The 12 cards of Christmas

One set of materials, 12 (or more!) different cards

Once again, it’s time to start gathering the addresses of your nearest and dearest (including, of course, your wonderful mail carrier, Hank… or was it Howard?) to send out holiday greetings near and far.

Creating cards in batches is a great way to make lots of one of a kind cards in an easy, efficient and cost-effective way. Using one set of materials, you can create several different designs with an underlying theme. You can also come up with one design that you love and use it for every card – it’s completely up to you.

Tips for making batch cards:

·      Clear a large work surface. By doing so, you’ll have enough room to put out all your equipment and keep it all within easy reach. You’ll also have room to spread out your cards so that you can work on several cards at once and see the overall effect of your designs.

·      Pick coordinating supplies that look great together. For this project, I used seven sheets of red cardstock (six sheets cut in half to make 12 cards, plus one left over for punching shapes), two sheets of printed 12” x 12” card stock (I ended up having about 1/3 of each sheet left over, which I’m saving for my next batch) and red glitter glue.

·      Save your scraps. You never know when that little piece of left over paper from one card will be perfect for another. Even if you don’t use them in this batch of cards, you can always use them in future projects.

·      Decide which tools and equipment you will need (paper trimmer, punches, bone folder, glitter glue, etc.). Have your other equipment nearby (but out of the way), just in case you have a stroke of inspiration and need another tool to create the look you’re going for.

·      Group equipment by use and set up little stations for each set (i.e. cutting station, adhesive station, etc.). This will let you keep track of your equipment so that you always know where it is when you need it.

·      Cut and fold your cards all at once to help save time. Group other tasks, too, like painting glitter (technique here - steps six and seven) and gluing layers.

·      Test your designs before you attach them. That way you’ll be able to see whether you like the look of your card before committing yourself to the design.

·      Stick to a couple design variations on a theme or make all your cards with the same or slightly different design to help aid in planning, and to make the process easier and faster.

·      Trust your judgment. When a card looks finished to you, it is. If you think it needs something more, test it with different embellishments until you find the one that you like best.

Above all, have fun. Put on some music, relax and enjoy the process. If you start to get frustrated, walk away and do something else for a while. Your designs will look better if you’re happy with what you’re doing. Besides, this is meant to be a fun project, not a chore!

See you on Wednesday, everyone!

P.S. The lovely creator of Heinous Hats is celebrating her birthday today. Happy Birthday, Caela!