The Holidays are here and that means it's time
for Christmas cards. This is the time of year when your mailbox is
filled with brightly colored envelopes bringing news and seasons
greetings from friends and family every where. Here is a step-by-step
guide to help you on your way.
The Holidays are here and that means it's
time for Christmas cards. This is the time of year when your mailbox is
filled with brightly colored envelopes bringing news and seasons
greetings from friends and family every where. A great way to cut down
on the cost of these is to make them yourself. Here is a step-by-step
guide to help you on your way.
First make a list of everyone you'll send a card to. This will help you decide how much supplies you need to get.
Next
you'll need to get supplies. Since you're going to decorate your own,
you can bypass all the fancy, expensive kits (though these can be fun as
well). Common card size is half-letter. The most cost effective way is
to choose a base color and purchase a box of cardstock in this hue.
Paper supply stores will have a wide variety to choose from and often
have discounts when you buy in bulk. You'll need half as many sheets as
you have people on your list. For example, if you're sending cards to
100 people you'll need at least 50 sheets of cardstock. Make sure you
also have a few extras for any mess ups or last minute additions. Other
than cardstock, you'll also want stickers or something to decorate the
outside as well markers to write on the inside. And don't forget
envelopes and stamps!
Once you have your
paper, there is some tedious work. Using a paper cutter, the cardstock
needs to be cut in half. All the halves will then need to be folded in
half to get your card base.
Now is the fun
part: decorating. If you have kids, this is a great way to entertain
them and get homemade cards done at the same time. A smaller paper can
be glued on the front, leaving the card to act as a frame or mounting.
You can cut out various sizes of white circles and make snow men for
your kids to decorate. Christmas trees are fairly easy to cut free hand
using scissors and green paper and can be embellished with glitter,
stickers, markers, ribbon, or anything else you may have on hand.
There
are many machines available to make this process easier. If you have a
die cut machine such as the Wishblade or the Xyron Personal Cutting
System, lettering or other intricate designs are easy to make and then
glue onto your card. Small laminators can be used to make anything into a
sticker that you can adhere to the card. And the Xyron Design Runner
can print anywhere on the card. If you don't have any of these products,
you can still make beautiful cards on your own but any one of these
devices makes it easier to do a large quantity of cards.
All that is left is to write a message inside. Then stuff the envelopes, address and stamp the outside and you're done.
Using these simple steps, you can create beautiful holiday cards
for everyone on your list. This is a great way to spend a fun weekend
with your kids watching their creativity flow.
If you're interested in purchasing a Paper Trimmer, you should really check out MyBinding.com. They have a wide selection as well as a variety of Xyron Accessories. Plus they offer free shipping for orders over $75.00. Check it out for yourself today!
