12 Christmas Cards from One 12×12

Today I’m sharing how to make 12 Christmas cards from one 12×12 piece of patterned paper. These are simple, yet beautiful cards. And an idea that you can turn to over and over for all occasion cards. Be sure to scroll down to see the all occasion version.

Start by choosing a piece of double sided 12×12 patterned paper that isn’t directional on either side. This makes it easier to use both sides of the paper so you get a nice variety in your cards. I chose a pattern from the A Walk in the Forest DSP. This piece of patterned paper will be cut down to twelve 3″ x 4″ pieces.

Additional Supplies:

• Thick Basic White: 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ scored at 4-1/4″ (x12) . I used white to save having to add a layer to the inside of the card and kept all 12 card bases the same to keep it simple. However, you can use multiple colours that coordinate with your DSP.
• Pretty Peacock (or a colour that coordinates with your DSP): 8-1/2″ x 11″ – I walk you through cutting this piece in the video below.
• Garden Green (or a colour that coordinates with your DSP): 8-1/2″ x 11″
• Vellum: 2-3/4″ x 8-1/2″ strip for die cutting (optional)
• Real Ribbon & Garden Green 3/8″ Ribbon Combo: I like to choose two colours of ribbon but you can use just one.
• Simply Elegant Trim: I used gold for these cards but you could use baker’s twine
• Adhesive Backed Sparkle Gems

Let’s take a look…

To simplify the process, I created 2 of each card design but flipped over the dsp for the second card. The layout is the same but the card ends up looking different because it uses different patterned paper.

Some of the 3″ x 4″ pieces of patterned paper will be cut down further. This design calls for the paper to be cut down into four 1″ x 3″ strips.

To simplify the cards even further, you could leave off the ribbon and embellishments. However, these elements are an easy way to step up the card and make it feel special, or fancy.

For this design, I trimmed the 3″ x 4″ piece down to 3″ x 3″ and flipped over the 1″ x 3″ strip that was left. It still ends up being 3″ x 4″ but you can see both sides of the patterned paper.

For this one I added in a bit of vellum by die cutting a larger circle to back the smaller circle.

For this last card, I did a bit of distressing to add some texture.

You can see how all these cards come together in the video below. As I create the cards I also share tips on making multiples.

Countryside Inn Version

To show you how versatile this idea can be, here is another set I created. This one using the Countryside Inn DSP. For this set of 12 cards, I made some thank you, a few birthday and a few other generic ones.

As you can see this idea is a great one to refer to over and over. It’s simple and versatile!

Until next time,

Shopping List

Click on any of the images to shop my Canadian online store or to find out more information about any of these products.