My first Christmas card this year

There have been years that I’d finished all of my Christmas cards by September – having started as early as July – and heaps of them at that. (You can check them out here.)
But not this year. This year I’ve only just finished my very first Christmas card last week. What can I say, I’m not crafting as much as I used to – though one of my new year’s resolutions is More Crafting, so I remain hopeful. 😇

I have to say it was fun to create again, after many moons with hardly any papercrafting at all (except for the occasional card here & there, which I posted here, on my blog).

Here are my design steps:

1. I started by shopping my stash and I found this fresh & modern looking design paper by S.E.I., called Kris Kringle. It is no longer available, however I’m hoping it will inspire you – either to shop your own stash for some great finds, or to shop for similar design papers that evoke the same atmosphere if you like these specific papers.

2. Some baby blue cardstock became a nice base for the card, echoing the occasional light blue the design papers offered and off-setting the rest of the colors nicely.

3. I wanted a special card design so I decided on this slanted tri-fold shape and folded it ‘zigzaggingly’ (I don’t know the official term but I think you’ll catch my drift 😉 ).

4. One of my label dies came in handy to add a stamped sentiment to the front of the card.

5. Tri-fold shapes are always fun because they give you six panels to mat and play with your design papers! You’ll have to keep your embellishments flat however, otherwise your card won’t fit into its envelope. Stamping is a good option of course, as would be (heat) embossing or adding some ink sprays.

In conclusion

All in all I had fun, maybe even more than I expected. It was nice to think about a specific friend and design a card with them in mind. What shape hadn’t they seen from me yet, what colors would they like and what kind of sentiment would they appreciate. Happy thoughts to be pondering.

I’ve found again and again that tailor-making a craft project for a specific person adds an extra dimension of inspiration and fun to my craft projects. Maybe this can be the way forward for me – and who knows, perhaps for you too! – for the foreseeable future, to find some much needed inspiration again!

I might even do some video tutorials again on my Youtube channel (which I always embed on the blog too), so let me know if you’d like one for this type of card – or mini album insert of course, whichever might fit your needs best!

Two Christmas Mini Album Cards

Christmas is nearing ever more, so this week I’m sharing two great interactive wallet cards decorated in a truly Woodland Winter atmosphere. You can find the tutorial here.

You can of course use embellishments as elaborate as you like with these cards, as I did with previous iterations of this design, like the Time Machine version:

This time I used only paper decorations, some came with the collection and others I added myself, by way of decorative borders and die-cuts.

This is a pretty elaborate design, which makes it a great group gift or group card (to give as a group, with each individual adding their own wishes). It can also hold at least 5 pictures, which makes it kind of a mini album card 🙂

Have a great December month!

Elaborate Christmas Card

Merry Christmas everyone, and the happiest of New Years!

For a swap with a lovely lady in Canada (hi Diane! 🙂 ) I created this elaborate fold-out Christmas card. It counts six surface areas, offering great space for sentiments, stamps, pictures and other decorations.

I used the Season’s Greetings paper pad by Panduro, showcasing a lovely Christmas bear cutapart from the Sweet Winter Season collection by Studio Light.

It’s quite easy to make, and it’s basically part of a more elaborate wallet card I created for one of the Kaisercraft Exchange swap projects. If you’d like to learn step-by-step how to create this card, you can check out my tutorial.

 

 

How to make Christmas Cards (Beginner’s Level)

Several people have told me they wish they could make their own cards (Christmas or otherwise), but that unfortunately “they have no experience”, “they wouldn’t know where to start”, or even the infamous “they are not creative” – which I do not believe is true for anyone.

So in this blog post I’m sharing two beginner’s level cards, to hopefully inspire you and to encourage you to “just do it”. This is an extra blog post, apart from the regular weekly ones, so no video but a blog exclusive 🙂

How to make these cards – in three easy steps

1. Buy a set of colored cards & envelopes. This way you won’t have to do any cutting and scoring of cardstock, and your card will automatically fit into its perfectly matching envelope.

2. Cut three pieces of decorative paper to fit the card; one of them will be the inside of your card so choose one solid pattern to enable you to write or print and/or stamp a message on it. If you’re not sure how to figure out the right measurements for matting, check out my free, easy to follow video tutorial on matting:

3. Glue these decorative mats onto the front, back and inside of your card, and you’re DONE! 🙂

Backsides

Three more optional steps, after step 3

4. Cut a journalling spot from a piece of colored cardstock and glue it onto the mat inside your card. This way you can use a patterned paper after all (instead of a solid). You could also add a ribbon or some strips of paper behind the journalling spot for some extra highlights.

Die-cut labels make perfect journalling spots; you can also cut a rectangle or square with a paper trimmer or craft knife

5. Add a small decoration to the front of your card. In my case I only added a gold-glittered bow to the top edge.

Done!

Papers used: Kris Kringle collection by S.E.I.

So I basically only matted three sides of my card, and my main concern only was which decorative papers to choose! 🙂

I hope this post was helpful to some of you to get started and go create your own Christmas cards!

Please click the like button before you leave 🙂 – and see you next blog post!

 

Christmas Card Tip

This week I’m sharing a tip for your Christmas cards. I know it’s early, but at least this tip will be on time for you! 🙂

Usually when creating a card you would create a cardstock base first, which you would then mat with design paper (and decorate). What I’m showing you in the video and pictures below is a fun and light-weight alternative: use double-sided design paper only and leave out the cardstock entirely! Your cards will be lighter and less bulky, making them easier (and more affordable) to send by mail, and you can decorate them just as you would any cardstock-based card.
As a bonus, the insides of these cards will be gorgeous without you having to put in any effort!

So have fun creating your Christmas cards, enjoying their new lightness 🙂 !

 

 

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December Deluge 7: 6×4″ Nutcracker Sweet Christmas Cards

This December month I’ll post many projects on my blog, to give you some inspiration and ideas for your Christmas projects – and also to help you spend your holiday time creatively. In my previous posts I showed you several December projects, the first of which was a quick Christmas Mini Album, so you can start there if you’d like to see them all. Today: Part 7 of this December Deluge of creative ideas 🙂

This year’s Christmas collection for me has been Nutcracker Sweet by Graphic 45. A couple of blog posts ago I already showed you a number of 4×4″ Christmas cards I created with this collection. ANd there’s more purple projects to follow, so stay tuned! 🙂

I always like to do double layout cards, by which I mean cards that have layouts both on the front and on the inside, which gives them a particularly finished look and adds a luxurious feel.

Today I continue my Purple Plethora of Christmas cards, with seven 4×6″ versions of Nutcracker Sweet!

Enjoy the video & pics!

 

Next up: December Deluge 8 – Nutcracker Sweet Treasure Chest!

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December Deluge 4: Caramel Christmas Tri-shutter Cards

This December month I’ll post many projects on my blog, to give you some inspiration and ideas for your Christmas projects – and also to help you spend your holiday time creatively. In my previous posts I showed you a quick Christmas Mini Album, a 1-sheet Micro Wallet and a set of Nutcracker Sweet Christmas Cards. Today: Part 4 of this December Deluge of creative ideas 🙂

You know how you often have reasonably large scraps of cardstock left over from a larger paper craft project? I always like to use them instead of throwing them out. For instance, I had some fairly broad strips of cardstock left over from my Caramel Christmas mini album, and I decided to turn them into some trishutter Christmas cards. Since their measurements weren’t the regular, like standard, size for this kind of card, they turned out somewhat smaller. Also, when folded closed, they weren’t square but a pretty small rectangle.

They turned out great nonetheless – and an extra bonus was that I could also use some leftover scraps of design paper of the aforementioned mini to decorate the cards!

Hence their name: Caramel Christmas Trishutter Cards 🙂

Oh and by the way, if you’d like to create some trishutter cards yourself, check out my free video tutorial!

Next up: December Deluge pt. 5 – Decoupaged Christmas Candle & Box

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December Deluge 3: Nutcracker Sweet Christmas Cards

This December month I’ll post many projects on my blog, to give you some inspiration and ideas for your Christmas projects – and also to help you spend your holiday time creatively. In my previous post I showed you a quick Christmas Mini Album and a 1-sheet Micro Wallet. Today: Part 3 of this December Deluge of creative ideas 🙂

The Nutcracker Sweet papers are an older (2012) collection of Graphic 45, but once I discovered it, I really fell in love with its beautiful purple, pink and clear-winter-sky-blue hues. So I decided to use it – papers & chipboard tags – for my Christmas cards this year.

I’ve created cards of several different sizes and styles, and today I’m sharing the first: the 4×4″ Double Card.

 

 

 

Next up: December Deluge pt. 4 – Caramel Christmas Trishutter Cards

 

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Time to Flourish – Three Graphic 45 Cards

For these final months of the year (boy, how time flies!) I created some cards using the Time to Flourish collection by Graphic 45. This collection is the perfect seasonal collection, with a special focus on all things floral.

I already created some cards earlier in the year, there was May, including Mother’s Day, and fairly recently I showed you two versions of August birthday cards.
This time it’s the fall, and even one Christmas card.

So enjoy the video and pictures, and please like & subscribe!

 

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Last-minute Christmas Card #2 (tutorial)

In my previous post I talked about the sometimes urgent need for some extra Christmas cards – preferably handmade, but having very little time to actually create them. I showed you a way to make a quick & easy Christmas card, which will take you less than an hour to create – not counting the drying time for any Stickled areas you might add.

And I promised you a second very quick Christmas card which will need even less supplies, namely just one double-sided sheet of 12×12″ design paper!
I’ve used a sheet of Kaisercraft’s wonderful Turtle Dove collection for this card.

So check it out, there’s some how to instructions in the video as well.

By the way, if you’re in the mood for some serious card making – though maybe not for Christmas anymore 😉 – check out my Christmas cards of this and last year. There’s 2014 and 2013 – maybe not as quick to make as this one, but they may still inspire…

Last-minute Christmas Card #1 (tutorial)

I don’t know about you, but usually I come up short on Christmas cards, whether I buy them or handcraft them. There’s always people who come to mind when the 25th of December comes closer and closer, and sometimes I send out my last cards after Christmas, just in time for New Year…

So I’m going to share two ideas for those times you find yourself in need of one or more extra Christmas cards – and quickly! The first one is a blog-only photo tutorial – which you are reading right now 🙂

You’ll find the second card idea in the next blog post, and it’s a video tutorial.

Quick Christmas Card Tutorial – Enjoy!

Supply list: cardstock, design paper, cut-a-apart sheet or ATC card, ribbon, Stickles, double-sided tape, dimensional tape, Christmas stamp or rub-on.

Paper collections used: Kaisercraft – Turtle Dove, Kaisercraft – Just Believe (cut-a-apart sheet)

1. Mat your card. Adhere two short pieces of ribbon, for decorative purposes, as shown.

2. Take a cutapart (or cut something like it) and decorate to your liking. E.g. I stamped a sentiment and went around the edge of the pattern with glitter glue.

3. Attach the cutapart to the front of the card (covering the loose ends of the ribbons).

4. Fussy cut some elements.

5. Attach the first element to your card.

6. Apply dimensional tape to your second element.

7. Adhere the second element to your card.

8. Add some glitter glue accents to your elements.

Done!

Next: Last-Minute Christmas Card #2 – even less supplies needed!

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My North Country Christmas cards

As I stated in my previous post, it’s never too early to create Christmas cards! 🙂

I used the 8×8 inch North Country paper pad and created 26 fairly large Christmas cards. I used different techniques, like die-cutting, stamping, layering, ribbons and of course my scrap mats. This older Prima collection doesn’t seem to have been used a lot, if the very small number of Youtube videos on it are any indication. So here’s my contribution to this apparently very small collection of North Country projects 🙂

Hopefully this helps you find some inspiration to create your own!
Happy crafting! 🙂