Christmas card ideas to make by hand this year
Pick one idea and repeat it: potato-print trees, a washi tape tree, a pressed fern or a family photo. Fold and score the card first, then decorate the front while it lies flat.
Start with 40 pages free. No card needed.
A homemade card does not need to be clever. One shape, done the same way on every card, reads as a set and gets twenty done in an afternoon.
Twelve ideas, with what each needs and who it suits.
See also: how to make stickers at home, washi tape ideas, pressing flowers and leaves, keeping the cards you are sent, Christmas photo ideas.
Keep this year's cards
Photograph the cards you are sent, with this year's photos, onto pages in the tbf scrapbook studio. Make a digital scrapbook online.
Start with 40 pages free. No card needed. Plans and prices.
| Card | What you need | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Potato-print trees | Half a potato cut to a triangle, green paint | Children and big batches |
| Fingerprint robins | A brown ink pad, a fine pen for beaks and legs | Small children |
| Washi tape tree | Strips of washi tape in a stack, a star sticker | A quick batch with no drying time |
| Watercolour wreath | Watercolour card, one green, a dot of red | Loose painters, since blobs read as leaves |
| One-line drawing | A fine black pen, a tree or bauble drawn without lifting it | People who say they cannot draw |
| Pressed fern or leaf | Pressed foliage, glue dots | A walk in the park the week before |
| Button baubles | Odd buttons, a pen for the strings | Using up the sewing tin |
| Paper scrap triangles | Offcuts of patterned paper stacked into a tree | Scrapbookers with leftovers |
| Family photo card | One 6x4 print, photo corners, a 5x7 card | Relatives who live far away |
| Last year's cards, cut down | Old card fronts, a craft knife, plain blanks | Cards that cost nothing |
| Sticker scene | Stickers you made from your own drawings or photos | Using up a sticker sheet |
| Pet in a hat | A photo of the pet, a paper hat glued on the print | Friends who like a joke |
Fold before you decorate
Score the fold first with a blunt knife against a ruler. Paint cracks along a fold made later, and a design placed first often ends up off centre.
An A5 sheet folded in half makes an A6 card for a C6 envelope. In the US, half a letter sheet folded makes an A2 card for an A2 envelope.
Making twenty at once
Cut and score every blank, then do one step on all of them before the next. Lay painted cards flat on a towel to dry and write inside last.
Thick cards and postage
Buttons and layered paper add thickness. In the UK a card over 5 mm thick needs a Large Letter stamp, and in the US a lumpy or square envelope costs extra to post.
Steps
Choose one design
Pick one idea from the table and make a single test card before buying anything.
Cut and score the blanks
Cut every card to size, score each fold with a ruler and check one fits its envelope.
Decorate in batches
Do one step across every card, let paint or glue dry flat, then move to the next step.
Write, date and post
Write inside, put the year on the back and post by the last recommended date for where it is going.
Questions
What can I put on a homemade Christmas card?
A simple shape repeated well: a tree, a star, a bauble or a robin. Prints, washi tape, pressed leaves, buttons and a family photo all work.
What are easy Christmas cards for children to make?
Fingerprint robins, potato-print trees and sticker scenes. Each has one step a child can repeat, and an adult can do the folding.
What card should I use for homemade Christmas cards?
Card stock around 250 to 300 gsm folds cleanly and stands up. Use watercolour card if you paint, as thinner card buckles when wet.