How to Make Your Own Picture Christmas Cards

A photo Christmas card

Create a Christmas photo card of yourself to send to friends and family. People who haven't seen you for a while will want to know whether you look different than when they last saw you. If you can't celebrate the holidays with them, a Christmas-themed picture of your smiling face on the mantle is the next best thing.

Things You'll Need

• Photographs, glossy, 4 inches by 6 inches
• White cardstock
• Paper cutter
• Double-sided tape
• Calligraphy pen
• A-7 size envelopes

Instructions

1. Cut card stock sheets into 10- by 7-inch pieces. Cut as many sheets as are needed for this project. Fold each sheet in half lengthwise to make a blank 5- by 7-inch card.

2. Apply strips of double-sided tape on the back of each 4-by-6 photograph, just inside the edges on the four sides. Press the photos onto the center of the blank stockcard. The photos may be portrait or landscape, whichever way works on the card.

3. Write personal Christmas greetings with a calligraphy pen inside each card (portrait or landscape), such as "I wish I could spend the holidays with you, but I'm wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year till I see you," or "I'm thinking of you on this holiday season and want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."

Tips & Warnings

• Have a friend take photos of you in a Christmas-themed outfit such as Santa, Mrs. Claus or an elf. Hold a toy or gift in your hands (or other prop), stand by a decorated Christmas tree or sit in a big chair.

• This is a good project for children to make and send to distant grandparents.

• If using a photograph taken on a winter trip, type the information and date it was taken on white peel-and-stick labels using the computer and a word-processing program such as Microsoft Word. Put a label on the back of the card.

References

• Impress Rubber Stamps: Make Photo Cards
• Martha Stewart: Handme Photo Postcards