How to get your Christmas cards started?

How to get your Christmas cards started the easy way using stencils and ink.

Hi everyone, Heidi here! We card makers usually like to start a bit early with our Christmas cards, so today I have some fun and easy Christmas cards for you to get your mojo flowing! I created two cards: the base for both cards is the same, the second card is taking the first card a little further.

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The Crafter’s Workshop provided me with some product to create this project. The opinions I share are solely my own.

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There aren’t many steps for creating these cards but in case you would like to follow along you can:

How to get your Christmas cards started the easy way using stencils and ink.

Step 1:

I’m using a white linen textured card base. I die cut two mats using two rectangle nesting die sets (I combined a regular and a stitched die set): the biggest mat is cut from some dark red card stock and the smallest mat is cut from the same white linen textured card stock that I used for my card base. My first real step is to place one of the new Summer 2017 The Crafter’s Workshop stencils called “Holly Background “ (TCW781s) over the smallest white die cut rectangle and looking for an attractive line design that you would like to follow, taping everything off on the stencil with regular tape that’s out of the design. It’s important to leave enough white space for the sentiment on this first card and for the baubles on the second card. When I’m happy with my design I tape my stencil on my craft sheet over the white linen textured panel. I apply ink over the stencil with a foam applicator tool using Distress Ink in the colour “Aged Mahogany “ and Archival Ink in the colour ”Library Green “, trying to apply the red ink over the berries or circle elements on this stencil.

I love this stencil, it’s very versatile, in fact, in a couple of weeks I will show you another Christmas card also using this stencil, but using it in a completely different way!

How to get your Christmas cards started the easy way using stencils and ink.

Step 2:

The next step is to stamp the sentiment on this same panel: I used one of the sentiments from the Lili of the Valley stamp set called “Christmas Handwritten Phrases “. I stamped with Versafine  “Onyx Black “ ink and using my Misti (to get a good black impression on the linen textured card stock). In this step I also splattered on some FineTec Pearl Color in “Moon Gold “ to ad some Christmas sparkle (I covered the sentiment up with a piece of Post It). Then I set this panel aside to dry.

How to get your Christmas cards started the easy way using stencils and ink.

Step 3:

After the splattering is dry you can finish this first card by putting it together: I adhered the two rectangle panels together using liquid glue and then adhered these combined panels to the card base using one millimetre thick foam tape. And that’s it!

And on we go to the second card:

How to get your Christmas cards started the easy way using stencils and ink.

Step 1:

As you can see, the first step is much the same as with the first card: I used a black mat for this card and two green inks to apply over the stencil (still with the tape on to define the design that I’m following): I used Distress Ink in the colour “Evergreen Bough “ and the same Archival Ink from the first card ( “Library Green “).

How to get your Christmas cards started the easy way using stencils and ink.

How to get your Christmas cards started the easy way using stencils and ink.

Step 2:

I placed one of the other gorgeous new Summer 2017 The Crafter’s Workshop stencils, this one is called “Ornaments “ (TCW717s), over the holly background we created and decide where the baubles should go, I decided on three baubles, one only partly showing on the card. I will create them step by step from right to left, using the back of the stencil for the tall bauble so that I can keep on working and using Post It notes to keep the modeling paste from going where it should not go. Now, how do we create these silver and gold coloured baubles? I mixed two badges: one mixture contains The Crafter’s Workshop “Clear Modeling Paste “ (TCW9008) mixed with The Crafter’s Workshop Heavy Body Acrylic Paint in the colour “Iridescent Silver “ (TCW9014) and one mixture contains the Clear Modeling Paste mixed with The Crafter’s Workshop Heavy Body Acrylic Paint in the colour “Iridescent Gold “ (TCW9013). You only need a little of the paint to give the Clear Modeling Paste it’s colour and you only need a little of both badges to create these baubles. I apply these mixtures over the stencil using a palette knife, using first the silver and then the gold mixture on each bauble before going to the next one and then I set this panel aside to dry. The paste on the card dries fairly quickly so you can wait between the different baubles a bit if you would prefer to do that.

How to get your Christmas cards started the easy way using stencils and ink.

Step 3:

When the baubles have dried I continue with the splatter part: this time I used FineTec Pearl Color in the colour “Mint “ for the splatters and then set this panel aside to dry again while I worked on the sentiment.

How to get your Christmas cards started the easy way using stencils and ink.

Step 4:

For my sentiment I used the same sentiment stamp set as I used on the first card, but this time I stamped the sentiment with the black Versafine ink onto some vellum, because I didn’t want to cover up too much from the pretty bauble design. I clear heat embossed over the sentiment to get the ink to dry faster (be careful when heat embossing with vellum, it can damage the vellum when your heat gun gets real hot). I die cut a banner from this sentiment using the biggest die from the Lawn Fawn “Everyday Sentiment Banners “ die set. I set this banner aside for a little while. Next I adhered the bauble panel to the black mat that I created earlier on using liquid glue and punctured holes through these combined panels using a poky tool (you puncture the hole through the top part of the bauble, that way it looks like they are hanging). Then you thread some silver thread through a needle and start from the backside (taping the last part on the back of the black mat) through the front and up, and doing that several times until you’re happy with the thickness, taping the last part to the back again, using regular tape.

How to get your Christmas cards started the easy way using stencils and ink.

Step 5:

And then it’s time to put this card together: first you adhere the vellum banner with the sentiment to the front of the card using see through tape runner, folding it to the back and adhering the last part of the banner to the back using regular tape. Then you finish this card by adhering the combined panels with the sentiment banner to a white linen textured card base using one millimetre thick foam tape.

Aren’t these cards a fun and easy way to start your Christmas cards?

We would love to see what you create with The Crafters Workshop Stencils and Mediums.
You can share it with us on our Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest using the hashtag #tcwstencillove.

Heidi Jakobs  

The Crafter’s Workshop Design Team Member

6 thoughts on “How to get your Christmas cards started?

    1. Sorry, missed your comment: it’s called “linen card stock”, I live in Europe, it’s widely available here, you can look in the stores near you?

  1. I love these cards. They’re not too complicated to make, so a lot of them can be made fairly easily, but they have lots of color and texture. Thanks for the great ideas!

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