You can't get more personal than a homemade holiday card. Whether you are DIYing all of your cards or sending them to a select few, it's a thoughtful and heartwarming way to show friends and family how special they are to you. But of course, it's time consuming and can be challenging for even the craftiest of mamas. Here are some tips to help you make your DIY holiday cards amazing and hassle-free:
Read more ¿Qué más?: 5 Creative DIY Christmas cards to make with the kids
Recycle materials. I usually save each years' Christmas cards to look back on when we decorate the next year. The paper and embellishments from your old cards, make great materials for this year's DIY cards. Cut them out and use them in any way your imagination dreams up.
Use a template. If you want to create your own photo cards, take out the guesswork by using a template. Photo tools can be complicated and a template can help you get design and placement just right, without having to spend hours making the smallest of tweaks. You can find a simple free template here.
Get the kids involved. No seriously, let your kids do all work. Your cards may end up looking a little arts and craftsy, but you'll get out of having to decorate each one yourself and everyone loves kids' artwork, so they're sure to be a hit.
Be unexpected. This is your opportunity to do the unexpected. You truly don't have to limit your own creativity. If you don't like red and green, don't use it, if you're obsessed with sparkles, pour glitter on everything. These are your cards, they should represent you and your family rather than any pre-conceived notions of what the holidays are supposed to look like.
Make each one unique. Since you have to make each card individually anyway, you might as well make each one unique. You can design each card completely different from the next or just add a unique touch to each one.
Find the right envelopes. Make sure your cards are cut to fit standard envelopes, so that you won't have trouble packaging them. That doesn't mean they can't be a little different size or shapes–many craft stores carry a large variety of envelope sizes and shapes. Go check out the selection before you start on your cards.
Don't go overweight. On that note, make sure that your finished cards are not overweight. One stamp covers one ounce of weight. You can use a scale at home, take a sample card to the post office or be a little risky and compare it to a piece of stamped mail you have at home. Of course, you can always tack on an extra stamp if you don't want to stifle your vision.
Image via Thinkstock
