11 Simple DIY Holiday Card Ideas to Impress Your Loved Ones

DIY Christmas cards are in, and store-bought cards are out! If you want to add a personal touch to your holiday greeting cards, look no further!

In this blog post, we will show you how to create 11 DIY holiday cards using various Altenew products. These handmade cards are not only beautiful and unique, but they are also incredibly easy to make.

Grab your crafting supplies and let's get started!

11 Simple But Festive DIY Holiday Cards You Need to Try Now!

1. Festive Florals

Create a stunning floral holiday card using your favorite floral stamps. Stamp your chosen floral image onto your cardstock and color it in with your favorite alcohol markers or watercolors. Add some glitter or sequins for an extra touch of sparkle.

Check out how Therese used it as a repeated background on one card, and as corner designs on the other card! She also did some messy watercoloring using our Watercolor Brush Markers!

2. Winter Wonderland

Bring the magic of a winter wonderland to your DIY holiday cards! Emboss a white cardstock with the Pine Forest 3D Embossing Folder, watercolor the images and the background, add die-cut snowflakes or create a “snowy” effect by adding white splatters (with watercolor or white pigment ink). 

Erum’s winter wonderland card idea above definitely needs to be framed! Don’t you agree?

3. Merry and Bright

Spread some holiday cheer with the words “merry and bright.” You can simply stamp this festive sentiment onto your panel using your favorite alphabet dies and embellish it with sequins or enamel dots. 

The Winter Typography Stamp and Dies Bundle features three main sentiments that can serve as the focal point of your next holiday project. With this 3-in-1 bundle, you can easily create the perfect greeting by layering or building with the different elements in the set.

Check out how Tenia created her clean and simple DIY holiday card using this bundle.

4. Joyful Wreath

Create a beautiful wreath-themed handmade holiday card using a wreath stamp, or any flower and foliage stamps in your stash! It’s super simple! After stamping and die-cutting your wreath, add some red berries or a bow for a fun and festive touch. Speaking of wreaths, the Stampwheel is the perfect tool for you if you struggle with creating your own wreaths! 

In Virginia’s wreath card, she used the stamp, die, and 3D embossing folder from the Mistletoe Wreath Bundle. Using the embossing folder on her background added a subtle, festive touch to her card! 

5. Snowy Greetings

Who wouldn’t love a winter wonderland scene? With our Dynamic Duo: Snowy Delight Set, you can easily whip up DIY holiday cards in bulk! The stamp set features outlines of four adorable snowmen, a beautiful ornamental snowflake, and fun winter sentiments, the stencils help add colors to the images, and the dies cut out the snowmen for that extra dimension! This is the perfect set if you want to create quick and fun holiday cards with your kids. 

Look at how Kelly easily created multiple cards using this stamp and stencil bundle! 

6. Cozy Christmas

Adding cozy vibes to your DIY cards is easy-peasy with the Cozy Flannel Cover Die!

We absolutely love how simple but effective Norine’s card is! She watercolored the cover die, added a cute “holiday house” stamp and die set, and some enamel dots to create this warm and cozy holiday card!

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7. Peaceful Pines

Pine trees have been a staple in handmade holiday card ideas. But have you tried using pinecones? The Classic Pinecones Slim 3D Embossing Folder is awesome for creating quick, easy, and stunning DIY holiday cards that will definitely impress your loved ones.

Here’s a simple cardmaking tutorial on how to add pinecones to your holiday cards:

1. Add Antique Gold Pigment Ink to the inside front of the Classic Pinecones Slim 3D Embossing Folder.
2. Use a 3″ x 6″ piece of Hunter Green Cardstock and start embossing. 
3. Once embossed, selectively ink blend the pinecone images using Classic Pine Stencil B and Espresso Crisp Dye Ink. 
4. To add the frosted effect, swipe over some white pigment ink.

8. Sparkling Snowflakes

There are so many different ways to add a sparkle to your DIY cards! Let’s face it - it’s not screaming “holiday card” without some sparkle and shine! Try adding some glitter or glitter cardstock (glitter without the mess!), some sparkly washi tape, or heat emboss snowflakes stamps. The creative possibilities are endless! 

Nathalie added some gorgeous sparkle and shine in two fun ways: by gold-embossing her snowflakes and hot foiling the sentiment!

9. Joyful Ornaments 

Ornaments and baubles can add a wonderful and whimsical touch to any paper crafting project. Aga went for something more non-traditional by using a different color palette on her handmade holiday card, which features the Jolly Ornaments Hot Foil Set and Enjoy the Ride Paper Pack.  

10. Winter Birds

Bring some winter birds to your Christmas cards with any of your favorite bird-themed stamps. Add them to a wreath, perch them on a branch, or create a winter holiday background with snowflakes - there are so many creative ways to use birds in any holiday crafts. 

Svitlana shared three holiday card ideas featuring the Season’s Tweetings Stamp and Die Set. Which one is your favorite?

11. Elegant Poinsettias

When in doubt, go for poinsettias! We’ve got an array of poinsettia stamps, dies, stencils, and even embossing folders that you can use for various paper crafting projects. 

Therese used the Linear Life: Poinsettias Set a bit differently in her simple holiday card. Instead of watercoloring, she colored them in with alcohol markers! The poinsettia-embossed background is simply too pretty to miss!

Bring these 11 delightful DIY Christmas card ideas to life! 

As you put the finishing touches on your DIY holiday cards, take a moment to bask in the warm glow of your creativity.

You've crafted something truly special and unique, and your loved ones will appreciate the thought and effort you put into each card. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the holiday season knowing that you've spread joy and cheer with your handmade creations. Happy crafting!

Before you go, make sure to visit our In the Craft Room page for more holiday crafting ideas!