I long for the moment when Christmas was more about spending time with friends, family and loved ones and less about fussing over finding the ideal gift; when little handmade tokens were more important than a department store gift card. Just call me schmaltzy, but my much loved part of Christmas is getting together with friends to bake cookies, spending time with the children coloring Santa Claus pictures and planning up of any Christmas crafts that I can think of.
Being said all that, I have come up with a few grand Christmas card ideas, making use of card templates and stencils. Usually, you can use Christmas stencils the standard way and paint the picture onto a card, however there are a lot of other ways to use stencils. I took some stencils from my collections and delved into just how many ideas I could come up with using them to adorn Christmas cards.
Let's begin with the fundamentals of card making and then move ahead to the creative ideas. Cut a sheet of colored construction paper down to a 6x8 inch rectangle. Fold it in half to make a 4x6 inch card.
Idea #1. Find a Christmas stencil that you like at your local craft store or on-line. They come as plastic pre-cut stencils all set for painting or printable stencils that you can come across on the internet or in book format. Each category has advantages and disadvantages. The pre-cut stencils are all set. They are also more costly. The printable stencils still has to be cut out. However, they are inexpensive and oftentimes free.
Idea #2. The most fundamental technique to use a stencil in card making is with paint. Just lay your stencil on the front portion of the card. You can tape it down or hold it in place. Use up and down movement with a stencil brush to apply paint in the stencil hole. The stippling technique is done to prevent paint from seeping beneath the ends of the stencil openings.
Idea #3. There is also a grand way to use stencils as Christmas card templates. Mark out the holes of the stencil onto colored paper, cut it out and glue to the front of the card.
Idea #4. If you found a fine printable stencil, you can get rid of the steps of cutting out the stencil hole and tracing the image onto the paper. Just lay down the paper with the stencil on top of the colored paper and slice along the lines using a craft knife. Push down tightly to cut through both paper. Make sure that both pages stay together as you cut it. Glue the figure to the front part of the card.
I know that you can come up with a lot of other creative Christmas card ideas. In the end, it's that special touch that you are aiming for, right? Don't forget that eventually the Grinch found out that Christmas was something that comes straight from the heart!
If there's anything that brings out the creative urge in us, it's Christmas. A Christmas card with a photograph of our family is usually the first kind of handmade card we think of, and rightly so; it's intimate and unique. No one else can send it, nor would we send it to anyone except warm friends and relatives.
The first thing to do is plan your picture carefully. If you have a fine picture of the family taken one Christmas, it's quite sensible to save it for the following year's cards. The picture has the spontaneity of having been taken at the right moment, and holiday spirit shines out of it.
The house is trimmed, the tree is up, and there are unmistakable evidences in the background of the season. For these reasons, it's a good picture to select for your card, and it precludes the necessity of setting the stage for a Christmas picture in November, in time for processing.
Where there are young children in the family, however, who grow and change so much in a year (or, even more so, where there is a new member of the family), the good picture from the year before seems outdated, and you'll want to prepare a new one. It's possible, of course, to simulate a holiday picture with decorations or wreaths that are saved from year to year, and arranged to form a background that seems authentic.
This kind of picture, when successful, can be very effective. But if you'd rather not pretend that it's Christmas a month ahead of time, snap a good scene of Christmas preparations; the children writing a letter to Santa Claus, everyone in the kitchen making gingerbread cookies, Dad and the children checking strings of tree lights (which are lit) to see if they're ready for the big day.
A snow scene of your house or, in any climate, a shot of your front door wreathed for the holiday, is an excellent idea for a card-picture. Let your photographic imagination guide you, and take a picture that speaks best of your own family life.
Once you have your picture, take the negative to your camera store. If you want a printed card, ask to see samples of photographic printing paper on which holiday messages are already printed. They are designed in such a way as to show your picture to good advantage.
You can order almost any number of these cards, and they are not very expensive.
If you'd rather design your own card, remember the precaution for all handmade cards: buy your envelopes first, as soon as you've determined the size of your card but before you've made any of them. Pretty envelopes for cards come in several standard sizes, and it's easier to make your cards to fit the envelopes you've decided upon than the other way around.
For your own snapshots, a card of folded paper with a cutout window shows them in an interesting way. Use construction paper, parchment, or fairly stiff gift-wrapping paper (not tissue wrap). Use a razor blade to cut out the window; try different shapes of window to find the one that frames your picture best.
The window needn't expose the entire picture: if your picture is a little off center or has uninteresting areas, arrange the window to make it appear centered, or to show only its best features. The window can be round, too; use a compass for this. Make slits to hold the picture, or use hinges.
Simple designs are also very good as the background for a picture. Make a tree shape of strips of colored tape. Or daub green finger paint to suggest a wreath on a card with a round cutout.
You have the entire assortment of paints, seals and tapes to choose from in decorating your card, but take care that you do not in your enthusiasm overwhelm your picture with a too-fancy card. The picture itself is precious to your friends and family, so let it stand out.
Above all have fun in designing your card, and enjoy sending it to those who love you!
Both Melanie Smith & Jimmy Cox are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Melanie Smith has sinced written about articles on various topics from Heartwarming Stories, Parenting and Women. For more information on Christmas cards, visit our website at . Add a special touch to your Christmas greeting cards by clicking on this link. Melanie Smith's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
Jimmy Cox has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Horse Racing and Investments. Long Lost Manuscript Resurfaces Revealing Free Christmas Gift Ideas For Everyone!Click Here For Free Online Ebook