Welcome back to the craft room and today’s Easy 18 Christmas Cards from One Sheet post. Can you believe it is already time for Christmas in July? To kick things off, I’m going to show you how I used a single 12″ x 12″ sheet of patterned paper to make 18 beautiful and easy Christmas cards. Let’s jump right in.
Preparing the Patterned Paper
While spending some time with my sister and going through her paper stash, I came across the perfect sheet of 12″ x 12″ plaid patterned paper for this card project. It came from the Recollections Fall Orchard paper pad.
The colors in this plaid work beautifully with the kraft cardstock, also from Recollections, that I planned to use for this project. To ensure the paper made it home without incident, I trimmed it down into 4″ x 6″ pieces before packing it.
Once I got home, it was super easy to finish cutting everything down. Using my 6.5″ Tim Holtz Guillotine Trimmer, I quickly cut the pieces into 18 panels measuring 4″ x 2″.
Card Base & Layer Measurements
For the card base, I’m using my usual white Recollections 110lb cardstock. The base is cut to 8½” x 5½” and scored down the middle at 4¼” to create a side-folding A2 card.
Next, I cut the mat for the card front from 65lb Recollections kraft cardstock. This panel measures 4″ x 5¼”. For today’s cards, I left this layer plain. However, this would be the perfect place to use your favorite embossing folder or stencil if you’d like to add a little extra texture.
Finally, I cut the mat for the patterned paper. I’m using white Recollections 110lb cardstock cut to 4″ x 2¼”. This is also the perfect place to use up some of those paper scraps you’ve been saving!
Easy Sentiment Labels
After rummaging through not only my Christmas stamps but also my sister’s collection, I decided to go a different direction for the front of my cards. I already planned on using my Tim Holtz and Sizzix Vintage Labels die set.
Printing the Sentiments
Rather than stamping a sentiment 18 times, I decided to print them instead. I first cut one label from a scrap piece of cardstock and measured the inside opening. Once I had those dimensions, I opened Microsoft Word and created a text box to fit inside the label.
From there, I added the words “Merry Christmas” and spent quite a while looking through all the fonts on my computer! Eventually, I settled on Baskerville Old Face in size 25. It has a clean, classic look that fits the overall style of these cards perfectly.
Before printing, I removed the outline from the text box so only the sentiment would appear on the page. Then I duplicated it until I had enough sentiments for all 18 cards.
I printed the sheet on my HP DeskJet using 110lb Recollections white cardstock. One thing I’ve noticed with this printer is that the rollers leave two small black marks on every sheet of cardstock I print, regardless of the weight.
Thankfully, a simple white eraser removes most of the marks, making them much less noticeable.
Once everything was printed, I cut the sentiments apart and ran them through my Sizzix Big Shot using the Vintage Labels die. I really love the embossed detail around the edge. It gives the labels a finished look without adding any extra work.
Die Cutting the Holiday Greenery
To create the greenery for all 18 cards, I gathered three different shades of green Bazzill Basics cardstock. I love the variety of colors and textures they add. To cut the greenery, I’m using my Tim Holtz Holiday Greens Mini die set.
I’ve always had trouble cutting these delicate shapes. While I was at my sister’s house, she suggested using the Sizzix Chrome Precision Base Plate. I had completely forgotten I owned one, and it worked perfectly! For my older Sizzix Big Shot, my sandwich starts with the base plate and Shim #2, followed by the Chrome Precision Plate, cardstock and die, and finally the top cutting plate.
Next, I wanted to add a little more interest to the greenery, so I brought out my Peeled Paint Distress Ink. After placing each branch on my Teflon sheet, I lightly pounced the ink pad over the die cuts. I didn’t want to completely cover the cardstock—I wanted some of the original color to show through. Although the ink looked a little dark at first, it dried back to a beautiful shade of green that worked well with all three cardstock colors.
Once the ink was dry, I set all of the greenery aside until it was time for assembly.
Assembling the Christmas Cards from One Sheet
Now that all of the individual pieces are ready, it’s time to put the cards together.
As always, I like using the tools I already have to help line everything up, so I brought in my Mini MISTI. Starting with the patterned paper, I used Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue to adhere each piece to its white mat. This leaves about an eighth-inch border on both sides.
Next, I placed the kraft mat into the MISTI and adhered the patterned paper to the center. It sits approximately 1½” from both the top and bottom of the mat. Finally, I attached the completed panel to the card base.
My Batch-Making Tip
Once the mat was attached to the card base, I started adding the greenery and sentiment. On the first card, I kept bringing the sentiment label back in to make sure I was placing the greenery where I wanted it. Before moving on to the remaining cards, I grabbed my Club Scrap Centering Ruler and added a tiny pen dot to the center of the patterned paper. From there, I could easily position the greenery around that dot and achieve consistent placement on every card.
To adhere the greenery, I normally dot wet glue onto the back of each die cut and hope I don’t use too much. This time, however, I decided to try something different. I placed a small puddle of glue on my Teflon sheet, then lightly dipped the back of each branch into the glue before placing it on the card. It gave me just the right amount of adhesive without making a mess.
After that, I simply glued down the sentiment label and the card was finished!
All 18 Finished Cards
And here they all are—18 finished Christmas cards from just one sheet of 12″ x 12″ patterned paper! If you’ve been saving that special Christmas paper because you didn’t want to cut into it, I hope this project inspires you to pull it out and see just how much you can create from a single sheet.
I just love how this whole set came together. Using a single sheet of patterned paper gives all 18 cards a cohesive look, and I think the plaid makes them feel both classic and timeless. I also have to thank my sister for sharing this paper from her stash. Thanks, again Sis—it was the perfect choice for this project!
Final Thoughts
Thank you so much for joining me for today’s Easy 18 Christmas Cards from One Sheet post. I have to say, getting 18 cards from a single sheet of patterned paper is pretty amazing. It’s such a great way to get a head start on your Christmas cards. Then, by the time December rolls around, that’s one less thing to worry about so you can spend more time enjoying the holiday season.
I’d love to know—when you make your Christmas cards, do you enjoy making one design in batches like this, or do you prefer creating a different card for everyone on your list? Let me know down in the comments. I always enjoy hearing how everyone approaches their holiday card making.
If you’re looking for even more Christmas card inspiration, be sure to check out all of my Christmas card projects in my Christmas Cards category.
Until then, have a wonderful week ahead, and I’ll see you again soon for another Christmas in July post!
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