Yup

I survived holiday card-making and all I got was this (not at all) lousy blog post.

This was my first year attempting to make handmade Christmas cards for every person on my holiday list. I got a later-than-planned start (as usual), and halfway through, found myself eyeing some pre-made, boxed cards. I was really tempted - especially when I noticed the "30% Off" sign above the store display that housed the boxed cards - but I really wanted to keep my promise of sending only handmade cards. And I'm so happy I did! I took a few shortcuts in order to keep my sanity during my marathon of card-making, but I'm really pleased with how these turned out. If you're making just a few, you'll find them to be pretty fast and easy to create. If you're making a billion like I did, you can cut a lot of time out of the process by working in stages (i.e. creating all of the wreaths in one session then assembling the cards in another).

Fabric Wreath Christmas Cards

Supplies

• Kraft cardstock or blank pre-folded cards
• Green patterned fabric (I used two styles, but you can use as many as you'd like)
• Red ribbon or yarn
• Rhinestones (optional)
• Glue
• Scissors
• Decorative scissors (not required, but they add a nice touch)

To create the wreaths, start buy cutting your fabric into 2" x 2" squares. You'll need four squares for each wreath. Add a small amount of glue to the center of each square on the backside of the fabric. Fold each square in half, making sure that the corners are not aligned with one another. Apply glue to the center of the halved square, then fold in half again so that the corners are not aligned. Allow the quartered squares to dry completely. Cut two circles (one that is approximately 2" in diameter and one that is approximately 1-1/2" in diameter) from the same cardstock used to make the cards for each wreath. Trim the edge of the smaller circle using decorative scissors if desired. Once the fabric pieces have dried, glue them in place onto the larger circle to create the base for the wreath. They should fit fairly snugly, but you can overlap them slightly if necessary. Apply glue to the back of the smaller circle and then affix it to the front center of the wreath.

Tie a small bow from red yarn or ribbon and glue to the top center of the wreath. Note: Pretty, satiny ribbon looks AMAZING as a bow, but if you're making a bunch of cards, you may find yarn to be a quick and cheap alternative. Glue small rhinestones onto the wreath if desired. Allow to dry thoroughly, then affix the wreath to the front of the card. Another note: To help speed up the signing and sending process, L and I chose to include a message that we printed using our laser printer on the inside of the cards. This can be accomplished by running your open card through your printer before gluing the wreath in place. Voila!