Handmade Christmas Cards

The trend for sending Handmade Christmas Cards is growing.

Taking the time and trouble to make and send someone a Handmade Christmas Card is a way of letting them know how much you care about them, and people who receive handmade cards generally appreciate them much more than a commercially bought card.

But have you ever thought where it all started?

The first ever commercially produced cards were made in England in 1943. John Clacott Horlsey was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole to design a card which was printed in black and white and then hand coloured.

At the time the general opinion amongst the printers of the day was that it was a fad which would be short lived!

The Christmas Card industry today is massive and almost worldwide, and in that huge market Handmade Christmas Cards are becoming more popular.

Crafters and Card Makers now have a huge range of Christmas themed items to choose from; background papers, rubber stamps, embellishments and toppers to name but a few.

Rather than waiting for the run up to Christmas to buy your stock look out for bargains in the January sales, mid year sales and closing down sales. But a word of caution, do not buy something just because it is cheap! Choose only those items which you feel inspired by – it’s not a bargain if it just sits in your cupboard because you cannot think what to make with it.

Making Christmas Cards is easy as long as you get yourself organised.

Make a list of who you intend to send to and then divide it into 3 sections:

Section 1: Close Family & Friends

Section 2: General

Section 3: Overseas.

So that you won’t get fed up just producing one design, pick 3, one for each section.

Your best design should be saved for Section 1, a simpler design for Section 2 ( as generally you will be making more of these), and a design which is easier to post for Section 3.

If you have a lot of Section 2 cards to make try to assemble all the elements first and then put them all together. Although this is a little like a production line it will be far quicker than if you were fully completing each card before moving on to the next one. It will also take the pressure off you if you are panicking because you have left everything to the last minute.

You could even invite some friends over and have a mass card making and chatter session!

If you are in business make some Handmade Christmas Cards to send to business colleagues – your card will most definitely stand out from the mass produced commercial cards. This should make your business stand out in their mind ( provided the card is good enough, of course!).

And lastly make sure you make matching hand made gift tags for those you intend to send a gift to.

Happy Christmas Card Making!

Tapestry Stamps are a personal favourite of mine because even when you use the same set for each of your Handmade Christmas Cards everyone will turn out slightly different.

They are so easy to use - you just rubber stamp the tapestry (or peg, as they are sometimes known) stamps in the order and colours you want.

This traditional wreath is easy to create - just draw a simple pencil circle on your card and use that as your stamping guideline.

A simple sentiment banner puts the finishing touches on the card.

If you have a lot of Handmade Christmas Cards to make then a quick and easy way is to use a Christmas Background Paper and a Christmas Topper.

Simply cover the base card with the background paper and then add the topper. Use double sided sticky pads to raise the topper from the card to give it a more expensive look.

In this card glitter was added to the juggling snowballs and the fur trim of the eskimo.

Although the card is quick and easy to make it still has that special handmade look.

Red and Green have long been the traditional colours associated with Christmas, and Christmas Cards.

In this Handmade Christmas Card 2 traditional style papers in the traditional colours have been used.

The central red patterned paper's edges were trimmed with wavy edge craft scissors. A traditional red ribbon with gold sentiments was wrapped around the front of the card and the finishing touch was a gold die cut sentiment which was fixed to the card using sticky foam pads to give the card a 3D element.

The card required a little care ensuring the elements sat together well but was relatively easy to make.

This card should bring a smile to that special someone's face!

It's a modern card which is very easy to make - All the elements come from the Smirk range.

First of all a Scalloped Nestability was used to cut out the centre of a snowflake background paper.  Inside each of the scallops a dab of glitter glue was added. A dab was also added to the centre of each background snowflake. The centre image and the sentiment are ready made Smirk toppers raised up with double sided foam pads.

One of the most pleasurable parts of Christmas Card Making each year is buying all the supplies you need to make your Handmade Christmas Cards.

It does not matter how many Christmassy things you have in your "stash" - you will always find something you want to add!

Each year there are there seems to be more and more delightful rubber stamps, background papers, and embellishments on the market. The beauty of adding to your collection each year is that you will be able to mix and match your Christmas styles - if you sent one set of family and friends a modern styled card one year, then they can get a traditional one the following year and vice versa.

Whilst there are a lot of cheap makes available it is always wise to invest in good quality card making supplies, especially in rubber stamps or card making punches. The beauty of the internet is that you don't even have to leave the comfort of your own home to shop - simply browse on line at stores such as ChristmasCardMaking.net and once you've made your selection the goods will be delivered directly to your home.

 This card has a traditional feel to it but with a modern twist!

The wording is from a pad of pre printed verses and sentiments. Copic marker pens were used to colour in the illustrated holly and the berries were highlighted with red glitter glue.

The wording was fixed straight onto a traditional green background paper which in turn had been mounted onto red mirror card.

A holly embellishment added the finishing touch to the card.

Please note the card has a rich feel to it in real life which does not come across on this page.