then centered the sentiment on top. I also created additional versions in green and navy, and the gold ink looks stunning on every color.

These cards were so fun and quick to make — each one takes about 5–10 minutes once you prep your supplies. It’s a great design for mass-producing or creating a holiday gift set. I hope this inspires you to try the gold-swipe technique on your own embossed backgrounds. Let me know which color you like best!

This post is also part of the CIC #631. This is a biweekly challenge. Check out the CIC blog page for more information.

If you would like to see a video tutorial of how I created this card, check out the link below –

Do check out fun pictures of the project on my Instagram page (@rp_shutterbug). Do tag me on Instagram with pictures of your projects.

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Thank you so much for joining me today. Until next time, stay safe!