I plan to incorporate a photo of our new house, with some artwork (I'll add some snow, pine trees, etc so it looks like a Christmas scene). Once I've got one done, I'll xerox the rest onto cardstock.

I don't generally use clip art--even the free stuff is still someone else's art. By the time you buy the cardstock, envelops, printer ink--it's cheaper just to buy Christmas cards, if you're sending someone else's work anyway.

But it's definitely not too late to make cards--you should be able to get them done in a morning or so, if you want to. I haven't started mine yet, but they'll be in the mail by this weekend.

I use rubber stamps with mine. There are so many different techniques you can use and each one will come out slightly different. Here are some examples of some I made this year. You don't have to go nearly as fancy as this to be effective. I'm still in the process of learning but have been stamping for a number of years.

This one I used an embossing resist technique

This one was 5 different stamps put together to make a scene.

This one used 6 different stamps put together.
{{!gwi}}

I think those cards are just beautiful.

I do mine 'scrap book' sytle kinda sorta. I take 8 1/2 x 11" cardstock and cut it so it's 8 1/2 x 5 1/2. Then I fold it in half and that's the size of my card. Then I just start adding pieces of paper and punchie cut outs and I rubber stamp and emboss them a bit. I make my own envelopes out of brown paper. I bought a 1000' foot roll, and use a coluzzle cutter thingie, to cut out the envelopes.

Here is a link that might be useful: home made cards I made...scroll down just a bit

Azzalia is right. You really only have to do one scene to your satisfaction and then if you want you can print that scene multiple times to make your cards faster than doing each one individually.

heather, now that I've scrolled down and saw your cards, I hate you. They make mine look so kindergardenish. LOL Yours are beautiful!

I cut the fronts off last years's cards, paste them on red or green construction paper, add a sheet of white paper for my own message. My Grandmother taught me to do this when I was a little girl. She also taught me to make gift cards from last year's cards. Great way to recycle.

Deb I love your cards and the idea of the brown paper. Thanks for sharing. Sorry about your broken hand.

I do the rubber stamp thing too. I've finished my cards for this year and they are waiting to be sent out , 120 of them. I feel like I saved quite a bit of money by doing them myself. I used card stock, red, green, and white, that I got on sale this year, and my rubber stamps and ink and paper punch that I've had a few years , a little glitter glue that was left over from last year, and some invitation size envelopes from Walmart. The most expensive part was the stamps!

Linda, I mostly use rubber stamps. Some I sent out last year or the year before had a big snowflake on the front of it that I stamped. Then I went over it with glitter glue.
Another stamp I used was a group of trees. I used all of the trees in one spot and inked only some of them in another spot on the front of the card to make it look like a bunch of trees on a hill. I used dark green ink and put a few dots of red glitter glue on the trees for decorations.

I didn't make any cards this year because I'm catching up on scrapbooks, but when I do make my next ones I plan to try some other ways to do it because I will have more time since I no longer work away from home. I'm not sure what I want to try yet though. I have a Cricut machine to work with now so I'll probably use it.

Click on the link below then look on the left hand side of the screen under Gallery and Forums for cards. You may get some ideas from there.

One thing I would like to try next time is to plan ahead what kind of card I'm going to make, as far as folding it, then I would like to find the right spot on it to type a message directly onto the card instead of putting it on another sheet of paper and gluing that paper to the inside of the card. It shouldn't be too difficult, I've just never had the time previously.

Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: card ideas

I use 2 software programs to make cards. I have an old Prinstshop (version 6) which I use for almost everything - cards, letters, etc. I also just recently bought Scrapbook Designer which also lets you make cards. I don't like this as well as Printshop, but they have TONS of artwork to choose from.

You can always add embellishments and brads to make the cards more special if you want.

One year for all our friends and families that live close by i went around and took pictures of the outside of there houses. On the card it said, from our house ( with a pic of our house inside a wreath, and on inside it said, to yours and i used computer program to put a picture of there house in a christmas frame. It turned out so cute and everyone loved seeing there house in the card. It took one of my uncles a little time to realize it was his house.

I mostly use the rubber stamp technique. Sometimes I buy cards that are suitable to do a 3-D Technique on them Here is a link to a how-to to make them there is also a link to a gallery photo of a 3-D Card I framed.
There is still time to find some suitable cards and try it. these are fun to make
Some reading this might have received one in a previous Christmas Card Exchange

Here is a link that might be useful: 3-D Cards

There are also many magazines avaiable for card making. Since magazines are expensive, look at garage sales, some used book stores, ask friends, and type the name of the magazine on google, and you can get ideas from them off the internet. Barnes and Noble have ones from England and Australia.
You can also take regular cards and add to them. Once you get started so many ideas will come you will be surprised.

Another hint to save cost on envelopes. Stores that sell cards ship back the cards to Hallmark but not the envelopes. Ask at any store if they will save some envelopes for you instead of throwing them out. They do this after all major holidays.

I ran my white cardstock through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots embossing folder. Then I cut out trees from the free paint samples and put a star sticker at the top. This year's cards are like the one on the right in this picture:

Very cute idea Linda to use the paint samples.

Gosh! I was proud this year when I found a cute snowflake to print on the front of my cards! You people put me to shame!!!!! Oh, well- maybe in a few years and I am out of school I will get creative but don't ya'll hold your breath! LOL

I hope mine don't cost me a fortune on stamps this year lol, they might be heavier than usual. Most of them I made teabag folded medallions for. A few are just put together with scrapbook paper and such... Anyhow I had fun making them ;o)

Heather, that church card - My GGGrandFather build a church just like that down the road from where I grew up. I even attended church services with my Grandpa there when I was a kid.

Very pretty and creative cards ladies ;0)