24 Days of Christmas Crafts: A Countdown to the Holidays
Here on the Picket Fence Studios Blog, it’s a countdown to Christmas! There will be a festive themed project each day leading up to December 25th! If you're like me, you'll love creating fun holiday decorations, tasty treats and handmade cards to give to family and friends this season!
With Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year close together, time can be extremely limited, and having an efficient plan for holiday crafting will save you time, energy, and maybe a little sanity!
I'm generally behind the scenes as the PFS Social Media Manager, but today it's my pleasure to write my very first blog post for PFS in and amongst this creative and amazing Team of crafters!
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Nicole, Matt, and Sara, for welcoming me to the team with open arms. And a special thanks to the ladies on the Design Team - you all rock, and I adore each and every one of you.
Without further ado, here is my countdown to the holidays stress-free process for cardmaking.
Day 1: Make a list of everyone you want to send a card to
Gather your supplies and make a list of everyone you want to send a handmade card to. Who are you going to include on this list? This can be a family member, friend, teacher, neighbour, etc. Write their name and address on an index card.
Essentials: Drinky drinks and snacky snacks.
Day 2: Choose your favorite holiday design
Christmas is a time for family and friends. It's also a time for exchanging handmade cards. This year, why not try making a few cards using one of your favorite Christmas designs? Remember to keep it simple if you have a lot of cards you want to make, batchmaking is the key!
Essentials: Pinterest, Instagram, drinky drinks and snacky snacks.
Day 3: Gather your materials
Christmas cards can be a great way to spread some holiday cheer. To create your own, you will need craft supplies to create your cards using the design you selected from the day before. Make sure you have enough card, glue, ink, etc.
Essentials: Netflix (no chill), craft list, drinky drinks and snacky snacks
Day 4: Stamp and die cut your design
Now that you have your handmade card design, you will need to stamp, die cut and trim the materials for your design. Trim any mat and layers, die cut, stamp and color images. By breaking down the project into daily tasks, batchmaking is possible for even the busiest of people.
Essentials: Clean craft space, Festive background music, coffee/hot cocoa, peppermints or other delicious snacky snacks, patience.
Day 5: Assemble your card
Today's project is assembling your card.
Arrange all your cardmaking elements into individual steps on your desk or craft area. This will be the most efficient way to create multiple cards in one sitting. Repeat this step over multiple days if you have a lot of cards, or time is limited.
Essentials: Festive background music or cheesy Christmas films, drinky drinks and chocolatey goodness .
Day 6: Add any final touches
By now, all your cards have been made and are ready for those final touches! Well done! Now, grab a glass of wine or a hot cocoa and add any of those extra elements to elevate your design. This can be with a shimmer pen, glitter, drops, sequins, gems, twine or even ribbon. If you don't need anything additional, just sit back and enjoy your 'me time'.
Day 7: Address and stamp your cards
Today's DIY is all about addressing and stamping your cards. It may seem like a tedious task, but it will be worth it when you have your handmade cards in hand and are ready to send out.
Essentials: A moistener (haha!), chapstick, drinky drinks, and the will to live.
Day 8: Mail your cards
Now is a great time to mail your Christmas cards. If you're mailing handmade cards, write your address in pencil on the back so you don't smudge it with ink. Also, make sure you buy enough postage for the number of people that you're sending cards to and check international mailing dates if you're sending to people outside of the US.
Essentials: postage stamps, a cheery disposition, and a tasty Starbucks on the way home.
Day 9: Celebrate!
Remember that cards are gifts themselves or added to packages for even more love during the holidays. Whether you're sending a handmade card or buying one, enjoy the happiness you bring to others through this simple gift.
Essentials: A nappy nap!
The finished project: Goody Goody Gumdrops, Christmas is Almost Here
My card would be so easy to batch make in one or two sessions. You could even change the colors and sentiment for fun variations to the same design.
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit me on the PFS Blog today. It's been really fun to take part in the Christmas Countdown event, and don't forget to check back daily for tons of festive inspiration!
Lots of crafty hugs,
Jen
SHOP THE PROJECT
Love the images and colors! Great card!