Christmas cardmaking always seems manageable until you sit down and count how many people are on your list. Suddenly, making “a few cards” becomes quite a project! These 10 Christmas in July handmade card ideas are a lovely excuse to get started early, enjoy your festive supplies and give yourself more time to experiment.
I love the idea of making Christmas cards when there’s no pressure to finish them immediately. You can take your time colouring a stamped image, try a background technique or work out how to arrange those die-cut pieces you’ve been saving. Even a handful of finished cards tucked away now can make your holiday preparations feel easier later.
Christmas in July is also a good opportunity to revisit supplies already in your craft cupboard. Bring out your Christmas stamps, sentiment dies, patterned papers and leftover embellishments before adding anything new to your shopping list. A familiar design can feel fresh with a different colour combination, background or arrangement.
Traditional red, green and gold are always lovely, but you can also experiment with icy blues, soft pinks or warm kraft cardstock. Choose a favourite patterned paper as your starting point, then repeat its colours in your stamped images, sentiments and decorative details. Small paper scraps are particularly useful for borders, banners and little die-cut accents.
If you’re hoping to make several handmade Christmas cards, try working in small batches. Cut a few card bases and background panels together, prepare your greetings, then stamp or die-cut several focal images. Keeping the same basic layout while changing the papers makes the process manageable and gives each card its own personality.
There’s no need to complete your entire Christmas list in July. Start with one design you enjoy making, finish a few cards and keep notes about the supplies and colours you used. When you return to the project, you’ll have a useful starting point instead of a blank craft table.
Browse the featured cards below and follow the links beneath each photograph for the original creators’ project details, supplies and any tutorials they’ve shared. Borrow a colour combination, technique or layout that catches your eye, then adapt it for your own Christmas greetings.
This stunning Christmas card combines dies and foiling in gold with pops of red in the poinsettias with tiny white pearls for berries. Visit Yana Smaukla’s blog to check out her new line from Spellbinders.
Are you someone who has a big Santa sized list of people to send cards to during the Holidays? Do you find yourself starting in late November and realize you’re just not going to have enough time to make all the card you need? Or are you a bit bored this summer and looking for projects to work on? If so, try Christmas in July! Each year many crafters begin working on projects in July and stampers and card makers are no exception. Many paper crafting companies also begin to release their Holiday, Christmas and Winter products around this time too. So let’s get some inspiration, check out some new products and get an early start on our holiday cards!
Below each picture you’ll find a link, click it for more information like products used, tutorials and tips.
These cheerful cards look like pretty postage stamps. Amy R. used new stencils and stamps from Waffle Flower to create fun custom postage designs. You can watch her video tutorial on the Prairie Paper and Ink blog.
I adore how Marie Nicole used a tall Christmas tree die in place of the “I” in her stamped “Jingle” on this bold text card, so clever! Visit her Scrapbook.com gallery for more details.
The Rabbit Hole Designs has some cute new winter and Christmas stamp sets just released like this yummy Gingerbread house. Notice how Tracy stamped the same house in brown for a neat background behind the colored house and sentiment. Hop on over to their blog for a closer peek.
This wonderful winter card has layers of pattern paper and with stamped and die cut trees that create a fun shaker card. Notice out how Julie lines up the die cut frame sections to create a seamless scene. Visit Julie’s Stamping Spot for more details.
Brenda started her beautiful card with pattern paper printed with a wreath then added die cut greenery and a pinecone cut from colored cardstock, splattered with white paint. She also added glitter glue for some sparkle and then a gold foiled sentiment to finish the design. Visit the Honey Bee Stamps blog for more info.
Robin did such beautiful job coloring this stamped mailbox stamp from Impression Obsession and I adore all the different layers of die cut frames she added around the stamped image! And a snow pen added just the right amount of “snow” to the scene. Visit the InkMagination blog for a closer look.
This card is so sweet with the oh so cute stamped penguin pulling along his Christmas tree on a sled. This card also has a very quilted look with faux and real stitching and layers of pattern paper that look like fabric. Visit the Unity Stamps blog for more on this and a couple of other Holiday card ideas.
Ice skates, snow flakes and icicles die cut from white and silver metallic papers create a Winter Wonderland on this fun square card. Visit the Craftstash blog for more info.
And our last card might not be to everyone’s taste but I have a bit of a dark sense of humor so I love anything with Krampus on it! I even have a few Krampus ornaments we hang on the tree every year. Lauren used stamps from Kindred for this fun offbeat card design. Visit the Lauren Taylor Made blog for more details.
I hope these ideas have given you some inspiration to get an early start on your Christmas and Holiday Cards this year!
-Heather
Remember, the magic of handmade cards lies not only in the materials but in the thought and care put into each creation. Whether you’re crafting for loved ones or preparing for the holiday season in advance, these ideas provide a delightful sneak peek into the warmth and charm of Christmas.
Feel free to revisit this post whenever you need a dose of festive creativity. Craft Gossip continues to be a haven for crafting enthusiasts, and this post is no exception. Happy crafting, and may your Christmas in July be filled with the joy of creation and the spirit of giving!
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