Tim Holtz has brought back some real vintage favorites in the Sizzix Christmas 2026 release, including embossing folders and die sets pulled straight from the vault. I couldn't resist pairing a few of them together, and the result is this Believe Christmas Card. The Santa is easily one of my favorite Santas ever. That face! Those little glasses! Isn't he just adorable?!

Beyond how cute he is, this card is also where I want to show you a technique I'm loving right now. That faux watercolor look on the blue panel didn't come from paint at all. I inked the embossing folder itself before running the paper through, then sprayed it with water afterward to let the ink flow and move into the design. It's an easy way to get real watercolor texture with none of the painting skill required, and it works with any embossing folder you already own.

If you are interested in any of the supplies I've used to create this card, you can find the full list at the bottom of this post.

Faux Watercolor Effect

For the red dotted background, I inked the top of the Vault Dots Embossing Folder with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink, then lightly spritzed the back of a piece of Distress Watercolor cardstock with water before running it through the die cutting machine. The water helps soften the paper for a better embossed design. The result is a polka dot panel with ink sitting in the recessed lines and the raised design left clean.

For the blue panel, I used the same starting technique, inking the Vault Season's Greetings folder with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink and spritzing the back of the paper before embossing. This time I took it a step further and sprayed the embossed paper with water afterward, which lets the ink flow and move across the surface. That extra step after embossing is what gives the blue panel its soft, watery swirl.

Building the Postage Panel

Once the blue panel dried, I die cut it into a postage stamp shape using one of the Stacked Postage dies. This set has been retired for a while, but any rectangle die with a scalloped or perforated edge will give you the same look. I inked the edges of both the red dotted background and the postage piece with Ground Espresso Distress Ink, then added a line of machine stitching around the postage piece to tie it into the background.

Making the Santa

For Santa, I used the Vault Letter to Santa die set and cut every piece from Distress Watercolor cardstock. I inked the hat and the berries with Aged Mahogany and Festive Berries Distress Ink, the leaves with Rustic Wilderness and Peeled Paint, the face with Tea Dye, and the cheeks with Spun Sugar. The eyes are cut from black cardstock and the spectacles from gold. I adhered all the layers together with liquid adhesive before attaching the finished Santa to the card.

Finishing the Sentiment

For the sentiment, I cut each letter of the word believe from the same die set, once from white cardstock and once from gold, and layered them together for a little dimension before adhering them to the card. I finished by adhering everything to a white card base and inking the edges with Ground Espresso Distress Ink.

Whether you try this exact card or reach for a completely different embossing folder, I hope this gives you a new way to add color and texture without picking up a paintbrush. I'd love to know what folder you'd try this with first.

Supplies

Below you will find links to the supplies I used to create theis card. When you shop through these links—whether you purchase that exact item or something else entirely—you're supporting me at no extra cost to you. The commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, and allows me to continue providing you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here: https://www.17turtles.com/p/affiliate-and-product-disclosure.html. Thank you so much for your love and support!