Handmade Christmas -- Part 1

Christmas gifting is one of the most wonderful parts of the holiday season, but it can also be one of the most stressful.  Especially when it comes to those who you deeply appreciate and want to thank, but don't know personally enough to figure out what they might want -- people like teachers, daycare providers, etc.  This year is my first year of teacher gifts -- and my son has 4 teachers!!  I knew I didn't want to get them lotions or candy because I'm sure they get plenty of that stuff.  So I decided to make and gift handmade card sets.  Everyone uses cards, right?  And I love to make cards, too!  So it was a win-win as far as I was concerned.

For each set, I chose one B&T paper design and two styles of cards.  I varied the greetings, but kept the paper and styles the same to help create that "set" feel.  My favorite stamp sets for making card sets are sets like Finding the Words and Happy to Be Friends.  These sets include several main words and lots of supporting phrases to mix and match -- making them extremely versatile and perfect for putting together a giftable set.

I also make sure to include envelopes when gifting card sets.  This may seem obvious to some, but it's easy to forget to include envelopes when you cut down your own cardstock for card bases.  That is why I prefer to use the CTMH card base value packs for making card sets.  Not only are they an awesome value for both cards and envelopes, but when mass-producing cards, it is extremely convenient to be able to skip the cutting / folding of the card bases.

The completed set

Close-up card sample

Close-up card sample

Close-up card sample

Supplies used:
*Art Philosophy Cricut collection
*Finding the Words stamp set

*Confetti Wishes paper packet (retired)
*12" x 12" Lagoon cardstock
*12" x 12" White Daisy cardstock
*White Daisy card bases
*Pacifica Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Lagoon Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Thistle Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Canary Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Gold shimmer trim

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Until next time, remember to design it with {heart}!