A Holly Jolly Shaker Card!
by Sphoorti
Hello, Poppy Peeps! It’s Sphoorti here, bringing you a festive and elegant holly-themed shaker card—because who doesn’t love a little interactive holiday magic?
A Holly-Leaf Shaker with Extra Dimension
I used the 2537 Layered Holly Branch craft die to create this intricate, nature-inspired design. The delicate die-cut holly leaves form an organic shape, and instead of just layering them onto the card, I turned it into a shaker element by filling the cutout spaces with seed beads. This gives the illusion of softly falling snow behind the leaves—simple but so effective!
Coloring the Leaves with Alcohol Inks
The leaves were die-cut from Neenah Solar White 110 lb cardstock, but I didn’t stop there—I colored them using alcohol inks to get that beautiful depth and variation in shades of green. The texture and details pop, making them look almost real!
Glossy, Lifelike Berries (With Easy Substitutes!)
The holly berries were cut using a die from a set that has sadly been discontinued, but don’t worry—you can easily substitute them by cutting small circles from cardstock or even using flat sequins for a little extra shine! To give them that plump, juicy look, I coated them with Glossy Accents, making them stand out beautifully on the card.
The Perfect Holiday Greeting (With a Twist!)
The "Happy Holidays" sentiment comes from the ST018 Holiday Wishes Foil Greetings White Tabs set, but I wanted it to blend seamlessly with the design. So, I inked over it with Distress Inks to soften the look and make it match the color scheme. Who says you can’t customize pre-printed elements?
A Little Controlled Splatter for That Extra Touch
You might notice the golden specks around the holly leaves—that’s not just any splatter! I used a Sakura glue pen and coated them with Decofoil once dry to create a controlled splatter effect, adding an elegant shimmer without the mess of traditional paint splatters. The shine brings everything together, making the card feel even more festive and luxurious.
Want to Make Your Own Shaker Card?
If you love this shaker effect, I’m linking to other dies that work great for creating shaker elements like this! Whether you want to do holiday foliage, geometric cutouts, or intricate patterns, there are plenty of die options that can help you achieve the same effect with a unique twist. Check them out and see what inspires you!
Would You Try It?
Do you love making shaker cards or working with alcohol inks? Let me know in the comments! Hope this card brings you some holly jolly inspiration!
Love,
Sphoorti
Supplies
Comments
Hi Sphoorti, I love this holiday card, it is stunning, the holly branch is beautiful and I adore the fact that you have used some of the leaves and made into a shaker, shakers are my favourite. The piece de resistance for me is the addition of glossy accents onto thr berries, truly gorgeous.
This card could be used for batch-making Christmas cards, it is so very elegant.
Lots of love from Patricia xx