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Making your own Christmas cards is a fun holiday activity for crafters of all ages. Whether you opt for high-tech or classic, time-intensive or quick-and-easy, you can make cards that will show a personal touch. Here are a few ideas for creating distinctive, unique holiday cards.

1. Embossing.

Embossing is the art of creating raised designs on a surface. Adding some embossing to your homemade greeting cards will give them a textured look and feel. The process involves making a design in

embossing glue, sprinkling it with embossing powder, dusting off the excess powder, and then using heat to melt the powder, creating a smooth, raised design. If you are talented at drawing simple, cartoonish figures or if calligraphy is a passion of yours, then invest in an embossing pen. The pen can be used like a marker to write or draw. You can then dust your drawing or lettering with embossing powder and create a rich-looking card with ease. Alternatively, you can create embossed cards using a rubber stamp and and embossing stamp pad. Regardless of which technique you choose, it is useful to have an embossing heat tool.

2. Computer designing.

Websites such as NetFunCards and TheCustomCards allow you to print greeting cards, which you can then fold and send by mail or deliver by hand. Both of these sites are free, although they do require registration. Hewlett-Packard also has a gallery of free, printable cards. For even more customization and a wider variety of artwork, you can purchase software such as Hallmark Card Studio Deluxe. Greeting card programs will allow you to choose from a gallery of images, as well as select from a wide variety of occasion-specific verses.

3. Stamping.

Rubber stamps are a fun way for even the artistically challenged to add graphics to a plain piece of paper. Stamp pads come in many colors, including metallic ink. There are a wide variety of Christmas Stamps available, from traditional designs like Santas and snowflakes to some creative images like a dachshund stuck in Christmas lights! Stamps allow you to choose images you love and place them on a card alongside your other artwork or lettering.

4. Stenciling.

Like stamps, stencils are way to give your cards a "hand made" look without having to draw. If you choose to shop for stencils online, make sure to buy stencils designed for scrapbooking, not interior decor stencils, which are much larger. Also be sure to purchase stencil cream and a set of small stencil brushes. Other types of paints and brushes will make your stenciled designs "bleed" around the edges.

5. Mix and match.

There is no reason to stick to just one technique for making your own Christmas cards! You can always design a card online, print it, and then add some glitz with embossing powder or glitter. Stamps and stencils can work well together to create just the look you want. If you like the look of calligraphy but are not skilled at lettering, print out your verse in a fancy font and then go over it with a metallic calligraphy pen. The wide variety of technology and materials available to crafters means that you are only limited by your imagination.

Learn more about this author, Raven Lebeau.
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