Happy Holiday Simple Cutout Card

So I seem to have gotten myself into a situation this season when I made a couple of handmade cards.  Because now… how do you send some from a box, and some that I made myself?  And what complicates things more is, my husband is all excited about making our own cards this year, too.  (Even bigger shocker?  He wants to help!)  So I’m going to have to come up with a few fun designs that are fairly simple, but also don’t all look alike.  This card just has a couple of die-cuts and gem embellishments.  Because I really love busting out my Sizzix Big Shot.

This is going  to be a really quick tutorial, because I’m going to trust that if you’re looking at handmade Christmas card ideas, you’ve got a good handle on how to glue stuff onto other stuff.  Yes?  Yes.  So I’ll just leave a few links for the particulars in case you’re wondering where I got my supplies.  These links aren’t affiliate links – you can make a purchase or not, it’s up to you – but I shopped Consumer Crafts and Sizzix for most of what you see here, and the links are just to make it convenient for you to find them.

What you’ll need:

• A pack of A2 cards – these are a David Tutera assortment that was on clearance, but choosing any 2 patterned papers you like work perfectly here. Cut papers to 8.5 inches x 5.5 inches – half a sheet of 8.5 x 11 card stock.  Score it down the middle, and instant A2 card.
• Darice floral nested die set
• Sizzix Big Shot (or other manual cutting/embossing machine)
• Sizzix Tag Set with “Happy Holiday” die
• Adhesive of your choice
• Square Gem Stickers

So I cut the outer green patterned card offset, and glued the red patterned card inside.

Then, I cut a smaller solid red flower, and glued that in the center.  Then, I used my happy holiday die to cut letters out of white, and I glued those on too.  If you haven’t die-cut before, I LOVE my Sizzix for it.  It’s a manual crank (no computer, no power source necessary) and just roll the dies through, sandwiched between the cutting plates.

Finally, I stuck a few self-adhesive gems along the bottom, and I had a simple finished card!  It didn’t take forever to assemble, and it will fit nicely in an envelope.

Are you making your own cards this year?  What’s your style?