It’s about that time again – holidays are approaching and what better way to celebrate than to create your own cards? Giving a homemade card to anyone, especially long-distance family, friends and co-workers, is a great way to show you are thinking about them. You don’t have to spend hours creating these cards and it won’t break the bank.

I’ve been making my own cards for a little over a year and a half now, and I have learned that once you get the major steps down you can tackle any card. They do take more time than going to the store and buying them, but it is one of the greatest ways to give a small, personalized gift. Don’t want this to be a solitary activity? You can also involve others and plop in front of the T.V. watch holiday shows, drink hot cocoa and make cards together.

If you are stuck on what to make, Pinterest is one of the greatest sources I have found for ideas. You can just search ‘holiday cards’ and an abundance of examples show up. If that doesn’t suit your fancy, a lot of bloggers dedicate this time of year to make crafts.

Here are some examples of cards I’ve found and tried from Pinterest.

Snowman Card

Let’s start simple. For this card you’ll need:

• Blank card
• Two buttons
• Ribbon
• Black Felt
• Snowflake sticker
• Stamp & ink or good handwriting
• Glue or double-sided tape squares

This card is pretty self-explanatory, so we’ll skip to the tips!

Tip: Instead of using glue, try double-side tape squares. You can find these at crafting stores, and they work like glue without the mess and they  dry fast. Just watch out because once you place the strips and let them set, it is hard to reposition them.

Wreath Card

This is another fairly simple card you can make. For this card you’ll need:

• Blank card
• Green Buttons
• Ribbon
• Glue/tape

This is another self-explanatory card, so here are some more tips!

Tip: Sometimes these ribbons come prepackaged like the one in the picture, but other times you’ll need to make it yourself. If you want help on making it, check out Handimania’s tutorial. Instead of using buttons you can also try holly or small parts of pine branch. They make for festive wreaths as well!

Christmas Tree Card

This card is a little more complex, but you can do it! For this card you’ll need:

• Blank card
• Green/red scrapbook paper
• Jewel stickers
• Twine
• Merry Christmas stamp
• Flower Pot stamp & ink
• Glue or double-sided tape

This card utilizes upside down hearts, another bow and a Merry Christmas stamp. The jewel stickers at Michaels will get you about a hundred, and they are less than $7!

Tip: For this card, I would draw the base of the tree rather than get a stamp. It will save you some money and time searching for the stamp. Additionally, I used a light blue card to make the background seem more wintery. For the jewel stickers, I chose to use pearls to make it a bit fancier. These stickers can also be found at Michaels for the same price as the other jewel stickers.

Glittery Stamp Card

This card requires a few tools, but if you want to continue card making, they will come in handy! For this card you’ll need:

• Blank card
• Holiday stamp
• Embossing ink
• Embossing powder
• Heating gun or hair dryer

This card is great. And it is really easy to make. All you do is put the embossing ink, which looks  similar to stamp ink, on your stamp. Then stamp the card. Afterward, sprinkle some of the embossing powder onto the card. Put the excess powder back into the container and get the heating gun. If you don’t have a heating gun, you can use a hair dryer on low. Dry around the area where you’ve stamped. When the letters look metallic, this means the powder has melted and the stamp has set.

Tip: Michaels has all of these supplies. When you use your stamp, make sure it is thoroughly coated and that you press down for a while. This helps you avoid blank areas when you stamp. Also when you are pouring the powder, try and make sure you have a sheet of paper underneath it. When you are done pouring, lightly tap the card onto the scrap paper to remove the excess powder. The scrap paper will help you pour the powder back into the jar too!

Christmas Tree Round 2

This card looks complex, but it is really easy, and it doesn’t take too long to make. For this card, you’ll need:

• Blank card
• White/green scrapbook paper
• Tree stamp
• Jewel stickers
• Tree embellishment
• Merry Christmas stamp & ink
• 1/8” Sticky Doos (thick, two-sided tape)

For this card, you’ll make alternating squares with contrasting backgrounds. Under each layer you’ll put a Sticky Doo underneath. This makes it pop up from the page. The tree embellishment will usually come with a Sticky Doo attached to it, so you can just peel the wax from it and place it on the card. Then you can add small jewel stickers in the place of ornaments. Lastly, you can stamp the bottom of the page (or use embossing!) and you have yourself a card!

Tip: When I was making the squares I used a paper cutter so that they were even. I found the diameter of the card, and then I made the squares smaller by ½” each time. I would see how big your tree embellishment is before you start to make sure it will fit in your square.

Winter Tree with Bird

Now that you have seen some more complex cards, here is an easier one that is fun and cute. What you’ll need for this card:

• Blank card
• Sheet music
• Blue/white/red scrapbook paper
• Glue or two-sided tape

This card can be made just by cutting strips of sheet music to make trees and branches. You can then tape these onto a blue piece of paper that is roughly ¼” to ½” smaller than the card. Then you can use ripped white paper to make the snow.

Tip: I used a green card, and I matched the green by creating a green bird as well. When I cut the blue paper, I measured it with my paper cutter and then cut the white paper to the same size.

Don’t get frustrated if the first card you make isn’t perfect. It takes some trial and error to get it right. For more examples, you can check out this BuzzFeed page for a list of 49 great cards.  You now know a lot about the card-making process and tools you’ll need, so now you can make even the most skilled card. Fonts come in handy when you make these cards and Elegance and Enchantments has made a great list of free holiday fonts you can download. For gathering supplies, I would check out your local craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels. These stores usually have weekly coupons and deals you can use to stay on a budget. Click here for the Michaels coupons or here for the Hobby Lobby coupons.

Good luck crafting!

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