Craft Your Own Christmas... Cards

Its getting closer and closer to December and I am barely able to contain myself! I haven't started wrapping yet, but I (like a lot of people) have made many preparations. One of which includes making my own Christmas Cards. Now I did do this last year, and clearly haven't learned from my mistake, as I am again making more work for myself - I simply can't help it!

Feel free to check out my cards from last year here.

So... I thought I would share with you lovely people a few of the card ideas I have had for this year. There is nothing more personal than a handmade gift and I love browsing through others' creations so please share yours with me too.

I recently bought a couple of jars chock-full of different buttons and couldn't wait to utilise them. This gave me the idea for my first card, which I will briefly show you how to create.
I have seen buttons used many times for various projects, and thought a Christmas card would be the perfect opportunity to try out my own creation - a Christmas Wreath. There is something pleasing, cutesy and rustic about the use of buttons - which I'm guessing is why they are so popular. 
In case you hadn't noticed, chevrons are also very popular within the design world at the moment! So I wanted to include some on my card for a 'more modern edge' - please excuse the cliche design talk.

I started with a blank card. These can be picked up from most stationary and craft retailers - usually in a pack of 10. I then marked out where I wanted my chevrons to be and drew them up. There was no particular method for this. I just made sure they were evenly zigzagged and evenly spaced.
I believe that Christmas is the perfect time to indulge in a bit of gold and so I purchased a small bottle of gold acrylic paint. Using an extremely fine paintbrush, I painted the chevrons. FYI, this paint will probably make you consider painting EVERYTHING gold. I honestly think it should come with a warning.

Once the chevrons are painted and dried, its time to move onto creating the wreath. Using a compass, draw a large circle in the centre of your card. Then draw a smaller one within your first circle. If you do not own a compass, simply draw around any circular object(s) you can use as a template. Then pick out green buttons in different sizes and shades - I feel this adds a little more depth to the design. It may take a bit of playing around to get it looking right, so don't stick any buttons down just yet.

When you are happy with your design, use blu-tak to pick the buttons up one by one, blob some glue on the card, and place the buttons back down in position. I find using blu-tak makes positioning the buttons easier, as your fingers don't get in the way. I just used Bostik all-purpose, extra strong glue.

I have found that due to the weight of the buttons, the card held itself better when stood landscape. Its worth thinking about these things when choosing the media you want to work with.

Tip: Its very easy to knock your design out of place, so I recommend taking a photo of your design when the buttons are in place so you can refer back to it when sticking them down.

I finished off my wreath with a cute bow. I picked a pack of these up from Hobbycraft (of course!) and think they work very well. Another finishing touch I think would look rather good is replacing some of the buttons with small red ones to represent berries within the wreath!

Take a look at some of the other designs I have created this year. All have been made from left-over wrapping paper, magazine cut-outs, paint, and other bits and pieces I found lying around.

Christmas Robot

A fun one, created from spare gift wrap originally purchased from NOTHS, winter-themed papers, a 'Happy Christmas' label from Hobbycraft, buttons, and a Santa hat made from scraps.

Festive Weave

Created using strips cut from festive and plain paper, then simply woven together, and all stuck down with double sided tape. The blank squares were then finished off with hand-sketched Christmas trees and wreaths. 

Geometric Bauble

Created by drawing up a geometric design and filling in with acrylic paint. Finished off with a bauble cut from red paper, a 'Merry Christmas' label from Hobbycraft, and a tartan bow (also from Hobbycraft). 

And there we have it! I do hope I have inspired you to create your own Christmas cards this year. Don't be scared to experiment with colour and pattern. Have fun with it and don't be afraid to be quirky - why shouldn't a robot wearing a Santa hat feature?! Also, make what you can with what you already have. It doesn't have to be an expensive project.

If I have inspired you, I would love to see your creations. 

Tweet me: @ZibZobHandmade

But with only a week left until December arrives, you had better get a wriggle on!

Stay Merry and Bright my Lovelies.

Zo..x

Handmade Christmas Cards

Hello my lovely people and welcome to 2014! I know this is probably not the best time to publish a festive-themed post, but (to put it simply) I have just not had the time to sit down and type away!
I have always been one of those people who isn't happy unless I am so busy that I want to cry. That is why this Christmas I decided to make my own Christmas cards. When I told people about this idea, they mentioned how expensive this process could be. Now seeing as I am trying to look after the pennies, I made it my mission to do this as cheaply as possible. I already had some blank cards and envelopes, so this was a good start! 

To make the above cards, I simply rummaged around my bedroom to see what I could find. I managed to find use for the following items:
- Blank cards and envelopes (5x7") by Papermania - available at most craft stores
- Black and white paper from old sketch books - sketch book paper is very good quality and lovely to work with
- Leftover Christmas wrapping paper found in the loft
- Christmas ribbon left over from last year's gift-wrapping
- Buttons from my sewing box (accumulated over the years)
- Festive Washi Tape (I admit this was a new buy, but was used for this year's gift-wrapping originally)
- A range of patterned papers from inside craft magazines
- Tissue paper
- Stamps and ink
- Cat biscuit boxes used as cardboard for mounting and backing
- Paint charts
- Festive-themed templates (stockings, bells etc.) I printed off from the internet



We are all guilty of hoarding a little - whether it be hanging onto glittery wine bottle bags to re-use on your Aunt's next birthday, or keeping hold of that pair of jeans you will fit into again one day. 
My point is, if you are thinking of making your own festive stationary next Christmas then have a mooch around to see what materials you can find in your own home. 
For example, the background to this card on the left is left over wrapping paper. The black paper is from an old sketch book. The brown paper is left over gift-wrap and I used my stamp set to spell out 'Merry Christmas'. Both the Christmas tree and its background are made up of colourful papers that I ripped out of craft magazines. Mags such as Craftseller usually include tear-out papers that are great for card making and other projects. They also include many card-making ideas for inspiration if you're not sure where to start.
I put it all together using double-sided sticky tape and finished off with some festive Washi Tape. To give a little depth to the card, I adhered the Christmas tree using 3D foam adhesives (a must have for card making).
It is always worth cutting out bits and pieces and having a play around first before sticking everything down. This way you can see which arrangement looks best for each card. 
Don't be scared to go bold and colourful! As you can probably see, I love mixing patterns and for some of my cards, I wanted to go a little less obvious on the colour scheme. 






With this card I went a little more traditional in theme and colour. I also played with different textures, incorporating ribbon, fabric, card and paper. 
The background is made up from robin themed wrapping paper. The central panels are made up of sketch book paper and brown parcel paper. All of these components were secured with double-sided sticky tape. To make the bauble, I drew around a template onto cardboard from a cat biscuit box! In-keeping with the bird theme, I mounted some scrap fabric from my sewing box onto the bauble shape. The bow was also in my sewing box. I think it fell off some clothing a few years back. I finished off the look with some Christmas ribbon I saved from the year before. I mounted the bauble with the 3D foam adhesives. To stick down the fabric, ribbon and bow, I used Bostik Glu&Fix all purpose extra strong glue. This can be found in most craft and stationary shops.

On this card, I used more wrapping paper and papers from craft magazines. I stuck with my stamp kit to spell out a seasonal message - I just love the playful charm stamps add to a craft project! The denim tree has been cut out of an old magazine and the button baubles are from my sewing box.

This design is one of my favourites purely for how simple it is and how well it worked. I had an old Sanderson paint chart in one of the drawers under my desk and from it, I collected up a range of the paint sample squares in green hues to create a Christmas tree. 

To top it off, I added a large star in a contrasting pattern and colour. 

The beauty of this project was how little it cost. It was so satisfactory to hand make unique Christmas cards from everyday items and them hand them out to family and friends.

If you have any questions on how any of them were made or have any general feedback, please feel free to post a comment below. I would love to know your thoughts. 

I love handmade cards of any sort so please share your crafts too!

For images of each of my finished Christmas cards, visit my Facebook Page.

I hope I have inspired some of you to make your own seasonal stationary and that you enjoyed the read.

Keep watching this space!

Zo..x

Handmade Save-The-Dates

Hi guys! I know it has been a while since my last post, but the ball is really starting to roll on the hand-made stuff now so hopefully my posts will be a little more frequent! My next post is on my Save-The-Dates.

Now if I'm right, Save-The-Dates are more of an American tradition and we Brits don't tend to send them out. However, they do seem to be growing in popularity throughout the UK now. With our wedding falling on a bank holiday weekend, I thought this would be an ideal way to let my guests know early on and I could get in there before the thought of any weekend getaways!!

Right. Now the idea for my Save-The-Dates was again country garden - to compliment my evening theme. This immediately brought bunting, floral patterns and pastel colours into my head. With this to go from, my mum took a trip to Hobbycraft after work. Here she found a few bits and bobs for me to work with, and come up with a final design.

The Design Idea
Bunting - Four different flags strung together with pretty craft string and 'draped' across the front of the Save-The-Date.
Florals - Floral-print paper to trim the interior.
Pastels - Metallic pastel paper to mount the information onto.
Mini Calendars - A handy calendar card to the inside of the Save-The-Date for the guests to keep hold of. 

The Front
What I really like about this design, is that each and every Save-The-Date is different - due to the different bunting flags and string colour. 
The flags came with pre-cut holes which was handy for neatly threading the string. Once threaded, the flags were held in place by the use of mini square 3D foam adhesives. 
I love these because it prevents the design from looking too flat. The double sided foam adhesives can be picked up from most art shops and are very cheap. 
The blank cards themselves fitted the theme perfectly, as the bottom edge represents lace and also features rose motifs. These cards, the bunting flags and the string were all picked up from Hobbycraft (which recently has become my second home!!).

The Interior
These 12x12" papers were used for the inside of my Save-The-Dates and worked really well - especially for covering up the string from the bunting! I got them from an online craft suppliers I found called Daisy's Jewels & Crafts. The papers are very good quality and come in a 32 pack (16 designs, 2 of each) and have come in really handy for other wedding related projects - shhh! I'm not spilling just yet!

Here is a sneaky of the inside. The information and the mini calendar were printed on good quality, textured card. The information was mounted on metallic, pastel blue/green paper. All were fixed with the foam adhesives. 
The card and the metallic paper are from my recently acquired second home; Hobbycraft.






The Finished Product
Again, I love the personal touch. The fact that each one is different, causes me to like this even more. To be honest, I have spent many evenings making these. However, having other projects to work on and leaving myself plenty of time to do them, I have really enjoyed creating them - it has been fairly therapeutic!

I have added an extra personal touch by investing in a stamp that reads 'Handmade By Zoe' which I absolutely adore! If you are into making Christmas cards etc. and like this idea, then personalised stamps like this are available from NotOnTheHighstreet (love this site).





If any of you are thinking of creating your own Save-The-Dates, invites, order or service sheets or anything like this... I would definitely say go for it! Yes, it takes a little time finding all of the materials, but the outcome is so rewarding. Not only this, but the guests seem to appreciate them too!

I would love to know what you think, and if anybody has made anything similar to this... I would really fancy a nosey!

Keep watching this space,
Zoe..x