A quick Christmas card tutorial....

If you still want to make your Christmas cards but you have a lot to make in a short space of time, I have put this tutorial together to make quick cards using my Silhouette Cameo and paper stash.  They are perfect if you have a lot to make or left them to the last minute, like me!

What I used:

• Silhouette Cameo
• This stag cutting file
• This holly cutting file (If you don't have a Silhouette machine but have other cutting machines I'm sure they will have similar files.  If you only have a manual cutting machine you can use Christmassy dies instead.)
• Textured Mirror Card
• Christmas paper, you can use any paper or card you already have. It's a great way to use up your stash or even wrapping paper.
• Card blanks and envelopes, I used two sizes, 6" x 6" (15.24 x 15.24 cm) and 4.75" x 4.75" (12 x 12cm).
• A good quality PVA glue
• Double sided tape
• Gems and embellishment from your stash
• Optional, 3D silicone glue gel

What I did...

Using the Silhouette Cameo I cut out as many stag and holly shapes I could fit on to A4. The size of the stag and holly will depend on the size of card you use, but for my cards I used sizes:

Stag: 5 x 5.4 inches (12.7 x 13.7 cm) and 4.4 x 4.6 inches (11 x 11.6 cm)
Holly: 3.7 x 2 inches (9.3 x 5 cm) and 3.2 x 1.8 inches (8 x 4.6 cm)

Cut Christmas paper to fit the card.  Sometimes I like to leave a border so I cut 5.5 inches (approx 14cm) to fit my 6 inch square cards.

Top Tip! - When applying paper/card to the card blank I prefer to use double sided tape as it is super sticky but it's not easy to reposition if you get it in the wrong place.  So I put the tape on my paper remove the backing at the corners only, don't take it all off, and ensure the backing is folded back as the picture below....

Where the tape is exposed use a little PVA glue on top of the tape then position on the card blank. The glue will allow you to wiggle the paper into position, once you are happy you can pull the backing of the tape off whilst the glue in the corner keeps the paper in position.

Now you are ready to stick the stag onto the card using glue or to give the card dimension you can use 3D Silicone Glue Gel.  On this card I've added the holly to the corner....

Time to get out your stash of gems, buttons and other embellishments.  

I've added a gem to this stag's nose and to the holly berries....

If you have any die cut sentiments you can use these or why not stamp your own?

You don't need to use the holly, on some of the smaller cards I only used the stag's head...

On this card I also used 3D silicone glue to raise the head slightly.

 Don't be afraid to cut into the holly and use elements of it for a flourish on the corner, like what I've done here...

These cards are super easy and quick to make but each one can be made individual just by changing the colour, backing paper or embellishments you choose to use. Here are some more examples....

If you make cards inspired by this tutorial I'd love to see them.

Right, I need to write all my cards and get them in the last post! Next year I will be more organised!

fizzi~jayne x