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.
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.
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″).
Now, cut out the card along the lines you traced.
When you open the card, it will look like this:
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.
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!
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.
Next, paint in some dark green leaves.
Connect the leaves and berries clusters with pine boughs. (Again, the technique for this is described in the Watercolor Holiday Wreath Tutorial!)
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!
And that’s it! You now have a beautiful and unique holiday card.
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.
The circular Christmas card fits snugly in this envelope, and it will surprise and delight any recipient with its unusual shape!
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!
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,
This article was first posted in December of 2016. It has been rewritten to provide clearer instructions.
