My 2022 Christmas Cards

Each year I plan on making around 50 cards; though the exact number can fluctuate a bit from year to year.  This year I made 48 cards; 12 each in 4 different styles.  

I wanted to use my new penguin stamp set and punch.  I think they all turned out rather well.


My first card is made on red cardstock  overlaid with printed candy cane papers.  I added a green strip of paper down the right hand side of the card and overlaid a strip of ribbon.  I cut a white branch from a die cut and added a bit of dimension using paper glaze.  I stamped some penguins, feet, and scarves on white paper and cut them out using my punch and scissors.  I attached them to the card using dimensionals and then added a punched and stamped saying to finish it all off.  


This was probably my easiest card-- made with green cardstock and printed striped paper I simply stamped 3 penguins for each card and cut them out.  Then I stamped on the feet, scarves, bags, and bowties. I attached each penguin to a colored square and set them equidistant along the bottom of the card. Tied a ribbon around the top and added a season's greetings tag. 


I decided to add a slightly unorthodox Christmas color to this penguin card picking up the light aqua blue from the striped paper. I layered the aqua paper over the green card base, added the striped paper and cut out a giant scalloped circle.  I then punched snowflakes from white paper and stamped my adorable penguins on paper before punching out too. I used dimensionals to pop the penguins out from the snowflakes a bit.  Finally I added a small strip of aqua with a stamped greeting and 2 silver brads. 



My final penguin card might have been the most difficult but they are just SO cute!  I used red for the card base layered with plain black paper then white paper with black dots. I cut out a strip of red and black to go along the bottom and stamped my sentiment in white; tying a tiny white bow around the strip.  Once all that was on the card I turned to making penguins. I cut the bodies out of black paper and the used white glitter for the accent body parts.  I stamped on the glitter to give them faces. Then finished off the penguins with stamped dimensional feet, and a few accessories.  I cut out 12 scarves, 12 hats and 4 snowflakes from a snowflake punch. I used 2 arms of each snowflake to make antlers.



I had to make a card for the December card exchange I take part in and I stumbled upon a video where they used Copic markers and a white gel pen to make a blizzard background.  I decided to try it and love how it turned out!!  I then stamped, embossed and cut out this adorable polar bear stamp. I layered everything on 2 shades of purple and attached it to my purple card. I had such a hard time parting with this card.  


At the last minute, I decided to make money cards for all my nieces and nephews-- we do gift them money each year and I try to make something to put the money in each year.  Once I started making them I got all 11 made in just one morning before starting school with Evan. 


I made each of the cards out of green card stock and then added patterned paper from my stash.  I had fun stamping various images onto white cardstock and cutting them out after coloring them in with my blending markers.  But I think the ribbon and the mini gems make the cards really pop. 



 Do you send out holiday cards?  

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Comments

  1. These are gorgeous! I like the three penguins in the snow best.

    Merry Christmas!
    #MMBC

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  2. Very nice! It's impressive that you took the time to make these cards and the end results are impressive as well! I like the non traditional color one. While I love the green/ red/ gold hues of Christmas, I also appreciate the unexpected. I did a Shutterfly photo card this year, and I was able to customize a lot of the color scheme to blue to match the ocean themed pictures that I used from when we were in Maine this year. The last penguin one you did is so, so cute and may be the one that I like best of the ones that you made (though I like them all!). Great job!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! I often pick non-traditional colors for Christmas cards; especially if I pick snowflakes or snow then I usually go with blue or purple. I saw and loved your photo cards this year.

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  3. I can't believe you make that many! We did photo cards for at least 14 years - maybe more. I am taking a break but I think we will do them again sometime. I never had to spend much because we did them at Costco.

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    Replies
    1. Yep, I start early... and have cut that list WAAY back through the years. I used to send around 100!

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  4. Wow, you have been busy and your cards are just gorgeous. I love penguins but I can see why you were so attached to the Polar Bear card too. I tried card making once but I found it far too fiddly, people think it looks a lot easier than it actually is.

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    1. It does get easier with practice! LOL. I've been making my own Christmas cards since I was in high school and only took a few years off for photo cards when my boys were really little.

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  5. Homemade cards are the best, you did a great job. The penguins are so cute. x

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  6. Replies
    1. I really loved this adorable stamp set; and it came with a tiny gift too so I can use it for birthdays as well.

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  7. These are just too cute! Homemade cards just have a specialness about them!

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  8. Friend, you are so talented and these are just beautiful!

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  9. Gosh, you are so talented Joanne. I used to save the fun Christmas cards so I could piece them together the next year to be creative. But you're creativity is fabulous especially with those penguins,
    XOXO
    Jodie

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  10. They are so beautiful. You can see the love and hard work put into each card. Everyone will love them.

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  11. You are so creative Joanne. The cards are beautiful and the penguins are so cute!
    Ruth@playworkeatrepeat

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  12. You are so skilled and creative! Beautiful!

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  13. You made such pretty and festive Christmas cards Joanne. I hope you have a nice week and a Merry Christmas.

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    1. Thank you so much, Julie! I hope you have a wonderful week and a very Merry Christmas as well.

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  14. You are so creative! I order Christmas cards each year but, for the second year in a row, our cards are lost somewhere between here and Asia! These are so precious <3

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  15. I'm so impressed with these! This is probably the first year in 20 years I have not sent out a Christmas card.

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    1. Aw, thanks! I definitely have noticed a decline in Christmas cards this year; it seems like each year I get few less cards (and I totally get it!-- especially as so many people do photo cards and their kids are grown and don't want to participate).

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  16. Oh my goodnesss!! They are all adorable! You are so talented!

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  17. I make it a goal to have mine done by Thanksgiving so I make sure to start on them nice and early before the season really hits.

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  18. Oh my! These penguin cards are absolutely adorable! The last one is exquisite! You do great work!

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  19. How pretty and cheerful looking they all are!!

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  20. These are all darling! I loooove the penguins! They are so sweet!

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