The Frugal Crafter Blog
Hi friends! Today I am sharing a sweet little painting that would be lovely to paint for a Christmas card.
I will be hosting a free live online class at Michael’s teaching this project on November 17th, 2023! I hope you can join me! sign up at this link and you can also download the printable line art while you are there. If you can’t make it live, no worries, there will be a replay 24 hours after the event on Michael’s YouTube channel. It’s free so please sign up if you would like to see more projects like this, even if you can’t make it live. Please enjoy this timelapse video I filmed when I designed the project. It’s pretty straightforward so you can probably follow along from that but if you need more instruction you can join me for the live class!
I hope you enjoy this fun watercolor card!
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Hi friends! Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow Americans! It’s pouring rain here in Maine today which is weird for Thanksgiving but I think we can agree it’s a weird year so I guess it’s par for the course. Today I have some beautiful and funky Christmas cards to share.
We will use some new and old supplies and play with lot’s of techniques that you can adapt to your next card projects.
This is a live narrated video so join me for laughs, mistakes and a lot of fun!
There are lots of fun techniques and money saving tips in this video!
Supplies (Affiliate links used)
- Embossing folders: The Christmas one is by Darice, the other Embossing folder (3-D) is here. *Tip, the 3-d folders are pricey so I only get generic pattern ones that can be used for multiple cards and occasions to get the most bang for my buck!
- Silver gilding polish (Cosmic Shimmer)
- Black, white and pastel purple and blue cardstock.
- Sentiment stamp
- Snowflake die (I used an old sizzix embosslets but this die set has a similar snowflake and this set has a nice variety too.
- Organza ribbon
- Gems
- Acrylic mousse
- Snowflake stencil (also the fist snowflake dies I linked to can be used as a stencil but I haven’t tried that with paste before.
- Glitter
Before I go I want to relate a funny story. A few years ago I decided that life was too crazy and busy and I didn’t want to make Christmas cards that year. My kids were little and I was overwhelmed so I let that task go and enjoyed December with my family. I believe cards should be made with joy and love, I mean, who would want one made of fatigue and spite LOL! A couple of days after that Christmas I was feeling relaxed and really in the mood to make cards so I made Happy New Years cards and sent them instead! It was a surprise to my family and friends and I think that’s good because it’s nice to have a little perk when you think the festivities have ended and you are staring down the barrel of a long Maine winter. In other words, have fun and make stuff when you want to! Happy crafting!
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Hi friends! I have another card batch recipe for you tonight. I got 9 cards for this pretty patterned paper. I used an old stamp set and typical supplies you probably have on hand (or something you can make due with.) Adapt it to meet your needs and get those cards mailed! BUT that is to say only if you want to. I never want to pressure people into thinking they have to make their own Christmas Cards or send cards at all for that matter. I enjoy making my Christmas cards but there have been years when it’s just too much. Basically, if you like making cards and have time to then go for it. If you are sneaking 5 minutes of zen time with a cup of tea to enjoy a video during a hectic time that’s totally cool too. Christmas comes with a lot of joy and celebration but it can also be overwhelming and full of expectation. It’s also a hard time for many and I just want to say that you are doing great, don’t wear yourself down trying tot be perfect or please everyone. Your family and friends will love you regardless. Love yourself too. Sit back, chill for a few and watch a fun crafty video.
Today I am going to share one of this years Christmas card designs. I will warn you I am using some older product so if you want to make this card you can substitute it for stuff you have. I love using up older products and mixing older stamps with new papers and stuff. I don’t like how stamping has become so “fast fashion-like” with stamps being discontinued as soon as you buy them. You can use any frame or wreath stamp in lieu of the frame I used and stamp a Santa face if you don’t have this paper (although I just bought this sheet of paper so it should still be available LOL!) Watch the video and then make your own!
This video is sponsored by craftsUprint! Snag the free printables for today’s project video here.
*Note, you can download this kit for free. You can also get a free printed version of the 7-page template at the link above. A $4.80 postage & handling fee will apply and they ship worldwide. The printed version will also come with a craft gift worth $4. If you have trouble downloading you can contact CraftsUprint support here.
- Free craft printable available here
- Adhesive (strong double-stick tape, foam tape, and glue stick)
- Ruler
- Bone folder, stylus or butter knife for scoring
If you enjoyed this tutorial please check out the other On the Shelf cards and other printables CraftsUprint has to offer. These affordable templates are fun, unique and are sure to brighten someone’s day! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
DIY Artsy Christmas Envelope Art
It’s the season for sending out Christmas cards to everyone on your list to wish them Happy Holidays and provide your annual photo of the kids. I probably should be actually sending out my Christmas cards instead of sharing all these fun Christmas envelope art ideas, but I like to live on the edge!
Here are 4 super easy artsy ways dress up your Christmas cards envelopes! They are so quick that you can do several at a time and impress everyone on your mailing list with how creative you are!
1. Abstract Snow Storm
- Kraft card envelope
- Red acrylic paint
- White acrylic paint
- White paint marker (Uni-Posca Paint Marker for the win!)
- Old credit card or gift card
- First, using a credit card or palette knife, scrape some red paint across your envelope. Add as much or as little as you like!
- Next, create your “snowflakes” by splattering white paint over top.
- Then add some gold stickers or punch them out of gold tape with a hole puncher. Apply randomly!
- Lastly, using a white paint pen, address the recipient over top of the red.
2. Winter Forest
- White card envelope
- Gold gel pen (Sakura Gelly Roll)
- Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Hard Pen
- Hooker’s Green acrylic paint
- Herringbone stencil (similar here)
- Makeup sponge
- Gold acrylic paint (Golden Fluid Acrylic in Iridescent Bright Gold)
- Lay down the stencil on the left side of the card, about 1/3 covered.
- Using the makeup sponge, dab/spread the green paint to cover the stencil. Go over with gold in some areas to create variation. Remove the stencil
- While the paint is drying, use the gold gel pen to address the recipient
- Use the Fude Brush pen, or any felt pen, to draw a set of antlers below the address.
3. Frosty Foliage Wreath
- Kraft paper envelope
- White acrylic paint
- Old credit/gift card
- Tombow Fude Brush Pen
- First use the old credit/gift card to scrape some white paint across the front of the envelope. Dab some smaller marks around the main swipe. Add an extra layer if the paint is not opaque enough.
- Then, using a light pencil, trace a circular object in the size of the wreath you’d like to create.
- Create leaves, branches, and other foliage around the traced circle to create a wintery wreath with the Tombow Fude Brush pen.
- Add some extra leaves and berries in the smaller marks.
- And last but not least, make sure you uddress the recipient within the wreath.
4. Holly Jolly Snow
- White card envelope
- Red acrylic paint (Liquitex Basics Cadmium Red)
- Gold acrylic paint (Golden Fluid Acrylic in Iridescent Bright Gold)
- Old credit/gift card
- White paint marker (Uni-Posca Paint Pen)
- First, use the credit/gift card to scrape red paint across the envelope in a large rectangular-ish shape. Go over again with a little bit of gold paint to add contrast.
- Next, use the white paint pen to create snowflakes over top of the red paint area
- Lastly, address the envelope to your recipient! You may have to go over the lettering twice to get the white opaque enough.
See how easy those are? They’re fast, foolproof, and add a little something extra to your Christmas cards this year. These probably aren’t a great idea if you send out like 100 cards, however, if you send quite a bit less then this is a fun way to dress up your cards.
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