Creating Your Own Christmas Cards: Tips From The Pros
When you create your own Christmas cards, a different kind of holiday magic happens. It’s a magic that extends beyond the basic “I’m thinking of you” sentiments of the season. And when you channel some of that unique enchantment into your own Christmas card ideas to share with loved ones close to home and far away, there’s a uniqueness and personalization that’s unlike any other gift you can offer.
And as the card creator yourself? There’s just something about sitting down for a session of Christmas crafting, whether you do it alone or with family or friends, that feels different. Making handmade Christmas cards can be relaxing and rejuvenating, but can also be a time for exciting growth as you try new things or perfect favorite techniques. What’s more, creating your own Christmas cards is a beautiful time to reflect on the people you care about and customize cards just for them.
And when you have a load of fun techniques and Christmas card inspiration straight from the pros at your fingertips, it can make your experience—and the love felt by your card’s recipient—that much greater.
Design & Technique Tips for Standout Holiday Cards
Whether your style is simple or more elaborate, we’ve got several design and technique tips that’ll help you achieve the look you’re going for as you create your own Christmas cards. From unexpected textures and accents to ways to simplify your process if you’re short on time or resources, these strategies used by the pros at Stampin’ Up! will help you elevate your cards and have fun doing it!
Textures & Finishes
From foundational card elements like velvet paper to the sparkliest polishing touches, the textures and finishes you choose to use in your DIY Christmas cards will make all the difference. You can add luxury or playfulness simply by switching up your paper texture and pattern. You can add tons of dimension and interest with embossing folders or metallic embossing powder and a heat tool.
Add a few decorative dots to take a card from cute to polished, just like the one pictured above!
Try a few of these techniques to amp up the texture and finish on your Christmas cards this year:
- Stamp a snowy background using Versamark and clear embossing powder to create a dreamy backdrop for your card.
- Add a velvet bow (bonus points if it’s in an unexpectedly non-traditional color…but more on that later).
- Stamp over a patterned paper, like the gingerbread men on the card above, to create subtle depth and unique patterns.
- Elevate your Christmas card ideas with ready-made gold-trimmed tags and frames for instant impact.
Metallic Accents
As mentioned, metallic elements have a way of bringing elegance to a Christmas card. And doesn’t everybody love a little twinkle during the holidays? Even the simplest card design can benefit from a touch of gold or silver (or both!).
Make those cards extra merry and bright with one of these metallic techniques:
- Stamp typical wintry elements like trees and snowflakes, but then emboss them in gold, silver, or copper.
- Try adding adhesive-backed gems in unexpected places—like in place of red holly berries!
- Stick with a clean color scheme (like mostly white) to let the metallics really shine.
- Mat your DIY Christmas card’s imagery in copper paper for a rustic yet refined look.
Unexpected Effects
Another technique for amping up the wow factor on your handmade Christmas cards is to do something unexpected. Here is where we play with new sizes, break into the third dimension, and use shapes that echo all the best the holidays have to offer.
Level up your card’s holiday spirit with these unexpected effects:
- Ditch the card construct and go for a small gift box instead!
- Add a little fun and flair with an almost snow-globe-like effect using festive-shaped domes and glittery filling.
- Use stamps to create your own custom paper patterns.
- Go extra big or unbelievably tiny—a technique that works perfectly for hand-delivered joy.
Kits for Multiples
Using card making kits is a great way to spread the fun of Christmas crafting with your family and friends. There’s so little pressure, no one needs to come with additional supplies (unless they want to embellish, and who are we to say no to a little extra cheer??), and everything you need is right there in the kit! It still feels handmade, while making the creation process convenient and highly batch-able.
Check out these kits, perfect for the holidays:
Similarly, you can combine elements such as festive card options like these or these with premade ephemera to create your own unique cards for the holidays.
Inspiration: Creative Christmas Card Ideas to Try
Looking for even more inspiration from some real-life handmade Christmas cards? These next four Christmas card ideas feature incredible techniques and genius hacks that will inspire originality and help you produce unique cards that have that unmatched handmade quality while looking as polished as the pros’.
Unexpected Colors
Adding something unexpected to your handmade Christmas cards in the form of color can be such a fun way to liven up the imagery we’ve come to associate with the holidays! Anything from snowflakes and evergreens to candy canes and Christmas lights is given new life and a whole lot of holiday spirit with just a dash of surprising color.
Elegant & Ornamental
Die cuts are a fast and easy way to add clean cut elegance to your Christmas crafting. In just a few seconds you can (flawlessly!) cut out any number of ornamental elements and allow them to do the heavy lifting in your card design. You can arrange them in a casual grouping front and center, create a border with smaller die cut shapes, or let them become the foundation for your favorite card sentiments.
Sparkle & Shine
Even if full glam isn’t really your typical style, there’s something about bringing a touch of glitter to a holiday card that helps the natural sparkle of the season shine brighter. You can even keep your cards as simple as one stamped greeting, adorned with a few colored sequins like this one, and the effect is powerful. Bonus—cards like these are so easy to create in batches, but still have tons of visual impact and handmade charm!
Nature Inspired Touches
Nature inspired cards can feel woodsy and rustic or modern and sophisticated, and it all depends on how you want to use your favorite holiday stamps and dies. As you create your own Christmas cards, you can even combine the two styles for a playful and unique card design like this one! We love playing with other interesting techniques that help your nature inspired holiday cards really shine, too.
Create Your Own Christmas Card with Confidence
Whether you like coordinated kits like the Road to Christmas and the Gingerbread Man Bundle for their convenience and quality design or lean toward extra special touches that allow for even more customization and fun like our Tree Shaker Domes and the glittery goodness with which to fill them, the pros at Stampin’ Up! have so many ways to help you create your own Christmas cards with confidence—and delight! And this year, Christmas crafting with these tips, along with plenty of freedom to mix and match stamps, dies, and all the extras to make cards that are totally unique to you, is sure to be just that!
And, if you’re looking for a little more guidance, make sure to contact a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator today!