For the German version of this DIY project click this link.
Ioana from @miss_red_fox contacted me a couple of months ago and asked me whether I would like to participate in this year’s #12giftswithlovegoesxmas Advent calendar. My answer was a clear YEAH! I follow Ioana for a while now and I’m totally in love with her blog and her wonderful DIY projects. We share a passion for all things blue and Japanese arts & crafts. Therefore it was an honour to be part of this creative advent calendar and along the way, write my first German DIY tutorial for the Indigo Blog.
So, what’s this #12giftswithlovegoesxmas thing? 24 creative makers inspire you with awesome DIY ideas, from packaging to delicious recipes and more! For instance, yesterday Sabine-Seyffert showed us how to make a “Christmas bag to-go”. And tomorrow Fee from Fairy Likes will share some ideas for Christmas packaging. But today it’s all about Christmas cards!
This year I didn’t make any Christmas cards to sell in the Indigo Shop, but don’t you worry, because today I have a step-by-step tutorial where I show you how to create a set of unique hand-marbled Christmas cards at home. Ready? Let’s go!
COLLECT INSPIRATION AND MAKE A MOODBOARD
I usually get inspired by the materials I have at home or in the craft room. Like this set of kraft cards I actually bought last year and haven’t used them so far. For small craft projects like this one, I use paper leftovers from my bookbinding projects. But since I didn’t have any “Christmas-like” paper in stock, I marbled a few sheets of paper. I wanted something minimalist and so I went for a Suminagashi-inspired pattern in classic Christmas colours: red, green and black with a few golden brushes.
I want to show you how you can marble a piece of paper like this step-by-step. Of course, you can use any other paper you might have at home, if you prefer.
MATERIALS & TOOLS
CREATE A MINIMALIST HAND-MARBLED PAPER
In the videos below I show you how you can marble paper. Furthermore, you can find a step-by-step manual including video tutorials and quality materials in my DIY Paper Marbling Kit.
*** Make your own dispersant at home: you will need 5 parts of water and 1 part of liquid dish soap.
MARBLED CHRISTMAS CARDS STEP-BY-STEP
Now you can use your beautiful hand-marbled paper for making your Christmas cards! I’ve created two variations of Christmas cards for inspiration, let me show you step-by-step how it’s done.
Extra tip: What about an eco-friendly Christmas tree or a piece of wall art for your home? Instead of making cards, you can paste these designs on a DINA4 or DINA5 sheet of paper and make a Christmas tree for your walls. I’m’ sure any cat lady out there will like this idea! 😉
VARIATION #1: Striped Christmas tree
VARIATION #2: Abstract Christmas tree / Christmas bubble
ONE TECHNIQUE, ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES
You can use the designs shown above for other projects, e.g. to decorate your gift paper. Creativity has no limits, so grab your materials, get your workspace ready and start creating!
I would love to see your DIY Christmas projects! Tag me on Instagram with the hashtags #indigocraftroom and #12giftswithlovegoesxmas or send me pictures of your Marbled Christmas cards via e-mail to info(a)indigocraftroom.com.
Do you have any questions about this DIY tutorial? Send me a message via e-mail or Instagram.
I wish you a wonderful Christmas season and all the best for the new year!
PS: Do you want more inspiration for this Christmas season? Have a look at the blogs from the other makers of #12giftswithlovegoesxmas:
1 – Sabine, Insel der Stille
2 – Karen, Indigo Craftroom
3 – Fee, Fairy Likes
4 – Kathrin, Studio Karamelo
5 – Conny, Smillas Wohngefühl
6 – Kati, Malamü
7 – Rosy, Love Decorations
8 – Evi, Mrs. Greenhouse
9 – Mike, Herr Letter
10 – Jutta, Kreativfieber
11 – Vanessa, Madame Mops (nur IG, ohne Blog)
12 – Dorothea, Zauber ein Lächeln
13 – Katharina, 4 Freizeiten
14 – Kathy, Kathy loves
15 – Johanna, Johanna Rundel
16 – Dorothee, abc.doro.t (nur IG, ohne Blog)
17 – Betty, phelinaee (nur IG, ohne Blog)
18 – Janine, Schninskitchen
19 – Franzi, Aye Aye DIY
20 – Franzi, Das ist yeah
21 – Alex, alex.prettyorganized (nur IG, ohne Blog)
22 -Siggi, Werkstattartig
23 – Sabine, I’m sew happy
24 – Ioana, missredfox
Happy crafting,
Karen