Friday, November 11, 2011

Handmade Christmas Cards Through the Years

A personal Christmas tradition is that of handmade holiday cards. I started making Christmas Cards in college, stopped for a few years, but started up again in 1984 and haven't missed a year since. I started making cards long before there was blogging, before there was the Internet, even before we had a computer! Over the next several posts I am going to give you a tour of the range of cards I have crafted. I don't have any how-to photographs but I promise I will create a tutorial of this year's design once I settle on it and start making them.

Today, just a few teaser photographs as I work to photograph all of the designs to share with you. Here is a shot of many of them clustered together. Jump starts the Christmas spirit in me just by looking at them.


Every year, when it is time to design our card for the current season, I unpack all my previous ones and begin my search for inspiration there. I am a little stunned by the collection. Several people that have been on our list for years have told me that they have saved them all and also unpack them annually for review or display.



My Christmas Card list has about 70 folks on it so that is the number I handcraft every year. I treasure the time spent creating them. During all the hustle and holiday craziness, I sit quietly at my desk and create. I think of all the people that I am making these for, I reflect on our year, I hum carols, I sip wine.  I am at peace. It is a Christmas blessing.


As I starting snapping pictures I took a few from crazy angles and cropped them to be holiday photos and hints of the special posts yet to come.


I am just beginning to think blog world time here.  I don't general start sharing Christmas spirit until well after Thanksgiving.  But I know if I am to inspire anyone out there to create their own card this year, I need to give advanced warning. It does take time to finish before that last acceptable day to mail cards. 

Check back tomorrow, and on into next week for more photos and ideas you can copy to create your own Christmas Cards. If you develop a tutorial just give me credit and a link back here. Happy holiday crafting to you!

Previous Posts of Interest:
Future Posts:
This is the first in a series. Check out all the others!

©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

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