Make your Own Christmas Cards

Handmade Christmas Card Ideas

Ho Ho! Make your own Christmas cards and lovely printable Christmas cards this year.

When you really want to spread the love during the holidays, you'll find that it doesn't get much more personal than going to make your own Christmas cards. With this personal touch you may not even need to buy a gift! Lots of people treasure the cards that they are sent and when you want to reach out to someone who lives far away, handmade or otherwise personalized holiday greeting cards are a terrific way to do it.

If you have a good computer and printer on your side, look online for free printable greeting cards. These are printable Christmas cards templates that you select, click and print. When you want to make your own Christmas cards it could not be easier than that! Just think about how happy the people on your Christmas card list are going to be when they open the envelope.

Consider what kind of crafts you are good at. For instance, are you someone who is very proud of their calligraphy, a pure white card with stark black Christmas greetings in elegant script might be a wonderful thing to send out. On the other hand, a scrapbooker can have a lot of fun with some card stock, some sheets of decorative paper, maybe adding gold leaf and glitter. You can also make greeting cards with individual themes, such as children/toys, spiritual, woodsy, snowbound, candles, angels or santa clause, to name a few ideas.

You also don't have to be an artist to make your own Christmas cards. If this is your first time making Christmas cards, just go with three design elements. For instance, use colored card stock for the body, acrylic paint for the lettering and some very shiny cut outs that you can glue on. Try some test cards and remember that you can get the best straight edges from using a paper cutter or a mat cutter.

Consider the look of a homemade card with a stamped ivy border and “Seasons Greetings” stamped in gold or crimson. We have also used some gift bags with metallic blues, reds and golds in the design. Just flatten the bag out, measure and cut. For more Christmas card ideas, consider adding tiny bells, real pine needles, spray on snow, a collage of crushed Christmas ornament, spray with a woodsy scent-the possibilities are endless!

Another great option that you might want to take a look at is the photo card. Is there a picture of your kids that you are dying to share, or have you recently taken a picture of the woods out back that you are very proud of? Photo Christmas cards can range in complexity from being very simple, one-sided glossy finish cards to cards that are actually frames for the pictures inside. These cards are so great because they let the person who receives them have a glimpse of what you were looking at, and they can share some of the joy that you might have felt.

Remember to budget for this type of card; even if you do your own printing, you may find that a single sided photo card can cost roughly fifty cents, while a photo frame card can run you between one and four dollars. If you have a good printer and you are familiar with the programs that go into making these cards, you might want to try to handle them on your own, but if you are only interested in design and not labor, you'll discover that there are plenty of companies large and small that can help you make photo greeting cards, printable Christmas cards, and best yet, free printable Christmas cards!

If you decide to make your own Christmas cards this year, there are so many options open to you. Check out photo greeting cards, and mill around in your craft supplies stores and dollar store of choice and have some fun with your handmade Christmas card project. This is a lovely way to show your friends and your family how much you care about them.

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