Ditch the store-bought cards this year, and impress everybody on your mailing list with your personal holiday greeting!
More Christmas cards are sent every year in the United States than any other kind of holiday card — 2.7 billion of them (along with eleven million Hanukkah cards). With these simple (but beautiful) card ideas you can ditch the store-bought cards this year, and impress everybody on your mailing list with your personal holiday greeting!
Let it Snow
You will need:
Navy blue and orange card stock
Scissors
Small punch
Spray mount or light adhesive
White spray paint
Clear glitter (optional)
Black pen
1. Create a snowman and snow stencil using a piece of paper (5¼”x4″), scissors, and a small punch. Using a light adhesive stick it to the surface of the card. Cover entire surface of card with white spray paint. Shake glitter over top of the paint for a little sparkle. Let dry.
2. Take off the stencil. Use the black pen to draw eyes and a mouth. Cut a small, long triangle out of orange card stock for the nose. Glue it to the card. Add a written greeting if desired.
White Christmas
You will need:
Green card stock
Flattened pine or evergreen branches
Spray mount
White spray paint
Glitter
Craft glue
1. Choose a small, flat evergreen branch. (Arborvitae is naturally flat; spruce or another fuller type will need to be pressed first. Place branch between heavy books, and leave in a dry place for about a week.) Spray a thin layer of spray mount onto branch to serve as a temporary adhesive, then press it onto card. Cover entire card surface with white spray paint, pull branch off, and let paint dry.
2. For a glittery card, realign branch; apply spray mount to entire card surface, then sprinkle with glitter. To add “berries” or a written greeting, make fine details with a fine-tip glue applicator, and sprinkle with glitter, or stamp. Let dry completely.
O Christmas Tree
You will need:
Pencil
Craft scissors or pinking shears
Scissors
Red, Light Green, Dk. Green, and Brown card stock
Yellow card stock or star sticker
Adhesive
1. Cut out a triangle to use as a guide for your trees. Trace a triangle onto both shades of green card stock. Use the craft scissors to cut each green triangle into five sections. Then use regular scissors to cut a small tree trunk for each card.
2. To assemble each tree, first glue the trunk onto a card. Working from the bottom up, glue on the green strips in alternating shades of green. Top the tree with a card stock or sticker star.
Rudolph the Thumbprint Reindeer
You will need:
Ink pad with nontoxic brown or bronze ink
Red and light tan card stock
Craft glue
Googly eyes
Mini pom-poms, brown and red
Brown marker
1. Cut tan card stock to a 5 ¼”x4″ rectangle. Adhere tan card stock to red card. Use a thumb or fingertip to stamp 3 reindeer heads on each note card.
2. Glue on googly eyes and pom-pom noses (including a red one for Rudolph, of course). Finish by drawing antlers, and adding a written or stamped greeting.
Ornate Ornaments
You will need:
Pencil and ruler
Scissors
Card stock (I used purple)
Shiny card stock
Large jar lid (about 4″ diameter)
Decorative string or cording
Glue stick or glue dots
Glitter glue, stickers or stamps and embossing powder
1. For each card, cut a piece of paper in half, creating two 4¼”x11 pieces. Fold each in half. Starting at the fold, draw a simple ornament shape, tracing around the jar lid to create the round portion. Cut out the ornament, going through both layers but leaving the fold intact.
2. Open up the cutout and lay a 9-inch length of string or cording across the crease. Apply glue to the paper just below it, refold the paper (sealing in the string), and tie the string ends together to form a hanging loop.
3. Cut a square from the shiny card stock to fold over the top of the ornament, using craft scissors for decorative edges, if you like. Stick it in place with adhesive. Decorate the outside with glitter glue, stickers or stamps and embossing powder.
Festive Folds
You will need:
Two shades of green card stock
Ruler
Pencil
Glitter glue, stickers, stamps and/or red card stock
Adhesive
1. Cut one shade of green card stock in half lengthwise (4¼”x11″), and the other shade of green cardstock in half sideways (5½”x8 ½”). Using a ruler and pencil, mark the center of each, and fold both ends of the paper so they meet in the middle. In both cases, it will make a 5½”x4 ¼” rectangle in the middle. Adhere one on top of the other, and fold together like the top of a box.
2. Decorate as desired with Glitter glue, stickers, stamps and/or red card stock.
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