Cocoa Greetings Santa Card

Used Spellbinders products for these two cards for Christmas. I made two cards and made changes to Santa's face so they are not the same:

For the Santa mug on the cards I used the Spellbinders Small Die of the Month, July 2025, "Cocoa Greetings":

The packaging for this die set only shows one of the three mugs you can make - a Penquin. But I put together an extra Santa to stash with the die set so in the future it will remind me this die set can also make a Santa:

I also used the Spellbinders Better Press Plate "Snowfall Shimmer" that I hot foiled in the Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil machine using matte silver foil:

For the sentiment strips on the cards I used the Spellbinders Better Press Plate "Merry Messages" and foiled shiny silver hot foil onto black card stock. Here is the first card I made using the die set as it suggested:

For this Santa I used scrap card stocks to die cut him out. This die set also embosses as it die cuts so you know where to place your die cut pieces. I cut out his red base and I sponged the edges of that. For my Santa I used pop dots behind his beard when I placed the beard on the red base (body piece). For the face, nose, and cheeks I die cut these out or a blush card stock and sponged the edges of the face and added ink over the nose and cheeks pieces using a dauber. Used liquid glue to add the black pieces that the die set cuts out behind the eye openings. I used liquid glue to add the mustache, nose, and cheek pieces to the face. Added liquid glue to the tab and buttons to the front of his coat. I added small black gems to the buttons piece for dimension. 

For the mug handle I die cut a red handle and layered the white piece over it so it looks like a peppermint handle using liquid glue. Set this aside. Die cut the brim of his hat out of glittered white card stock. Die cut the white hat piece and the white swirls on his hat I die cut those from white mirror card stock I had gotten years ago at AC Moore. Layered those together using liquid glue and used tear and tape to add these white pieces to the top of the Santa face. Used pop dots to put the glittered white hat brim on the white hat piece. With that done I used liquid glue and added the handle. 

Cut and scored a white card base at the top. Used the Spellbinders Layering Rectangle die set and I cut a piece of foil red and white stripe card stock in the stash from Hobby Lobby. Put that on the white card base using liquid glue. For the snowflake piece behind Santa I had hot foiled the snowflakes plate earlier and I cut it out to the size I wanted for my two cards using the Layering Rectangle die set. I put foam tape behind this foiled piece and put it on my card front. Then used both pop dots and tear and tape to put Santa on that. 

Hot foiled the Merry Messages Better Press plate using shiny silver foil and I used a piece of black card stock to foil these on. I wanted a black sentiment rather than a red one to break up all the red on the card front with the stripes and all. Used pop dots behind the sentiment strip. I also added a small candy cane to his whipped cream topping that the die set cuts out. 

This second Santa mug card:

After all pieces were die cut I decided to flip Santa's face piece upside down - this put the two little lines the face die cuts into the face for Santa's eyebrows under his eyes now. I also added white eyebrows to his face. For his red hat I used red card stock and the swirls piece is glittered red card stock. I layered those with liquid glue and put this at the top of the face piece and then added the glittered white brim piece to the base of the hat pieces.  

For the red stripes on the background of his card I used striped card stock, again in the stash but from Hobby Lobby and this is plain card stock. For his greeting I used "Merry Christmas".  Easy cards to assemble as I did it in steps - die cut and assembled Santa, did the hot foiling, and cut and scored the card stock base, and then cut the card striped pieces for the fronts of the cards.  Added small red crystals to the front of the cards for some sparkle.