Thank you for purchasing one of my Crafting Kits!
Store bought cards can be so expensive and pretty impersonal, can’t they? Make your own, one-of-a-kind Christmas cards this year with the help of my kit and this post.
I discovered the joy of making my own cards several years ago and am so excited to share that joy with you. Many of my friends comment that they wish they were artistic so they could make cards like I do, and I tell them all … you do not have to be artistic to do this! All it takes is a little bit of inspiration and the right set of supplies, and anyone can create stunning cards to give out. It is my hope that you take the contents of this kit and add in a good dose of your own imagination and creativity to make some truly fabulous cards.
Still feeling like this is a bit daunting? No problem, that’s what this post is all about. Take my ideas and turn them on their head! Or follow my examples exactly. Totally up to you. In the end you will have enough supplies in the kit to make 4 finished cards plus extra items to keep going with the supplies you’ve already got on hand.
But first, here is what you will find in your kit:
- 4 Pre-cut and scored card bases
- 4 Envelopes
- 4 Pre-stamped card fronts (4 different designs – see photos below)
- One roll of double sided adhesive
- One set of Watercolor Pencil Crayons
- One Water Brush
- One sheet star stickers (either gold or silver)
- 10 Wood Veneer pieces (assorted designs)
Other tools/supplies you may want on hand:
- Liquid adhesive to attached the wood veneer pieces
- Scoring tool
- Paper trimmer or scissors
- Additional decorative elements (extra stickers, glitter, ribbon, etc)
Okay, so you’ve got the kit out in front of you, and you’ve gathered some additional tools, now what?
First, here are the four card front designs included in your kit.
They’ve all been stamped on Watercolour paper so that they stand up to the water you are about to put on them.
Watercolor pencil crayons are super easy and fun to use. Simply colour in the images using the pencil crayons. No skill is needed here and you don’t even have to be perfect (although, you will want to stay in the lines!) Once the images are coloured in, unscrew the brush tip from your Water Brush Pen, fill the handle with water, screw the tip back on and gently go over your colouring to see the magic happen.
My tips to you as a beginner:
- Don’t add too much water (as in, don’t squeeze the tube and flood your card with water)
- Go over one colour at a time and clean your brush before switching colours (to clean it simply wipe it off on a piece of paper towel until no colour shows on the paper)
- If you want more colour or a deeper saturation of colour than you achieved after adding the water, simply let it dry then add more colour with your pencil crayons then repeat going over it with your waterbrush.
I filmed a tutorial video a little while ago where I show you how messily I colour in my images before adding the water. Take a look to see how easy it can be. The watercolor pencil tutorial part starts at the 10:30 minute mark.
Once your images are coloured in you should have four card fronts that look something like this.
As you can see on the one with the snowman, you don’t have to limit your colouring to the images. I’ve added shading under the snowman to suggest a snowy hill, and some colour in the sky too. Have fun with these cards!
Once your card fronts are dry, it’s time to turn them into finished cards. Take each card base, fold it on the score line and using a bone folder, the edge of a credit card, or your fingers, reinforce that fold line to make it nice and crisp. Next, turn your card fronts over and put the double sided adhesive on the back. No need to cover the entire back, a little adhesive goes a long way. (I like to run a line of adhesive around the edge of my card fronts to keep them secured nicely.)
Adhere your card front to the base and get ready to decorate it. Use the included wood veneer pieces and the star stickers. When you’re finished you should have 4 lovely cards similar to the ones pictured below.
And that’s it, you did it!
I’d love to see your creations. I’m not kidding, I would LOVE to see what you do with this kit. Feel free to leave a comment on this post directing me to where I can find photos or describing what you made. Or post pictures to my Facebook page – that way everyone can share in the inspiration. Or, you can always email me at alison@alisondaydesigns.com.
Can’t wait to see what you make! Have fun and thanks again for your purchase and support!
