How to DIY Happy Holidays Cards

Sending a "Happy Holidays" card to loved ones is a special part of the holiday season. But stock greeting cards can come across as impersonal and boring. You can remedy this by making your own, personalized holiday cards this season. Here are a few tips to help get you started.

Design a Unique Front

The front of the card is the first thing everyone will see, so it needs to be a real attention grabber. Fortunately, there are plenty of designs to choose from when it comes to the holiday season, including Christmas trees, snowmen, and other holiday themes. The main thing to keep in mind is that you need a design you can reproduce multiple times, especially if you plan on sending a lot in the post.

Christmas Tree Designs

One easy way to create a Christmas tree design is by using washi tape. This patterned tape comes in holiday themes, which makes it perfect for cards. All you have to do is cut the tape in varying lengths and glue them to the front of the card, stacking from the longest to the shortest. Add a sticker for the Christmas tree topper and a piece of wood-grain tape for the stump

You can also make Christmas trees by using paint color cards you can get for free at the home improvement or paint store. Simply cut the paint chips to resemble trees and glue them side-by-side on the card, overlapping them slightly. Add a star decal and craft rhinestones to complete the wintry scene.

Snowmen Ideas

Snowmen are a classic holiday card design, and they are super easy to make. All you need are a few white buttons that vary in size, string, and felt to complete the look. Start by gluing the largest button at the bottom-center of the card. Then stack a smaller button on top of that followed by another smaller one. It works best if the top button only has two threading holes to resemble the eyes. Next, craft a small felt hat for the snowman and glue it on top. Then tie the string in a bow and attach it below the top and middle bottom. You can add swirls around the snowman for a more festive look.

Color Scheme

Most holiday cards default to the classic red and green color scheme, but there are other colors to pick from when creating your own DIY holiday card. This includes a plethora of "winter" colors like silvers, blues, purples, and different shades of green. As a rule of thumb, try and stick to warm tones while mixing in shades of white and gray. You can also play around with different shades of a holiday color, which can add a lot of depth to the card. The trick is to play around with the color scheme until you find something that fits together nicely, but still looks like a holiday card.

Simple Is Best

You should aim to keep things simple when writing the inside greeting. Something short and sweet will suffice. You can also include a family portrait inside as a nice touch. Adding a quick note to the friend or family member is a great way to infuse a personal touch on the card. If you have trouble writing or are not comfortable with your own handwriting, you can always print the inside greeting from a computer. Just make sure your printer can handle thicker card stock and you should be good to go. If you do print the greeting, you should at least sign the card or scribble a quick note inside for a personal touch.

Test Before You Send

Once you have a design picked out, you should make one card before buying more materials. If the design is too difficult to re-create, consider simplifying it to save time. This will also help you estimate how much material and card stock you need to purchase. If everything goes smoothly on the trial run, you can move forward with the rest of the cards.