Happy Monday everyone!  Juliana here with some tips to help you save both timeand money when you are creating your Christmas cards.  I have created two different cards and have tips for on how you can make them very quickly or how you can spend a little more time and add a little more of a homespun or handmade feel to them.

With this first card I chose to use a die cut image of a wreath as the focal point along with die cut letters for a simple sentiment. Cut one layer from the green patterned paper and then layer it on top of the red patterned paper.  For a stepped-up version, use a red pearl pen to add “berries”to the wreath.

Now to speed up this process, you can leave the image as is because the “red berries” are visible, however by adding the red pearl pen you dress it up a bit more. Next, cut the two circles from cardstock and stitch around the edge with your sewing machine.  This too can be sped up by either hand drawing the stitching using a marker or you could even just ink the edges to give it a little contrast.  Either of these options is much faster than using the sewing machine.  I also embossed the background cardstock to add more texture to the card, but again, this step could be eliminated to help save time.

For this second card, create a front panel attached to a white cardstock base.  This saves the use of patterned paper and if you decide to print your own paper, you won’t waste any ink.  I chose to layer the dove using double sided foam tape to give it more dimension. On the bottom layer, I colored the “halo”using a gold leafing pen.  You can eliminate using all of the layers to help save time and money by not using the foam tape.

I printed the patterned paper in 6 x 6” squares using the Cricut Imagine machine. By printing the paper patterns this small, it shrinks the scale of the pattern to a size that really works well for the smaller format of a card.  It is kind of like making your own 6 x 6” paper pad!  Next cut out the various pieces to create the base of the front panel and the layered label shape.  A white correction pen works perfectly and quickly to draw an accent line along the outside edge of this card.  You could certainly use your sewing machine or the hand drawn stitching options here as well.  When I added the ribbon to this card, I only used about a 6 inch length of ribbon and adhered it just over the top and bottom edge of the front panel of the card. The jewel I used for the dove’s eye adds a nice touch, but you can certainly use other options such as a marker or pearl pen to achieve a similar look.

.

TIPS FOR SAVING TIME AND MONEY:

• Use more cardstock vs. patterned paper – cardstock is almost always cheaper
• Draw your stitches instead of using a sewing machine or just ink the edges
• Cut out all of your images and pieces and then assemble all of one part at atime
• You can use the ALL FILL option to cut more than one image at a time, however I find that by adding the images myself, I can sometimes rotate or move the images closer together and fit more on one sheet of paper than the automatic option
• Eliminate layers on your images to save adhesive
• Draw the decorative edging using a white correction pen instead of a sewing machine
• Purchase ribbon in bulk (and when it is on sale) and try to limit how much you use
• Use a marker, glitter glue or pearl pens to add details to your cut images instead of jewels/bling
• Brads can be a less expensive option for an embellishment

.

I hope you enjoyed these cards and the tips I shared with you that will hopefully help you save time and money as you create your Christmas cards this year!

Juliana

.

Designed by: Juliana Michaels
Cricut Machines Used: Cricut Expression 2, Cricut Imagine, Cuttlebug, Cricut Craft Room Free Online Design Tool
Cricut Cartridges Used: Paper Trimmings (Cricut Circle Exclusive), Cricut Craft Room Basics, Winter Woodland, Elegant Edges, New Testament, Imagine Christmas Wish, Imagine Mr. Frosty
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder Used: 5″ x 7” Holly Ribbons
Other Supplies: Cardstock (American Crafts), Patterned Paper (Jillibean Soup, Imagine Christmas Wish cartridge, Imagine Mr. Frosy cartridge) ,Jewels (Kaiser Craft), Pearl Pen (Viva Décor), Ribbon (Hobby Lobby, scrapinkris.etsy.com), Gold Leafing Pen (Krylon), White Correction Pen (Bic)

.

 CRICUT CUTS:

JOY WREATH CARD (Finished Size: 4.25″ x 4.25″)

Cut WREATH using Paper Trimmings Cartridge

• 3.0”<Tree1> from green patterned paper
• 3.0”<Tree1> + Shift from red patterned paper

Cut CIRCLES using Cricut Craft Room Basics

• 3.5”<Circle> from cream cardstock
• 3.7”<Circle> from brown cardstock

Cut JOY using Winter Woodland Cartridge

• 1.0”<Rabbit> +  Font Shadow + Shift from brown cardstock (J)
• 1.0”<Skater> +  Font Shadow + Shift from brown cardstock (O)
• 1.0”<Snwomn> +  Font Shadow + Shift from brown cardstock (Y)

.

PEACE DOVE CARD (Finished Size: 4.25″ x 5.5″)

Patterned Paper Craft Room File

Cut DOVE using New Testament Cartridge

• 3.0”<Dove> from cream cardstock
• 3.0”<Dove> + Shift from cream cardstock
• 3.0”<Dove> + Layer 1 from cream cardstock

Cut PEACE using Cricut Craft Room Basics

• 1.0”<p> +Shift from brown cardstock (P)
• 1.0”<e> x 2 from brown cardstock (e)
• 1.0”<a> from brown cardstock (a)
• 1.0”<c> from brown cardstock (c)

Cut LABEL SHAPE using Elegant Edges Cartridge

• 3.75”x 5” <Ctrus2> + Book + Shift from blue patterned paper
• 4.0”x 5.25” <Ctrus2> + Book + Shift from blue patterned paper

.