This take on Minted was made by undefined from , a member of Minted's community of independent artists.
It’s never too early to begin thinking about what your annual Christmas Cards will look like. As we all know, the month of December is full of holiday tasks to complete and a full month can seem to pass by in the blink of an eye if you aren’t organized. For those feeling extra crafty this year, we have reviewed the pros and cons of making DIY Christmas cards, examined some simple homemade Christmas card craft ideas, and also looked at artistic ways to enhance your professional holiday cards with some handmade touches.
Hand-lettered Wish designed by Nicole Barreto
Making a holiday card from scratch definitely comes with its upsides and downsides. Before you decide on the DIY route, we encourage you to review these considerations.
There are so many beautiful DIY ideas for your Christmas cards, and those with the biggest wow factor are often quite a time commitment. You will certainly end up with something stunning if you have the time, patience and energy for it, but make sure committing to these DIY projects is worth it for you. Here are seven of our favorite ideas to consider. Home-crafting enthusiasts may also enjoy our post on additional DIY Christmas crafts with step-by-step picture guides!
Paper quilling is an artform that involves the use of strips of paper — of whatever length, color, pattern and type of paper your heart desires — and rolling, shaping and gluing those strips down so that, when they are viewed from the side, they create a design. This paper arrangement option is perfect for those who do not consider themselves talented with conventional art methods, like drawing or painting, because anyone can create a stunning effect.
Search the craft store for a small plastic plate or transparent round covering that can be glued to the face of a blank card. Cut paper and sequins into small pieces and include them under the glued plastic surface to make a snow globe effect right on top of your holiday card. Shake your assembly to see the sequins and glitter dance before your eyes! If this sounds like too much effort, Minted has an assortment of card designs featuring a festive snow globe that you can customize with photos or a personal message.
An embroidered Christmas card design will truly show off your DIY skills. Find a simple or complicated pattern and transfer that onto either a piece of paper or an already scored and folded card. Experiment with different colors of yarn for a dramatic look. Pro tip: 100% cotton papers will be the easiest to pierce with an embroidery needle for these types of handmade Christmas card designs.
Snowy Scene by Leah Bisch
Show off your green thumb! Twist fresh greens or herbs like boxwood or a sprig of rosemary around a circle of wire. Then punch a hole in the center of a piece of card stock and thread twine through the hole to attach your wreath to the card. Be sure to buy and use an envelope that is bigger than the card so you have room for the three-dimensional shape of the wreath. For an even more stunning look, you can look for a holiday card design that features a wreath, and then add your homemade wreath on top of it!
This is a fun and easy DIY Christmas card idea to get your family photos to literally jump off the page. Start this DIY Christmas card idea by cutting out small images of each individual in the family. Then string them all together with simple ribbon or twine and tape. You can choose to glue this bunting banner across various surfaces of your homemade holiday card, or simply include the miniature banner in the card for your recipients to hang in their home.
Joy Wreath by Sarah Brown
Every household has wrapping paper lying around. Arm your family with scissors, glue stickers and assortments of beautiful wrapping paper designs to choose from. Cut out various shapes and arrange them on a blank card. If you are in need of some wrapping paper, Minted has hundreds of unique patterns and designs to choose from for gorgeous handmade Christmas cards!
Lay out the colored pencils and markers and encourage your children to draw a Christmas tree, snowflake, bells or whatever motif they find representative of the holiday season. Once you have a collection of fun sketches, cut them out and glue them down to your handmade Christmas cards. Check out the Minted Custom Card option to elevate your drawings with foil-pressed glamour and additional customization choices. Each card will be different!
Christmastime in the City Wrapping Paper by Ekko Studio
If you don’t have the energy or skill set to create completely original DIY Christmas cards from scratch, we have a happy medium for you to consider. Look into personalizing your own beautiful Minted Christmas Cards on our site, where you can adjust color combinations, text styling, card size, border cut and so much more. Of course using a family photo is the perfect solution for easy DIY cards, and Minted offers a wide array of Christmas photo card designs to choose from. Plus, we can help you take a great DIY family picture that perfectly captures your unique personality.
Once your cards arrive in the mail, you can add your own homemade touches for an enhanced personalized look. We encourage you to experiment with these 10 ways of adding a DIY vibe to your holiday card without the stress of starting from scratch.
Punch holes or make small slits in your card and slide ribbon through the holes. Tie a bow and voila! Search for ribbons that complement the colors used in your card design. (Google the fork trick for making bows.) You can get even fancier by stringing charms or beads onto the ribbon, as well.
We all know how much little ones love stickers. Go ahead and buy special holiday designs, or keep it simple with small glittery stars, and let them stick away. You can be as prescriptive as you want with the stickers; tell your kids exactly where they should go, marking the spot with a pencil first, or let their creativity reign as they place the stickers wherever they choose.
Campy Little Christmas by Jen Boehler
Have fun cutting wrapping paper, ribbon, tinsel or even aluminum foil into small pieces and adding a handful to each Christmas card envelope. It is best to stay away from actual loose glitter so that the cleanup for the recipient isn’t too difficult. Having slightly larger pieces of envelope confetti is a fun and festive add-on sure to bring a smile. If cutting up bits for the envelopes is too time-consuming, there are plenty of packets of premade assorted confetti that comes in holiday shapes and colors.
Have your family all sign the Christmas card with a rubber stamp they picked out that they feel represents them. Then have each family member sign their name below the stamp. Don’t forget to include your pet! A paw print for your pet is sure to generate a smile or two.
Place liquid glue or glue dots in whatever pattern or design complements the Minted Christmas Card you already chose. You or your children can sprinkle the glitter in one or as many colors as you like onto the glue lines. Once the glitter has been added to your card, be sure to let it dry for three to four hours before handling it.
Using wax seals to elegantly close your holiday envelope is a chic personal touch. You could drip the wax yourself and stamp it if your child is old enough to help with hot wax or buy a holiday-themed wax seal that works like a sticker and can easily be thumbed into place. Minted sells an assortment of decorative adhesive wax seals in a wide range of colors.
Purchase your cards on Doublethick or Triplethick paper and have fun “painting” the edges with a splash of color. You can be as creative or simple as you want, depending on the number of colors you use. Use silver or gold paint for a traditional and elevated look, or color each card differently for truly personalized looks.
Small dried flowers could be used to enliven an already floral-based card design or bring a floral touch to modern handmade Christmas card designs. Fresh or dried greenery would also look artistic layered on top of your Christmas card. Bonus points for using lovely holiday scented plants like rosemary, spruce or juniper that add an aromatic touch. Be sure to review our post on Christmas flowers and greenery for additional ideas. Lastly, small fabric or faux leaves glued on top of a card can also add some textured flair.
The holiday season is full of distinct smells. Festive scents such as gingerbread, pine needles and peppermint can immediately bring up memories of presents under the Christmas tree and wood logs burning in the fireplace under the Christmas mantel. Order a scented spray or oil of your choosing and dab a little on your holiday greeting before putting it in the mail.
If you pride yourself on impressive penmanship, opt to order your Christmas cards with a blank white backing. Take to the blank canvas with your favorite ink pens and compose a beautiful holiday greeting complete with custom lettering created by you! You can also experiment with beautiful address labeling on the front of your envelopes. If you don’t have the patience to address each envelope yourself, Minted does offer free styled recipient address labeling that can be printed on your envelopes before they arrive. Pick from festive styling themes that feature Christmas animals, snowflakes, candy canes and more!
If you aren’t going to make homemade Christmas cards from scratch and you also don’t want to order personalized cards online, there is a third option you can explore. Boxed Christmas cards are usually sold in bundles of 15-25 cards. We have outlined some pros and cons to boxed Christmas cards as an alternative to DIY Christmas cards.
Whether you decide to go the DIY Christmas card route, buy a premade box of cards or shoot for design excellence and convenience with a Minted Christmas card, we’ve brought some clarity to your decision making process. The holidays can be a stressful time, but with Minted in your holiday-planning toolkit, they don’t have to be.
We uncover design genius through ongoing design competitions. At Minted, all that matters is good design. Designers submit, and the Minted community votes to tell us what to sell.
