Julie Campbell
Good morning! The countdown to Christmas has begun! (84 days to be exact!) I’m trying to tell myself that 84 days is still a long time, but I know the hustle and bustle of the holiday season will be here in the blink of an eye.
One of my goals this year is to complete my Christmas cards before it’s crunch time. Family, friends and co-workers always love receiving a handmade holiday greeting, but mass producing cards can get a little overwhelming sometimes. However, with a little planning and a few strategic tips, this holiday task can be finished in no time!
- Pick a simple design that can be completed in just a few steps. (You don’t want to have to color and cut out 101 Santa images!)
- Keep embellishments to a minimum. Embellishments can get expensive & the added bulk will increase your postage.
- Use a standard sized card base. Cards that are too small cannot be mailed. Large or square cards require additional postage.
This handy guide courtesy of USPS will help you when determining card base and envelope sizes!
Here is a card I created for the new Holiday Cards & More publication where I’ve utilized these mass-producible tips:
Stamp sentiment on red cardstock.
Stamp house on white cardstock.
Creating a simple design doesn’t mean that your card has to be boring! Try stamping your images with colored ink! It’s a huge time-saver and gives your project an added pop of color. Check out what I did below!
Stamp green tree and wreath on cardstock.
Instead of reaching for ribbon, try adding a bit of natural twine to your cards. Twine is very inexpensive & thin enough that it doesn’t increase postage costs. Another fun embellishment to use is washi tape (paper masking tape.) Paper tape comes in so many great designs, and the adhesive backing makes application a breeze!
I like using a standard A2-sized (4 ¼” x 5 ½”) card base. Two bases or four card fronts can be made from a single sheet of letter-sized cardstock with little-to-no wastage.
I hope I’ve given you a few helpful tips & inspired you to start planning your own holiday cards! World Card Making Day is right around the corner & is a great time to get started. The new Holiday Cards & More Vol. 6 issue hit newsstands yesterday and is full of inspiration!
What about you? Are you planning on mass-producing holiday cards this year? Have any great tips of your own? If so, we’d love to hear from you! One lucky commenter will win this cute Whimsical House set by Hero Arts!
Make sure to check back later this afternoon! The rest of the Go-to Gals & I are hosting a blog hop where you’ll have more chances to win paper-crafting goodies!
Good luck!
Julie
P.S. It’s time to announce some winners, don’t you think?!
Here are the winners from Teri’s Groovin’ with the Go-to Gals post:
Marlene (Sept. 21 @ 11:17 AM)
Jan Jacobs (Sept. 21 @ 12:36 PM)
Sheri K (Sept. 21 @ 9:38 PM)
And the winner from Jennifer’s DIY Gift Box post:
See Mary Stamp (Sept. 22 @ 7:19 PM)
The winner from Friday’s Countdown to World Card Making Day post:
Lily (Sept. 25 @ 1:17 PM)
And finally, the winner from Magazine Monday- History of World Card Making Day is:
Emily Keaton (Sept. 26 @ 11:17 AM)
Congratulations, winners! Please e-mail me at csmith@papercraftsmag.com and I can get your prizes sent out to you!
I’ve been mass producing cards for years and your tips are right on! One year I did things differently and made a wooden xmas ornament but I took a good photo of it and made scanned copies for the front of each card.It turned out really well!
I try to make 10 Christmas cards every month and I mass produce them. I like to enjoy the holiday season instead of feeling like I “have to” craft! I try to choose easy designs so I can feel a sense of accomplishment when I complete my ten each month!
I make 75-100 cards for each Christmas, and definitely agree with all of your tips! The only other thing I do is to enlist the aid of my husband with some of the cutting and gluing. He is a great sport!
Love the card idea! Not sure if I’m going to make cards this year or order just some photo cards. I am due to pop with my 3rd baby in the next few weeks. Thanks for a chance to win another great prize though!
I love making Christmas cards, especially ones with Snowmen. I love all the stamps and look forward to getting some of them. I’m not sure if 50+ is mass producing, but I make about that many. It seems that each year I make a few more than the last. Stamps definitely help!!! thanks for the opportunity.
Yes, Julie i always mass produce my cards and your tips are absolutely fantastic…this is a post that is being saved…I need all the help i can get especially as all of my holiday cards go in the mail…loved the idea of twine instead of ribbon…genius!!! the one tip i have is to take how many days you have until your cards go in the mail ie; lets say 50 then divide that number with how many you have to make; lets say 100 and then you know how many you have to make each day…so…100 divided by 50 means you only need to make 2 a day to be on goal…this way you do not get so stressed out thinking you have to make 100 cards…
Thanks for the great tips. I love your card. It’s so cute!
Super cute cards! I do send out homemade cards every year, but they are always one of a kind! I make everyone on our list a different card. This could be tough if I tried to do it all at once, but I do it over several months and just collect them until mailing time! I also have an embellishment container and paper container just for Christmas supplies so it’s easy to just pull out those 2 bins and have some fun being creative!
Cannot wait to start mass producing my Christmas cards. A little inspiration and time to myself this weekend: sounds like the perfect opportunity to begin. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
In addition to your fabulous tips…I often try to do 1 layer cards too so there isn’t a lot of cutting (used punches instead). I avoid colouring and limit the glitter.
Thanks for the tips and thanks for the chance to win!
I hope to make some cards and will mass produce a few designs, Thanks for the tips they are fantastic and I do plan on using them….
I love making Christmas cards…I really like that little house…super cute!
Wow, what fabulous tips! I absolutely love how your card turned out…
- April W
Cute card!
OHHHH Julie!! These are fabulous cards and AMAZING tips:) LOOOOOVE when you share your crafty talent with us:) LOVE LOVE LOVE!
I think I am going to make our this year, since I only have to make a handful.
Certainly am mass producing cards. I tend to pre-cut everything and do it in stages as I get time. Really need to get moving on that come to think of it
I really love the tips you gave us today for mass producing Christmas cards. I have made mine for the last two years, and will again this year. I love this cottage house set from hero artrs.
I just can’t waite to get one or all
lol of these stamp sets in my hands.
thank you for a chance to win.
mema
wilsonp58@yahoo.com
I do mass produce for a fair amount of things. I find that if you don’t have to tie a bow, it’s much faster!
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your card is too cute, thanks for all the tips, especially about sizes of cards to mail
Your card is adorable and thank you for the great tips! I try to avoid burn out on using only one card design so I will choose 4 or 5 different designs and make 10-20 of each one.
I do mass produce my Holiday Cards, however, I make a religious version and a secular version. This helps with the boredom factor as well as presenting an opportunity to connect with all family and friends, how ever they celebrate the season! Thanks for the great tips, especially the envelope sizes illustration!
I love your card, it is simple and not overwhelming. I like this stamp set, different. I am going to start my Christmas cards earlier this yr, I am going to mass-produce them. I like to do each part all at once. Cut each one to size then I am going to emboss them all at once, then on the pre-cut ovals–stamping each one all at once–put popup dots on them all at once, etc.,then comes the assembly. Thanks for sharing!