Lately I've been rather lazy on the DIY front, especially in the card making department (usually that's my specialty). Thus, this year my cards are rather simple. Though I'm of the opinion that you can never go wrong with a handmade card. How could anyone be disappointed in all the energy and love you've put into crafting such a personalized greeting?
What you'll need:
- Scrapbook paper (with a pattern, at least 5 in. X 10 in.)
- Scrap card stock (at least 5 inches square)
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Gold or silver glitter glue (I used the band Stickles, works well and great applicator)
- "Merry Christmas" Sticker
Directions:
Draw a Christmas tree on a scrap piece of card stock. This will be your template, so it doesn't matter what the paper looks like, but it does help if it's on the thicker side (makes it easier to trace). After you're happy with the way your tree looks, cut it out. Now it's time to pick out your scrapbook paper. Keep in mind the pattern will be the front of the card, the inside should be a solid color. You'll want to pick a pattern that will look good as a Christmas tree. Stripes in holiday colors work well! Fold your scrapbook paper in half, with pattern side in; plain side out.
With the folded side on the left, place the tree on the paper. Keep the bottom left side of the template touching the fold. Trace the template tree onto your scrapbook paper with the pencil. Now you can start cutting out the card. You'll want to start with the right side. This side is the open side, so you can cut through both sheets of paper. Once you reach the top of the tree and start going down the left side, you'll cut through both layers of paper for the top half of the tree. For the bottom three tree arms you'll want to keep the fold in tack. You may need to extend the arms more, and make them a bit thicker on this side. Having the arms thicker on this side is really important, if they aren't thick enough you're card will tear down the middle. When you finish cutting the tree out, you can flip the fold so the pattern side is now on the outside.
At this point you're just adding decorations to your tree card. I happened to have some "Merry Christmas" stickers I got on sale last year, so I used those on the front middle of my card. Then I 'put the trim' on with the gold glitter glue. I made a dotted zig-zag line down the tree, moving from right to left starting at the top. Be sure to let the glitter glue dry complete before you try to write anything on the inside.
