4 Holiday Card Ideas from Strathmore

Opus Resource Library

Create your own handmade greeting cards this holiday season!

Give your art as a gift. Strathmore has these 4 holiday card ideas for you to try for yourself. Watch the video below and follow along the steps for each holiday card guide.

Making a Strathmore Pop-Up Watercolour Card Materials for Pop-Up Watercolour Card Getting Started Painting the Card Background Painting the Pop-Up Mountains Making a Strathmore Taped Design Watercolour Card Materials for Taped Design Watercolour Card Getting Started Assembling Photo Mount Cards & Photo Frame Cards Assembling Photo Mount Cards Assembling Photo Frame Cards Making a Foil Transfer Card Materials for Foil Transfer Card Getting Started Shop Strathmore Cards for the Holidays!

Making a Strathmore Pop-Up Watercolour Card

Pop-up watercolour cards for the holidays

Materials for Pop-Up Watercolour Card

Any Strathmore Blank Greeting Card for the outside (Strathmore Watercolor Card used in video)
Strathmore 300 Series Mixed Media paper for the inside of the card
Strathmore 400 Series Watercolor paper for mountains
Permanent Ink Pen (Sakura Micron used in video)
Watercolor paint & brushes (Royal Talens Art Creation Watercolor used in video)
White acrylic paint
Painters tape for edges
Scissors
Glue

Getting Started

Personalize the front of the card with a holiday message, artwork, or design!

Decorating the front of the holiday card.

Next, cut your mixed media paper to the same size as the unfolded card. This paper will serve as the internal decorating space for your card.

Then, fold the mixed media paper in half and cut a small tab in the center. The tab will be used to secure the pop-up watercolour paper for your mountainous foreground.

Cutting paper for the inside of the card.

Glue the mixed media paper inside of your main card, ensuring to leave the middle tab un-glued. The card will need to be able to fold with the middle tab raised up, as pictured.

Painting the Card Background

Tape the top part of the inside of the card to add a border and protect the cover of the card.

Lightly dampen your painting surface and add blue and purple watercolour washes for the night sky. Darken the top, keeping the lower area closer to the horizon lighter.

Once your watercolour is dry, use white acrylic to paint in a moon.

Splatter acrylic paint to make stars - a stiff brush or old toothbrush works well for this effect. Use a small detail brush to add points to the bigger stars.

White fine point POSCA Paint Pens or Sakura Gelly Roll Pens also make convenient options for star making!

Layering washes of blue and purple watercolour for the night sky.

Painting in the moon and stars with white acrylic paint.

Let the white paint of the stars dry, then use a permanent ink pen to draw in reindeer and a sleigh flying across the moon.

Remove the tape and clean up the border with white acrylic if needed.

Use a waterproof black marker to draw in the reindeer and sleigh.

Painting the Pop-Up Mountains

Using a separate sheet of watercolour paper, measure out the width of the card, and paint the shadow parts of a mountain range in soft blue tones.

Let the paint dry, then cut out the mountains. Glue your cut out mountains to the raised tab on the inside of the card.

Starting the mountains with light blue watercolour.

Cutting out the mountains with scissors.

Glue the mountains to the internal tab to complete the assembled card!

Let dry, and ta-da! Your Pop-Up Watercolour Card is complete.

Making a Strathmore Taped Design Watercolour Card

Materials for Taped Design Watercolour Card

Strathmore Watercolor Cards
1/4" painters tape
Watercolor paint & brushes (Royal Talens Art Creation Watercolor used in video)
White gel pen (Sakura Gelly Roll used in video)

Getting Started

Use your painters tape to create a design on the front cover of your card. Ensure you have some sections large enough to paint in.

Fill in sections with different watercolor designs. For some areas, paint light washes as background, let it dry, then add designs on top.

Once your paint is dry, you can use white gel pen to add details to the designs.

Adding details with a gel pen.

Then, slowly and carefully remove your painter's tape!

Removing the painters tape

The completed Taped Design Watercolour Card.

Let dry, and ta-da! Your Taped Design Watercolour Card is complete.

Assembling Photo Mount Cards & Photo Frame Cards

Assembling Photo Mount Cards

Trim your photo to size according to the card package instructions. Place adhesive tabs from card package onto the 4 corners of your photo.

Applying the adhesives to the back of the photos.

Smoothing out the photos to the photo mount cards.

Your photo mount card is complete!

Assembling Photo Frame Cards

Start by trimming your photo to size according to card package instructions.

Place adhesive tabs from the card package onto the 4 corners of your photo. Carefully slide the photo into the card window slot, center it, then press down firmly.

Apply the adhesives to the photos and slide into the photo slot.

The completed photo frame card.

Your photo mount card is complete!

Making a Foil Transfer Card

Materials for Foil Transfer Card

Strathmore Printmaking Cards, Mixed Media Cards, Stamping Cards, or Coal Black Cards
Foil Transfer Sheets (coming to Opus later this autumn)
Spray Adhesive
Respirator mask for spraying (safety first!)
Sturdy object for burnishing
Stencils
Tape

Getting Started

Tape the stencil in place on the front cover of your card. Then, spray the stencil with a spray adhesive. Make sure to wear a respirator mask and spray in a well-ventilated area.

When you're done spraying, remove the stencil ensuring you do not touch the sprayed areas with your hands.

Applying the spray adhesive to the cover.

Place gold foil on top of sprayed card, foil side facing you, not facing down.

Press the foil into the adhesive and burnish with the handles of a scissors or similar object.

Laying the foil sheet on the adhesive layer.

Burnishing the the foil attach the foil.

Carefully removing the foil sheet to reveal the card.

The completed foil transfer card.

Your foil transfer card is complete!

Shop Strathmore Cards for the Holidays!

Creating and decorating your holiday cards is a great way to give your art as a gift.

We hope this article has given you some inspiration, and that you have a great time making personalized greeting cards this holiday season!

A big thank you to Strathmore for this holiday card ideas article.

Shop Strathmore Greeting Cards