Hello, crafty friends! Welcome back for another Yippee for Yana video! Every now and then, I like to circle back to the basics — the kind of stamping that first made me fall in love with cardmaking. Today’s project is exactly that: simple, one-layer Christmas cards with soft watercoloring and a beautiful, nostalgic feel. And yes… one layer! I can hardly believe it either, but the simplicity of this design completely won me over.
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VIDEO TUTORIAL
Watch the video below or on my YouTube channel.
CARD DETAILS
For these cards, I used the Nostalgic Christmas set from Simon Says Stamp. It’s packed with classic imagery — timeless, detailed, and just charming. There are coordinating dies available, but for today’s project, I wanted to stay true to a very flat, traditional look, so I used the stamps only.
I planned to watercolor, but I couldn’t locate my watercolor paper (holiday-season craft room chaos is very real). Instead, I reached for Spellbinders BetterPress Cardstock, a 100% cotton paper that handles water beautifully. It ended up being the perfect substitute.
I stamped all of the images in VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink using my MISTI onto 4.25″ × 5.5″ panels. I trim them down slightly later, but I like starting with a full A2 panel to give myself room for coloring.
For color, I used a small selection of Karin Brushmarker PRO markers. In the video, I show the marker caps so you can see the exact shades. The illustrations already have gorgeous built-in shading, which means:
- You don’t need precise coloring
- A few white gaps are totally fine
- The finished result still looks beautifully detailed
Each image took about ten minutes to color — very manageable, and perfect if you’re making multiples. I didn’t have the exact greens I wanted, so I mixed shades right on the paper: a bright green, a deeper forest tone, and a third shade to balance everything. Don’t be afraid to layer or experiment; these markers blend effortlessly on cotton cardstock.
To ground the tree, I added a soft shadow using two Polychromos pencils in light and medium gray.
The sentiment comes from the CZ Design Tree Plate Sentiments set. I stamped Very Very Merry at the bottom of each panel, keeping the design clean and cohesive. The word Christmas is stamped inside the card for a sweet continuation. If you love dimension, a die-cut sentiment would work beautifully here — but I wanted to keep everything strictly one-layer.
To add a refined finishing touch, I glued a narrow strip of red cardstock (less than ¼”) to the bottom edge of each A2 top-folding card. It doesn’t add bulk, but it ties all the red coloring together and gives the card a polished foundation. I trimmed my stamped panels slightly and adhered them to the card bases with a tape runner. And that’s it — clean, classic, festive.
I ended up making four cards, but truly, I could have kept going. This design is easy to mass-produce, relaxing to color, and wonderfully lightweight for mailing. And it felt good to revisit watercoloring — no pressure, no fuss, just quiet creative joy.
Thank you for stopping by today. I hope this inspires you to pull out your Christmas stamps, grab a favorite coloring medium, and enjoy a bit of simple, satisfying crafting.
See you soon!
SUPPLIES
I’m listing the products I used below. Click on the link to go directly to the product. Where available, I use compensated affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!
 SSS Nostalgic Christmas Set Shop at: SSS |
 CZ Design Stamps and Dies Tree Plate Greetings Shop at: SSS |
 MISTI Stamping Tool Shop at: SSS |
 SSS White A2 Top Fold Scored Cards Shop at: SSS |
 SSS Nocturne Black VersaFine Clair Ink Pad & Re-Inker Shop at: SSS |
 Porcelain Betterpress A2 Cotton Card Panels Shop at: SSS |
 Spellbinders Poppy ColorWheel Cardstock Shop at: SSS |
 Karin Brushmarker Pro Markers Shop at: SSS |
 SSS Nocturne Black VersaFine Clair Ink Pad Shop at: SSS |
 Altenew Glue Tape And 3 Refills Shop at: SSS |
This is so sweet