The Paper Funday January 2026 Challenge - DT Card

It’s time for a brand-new month of inspiration at The Paper Funday Challenges, and we’re excited to kick off a fresh new year—welcome to 2026!

We’re starting the year with wonderful sponsors, Tailored Expressions and Sweet November Stamps, two companies that always inspire creativity with their beautiful designs.

The theme this month is Anything Goes, so let your creativity shine! For a little extra fun, you can also choose to follow along with this month’s optional sketch to guide your design.

We’d love for you to join us, share your creations, and start 2026 off creatively with The Paper Funday Challenges. We can’t wait to see what you make!

For my card this month, I couldn’t resist using the sweetest digital image from Sweet November Stamps called Love Birds. Aren’t they just the cutest couple?! They immediately made me think of a cozy, soft card perfect for sharing a little love.

I started by printing the image on Neenah Solar White 110 lb cardstock and colored it in with Copic markers. I love how Copic markers let me blend and shade to really bring these adorable birds to life. Once the coloring was done, I die cut the image using a stitched circle die, which gave it a nice finished edge.

I layered it onto blue plaid patterned paper from My Favorite Things on a white square card base and framed it with the Stitched Scallop Circle Die Set. For the finishing touch, I heat embossed the sentiment in white on black cardstock.

I’m so happy with how this card turned out! It’s simple, sweet, and cheerful, and I think it’s a perfect fit for this month’s Anything Goes theme at The Paper Funday Challenges.

If you’re looking for a little inspiration this month, I hope this card encourages you to try something fun—whether you follow the optional sketch or just create whatever makes you happy. I can’t wait to see all the amazing entries!