How To: Minimalist Neon Christmas Cards & Tags

Today I'm sharing an easy "how to" for making simple Christmas cards and tags from neon felt.

  

This is a super simple design but the bright colour + the texture of the felt = a great combo. Of course, you could use any colour of felt for this project but the neon colours work so well!

 

I used acrylic felt for this project, the same type sold at Fuzzy Fish (as "lime" and "punk pink"). Cloud Craft also sell neon pink felt. (Full disclosure, these shops are currently sponsors of my blog but these are in no way sponsored links... I just love neon felt!). If you've spotted other places selling neon felt, please share a link in the comments :)

 

You will need:

Blank card & tags - I used these recycled cards from Paperchase
Felt
Fabric scissors
The templates at the bottom of this post
Glue or double sided sticky tape (and scissors for cutting the tape)
A black marker or other pen
Optional: a pencil, ruler and eraser

To make the cards:

1. Use the large template provided to cut out your Christmas tree shapes, one for each card you want to send.

2. Stick one tree to each card. You can use craft glue or pieces of double-sided tape. Peeling off the tape can be a bit fiddly but it's mess-free and sticks felt to card really well with no lumps or bumps. Make sure to leave space at the bottom of the card to write your greeting, if you want to add one.

3. Use a marker or other pen to write a simple greeting under the tree. It's a good idea to write the text in pencil first to make sure you get it nicely centred. You can also use a ruler to give yourself a straight line to write across. Wait until the ink is totally dry and then erase the pencil lines.

I tried using a silver marker for the card with the green tree but it didn't work at all as the silver didn't show up well on the brown card. Oops! However, silver lettering would look great if you were using black cards.

For a super minimalist look, leave the cards text free!

To make the tags:

1. Use the small template provided to cut out your Christmas tree shapes. If needed, resize the template to fit your tags. I used ready-made blank tags but you could make some yourself from blank card, a hole punch and a piece of string/twine/yarn/etc.

2. Stick a Christmas tree to each tag. You don't need much to attach the trees - I just used one piece of double-sided tape. 

And that's it! Quick and easy tags ready for dressing up your parcels. These tags would look great paired with brown paper and silver ribbons... or with other neon gift-wrapping supplies. Neon London sell a great selection of neon ribbons and wrap. 

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

This tutorial is for personal use only. You may borrow a couple of photos if you want to blog about this project, but remember to credit me and link back to this page on my blog, and do not reproduce my entire tutorial / share my templates on your site. Thanks!

Enjoyed this free tutorial? Buy me a "coffee" and help support my blog!


Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly free pattern and visit my crafty tutorial archive for lots more free projects.

Visit my shop to buy my printable PDF sewing patterns:

How To: Felt Butterfly Cards

Today I'm sharing a simple tutorial for making quick and easy cards decorated with felt butterflies.

I had some felt butterfly shapes left over from making my butterfly lavender sachets and instead of throwing them away (waste not, want not!) I thought I'd use them to make some cards. You can never have too many cards to send to friends, right?

You could also make these from pretty scrap paper (like these notecards I made a few years ago), but I rather like how the thickness and texture of the felt really stands out from the card.

You will need:

The butterfly template from this post (printed at 50%)
Card blanks & matching envelopes
Colourful felt
Pins & sewing scissors
Double sided sticky tape, or craft glue
Craft scissors
Optional: sewing thread & needle, pen, pencil, eraser

To make the cards...

Use the butterfly template to cut out your butterflies.

If you want to "frame" the butterflies also cut out 3 inch (7.5 cm) squares in contrasting felt. If you like you can stitch the butterfly in place in the middle of the square with running stitch and matching sewing thread, but you don't need to (and it's much quicker not to!)

Arrange the butterflies on your card blanks to plan where you want them. The 3 inch squares are perfect for adding to 4 x 6 inch cards.

Stick pieces of double sided tape to the back of each felt shape, peel off the plastic backing then press the shapes into position. You can use craft glue if you prefer but I find that double-sided tape works great, without any mess!

 

I stuck the butterflies-in-squares onto 4 x 6 inch cards...

... and stuck a trio of butterflies to a 3 x 8 inch card. I chose three shades of the same colour, but you could use any three colours you fancy.

 

You can leave the cards blank, or add your own message with a black or co-ordinating coloured pen. Write your chosen text with a pencil first to make sure you get it correctly positioned, then erase the pencil lines once the ink has fully dried.

This tutorial is for non commercial use only. You may borrow a couple of photos if you want to blog about this project, but remember to credit me and link back to this page on my blog, and do not reproduce my entire tutorial / share my templates on your site. Thanks!

Enjoyed this free tutorial? Buy me a "coffee" and help support my blog!


Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly free pattern and visit my crafty tutorial archive for lots more free projects.

Visit my shop to buy my printable PDF sewing patterns:

Felt Ornament How-To #1: Stars and Hearts

I just couldn't wait to begin these tutorials, so here's the first one to get you started...

You will need...

A sewing needle
Some pins
Assorted colours of felt (at least 2 colours for this project)
Matching sewing thread
Co-ordinating narrow ribbon
Sewing/fabric scissors

1. First cut out your pattern. You can use my pattern sheet or draw your own simple shapes (cookie cutters make great templates).

2. Pick your colours. This ornament is based on simple contrasting colours: I chose red and white but you could pick any two to match your Christmas theme or make an assortment in lots of bright shades.

3. Pin the pattern to your first colour and cut it out.

 

4. Remove the pattern, put it to one side and pin the felt shape to the second colour - remember to leave space to cut a border round it! Then, using a contrasting colour sewing thread (I used red to match my background colour) sew the shape to the backing felt.

 

 This stitching will act as a decorative detail so try to get the stitches as even as possible. If you're worried about it you can always use a matching thread like I did here:

 

5. Now remove the pin and carefully cut round your shape, leaving a border of the backing colour to "frame" it: I cut mine quite narrow, but a wider border makes for a bigger bolder ornament. Remember: if you're not sure it's always best to cut a bit extra, as you can always trim some off if you're not happy with it at this stage.

 

6. You now have the front of your ornament. Use it as a template to cut out another piece of your backing felt the same size (this will be the back of the ornament).

7. Pick a piece of ribbon - I use simple narrow ribbons for my decorations but you could try wider pieces (the larger the ornament, the bigger the ribbon you can use) patterned ribbon, ricrac, or even knitting yarn or string: anything you're happy sewing with!

8. Cut a piece about 5 inches (12 cms) long. Fold it over to form a loop and sew the two cut ends to the inside of your backing piece of felt at the top like this:

 

When you put the front and back of your ornament together the messy ends of the ribbon should now be hidden between them. Use thread that matches your backing felt to help hide your stitches.

9. Now you're ready to sew your ornament together. Pin the front and the back so they're exactly how you want them, with the ribbon emerging from the top. Then, starting from the ribbon sew all around the outside "border" in matching thread, as close to the central shape as possible (again, this keeps your stitches hidden) ... and you've finished!

 

 VARIATIONS: As discussed above, you can use different colours and ribbons to great effect with this simple pattern. Any simple shape can be used - dig around in your cookie cutter drawer to see what you can find, or sketch your own patterns. I've added an 8 point star template to the pattern sheet for you to try. You could also make larger and more colourful ornaments by adding extra layers - repeat stages 4, 5 & 6 to create more elaborate layered designs.

Please note: this tutorial is NOT for commercial use. You can make as many of these ornaments as you like (they make great gifts!) but please don't sell them or reproduce my tutorial anywhere without my permission. If you give it a mention, please do link back to the original page & if you make the ornaments please let me know - I'd love to hear how it went & would adore to see pictures!

Enjoyed this free tutorial? Buy me a "coffee" and help support my blog!


Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly free pattern and visit my crafty tutorial archive for lots more free projects.

Visit my shop to buy my printable PDF sewing patterns:


Pattern sheet (double click to view full size and print)