Visible Image Hygge

Our design team theme for Visible Image this week is Hygge. Although the concept originated in Denmark, it’s embraced throughout Scandinavia, including Sweden, to find warmth and joy in simple, comforting moments, during the winter months. 

My brief was to make something other than a card, so I designed this little stand-up fireplace made entirely from card. It features stamped logs; a brickwork interior and a mindful sentiment displayed as a framed picture on the mantelpiece. My aim was to create something that feels homely and heart-warming — a small reminder to pause, breathe, and enjoy the moment. 

At the heart of Hygge is the feeling of warmth, comfort, and togetherness — and few things capture that better than a fireplace. In many Scandinavian homes, the fire becomes a natural gathering place during the long dark winter months. A spot where family and friends come together to share stories, sip something warm, and enjoy the gentle glow of the flames. It represents more than physical warmth; it embodies emotional warmth, peace, safety, and belonging.  

I began by stamping the log images from the A Splash of Whisky stamps set onto an A4 sheet of Taupe Arden Creative Card.  

Once the stamping was complete, I used a scoring board to score the card as shown. I cut off the top section of the card then folded back each side to start forming the 3D fireplace shape.

To continue the wood effect, I added more log stamping along the sides. 

Around all the edges, I blended Scorched Timber Distress Ink to give the piece a warm, slightly aged look — just like a real, well-loved fireplace. 

For the inside of the fireplace, I used an offcut of white card. I placed the Distressed Brick stencil over it and applied layers of Distress Oxide inks to create a realistic brick effect of the fire area. 

To create the fire itself, I die cut some offcuts of card using the Framed Fibres die. These pieces were arranged to resemble flickering flames within the fireplace.

To complete the look, I added small pieces of black card along the base to form the fender. 

Finally, I added the mindful sentiment from the Happiness Matters stamp set to the mantelpiece, framing it like a small piece of artwork.  

 Here is is once more

This make is a simple but meaningful reminder to pause during the darker months of the year. By recreating a miniature paper fireplace, I wanted to bring that same spirit into my design: a reminder that even in the coldest seasons, we can create our own moments of light, warmth and calm.

Back soon,

Keep snug during these darker months of the year,

Jane x

Moonlight magic for Visible Image

 This week’s theme for our Visible Image design team makes is "Moonlight Magic". I’ve used it as inspiration to get a head start on my Christmas cards and made this card.

Here’s how I created my moonlit festive scene: 

Start by stamping the sentiment from the Christmas Robin set in the bottom right-hand corner of a 5¼-inch square piece of smooth white card. 

Next, onto scrap pieces of white card, stamp the large robin, several single holly leaves, berries, and the branch using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink. You can make the branch longer by repeat stamping it. Once stamped, clear heat emboss all the images. This makes colouring much easier. Cut everything out, you don't need the legs of the robin as they will get reinstated later. Whenever I make cards, I like to stamp a few extra images and store them with the stamp set—this is a great time-saver for future projects. 

To create the moon, use the circle mask which come with the Bubbles and Fizz stencil as a guide. Place a piece of masking tape on the back to hold it in position, then place it onto your card where you want the moon to be. 

Select four Distress Inks—I used lost shadow, iced spruce, evergreen bough, and prize ribbon—to blend the night sky background. Using a blending tool and foam, begin blending around the masked circle, starting with lost shadow closest to the moon, then iced spruce, followed by evergreen bough, and finally prize ribbon around the outer edges. Blend from light to dark, working away from the moon for a glowing effect. 

Once the background is blended, remove the circle mask and replace it with the matching stencil. Then overlay the Lava stencil on top.

Using Lost Shadow again, gently blend to create texture and crater-like detail within the moon.

After that, place the circle mask back over the moon to protect it and lightly spritz the background with water. Blot with a paper towel to lift some ink and add soft texture. Dry with a heat tool or allow it to air dry naturally. 

Remove the mask. Now, stamp Santa and his sleigh from the Christmas Eve stamp set, flying across the moon for a magical, festive touch. 

Watercolour the holly leaves, berries, branch, and robin using your Distress Inks (or your choice of colouring medium) . Once dry, stamp the robin directly onto the background in the desired position—this serves as a guide for perfect placement. Then, decoupage your coloured robin over the top to add dimension.

Cut the coloured branch to length and arrange and adhere it with the holly leaves, and berries around the robin to complete the scene. For a touch of festive sparkle, add some shimmer to the holly using a glitter brush pen. 

To finish, mat the design onto black card and then mount it onto a 5¾-inch white square card blank. 

Here it is once more

This design works well in a variety of colour palettes, but for best results, always work from light to dark around the moon. It's also a great design for batch-making—I created several at once and have made a strong start on my 2025 Christmas cards. 

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x