Heart and Hearth Crafts

Learn how to make your own handmade Christmas cards with this step by step guide. I’ll show you exactly how I’ve made this Christmas card including all the papers I’ve cut and how I’ve coloured the sweet image so that you can create your own handmade Christmas cards to delight your loved ones. You’ll also learn how to keep your crafts on budget with affordable supplies and money saving tips.

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Step 1 – Choose Your Digital Stamp

The Digi image is from Polkadoodles, part of their Winnie White Christmas range. 

There are thousands of different digital stamps availible online. Click here to take a look at my favourites.

I get most of my digital stamps from Polkadoodles. I fell in love with their designs many, many years ago. They are a joy to colour and I always really enjoy card making with them. Sign up for their newsletter for weekly deals and money off new releases.

If you’ve not used digital stamps before take a look at this step by step guide to using digital stamps in your card making.

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Step 2 – Print Your Digital Stamp

I print my digital stamps onto Ultimate Graphic 160gsm paper. It’s bright white so my colours really pop and it’s super smooth surface makes blending easier.

You don’t need a fancy or expensive printer to print digital stamps. I use a Canon Pixma, any inkjet printer will do.

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Step 3 – Choose Your Designer Papers

It’s usually a good idea to choose your designer papers before you colour your digital stamp this way you can use the colours of the paper to choose your markers.

I wanted to stick to traditional Christmas colours for this card so I picked out this Cosy Christmas paper pack from Make and Create at the Works.

I also like to choose some co-ordinating plain paper or card. I use this as a mat to frame my designer papers, it gives my cards a cohesive look.

Kraft card is great for this because it subtly goes with everything leaving the lovely designer papers to take centre stage.

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Step 4 – Colour Your Digital Stamp

I’ve coloured these digital stamps with my Winsor & Newton BrushMarkers. They are much more affordable than other brands of alcohol markers but are still of excellent quality. I prefer the brush nib as it allows me more control over my pen strokes and makes it easier to blend.

I use Winsor & Newton Promarker Brush pens to colour most of my digital stamp card making projects and I highly recommend them.

I tend to choose three shades of each colour, a dark, mid tone and a lighter shade for highlights. I often include a grey or a pale brown shade to deepen a colour and create a shade that I don’t have.

You need to work quite quickly with alcohol markers. So It’s best to tackle one area at a time. I tend to leave each area to dry and work on a different part of the image to avoid the colours mixing.

I usually start with the darkest shade and colour where there would be a shadow or the part furthest from an imaginary light source. Then I go over this with the mid tone, flicking the pen to add more colour into the centre of the shape I’m colouring. Finally I go over the whole area with the lightest tone.

After my image has dried a bit I often find I’ve blended too well and I go over the darkest areas again to deepen the shadow.

You really don’t need a lot of markers. I think I have about 60 different colours. However I would advise you not to skrimp on the greys and muted shades, they are so useful for adjusting other colours. If you click on the image above you can see all of the colours I have in my collection. These are the shades I would recommend investing in to get a good range of colours without buying the full set.

Here’s the shade’s I’ve used:

Promarker Brush Colours – Skin

Promarker Brush Colours – Reds

Promarker Brush Colours – Greens

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Step 5 – Choose Your Greeting

I’ve got some old Papermania Create Christmas die cut sentiments that were the perfect finishing touch to this Christmas card.

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Step 7 – Choose a Card Blank

I like to buy packs of ready made card blanks. You can make your own from plain card but it’s generally cheaper to buy them ready cut and scored. Your can also save money buy buying larger packs of plain coloured cards.

The card blanks come scored but unfolded. It’s simple to fold them along the crease line and press the crease really sharp with a bone folder.

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Step 8 – Design Your Card

Gather your supplies together and lay them out on your card blank. Move them around, twist and turn your papers. Swap out papers for different designs. Play with your design and have fun!

I always start by cutting the largest layer first and then work my way down to the smallest. This way I can make use of the scraps leftover from cutting the bigger pieces of paper and card.

I find that my designs are much more creative when I have scraps of papers. A scrap of the right paper is often a specific size or shape and the rest of the layout comes together around that one scrap.

Here are some of my designs to give you some inspiration:

Copy This Card Layout

A card sketch is like a blueprint or template that shows where the papers, images and embellishments are positioned on the card. Instead if designing your card from scratch you can use a sketch as a guide. Customise the design with your own stamps and patterned papers.

Here’s a sketch of my card if you’d like to copy it.

How to Prepare Your Papers

Cut your coloured image to measure 11 cm x 7.5 cm.

Choose and cut your papers. You can substitute any papers you wish. I have used white, red and green papers.

Cut the Following Paper Pieces:

• White 14 cm x 14 cm
• Red 12 cm x 10 cm
• Green 9 cm x 7.5 cm

Cut the Following Kraft Card Pieces:

• 14.3 cm x 14.3cm
• 12.3 cm x 10.3 cm
• 9.3 cm x 7.8 cm
• 11.3 cm x 7.8 cm
• 10.3 cm x 2 cm

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Step 8 – Distress the Edges

I use the same colour of distress ink to shade the edges of my papers. It gives my cards a co-ordinated look.

I start by laying my paper onto a piece of acetate. You can buy acetate in sheets or you can cut it from packaging which is just as good. You do need a flat sheet ideally bigger than the edge of your paper or card.

After choosing my ink colour I dab the ink blending tool onto the ink pad and sweep it from the acetate onto the edge of my paper. I always use a smooth sweeping motion starting and finishing on the acetate sheet.

There are lots of blending tools availible. I have the Ranger one and I’ve been happy with it so I haven’t tried any of the other brands. I use one ink pad for each colour.

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Step 9 – Choose Your Embellishments

I’ve added a length of ribbon to this card. It adds a bit of texture and interest.

I’ve also included a little tag with a paper covered wooden heart. To cover the wooden heart with paper, glue the paper to the heart with PVA glue. Leave it on a flat surface under a heavy object such as a stack of books. Once the glue is completely dry carefully cut around the wooden shape.

No Christmas card would be complete without a touch of glitter. I’ve used Stickles in red and green colours. I’ve added the glitter to the darker parts of my image, using it like an extra layer of shading.

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Step 10 – Assemble Your Card

I like to use 6mm double sided tape for most of my cards. It’s cheaper than the usual 12mm tape but it sticks just as well.

I cut the double sided tape to length and lay it onto the back of my paper. One strip at the top and another at the bottom is usually plenty for a card making project.

I use a pokey tool to remove the backing from the tape. It’s nice and easy and saves my finger nails from getting split.

I place my paper onto the backing mount, starting with one corner and then I gently lower it into place so that the visible border of the backing mount is nice and even.

For teeny tiny little embellishments I generally use silicone glue. I use my pokey tool to roll a little blob of silicone from the end of the tubes and then roll it onto my page.

Applying Ribbon and Lace

Ribbon can be tricky to stick onto cards. This is my favourite technique for neatly hiding the raw ends and stopping them from fraying.

I start by sticking the strip of paper to the matt using double sided tape. It’s quick and easy to use and it always leaves a neat finish. Removing the back of the tape can be tricky so I use a pokey tool to lift up a corner. I recently retired my old pokey tool and replaced it with the Design Knife, it’s a pokey tool, craft knife and embossing tool all in one.

Next I lay my strip of mounted paper flat on my craft mat and stick a length of double sided tape where I want my ribbon. I make sure that the ends of the tape extend over the ends of the paper and left them stick lightly to the mat.

Then I place my length of ribbon to the exposed tape and press it onto the paper.

Finally I gently lift the paper off the craft mat and turn it over. It’s easy to press the ribbon and the extra tape to the back of the paper so that the ends are neatly hidden from the front of the card.

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Step 11 – Decorate the Inside Too

I think it’s such a shame to receive a beautifully decorated card only to open it and be faced with a blank page. So I use more of my designer papers to decorate the insides of my cards. I mostly use scraps leftover from the main design and a 10cm square of plain paper to write a nice message onto.

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Follow me on your favourite social media channel for more card making ideas and inspiration.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Etsy

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Shop this Card Making Project

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More Christmas Card Making Projects

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Pin it Now, Craft it Later

I do hope you have enjoyed having a peak at my latest card making project. Please feel free to use my handmade cards to inspire your own creations, pin it to your Pinterest for later.

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