Do you send out Christmas cards each year? Less and less people do, but it is always a treat to receive real mail instead of just advertisments and bills. Who likes finding bills in their mail box? Bah Humbug! This Christmas, you can be extra creative and fearless, plus bless your loved ones with handmade cards. You CAN do this! So, make your own Christmas cards.
Why Make Christmas Cards
So, you can easily pick up a box of cards at the store or just send an email. However, think about how you feel when you receive a special piece of mail. It is thrilling to find anything personal in your mail. A handmade Christmas card is a keepsake. It is something your family and friends will treasure. You may think this is too complicated, but remember, we are being creative and fearless this year! People feel amazingly loved when you make your own Christmas cards.
Materials for DIY Christmas Cards
Cards can be a simple or complicated as you like. To make it simplest, so you can spend you energy on the truly creative part, buy premade, blank cards from a local office supply or craft store. These come in various sizes and usually include enveloped.
Next you will need some good quality paper. You will be cutting the paper into small pieces to glue to the cards, so this is still incredibly economical, because you will get several cards from each sheet.
Bristol paper is best for sketching or pen & ink. Use watercolor paper if painting with watercolors. I recommend that you buy large sheets and cut them down into smaller squares to decorate. This is the most economical way to do this.
How to Make Your Own Christmas Cards
First, you need to cut your Bristol or watercolor paper to size. Make it at least a quarter inch smaller than your card front. So, for example, if you are sending 4 x 6 cards, make the paper 3.75 x 5.75 or smaller. Use a paper cutter or straight edge ruler to get straight, clean cuts.
You can make your mini canvas as small as 2 x 2, smaller is usually less intimidating. Just find a size that you life and feel comfortable decorating. Remember, you will be making several (or many) of these, so set yourself up for success.
If making cards with younger children, you can have them create a design and then replicate it on the photo copier. Then cut out the copies and glue onto a card. However, making each unique will be a real hit!
Designing a Christmas Card
Now that you have your paper cut and sorted, it is time to create. Decide before hand what medium you will be using–acrylic paint, watercolor, permanent marker, etc.
Create a simple design or follow a tutorial for making a simple design. Pen and ink is a fun way to try your hand at card making. It is easy to learn the basics, and the materials are low cost. You probably already have most of the materials you need.
Above is a simple pen and ink design using a fine tipped, black, permanent marker and a blue washable marker.
Assembling Your Cards
Once your many, mini masterpieces are complete, allow them to completely dry. Then simply use a glue stick to fill the back of each paper with glue and apply to the card. Now, you only need to write a greeting on the inside and they are ready to go. If you would like to learn some basic pen and ink techniques, watch the Teatime with Sally below.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/sTpWGbxNDOc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Ready to make some pen and ink for Christmas? Check out our FREE Winter Pen and Ink Templates. It’s a PDF of various shapes that you can easily make into works of art by using simple pen and ink techinques as shown above. These are perfect for younger children or to create a bunch of cards in a hurry. Sign up here:
<script async data-uid="00412b096f" src="https://beyondthestickfigure.ck.page/00412b096f/index.js"></script>This post is part of the 12 Days of Creativity at Christmas series, to read the rest of the posts and enter an amazing giveaway, click here!
