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Handmade Christmas Decorations, Cards & Wrapping Ideas

Date: 05-11-2024
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Decorations, gift cards, gift wrap and more! There are so many opportunities to flex your creativity at Christmas time. Get into the spirit with these festive decor ideas - all made with love by our talented Gordon Harris Art Supplies staffers. 

 

 

Handmade Christmas Greeting Card Ideas

 

Gelli Plate Monoprinted Christmas Cards: 

You Will Need: 

1. A Gelli plate

2. Festive acrylic paints (like red, green, gold, and silver) - we recommend Golden Open Acrylics for use with Gelli Plates

3. Rubber roller (brayer)

4. Blank cards

 

In this video I show you how to create beautiful, custom Christmas cards! 

Watch as I guide you through the process of applying paint, adding textures with stencils, stamps, textured tools you have on hand, as well as some Christmas-themed shapes, to print your designs. Perfect for adding a personal touch to your holiday greetings!

Multi-Block Lino Printed Christmas Card: 

You Will Need: 

1. Colourfield Blank Greeting Cards Pure White (Pkt 10)

2. Essdee Lino Printing Kit

3. Gordon Harris Tracing Paper

4. Pencil (Faber Castell Mechanical Pencil Grip 0.7mm used in this video) 

5. Printing Ink (Flint water-based ink, or Charbonnel Etching Ink used in this video) 

6. Grey Mount Board

 

Directions: 

1. Draw the design you would like to print onto your greeting card on a piece of paper. 

2. Using the tracing paper on top of the drawing, go over the outlines of the drawing with a pencil using a new piece of tracing paper to outline every colour. 

3. Transfer each of the outlines onto a piece of lino by placing the pencil drawing face down on the lino and rubbing with your hands or the brayer in the Essdee lino printing kit. 

4. Carve out the designs using the cutting tool in the Essdee lino printing kit. 

5. Make a template from the Grey Mount Board that is shaped to the pieces of lino and the greeting card paper to ensure the designs print in the same place - see video for more instructions. 

6. Roll the ink out onto the pieces of lino and print them onto the cards as per the video. 

7. Let the ink dry between each layer, and voila! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Custom Wrapping Paper Ideas

Reusable Gift Wrap

Seonaid from our Christchurch store made this beautiful reusable gift wrap that is handmade a sustainable! 

You Will Need: 

- Some fabric scraps large enough to wrap a present in

- Essdee Fabric Printing Lino Kit

OR

- Your chosen colours of Essdee Fabric Printing Ink

- A roller (brayer) 

- A Swann Morton scalpel handle and blade

- Some Colourfield Kraft Card

- A piece of PETG plastic

 

Directions: 

If using the Essdee Fabric Printing Lino Kit, carve out your design into the lino using the tools in the kit. 

If using the Colourfield card and scalpel as in the video, draw the outline of your design on the card and cut it out with the scalpel. 

Lay out the fabric on a flat surface. Squeeze some printing ink out onto the ink tray in the kit, or PETG plastic and roll with the brayer until an even coating is achieved on the roller. 

If using the kit, roll the ink onto the carved lino and impress onto the fabric with the ball of your hand. 

If using the Colourfield card stencil, lay the design over your fabric and roll the ink over it as in the video. 
 

Custom Christmas Gift Wrap

Olivia from our Christchurch store made a super cute stamp to use on craft paper to create customised gift wrap! 

You Will Need: 

- Essdee Mastercut Stamp Carving Kit

- Kraft paper (or any paper!)

 

Directions: 

Draw the outline of your design onto the face of the stamp. Carve out your chosen design into the lino using the tools in the kit. 

Using the ink from the kit, stamp the stamp onto your paper! 

  

 

Handmade Christmas Tree Decorations

Hand Painted Christmas Tree Decorations: 

You will need: 

1. Expression Canvas Cotton

2. Paint

Watercolours (Daniel Smith used in this video, full details below) 

Golden Heavy Body Iridescent Bright Gold Acrylic

3. Brushes

da Vinci Casaneo watercolour brushes

4. Pens or markers

Faber Castell Pitt Artist Brush Pens

Copic Multi Liner

Posca acrylic markers 

5. Jute String

6. Pencil

7. Scissors

8. Adhesive (optional)

9. Pin for the hole

 

Directions:

1. Paint the canvas with Daniel Smith Watercolour Ground in Titanium White to turn it into a surface suitable for watercolours.

2. Draw desired shapes onto the canvas with the pencil, remembering to leave room for a hole to tie the string through. Cut the shapes out and trace them onto the remaining canvas to create duplicates, cutting those out with scissors as well. In this video, Clare has made them double layered to add a border to the shape - if you would like to do this then trace around the shapes you've made with a 3mm border, and cut those out as well.

3. Paint the shapes! In this example, Clare has used Daniel Smith watercolours in Duochrome Emerald, Alizarin Crimson, Serpentine Genuine, Bordeaux, Cascade Green, Mayan Yellow and Aureolin, Golden Heavy Body Acrylics in Bright Iridescent Gold, Faber-Castell Pitt Pens in Pink Carmine, Copic Multiliner 0.3mm in Olive, Posca Acrylic Paint Markers in Gold, da Vinci Casaneo brushes in round size 2.

4. Glue the pieces together if using a background piece, then poke a whole in the top, threading the jute string through and tying together in a loop. 

5. Hang on the tree for handmagde festive fun! 

 

 

 

Stained Glass Christmas Tree Ornament

You Will Need: 

1. PETG Crystal Clear Sheet A3

2. Molotow Blackliner Pigment Liner Pens

3. Pebeo Cerne Relief Overliner 20ml Black

4. Pebeo Vitrail

5. Paint brush

6. Scissors

7. Paper

8. String

 

Directions: 

1. Draw your design on a piece of paper and place it underneath the clear sheet. 

2. Trace over the outlines of your design using the Pebeo Cerne Relief

3. Colour in the design using the Pebeo Vitrail paint and paint brush. 

4. Once dry, cut out your design and hang with string onto the tree! 

  

 

Craft printmaking clay Christmas DIY