How To: Reindeer Christmas Card Tutorial

Today I'm sharing another paper crafting tutorial: how to make a Christmas card featuring a cute reindeer!

This tutorial is sponsored by Bostik, and is part of a series of crafty projects I'm sharing using their range of adhesives.

So far I've also made a giant floral hula hoop wreath, some autumn leaf cards, some fun 3D cards, and a cute autumn scene in a mason jar.

Whether you send cards to all your friends each year or just have a couple of special people you want to send a note to this holiday season, handmade Christmas cards are such a joy to make and receive.

I'm really pleased with how these reindeer cards turned out, and I hope you'll have fun making one (or lots!) to send to people! You could also use the reindeer design for other festive paper crafting projects, like a scrapbook of your family Christmas.

You will need:

- a Bostik Blu Stick (or other glue suitable for sticking paper and card)
- blank cards (I used light blue cards, approximately 15cm / 6 inches square)
- the templates provided at the bottom of this post, sized to fit your cards
- brown paper (I used some old envelopes for this)
- white paper
- gold paper (I used a small bit of shiny gift wrap)
- scraps of Christmas wrapping paper, or other colourful or decorative paper
- a pencil
- a fine black pen
- craft scissors
- a white colouring pencil (optional)
- a red pen (optional)

How to make a reindeer card:

1. Cut out the templates provided: the two antlers, the blanket and the reindeer. Don't cut along any of the internal lines marked on the reindeer template!

2. Use the templates to cut out one of each piece, turning the template over and carefully drawing around it with a sharp pencil then cutting out the shape.

I used old brown paper envelopes for the reindeer, some shiny gold wrapping paper for the antlers, and some nice Christmas wrapping paper for the blanket.  

Remember: if the paper you're using has a right and wrong side, make sure you draw the shape on the wrong side of the paper so the side you want will be on top when you turn the finished shape over. 

Cutting out the antlers is a little fiddly, so take your time!

Tip: If you wanted to make a lot of these cards, you could glue the paper templates to some sturdy card and cut them out again to make templates which would be easier to draw around.

3. Roughly arrange the pieces on your chosen card, so you can make sure all the pieces fit together neatly and plan their final position on the card.

I chose light blue cards for my deer, so I could add a bit of white paper snow and the blue would become the sky. If you're using another colour of card, you can skip the snow if you want!

Then cut a piece of white paper to form the snow, cutting a wobbly line for the top of the snow. Make sure the paper is large enough to fill the space you want and to overhang the edges of the card. 

4. Cover the piece of paper with craft glue and carefully press it in place on the bottom of the card so the edges of the paper overlap the card, as shown.

I used a Bostik Blu Stick for glueing all the pieces of my Christmas card together - it's perfect for sticking paper and card, and it starts out blue then goes clear which is really helpful when you want to make sure you've evenly covered a shape in glue!

 

Place the card face down then leave it to dry. When the glue has dried completely, carefully cut away the excess white paper (cutting flush with the edge of the card) so you're left with a neat section of snow on the front of the card.

5. Add glue to the back of the deer shape and stick it in position.

I like to use scrap paper when sticking shapes like this: placing the shape face down on the scrap paper, covering the shape completely in glue (the scrap paper means you can quickly cover the shape without worrying about going over the edges and making a mess), then lifting it off the scrap paper and sticking it in place.

 
6. Then use more glue to stick the antlers and blanket in place, as shown. Take extra care when sticking the antlers as the shapes can be a little delicate!

7. Use the lines on the template as a guide to add the details to the deer: the eyes and nose, the lines of the ears and legs, and the strap holding on the blanket. I drew these with pencil first then a fine black pen, colouring in the eyes and nose with the same pen. For a red-nosed reindeer, simply use a red pen!

8. To add a final detail: colour in the insides of the ears with a white colouring pencil.

You could also give your card some extra sparkle by adding silver or white glitter to the snow!

Your finished card will look something like this:

DISCLOSURE: this post is sponsored by Bostik, who also provided the Blu Stick I used to make the Christmas cards.

Click here to open the template sheet in a new window, make sure you're viewing it full size then print them at 100% (or shrink/enlarge as needed for your cards).

P.S. For lots more free Christmas craft projects, visit my tutorial archive!

Easy 3D Letter Cards Tutorial: OMG! Wow! Yay!

Today I'm sharing a tutorial for making fun 3D letter cards:

 

 
This tutorial is sponsored by Bostik - it's the third in a series of crafty projects I'm sharing using their range of adhesives (I've also made a giant floral hula hoop wreath and some autumn leaf cards).

This time round I'm using Bostik's foam pads to create a quick and easy 3D effect. 

I've drawn templates for three different card designs - WOW! OMG! and YAY! - all of which are perfect for those exciting ALL CAPS life moments.

"WOW you got that awesome job, I'm so proud of you"...

... "YAY! It's your birthday"...



... "OMG you're having a baby?!??"...

... there are so many different situations when these cards would come in handy. 

I've designed the templates to fit A6 cards (made from a sheet of A5 card folded in half), but you can easily shrink or enlarge them to fit different card sizes.

You will need:

- the templates provided at the bottom of this post
- card in at least two contrasting colours (I chose bright, zingy colours to make my cards really pop but you could use any colours you fancy)
- Bostik foam pads
- craft scissors
- a craft knife and cutting mat, or a pin and a pair of small scissors (e.g. embroidery scissors)
- a pencil

To make a 3D card:

1. Draw the letters and an exclamation mark onto your chosen card, drawing carefully around each letter with a sharp pencil.

Make sure you flip the templates over first, so any pencil marks will be hidden at the back of the letters when you stick them to your card.

2. Cut out the card letters. To cut out the holes inside the O and the A, you can use a craft knife and cutting mat.

Alternatively, use a pin to carefully poke a few "starter" holes into the card then cut out the small inside shape with narrow-bladed scissors like embroidery scissors.

3. Turn the letters over so they're the right way round, then arrange them on your card.

4. Now it's time to stick the letters in place! I used Bostik's foam pads to attach the letters - they're really easy to use and create an instant 3D effect as whatever you're sticking is slightly raised from the surface you're sticking it to.

 
Because the card letters are quite narrow, I cut the foam pads into halves (and some into quarters) so they'd fit. Make sure you do this before you peel the pads from the backing paper!

Peel a foam pad (or the section you're using) off the backing sheet and carefully press it onto the back of the letter. Once you've added a few pads to evenly cover the shape, peel off the paper from the top of each pad so they're all ready to stick. 

 Lift up the letter, turn it over and carefully press it into position on the card.

Use more of the foam pads to attach the remaining letters and the exclamation mark.

Your finished cards will look something like this:

DISCLOSURE: this post is sponsored by Bostik, who also provided the Foam Pads I used to make the cards. 

Click here to open the template sheet in a new window, make sure you're viewing it full size then print it at 100%.

DIY Autumn Trees & Leaves Cards Tutorial

I love the colours of autumn, especially seeing the trees and leaves change colour throughout the season... and you guys know how much I like a nice bit of snail mail, so I thought I'd combine these two awesome things and make some autumn-themed cards!

 

This tutorial is sponsored by Bostik - it's the second in a series of crafty projects I'm sharing using their range of adhesives (click here to see last month's project: a giant floral hula hoop wreath).

I really enjoyed making these cards, they're so simple but so effective (I actually did a little happy dance round the room when I saw how they'd turned out). They'd be perfect for autumn birthdays or just for sending a note to a friend. You could even frame them as a pair to add some autumn colour to your decor!

You will need: 

- Blank cards (I used an A5 piece of white card, folded in half)
- Paper or card in autumnal colours (I used sugar paper / construction paper)
- Brown paper (I re-used an old envelope!)
- Craft scissors
- A pencil
- A fine black pen
- A ruler
- The templates provided at the bottom of the post (if you're using different size cards from me, you may need to resize the templates to better fit your cards)
- And craft adhesive suitable for sticking paper and card (I used Bostik Micro Dots and a Bostik Blu Stick)

To make the trees card:

1. Use the templates provided to cut out the three tree shapes (each from a different autumnal colour) and three brown treetrunk and branch shapes.

To cut out each shape, place the paper template on the back of your chosen piece of paper or card and trace around it with a sharp pencil. Then carefully cut out the shape and turn it over so any remaining pencil marks are hidden.

2. Stick the three tree shapes to the card in a row, leaving room for the trunks at the bottom of the card. Start with the central tree shape (A) then add the other two either side.

Tip: lay out all six shapes on the card to test out the arrangement before you stick anything in place!

I used a Bostik Blu Stick to glue my tree shapes to the blank card. The glue in the Blu Stick (as you might guess from the name) starts out blue and dries clear. This means you can easily see which bits of the paper/card you've already glued, but any bits of stray glue won't be visible on your finished project. 

 

3. Next, add the treetrunk and branch pieces to the card. These small, detailed shapes would be quite fiddly to glue with an ordinary glue stick or other craft glue... which is why I've used Bostik Micro Dots instead.

The micro dots work a bit like double-sided sticky tape, except that instead of being one small piece the adhesive area is made up of loads of teeny tiny sticky dots. You peel off the backing paper from the dots, press your shape onto them and then peel it off and - voila! - your paper shape has turned into a sticker!

You can then easily stick the paper shape in position, with no messy glue to worry about.

Once you've stuck all three of the treetrunks in position, your finished card will look something like this:

To make the leaves card

1. Use the leaf templates provided to cut out three sets of leaf shapes: two sets of the smaller leaves (cutting one of piece A, and two each of pieces B, C and D), and one set of the larger leaves (cutting out of piece A, and two each of pieces B and C).

As in the tree card tutorial, trace the shapes onto the back of your chosen paper or card then cut them out and flip them over. This time also make sure to lightly label each piece on the back with the letter that corresponds to the template, so you won't muddle up which leaf is which later.

2. Use a fine black pen and a ruler to draw a line in the centre of your card, approximately 8.5 cm long.

3. Now it's time to add the first leaves!

I decided to use more of Bostik Micro Dots for this and it worked out great - particularly as the small leaf shapes were perfect for using up the leftover dots on the sheet I'd used for sticking the tree trunks (waste not want not, right?).

Stick large leaf A in position on the line you drew earlier, so the top point of the leaf just overlaps the top of the line as shown. 

Then add the two B leaves below further down the ink line, then the pair of C leaves further still. Aim to create a roughly symmetrical shape with the points of the leaves all touching the ink line.

4. Use the ruler and pen to draw two more lines either side of the leaves you've already added. I drew two lines measuring 7.5cm each, both about halfway between the outer point of the large leaves and the side edge of the card.

5. Add one set of small paper leaves to each line, using the same method as for the larger leaves: the top of leaf A should just overlap the top of the ink line, then the pairs of leaves should be stuck in place down the line in alphabetical order.

Tip: you may find it helpful to lay the leaves out on the card to test the arrangement before you begin sticking them in place.

6. Finally, add some extra detail to your leaves with the fine black pen. Draw one line along each leaf, from the main line (stem) of the leaves towards but not reaching the leaf tips. You could use a ruler for this or just draw the lines freehand.

Your finished card will look something like this:

A set of the cards tied up with coordinating ribbon would make a great host or hostess gift for autumn visits, or even Thanksgiving.

You could also use these leaf and tree motifs to decorate gift tags - combine them with brown paper and gold ribbon for a fab autumnal vibe! 

And, of course, you don't have to make these cards in autumn colours at all: why not cut the tree and leaf shapes from green card or paper, and make springtime cards instead?

DISCLOSURE: this post is sponsored by Bostik, who also provided the Micro Dots and Blu Stick I used to make the cards. 

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Click here to open the template sheet in a new window, make sure you're viewing it full size then print it at 100%.