Joy To The World Mixed Media Card, Tim Holtz

Hey crafty friends! 👋 I’m popping in to share a card I made using some of my favorite Tim Holtz stamps and stencils from Stampers Anonymous.

Fun fact: Stampers Anonymous doesn’t retire their Tim Holtz designs—so there’s a huge library of awesome stamps and stencils you might not have seen in a while (or totally forgot you had 😉).

Hope this project sparks some inspiration to dig into your stash and get creative! ✨

Don’t want to miss any of my shares? You can subscribe to my email newsletter and choose to get an email each time I update my site- subscribe here.

Joy To The World Mixed Media Card, Tim Holtz

For this holiday card, I leaned into layered textures, soft washes of color, and vintage-inspired details, one of my favorite ways to create meaningful, artful Christmas cards.

I started by creating the background on Distress Watercolor Cardstock, which really shines when working with wet media. To add subtle visual interest, I stamped text elements from Tim Holtz Mini Holidays 3 and Letter to Santa by applying Distress Watercolor Pencils directly onto the stamps, then stamping them repeatedly onto the paper to build up layers. I love embracing those unexpected textures, you truly can’t mess this up.

For the focal point, I stamped collage imagery from Tim Holtz Anonymous Cling Mount Stamps, Seasons Silhouettes and Mini Holidays, layering them to create a vintage holiday ephemera look. I heat-embossed the sentiment using VersaMark Ink and Brutus Monroe Gilded Ultra Fine Embossing Powder for a soft but elegant gold finish. The Joy to the World sentiment adds just the right amount of holiday warmth without overpowering the design.

I distressed the edges slightly using a Paper Distresser to enhance that worn, vintage feel. To assemble the card, I adhered the focal panel using Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares, adding a touch of dimension while keeping everything balanced.

Of course, no holiday card is complete without a little sparkle ✨

I finished the card by adding Distress Rock Candy Chunky and Distress Rock Candy Clear with Distress Collage Medium—just enough shimmer to catch the light without overwhelming the details.

This project is a great reminder that mixed media doesn’t have to be complicated. A few favorite supplies, layers of texture, and a willingness to let the materials do their thing can result in something really special. If you’d like to dive deeper into these kinds of techniques, I share lots of tips, creative approaches, and encouragement in my Mixed Media in Season online class.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope this inspires you to play, experiment, and create your own joy-filled holiday cards. 💕

Don’t want to miss any of my shares? You can subscribe to my email newsletter and choose to get an email each time I update my site- subscribe here.

Cardmaking Supplies Used

Supplies I used are linked throughout the post. Click on the picture and you will be taken to the product. I use affiliate links when available which means if you make a purchase I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!