Each year we create a holiday card to send to our business friends. This year I thought a house shaped card would be fun (in honor of our new studio house). Today we're excited to team up with Canon USA and their Crafting Corner to share a fun method for creating a personalized holiday card in the likeness of your home!
Step 1: Print the house template and two 5×7 inch photos from your year. We created a collage of small memories for the second image. We printed ours on the PIXMA MG7120 on Canon's 8.5×11 semi-gloss photo paper and just cut it down to size as necessary.
Download house template here. (right-click/control + click, then select save link as…, and be sure to print at 100% scale)
Step 2: Cut out the template and use it to create a cover piece from scrapbook paper and to trim the photos to a house shape.
Step 3: Decorate the front of your card using pieces of scrapbook paper and rubber stamps! Add your own personal greeting.
To create a paper resemblance of your home, take a cell phone photo and use only the most definable features (doors, windows, roof, pillar) in matching colored papers. It's really fun!
Step 4: Cut 2-4 photos into the house shape and make sure they line up correctly.
Step 5: Make a crease on cards about a half inch from the bottom. Add this crease to all of the pages except the last one to make it easier to flip through.
Step 6: Secure the bottom of the card with staples or sewing machine stitches.
That's it! Now you have a totally custom holiday card!
To create these in a larger quantity I recommend doing them in stages. Stage 1- make all the house fronts, Stage 2- print and cut all the photos, Stage 3- Assemble and address!
Use 5×7-inch envelopes to send your cards!
What about you? Have you already planned your holiday cards? xo. Elsie
Credits // Author and Photography: Elsie Larson, Project Assistant: Laura Gummerman.
57 Comments
This is so cool! It’s just so adorable. I can’t wait to make this at home!!!
Your cards are so cute! I always make some every year too, featuring a picture of my cat Eddie. People sure seem to enjoy receiving a handmade card.
this is too cute!
xxoo,
nikki
http://www.dreaminneon.blogspot.com
How sweet! What lovely pictures! It’s always fun to receive creative holiday cards! This is darling. 🙂
http://sometimesgracefully.com
We love DIY’s with paper, we make srap and this idea is perfect for Christmas!
http://inatrendytown.blogspot.com.es/
What a great idea ! It’s perfect for Christmas !
These are absolutely adorable. I hate buying cards. I always think, “I can totally make these.” Thanks for the inspiration.
These are so cute! I haven’t decided what I’m going to do for cards yet. My goal is to have a plan by Thanksgiving. 🙂
These are so cute! My plan is to have a plan for cards by Thanksgiving. 🙂
Oh my word, this is SO adorable!! I love this!! I’m going to try it:)
Fantastic idea!!! 🙂
I love DIY <3
http://mademoisellejuliet.blogspot.com/
wow. this is so cool! i love the ideas! 🙂 http://lovesimplegreen.blogspot.com/
i love the house template! even just to print out a few pictures with the template to hang around the house! thanks!
That’s a nice personal way to to send a card. Love Love
Vintagehoneybee.blogspot.com
This is such a great idea, and yours looks absolutely amazing! x
holljc.blogspot.co.uk
what a wonderfully lovely idea!
xx
LOVE LOVE LOVE THE IDEA!! Super cute!
However, don’t you feel the staples look a little out of place? I feel like they don’t add to the “handmade” craft of the card. Maybe walking it through the sewing machine would be better?
Just a thought 🙂
Otherwise.. love!
HI.. I’d like to apologize for not reading your post all the way! You did mention sewing machine..
really embarrassed now.. :/
Still love it!
An amazing giveaway this week on the blog. The new book Whispers of Hope by the Christian author Beth Moore.Check it out!!
This is such a fun idea! I’d like to do this with Christmas stockings!
The Rambling Fangirl
this is such a great idea!!! i usually toss most christmas cards we receive but i think this might be one i would keep around. thanks!
So original and so cool!
I love making my own holiday gift cards, it makes everything so much more personal 🙂
xx
http://www.zoesparablepsia.blogspot.com
Thanks for the idea 🙂
I like the fact that it’s all attached together like a book 🙂
Adorable!
I agree with Gracie about the pictures. The internal collage is definitely my favorite part. I’d love to receive homemade Christmas cards!
Great idea – especially if you’re in a new house (or studio space)
What a wonderful idea! So cute!
Lulu xx
http://luluslittlewonderland.blogspot.com
Great idea! I haven’t planned my holiday cards yet but this is a great idea. I love the photos inside. 🙂
love the idea! and the result!! thanks for sharing!
This is ADORABLE! I am now very tempted to make my own cards this year 🙂
Erica
sweet-endeavors.com
Absolutely Adorable!! Loving they new book!!
i’m totally making these this year! love you guys! best blog ever!
So cute!
Oh, my! This card is the cutest! What a fantastic idea -really, really!!! Love it! 🙂
Hi !!!
I love your blog and this holiday card is just so cool !
Keep Calm n DIY
http://keepcalmndiy.wordpress.com/
Haven’t made mine yet but might have to use these designs!
http://talisatalksbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/chapstick-lipsations-shimmer-in-berry.html
A little wreath or garland on the door of the house would make the card more festive!
Great job! This is so cute!
I would glue a piece of ribbon across the bottom to cover the staples 🙂
This is so neat! I love making personalized cards but adding photos in the shape of the card is not something I had thought about. Hopefully someday I’ll have an actual house to do this with – maybe this year I’ll try making it in the shape of our cat. haha 🙂
Such a fun idea for a holiday card! I have mine ready as I try to prepare holiday stuff (that needs to be sent out) before December (as I wanna enjoy Christmas and not go crazy with all the end of the year fuss). Making my own holiday cards is one of my favorite little holiday traditions. xx
what a unique card!! I love the idea of a house, it could possibly be even cute with adding, like fake snow to the roof, or a christmas tree. 🙂
SO cute!
Awh they look so lovely 🙂
Rosie x | Every Word Handwritten
absolutely adorable ladies adorable!
psst…i am no good with a sewing machine!
i would be using glue, mod podge, or some serious double sided sticky
;D
You girls are the sweetest!
xx,
E.
http://www.theslowpace.com
Another option for attaching them might be a paper fastener in one corner. That way the pictures can fan out, and you wouldn’t loose as much in the seam.
Just a thought. These cards are really cute.
so cute! we made similar house cards for our housewarming invitations! The front flap was a “blanket” that revealed our home all warm underneath. happy holidays ladies! xo
http://victoryandcompany.blogspot.com/2012/06/housewarming-blanket-invitations.html
This would be so great to receive through the post – it would make anyone’s day to think that someone had taken such trouble. I love it!
Those are so cool! I love that you have three in one!
This is a fun idea and would be easily replicated into an infinite number of different shapes. How lovely.
Somehow I missed this post…but its homey in all the write ways. That was not terribly punny in silledelphia.
This is absolutely the sweetest little homemade card. It shouts “homemade!” but in an unashamed way. I think the staples look fine. I wouldn’t futz with a sewing machine unless you wanted to spend weeks instead of days putting these together!
Love the idea. Will be incorporating the internal collage idea in mine.
A little wreath on the door would really cinch it for me. Awesome idea, ladies! xx
I’d like to print a picture for every day of December as an Advent Calendar present for my boyfriend. I’d also really like to be able to print pictures from me and my Grandpa’s trip to Scotland this summer and give them to him in a photo album.
These are great. Very creative and unique in a way. I invite everyone to see my Glittery Holiday Crafts:
http://way2dress.blogspot.com/2013/12/diy-glittery-christmas-postcards.html