Weekly Warm-Up: Quick Holiday Cards

Have you mailed your holiday cards yet? Or let’s take another step back and ask if you’ve made your cards yet? Either way, please don’t panic. The month is young, and there’s still time create an annual greeting you can be proud of. Whether you send to a long list of people and need to take the mass-produced, digital route or you’re only making greetings for a close circle of friends, we have  ideas to get you started.

Let’s start with an easy-to-make digi design. This card was created by our talented Dream Team member Deena Wuest. What’s great about digi designs is that you only have to put a card together once, and then it’s just a matter of printing as many copies as you need.

"Merry and Bright" card by Deena Wuest, as seen in the December 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes

To find complete instructions for making this card, visit our website.

If you feel like taking a more traditional route, check out the easy card I made for my editor’s note in the December 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes. The card came together in a snap. Using that card as my inspiration, I wanted to see where I could shave off a few steps to save you even more time. And guess what! The card variation below came together in 10 minutes. You’ll only need a few accents, a tool or two, and a little cardstock.

"Merry" card by Megan Hoeppner. Supplies: Cardstock and die: Stampin’ Up!; Patterned paper and letter stickers: American Crafts; Button, brad, felt snowflake and gem: Little Yellow Bicycle; Snowflake punch: EK Success; Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L; Other: Twine.

Time-Saving Tip
We often talk about little tricks for stepping up a design, but some instances call for stepping down a design’s complexity. The next time you’re in a crunch, whether it’s with cards or layouts, look at the amazing projects you’ve already made, and see where you can shave off time and still create a wonderful design!

My biggest time-saving trick for this project is to skip the stitching. The background die I used came with a faux stitch around the border, so I felt like the card was finished enough without stitching my accents to the center of the card, as I did in my original design.

Your Ideas

We’re always looking for time-saving tips to feature in Creating Keepsakes magazine and on our blog. What are your favorite card-making shortcuts? Let us know in the comments section of this post, or e-mail Editorial@CreatingKeepsakes.com with “time-saving tricks” in the subject line.

In the spirit of holiday greetings, from my computer to yours I wish you a very merry holiday season!

Warmly,
Megan Hoeppner, creative editor