Materials for DIY Christmas cards

Of course you need different crafting supplies for each tutorial. But with a a 'basic kit' of materials you can already create a lot of great ideas & DIY Christmas cards..

Materials

• Cardstock in various colors, classically for Christmas red, white, green, brown, possibly black

• Tissue paper

• Felt buttons

• colored crepe paper

• Craft felt

• Cotton wool

• Gift ribbon in various styles

• Christmas embellishments & decorative materials such as adhesive stars, gold & silver powder, small stick-on snowflakes

• Googly eyes & beads

• Optional: tracing paper (if you want to trace a design from a template)

• Stamps & ink pads

• Stickers

• Craft templates

Craft tools

• Craft scissors

• Craft glue

• Pencils or pens for sketching

• Acrylic & watercolor paints

• Felt-tip pens, wax crayons, or colored pencils (depending on the child's age & preferences)

• Finger paints

• Needle & thread

Making Christmas cards: with young and older children

Even toddlers can design their own Christmas cards. Friends and family are especially delighted by a personal greeting from the children: Whether on its own or as an addition to your homemade Christmas presents. Because especially when something didn't turn out perfectly, even more love is put into it.

Crafting with toddlers works best when you prepare the cards and maybe even several designs in advance: Cut simple cards or folded cards out of colorful cardstock. If your child wants to paint directly on the card or glue things on it, you should choose cardstock in a light color.

If you would like to prepare the motifs as well, draw them first and cut them out. Your child can then either color them, paint them, or glue them onto the Christmas card afterwards.

Older children usually make the Christmas cards independently; you should let the little artists get on with it. However, always keep an eye on your kids while crafting and help them with difficult crafting steps, which they can't manage themselves yet.

Creative and unusual craft ideas and instructions for every age

The most beautiful Christmas cards are those that combine familiar motifs with new, unexpected materials. Children also greatly enjoy transforming simple everyday items — use this for inventive DIY Christmas cards!

Craft idea 1: Making Christmas cards with fingerprints

For these Christmas cards you will need:

• pre-cut cards made from white cardstock

• Craft paints (e.g., poster paint or finger paint)

• a brush & watercolors or felt-tip pens

Here's how:

1. First spread a little paint — but not too thick — on your child's thumb or index finger. Now they can press the finger onto the paper to create great prints.

2. When the fingerprints have dried, you can decorate them further: for example, paint little elf faces with pointy hats and beards from the prints. Or first draw a Christmas tree on the card and your child's fingerprints become the colorful baubles on the tree.

3. Once you get started, you'll surely come up with many more fun and creative ideas. There are no limits to your imagination.

Craft idea 2: Making Christmas cards with potato prints

For these Christmas cards you will need:

• colorful cardstock

• 1 to 2 medium-sized potatoes

• small kitchen knife

• small cutting board

• thick white paper (slightly smaller than your card size)

• Water-based or acrylic paints

Here's how:

1. Cut the Christmas cards out of the colorful cardstock (the color is, of course, up to you).

2. Halve the potatoes (you parents should do this part) and then, using the kitchen knife, cut a stamp shape into the flat side together — e.g., a Christmas tree, a star, a reindeer, a snowflake, or the outline of a Santa hat.

3. Press the cut surfaces of the potato stamps onto kitchen paper to dry them well. Now your little ones can have a go without support: have your child apply paint to the stamp with a brush and press it onto the paper.

4. The print should dry well. Only then can you glue the paper to the front of the folded cards. If you like, you can add a greeting or decorate the prints with paint.

Also on Autumn crafts with children potato prints are popular. The guide contains inspiration and ideas that you can also use well for Christmas.

Craft idea 3: Christmas cards with felt decorations

Felt is not only suitable for making beautiful Christmas decorations; it also looks particularly great on Christmas cards because it creates a 3D effect.

For these Christmas cards you will need:

• felt in many colors

• craft scissors

• craft glue

• colorful cardstock

• decorative materials such as googly eyes, glitter, buttons, or beads

Here's how:

1. Cut Christmas cards out of colorful cardstock and, if you like, additionally cover them with decorative paper in Christmas motifs.

2. Then cut the desired motif out of felt: your child can decide how the card should be designed or which motif they most want to make. Whether stars of different sizes, Christmas trees, reindeer, or Christmas stockings hanging over a painted fireplace. Try out all ideas; there are no limits to your imagination.

3. You can then glue the motifs onto the cards and optionally spruce them up with details like colorful ribbons or a drawing.

Craft idea 4: Creative Christmas cards with buttons

For these Christmas cards you will need:

• various buttons

• craft glue

• colorful construction paper

• craft scissors

• craft paints & brush

Here's how:

• First cut out the Christmas cards from the colorful construction paper again. After that, your children can start crafting and decorating.

• Button snowmen: Glue snowmen onto the card using white buttons in different sizes. For a snowman hat you can glue on black cardstock or draw it with a felt-tip pen.

• Button tree decorations: Paint or glue a Christmas tree on the card, which you decorate with colorful buttons like tree ornaments on the branches. You can also paint candles on it.

• Button Christmas tree: Draw the outline of a Christmas tree with a green pen. Your children can then stick on buttons of different sizes in various shades of green so that the outline of the tree is completely filled with buttons.

Image credits

Little girl with a Santa hat paints a Christmas card with watercolors © Halfpoint – stock.adobe.com

Christmas card craft ideas © Christine – stock.adobe.com

Greeting card - gifts - potato printing © S.H.exclusiv – stock.adobe.com