Hi everyone, it’s Delphine (@delphinesjournal) from the Archer and Olive (@archerandolive) ambassador team. With the holiday season coming soon, I wanted to share three easy and festive card ideas that you can recreate for your loved ones. Handmade cards are such a great way to show how much you care, and they can be personalized to your liking. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, grab your supplies and let’s create holiday cards together!

Supplies:

• Cards or sheets of thick white paper, cut in half
• A fineliner
• Brush pens, like the Calliograph pens
• Colored pens like the Calliograph or the Acrylograph pens
• Glitter glue (optional) 
• Stamps 
• Ink pad 
• Embossing ink and powder 

As always, you can use my affiliate code Delphine10 for 10% off your Archer & Olive order! 

Before we start

If you do not have cards, don’t worry! Simply take a sheet of thick white paper, cut it in half and then fold it in half. You now have a card!

1. Create a simple Christmas lights design

To create our first holiday card, simply take a thick black fineliner and draw two swirls, one at the top of your card, and a second at the bottom. Create drop shapes, alternating between the top and the bottom of your swirl to create Christmas lights. 

Color your Christmas lights using colored pens like the Calliograph or the Acrylograph pens from Archer & Olive. 

Write your holiday message using a brush pen; I used a black one here to tie the whole card together, but feel free to use a colored one!

.

If you want to be a bit more extra (but this is entirely optional), add a small amount of colored glitter glue on your Christmas lights and let it dry. It makes the whole card feel more festive!

2. Use stamps  

If you’re struggling with either time or doodling, using stamps might be for you since it allows you to create a simple yet fun holiday card in a matter of minutes. 

To reduce the risk of smudging your stamp, start by writing your holiday message first, and then add your stamp on your card. 

I highly recommend colouring certain elements of the design once the ink has dried. For this particular card, the Acrylograph pens were perfect because I wanted to achieve a matte look.

3. Try an embossed stamp

This last holiday card idea is one that I’ve been creating with my mom for over a decade! Once again, we’ll start with writing your holiday message on your card because we’ll be using stamps again.

Next, add the embossing ink on your stamp and then stamp your card. Working quickly, add small amounts of embossing powder, making sure to cover your design and putting the excess powder back in its container. To activate the embossing powder, you are going to need to apply a form of heat (I personally own an embossing heat tool). 

Once the embossing powder has activated, it will create a 3D effect on the card and it will solidify the design. You can then add color to some elements of the design like I did here using the Calliograph pens, and finish it off with some colored glitter glue.

Video & Printable

I hope you enjoyed these ideas! Make sure to watch the YouTube video where I show you the entire process of creating these holiday cards.

You can also download the printable below if you want to trace two holiday card designs I created.

If you end up creating your own holiday cards, please tag @archerandolive, @archerandolive.community, #AOShare and #archerandolive! You can also read this blog for more ideas!