• Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial

    If you need a little bit of creative “me time” in the midst of the hectic holiday preparation, this tutorial is for you! This circular Christmas card is lovely, fun to make, and functional in that you can send it to a loved one once you’re finished. In short, it’s a win-win type of project…

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    This time of year can be hectic! You’re probably preparing to travel, gearing up to host guests, or frantically searching for gifts. That’s the ironic thing about the holidays: they’re “the most wonderful time of the year”, but they’re also the most stressful! With this DIY circular Christmas card tutorial, you get the chance to create some stress-relieving art. That art can then be sent to a special person on your Christmas list, whose spirits will be lifted by your thoughtfulness and creativity!

    1. Cut Out Your DIY Christmas Card

    In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to make a 5.5″ x 5.5″ (14 cm x 14 cm) circular Christmas card. First, cut out a 5.5″ x 11″ (14 cm x 28 cm) piece of watercolor paper.

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Once you’ve cut out the paper, fold it in half lengthwise such that it’s a perfect 5.5″ x 5.5″ square card. Next, print out the simple circle template shown below; you can do so by clicking here.

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    You’ll use the larger circle on this template to make your card. I included a smaller circle in case you want to make a 5″ x 5″ card instead (which will fit in a standard envelope).

    Cut out the larger circle (5.5″), then center it on the card. Move the template very slightly to the left, such that the left side of the circle template is barely off of the card. Then, trace around the template in pencil. The left side of the card should have a centimeter or two of space that wasn’t touched by the pencil. That’s where the card will hinge! If you want to make a smaller card that will fit in a standard A7 envelope, you can use the smaller circle template instead (5″).

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    Don’t center the template exactly in the middle of the card. Instead, move it to the left to give yourself a bit of a hinge.

    Now, cut out the card along the lines you traced.

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    Be sure to include that 1-2 cm hinge on the left! In this photo, you can barely spot the hinge near the left/top scissor handle.

    When you open the card, it will look like this:

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    2. Write Calligraphy on the Card

    Now, write a holiday greeting inside the card. If you have a light box feel free to trace directly over the Flourished “Happy Holidays!” Calligraphy in the Holiday Calligraphy Worksheet (2016 Edition). That way, you don’t have to mess with drawing pencil guidelines or using math to center your words.

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    You can trace over the calligraphy in this worksheet to make your greeting, or come up with your own greeting and calligraphy style!

    I prefer to use iron gall ink, a Brause EF66 nib, and an oblique pen to write the greeting on this card. The vintage-looking black tone goes well with a vibrant watercolor border!

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    3. Paint a Watercolor Wreath Border

    The border for this card is simply a larger version of the Watercolor Holiday Wreath Tutorial. For a short set of instructions detailing how to paint this wreath, please visit that tutorial! You’ll start by making six little clusters of berries around the perimeter of the card.

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    Be sure to include little white dots (spots of light) on your berries! You can either do that by painting everything in a berry but the white dot, or you can paint the dots (with white ink).

    Next, paint in some dark green leaves.

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Connect the leaves and berries clusters with pine boughs. (Again, the technique for this is described in the Watercolor Holiday Wreath Tutorial!)

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Finally, if you have some gold watercolor, you can finish the wreath border by adding various sizes of gold circles. These circles emulate twinkling holiday lights!

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    And that’s it! You now have a beautiful and unique holiday card.

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    4. Send It!

    If you have access to 5.75″ x 5.75″ envelopes, they’re perfect for this card! I used a Paper Source envelope (in “Fig”), Janet Style calligraphy, and the Flourished Holiday Tree from the Holiday Calligraphy Worksheet (2016 Edition) to make the envelope below.

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    The circular Christmas card fits snugly in this envelope, and it will surprise and delight any recipient with its unusual shape!

    Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    I know that not everyone has access to a Paper Source, especially this late in the holiday game, so here’s an alternative: use the 5″x5″ envelope template from The Letter Writer’s Complete Resource. Choose a pretty paper, trace around the template, and fold in the flaps!

    5.5" x 5.5" Envelope Template Giveaway from The Letter Writer's Complete Resource

    Whether you use a ready-made or a DIY envelope, be sure to add extra postage to account for the irregular size. (To find out the cost, Google “USPS non-machinable envelope current surcharge”.) This advice is for US-based readers. I’m not sure about the rules in other countries!


    I am sure that you are being inundated with “holiday this” and “holiday that” right now, but I hope you enjoyed this tutorial all the same! Giving yourself a creative project to make can serve as a really important respite, especially around this time of year. So: when you’ve had it up to *here* with holiday shopping and you’re stressed that the house isn’t ready for your guests, drop everything and pick up your paintbrush. You’ll be glad you did!

    Warmly,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock

    This article was first posted in December of 2016. It has been rewritten to provide clearer instructions.