How to Hand-Paint Holiday Cards

Design and hand-paint your own holiday cards as an alternative to store-bought greeting cards. You can make your cards as elaborate or as simple as you desire. Make a set of identical holiday cards or make each card unique.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Brushes
• Paper Cutters
• Greeting Cards
• Holiday Coloring Books
• Acrylic Paints
• Calligraphy Pens
• Crayons
• Glitter
• Gold And Silver Paint Pens
• Paint Pens
• White Glues
• Acrylic Paints
• Cutting Boards
• Holiday Magazines
• Internet Access
• Pencils
• Card Stock
• Envelopes
• Markers
• Pencils
• Craft Knife
• Rulers
• Pencils
• Crayons
• Markers
• black, fine-tipped permanent markers
• metallic, medium-point permanent markers

Using Greeting Card Blanks

1. Find a suitable design for your holiday greeting cards. Look on the Internet and in holiday coloring books, magazines, and embroidery and needlework books for suitable holiday images and designs. You can also draw your design freehand.

2. Purchase greeting card blanks on which to draw or trace your chosen design, or make your own greeting cards from card stock paper.

3. Draw or trace your design onto the greeting card blanks with a pencil. Use a black, fine-tipped permanent marker or paint pen to trace over the pencil lines. Allow markings to dry before painting.

4. Unfold greeting card blanks so that they lie flat on your work surface, with the drawn or traced design facing up. The cards will be easier to paint if they are positioned this way.

5. Use acrylic paints, watercolors, markers, paint pens or other craft paints to color the images on your note cards. Use glitter and metallic paints to embellish your designs as well. Allow paint to dry thoroughly before folding note cards.

6. Add any holiday greeting or message to the inside of your cards. Write your message with a calligraphy pen or a black or metallic medium-point permanent marker.

Using Card Stock

7. Choose card stock paper in colors that reflect the holiday season, then choose coordinating envelopes.

8. Use a pencil, ruler, craft knife and cutting board or a paper cutter to cut card stock sheet to a size that will fit in your chosen envelopes when folded.

9. Wait until after you have painted the card to fold the card stock paper.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep craft knife and paper cutter out of the reach of small children.

on 11/22/2005 By using re-positionable glue spray, delicate corners and edges of stencils will stay flat thus preventing messy, uneven edges.

on 11/22/2005 This is fun! I love to use stencils to make my designs. I found that, by putting a blank sheet of paper behind the card, I eliminate show-through when using permanent markers. To acrylic paints, add a dab of water to get a watercolor effect.