Mini Christmas Cards – Using Hobbycraft 4ins x 4ins Card Blanks

Christmas Stash Busting......

This is an idea I first began way back in March, starting with just six mini cards but not, as is often my want, not following up until I finally decided the other weekend that I really ought to get cracking on the rest as the way time is flying, December will be upon us before we know it!

The original aim was to make enough cards for Iris and Bertie to send out to all their little friends at school ……..

…….. but those numbers have since doubled as I now listen to two classes of littlies read, twice a week in school, as well.

So, my aim, over a long weekend was to get 150 4ins x 4ins cards done with a few extra as spares.

The card blanks came from Hobbycraft and cost £5 for a pack of 50, which isn’t too bad a price, working out at 10p each.

They turned out to be pretty formulaic, mainly due to the numbers needed I.e.  a 2.5ins square of festive patterned paper, mat and layered on silver and then another plain matching colour, usually red and green ……..

……. which were then embellished with a whole assortment of Christmas stickers, toppers, wooden shapes, odds and ends etc. that I have gathered over the years but until now not used.

However, despite me thinking, by the end, that I must have got through 1,000’s of the things, it still doesn’t seem to have put the tiniest dent in my stash, aghhhhhhh!

I did think I might struggle a bit as I only tend to make a handful of cards in the year these days, it doesn’t take much for me to get rusty ……..

…… but using the formula, everything still seemed to fall into place.

I will admit to not being too precious in overthinking the colour/pattern matching or worrying about getting the dimensions just right which was a first for me! I also simply trimmed the matted layers with a  large pair of scissors, instead of my much more precise paper trimmer, it was just quicker.

As I went on however the fiddle-farter in me came out as I started to add more and more detail, faux stitching, clusters of three dots, flat back gems, various other tiny embellishments and of course a little Ranger Glossy Accents here and there.

I am really chuffed with how they have all turned out and perhaps, just maybe, it’s reignited my interest making a few more cards in the future ……..

……. because believe it or not birthdays always seem to creep up on me, having a small of stock of “ready mades” really would come in very handy.