Hello friends!
Today I’m sharing a warm and cozy holiday project that puts a fun twist on seasonal crafting — a Christmas pie themed card created with the Altenew Craft Your Life Project Kit: Sweet Harvest.
This kit is typically associated with fall and Thanksgiving, but the iconic layered pie die is simply too charming to put away after autumn. So instead of creating another seasonal fall card, I decided to give the pie a holiday spin and turn it into the centerpiece of a festive Christmas design.
CREATING THE CHRISTMAS PIE FOCAL POINT
In my opinion, the star of the Sweet Harvest Die Set is the beautifully layered pie, and it became the perfect centerpiece for my Christmas pie card.
Pies aren’t just for fall — cherry pies, cranberry tarts, berry pastries, and all those delicious warm desserts show up at holiday gatherings too. So, choosing a red filling felt like a natural way to shift the look from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
For the base layers of the pie, I stuck with warm neutrals from the Crafting Necessities line: Sand Dunes, Milk Chocolate, Espresso.
These shades work beautifully together to mimic the baked, golden tones of real pie crust. For the filling, I used Heart Beat cardstock — the perfect vibrant red to bring the Christmas pie theme to life.
To build the pie, I die-cut the main pie shape twice: once from Sand Dunes and once from Heart Beat. The Sand Dunes layer becomes the pie crust, while the red layer peeks from underneath like a festive holiday filling.
Because the pie crust die is a single piece, I trimmed down the Sand Dunes layer around the edges so it would sit neatly on top of the red layer. This way, the crust maintains its realistic shape while the filling still shows through.
I then die-cut:
- The lattice strips from Milk Chocolate
- The outer crust edge from Espresso
These details add such beautiful depth and visual interest, making the finished pie look almost edible.
Before putting everything together, several of the die-cut pieces were gently inked with matching Fresh Dye Inks to achieve that soft, baked look. The inking is subtle, but it makes a big difference — especially when the card is supposed to feel warm and cozy.
Once all the pie components were ready, I began assembling them using The Glue, which is my go-to liquid adhesive for layered die-cut elements. It dries quickly, but not so fast that you can’t shift pieces slightly if needed.
- First, I adhered the trimmed Sand Dunes crust onto the red Heart Beat base.
- Next, I layered the Milk Chocolate lattice strips over the filling.
- Finally, I added the Espresso outer crust ring, completing the realistic look of the pie.
ADDING HOLLY TO TRANSFORM THE PIE
To enhance the festive Christmas pie theme, I paired the pie with holly branches from the Winter Florals Stamp & Die Bundle. Adding holly to almost any image instantly turns it into a holiday element — and it worked beautifully here.
I stamped the branches using:
- Grass Field and Shadow Creek Fresh Dye Inks (from the Green Valley bundle)
- Cherry Sweet Fresh Dye Ink (from the Carnival Magic bundle)
Then I die-cut them and set them aside for assembly.
BUILDING A WARM BACKGROUND
A cozy theme calls for a rich, textured backdrop, so I embossed a panel of Dark Chocolate cardstock with the 3D Embossing Folder from the Craft Your Life Project Kit: Sweet Harvest.
- The embossed panel was adhered to a white card base.
- This background sets the perfect stage for the focal element.
For the smaller top panel, I lightly ink-blended the edges of a white cardstock piece using Rocky Shore Fresh Dye Ink from the Coffee Break bundle. The soft white center keeps the card airy while still adding warmth around the edges. I also added subtle splatters with the same ink for texture.
Before assembling, I stamped the Sending Warm Blessings sentiment from the Warm Blessings Stamp Set.
And of course, because baked-goods cards and Christmas crafting go hand-in-hand, I added a wrap of red baker’s twine above the sentiment. It ties everything together both literally and visually.
ASSEMBLING THE CARD
Once all pieces were ready, it was time to bring the card together. I foam-mounted the inked panel onto the embossed background using black foam squares. Holly branches were arranged first, creating a natural cluster behind the focal point. The pie was adhered with foam squares on top for dimension and emphasis.
FINISHING TOUCHES
To complete the Christmas pie look, I added red enamel dots from the Red Cosmos set. Some were placed directly onto the pie lattice to mimic bits of filling peeking through. Others were added as holly berries around the stamped branches. One was tucked slightly under the inked panel for an organic detail.
SUPPLIES
If you’re curious about the supplies I used, you can find everything listed below.
Some of the links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you shop through them — at no extra cost to you.
You can use the letter codes to shop from your favorite stores: Simon Says Stamp (SSS), Altenew (AN), Scrapbook.com (SC), Amazon (AZ), Spellbinders (SB), Papertrey Ink (PTI), ScrapbookPal (SBP), and more.
I really appreciate your support 🤍
 Altenew Winter Florals Stamp Set Click A Shop: SSS | AN |
 Altenew Winter Florals Die Set Click A Shop: AN |
 Altenew Winter Florals Complete Bundle Click A Shop: AN |
 Altenew Warm Blessings Stamp Set Click A Shop: AN |
 Altenew Craft Your Life Project Kit: Sweet Harvest Click A Shop: SSS | AN |
 Altenew Craft Your Life Project Kit: Sweet Harvest & Add-On Die Bundle Click A Shop: AN |
 Altenew Cherry Sweet Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: AN |
 Altenew Carnival Magic Fresh Dye Ink Bundle Click A Shop: AN |
 Altenew Carnival Magic Fresh Dye Ink Mini Cube Set Click A Shop: AN |
 Altenew Grass Field Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: AN |
 Altenew Shadow Creek Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: AN |
 Altenew Green Valley Fresh Dye Ink Bundle Click A Shop: AN |
 Altenew Green Valley Fresh Dye Ink Mini Cube Set Click A Shop: AN |
 Altenew Sand Dunes Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: SSS | AN | SC |
 Altenew Rocky Shore Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: SSS | AN |
 Altenew Mocha Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: SSS | AN |
 Altenew Espresso Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: SSS | AN | SC |
 Altenew Coffee Break Fresh Dye Ink Bundle Click A Shop: SSS | AN |
 Altenew Coffee Break Fresh Dye Ink Mini Cube Set Click A Shop: SSS | AN | SC |
 Altenew Crafty Necessities: Heart Beat Cardstock Click A Shop: SSS | AN |
 Altenew Crafty Necessities: Sand Dunes Cardstock Click A Shop: SSS | AN |
 Altenew Crafty Necessities: Espresso Cardstock Click A Shop: SSS | AN |
 Altenew Crafty Necessities: Dark Chocolate Cardstock Click A Shop: SSS | AN |
 Altenew Crafty Necessities: Milk Chocolate Cardstock Click A Shop: SSS | AN |
 Spellbinders Platinum 6 Die Cutting And Embossing Machine Click A Shop: SSS | AN | SC | SB |
 Altenew Stampwheel 2.0 Click A Shop: AN |
 Altenew Mini Blending Brush Set Click A Shop: SSS | AN | SC | SBP |
 Altenew Red Cosmos Enamel Dots Click A Shop: AN |
