Die Cut Handmade Christmas Card Tutorial

Raise your hand if you’re addicted to die-cutting!  Is it just me?  Ever since I was a kid, I have loved cutting, stacking, and combining shapes to design cards and paper crafts.  I’ve got 2 simple handmade Christmas card designs to share with you today that you can create using dies, glue, and gem embellishments.  These Christmas cards are so easy to cut and assemble – let me show you how to make your own die cut Christmas cards!

Supplies needed to make the stacked tree handmade Christmas card:

• Wavy-edge Circle Die Set
• Embossing Machine (like the Sizzix Big Shot)
• Heavy-duty White Cardstock trimmed to 8.5 x 5.25 inches (or blank A2 sized card)
• Two colors of Core’dinations Spotted Textured Cardstock (I used a combination of Jillian and Tillie Dot patterns)
• Permanent Tape runner
• Preciosa Self-adhesive Jewels – I used 2 packages of 5mm sized gems and 1 package of 6.5mm on this card
• Self-adhesive Star Gem

First, create or prepare your size A2 card, which is a 4.25 inch x 5.5 inch folded size.  Cut your paper to 8.5 inches x 5.5 inches and fold it in half – you can make two size A2 cards from one sheet of 8.5 x 11 cardstock.

Die-cut your shapes.  The Darice dies I used are compatible with manual cutting machines.  I used my Sizzix Big Shot, and rolled my dies through the sandwiched cutting plates with both tabs 1 and 2 underneath.  Then, I layered the circles, adding one circle of each size in each color to create a tree.  I adhered each circle with permanent double sided tape.

Then, I embellished the tree with self-adhesive rhinestone gems, and a star-shaped gem for the top!  This design not only makes a cute handmade Christmas card, but is easy enough to be a good kids’ craft as well.

The snowflake handmade Christmas card design is slightly more intricate – but not by much!  You’ll be using the same techniques for this card as the tree, you’ll just be assembling it differently.

Supplies needed to make the Snowflake die cut handmade Christmas Card:

• Snowflake Die Cut Border
• Embossing Machine (like the Sizzix Big Shot)
• Heavy-duty White Cardstock trimmed to 8.5 x 5.25 inches (or blank A2 sized card)
• Core’dinations Gemstones Cardstock (I used a powder blue and gray)
• White Scraps or Labels
• Permanent Tape Runner
• Flatback Self Adhesive Pearl Embellishments
• Snowflake Sticker or Punch (optional)

First, create or prepare your size A2 card, which is a 4.25 inch x 5.5 inch folded size.  Cut your paper to 8.5 inches x 5.5 inches and fold it in half – this design is perfect as one of the two cards you can make from one sheet of 8.5 x 11 card stock!  You like how that works out?  🙂

Die cut your main paper along the edge, the same way as in the Christmas tree card above.  Then, take the larger piece of your cut, and use your adhesive to stick it to the front of your A2 size card.  Add pearls along the bottom for texture.

Finally, write (or stamp, or print) your message on white cardstock, and frame it with a contrasting color of cardstock.  Optionally, you can add a cut or punched snowflake and pearl to really set your message off!  (The punch was one I had in my stash – but a sticker embellishment would also be beautiful!)

Do you make your own handmade Christmas cards?  I always make a few really special ones, and this is my start for this season.  Happy card-making!

About Adrianne

Adrianne is a writer, artist, designer, wife, and mom of 2 kids. She blogs at happyhourprojects.com where the theme is tutorials and recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Her favorite projects are jewelry-making, paper crafts, and recycled crafts. She participates annually in ArtPrize, an international art competition, and she's the author of the book DIY T-Shirt Crafts: 50 Ways to Recycle a T-Shirt (August 2015).

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