Make Your Own Christmas Cards

If you are on a real tight budget this Christmas or just love to be crafty during the holidays here are some wonderful homemade Christmas card ideas for you to try this holiday season.

Potato Stamp Cards

Supplies you may need for your homemade Christmas Cards:

·        Paper Bags or Craft Paper

·        Potatoes or Sponges

·        Paint or colored ink

·        Ribbons

·        Hole Punch

·        Ink Pen

·        Paring Knife (adult supervision)

·        Plastic Plate

·        Scissors

Instructions:

Step #1 – Check to see if you can find any left over envelopes. You can look in old Christmas card boxes or the drawer where mom or dad pays the bills (ask first). If you find any unused envelopes you can use them and you will need to be sure that the cards you make will fit inside these cards.

Step #2 – Measure the envelope (if you didn't find any have mom or dad buy some for you).

Step #3 – Cut out the brown paper bag to match the height of the card, but twice the width.

Step #4 – Cut the potato in half with an adult helping.

Cut out a Christmas tree shape on the exposed side of the potato (white not the skin).

Cut away potato from the outer edge of the tree that surrounds the tree. You can use three potatoes to cut out different sizes of trees.

Step #5 – Put the paint or ink onto the plastic plate

Dip the Potato Tree into the paint or ink, now place it on what will be the front of your card (one tree or you can make a group of trees).

Step #6 – Make two holes with the hole punch about a centimeter apart below the Christmas tree.

Step #7 – Insert one end of the ribbon through the left hole, and then put it through the other hole. Loop each end around back and through the opposite hole. Now, pull the ribbon out the front of the card. Tie the ribbon into a pretty Christmas bow.

Step #8 – Use the scissors to trim the ribbon.

You can stamp more trees on the inside or write a holiday greeting.

You can also place Christmas stickers on the card or place crayon ornaments on the trees.

You can also decorate the envelopes too.

Use the sponge instead of the potato or buy stamps in the store.

Easy Construction Paper Cards

Every child knows how to make Christmas cards out of construction paper. You just fold a piece of construction paper in half. Decorate the one outside half like the front of a Christmas greeting card and write a greeting on the inside of the card. Use Christmas colors (green, red, purple). Use Christmas stickers to decorate the cards if you wish.

Leftover Christmas Cards

If your family saves old Christmas cards ask if you can use them to make new cards.

Supplies:

·        Old Christmas cards

·        Construction paper

·        Glue

·        Pen

·        Crayons or markers

·        Scissors

To make these homemade cards, sort through the pile of old Christmas cards to find a front to use for your new one. Once you find one you like, cut the front off the old card. You can use parts and not the entire front if you like. You can also use more than one old card to make a different picture.

Fold the construction paper in half.

Glue the old card picture onto the front of your construction paper card.

Using the pen, crayons or marker add to the picture, or draw new pictures to go with the old card picture.

Write a holiday greeting on the inside of the card with your pen. You can copy greetings from the old cards.

Now, if you simply don't have the time or enegy to tackle things from 'scratch', so to speak, you could always go to Amazon and order some of the great available pre-made kits

Images courtesy of digitalart, Feelart, nirots, Salvatore Vuono, thaikrit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net