Christmas Card Party

by Maddie N.
(Missouri City)

To create original Christmas cards and invitations, you will need Styrofoam and some kind of tool for carving. I found a pencil or pen works the best, tempera paint, paint brushes and card stock. To create a card or invitation, start by carving a design into a piece of Styrofoam, and then use the paint brush to apply tempera paint. After applying the paint, the next step is to press the design onto the card stock. To create even more elaborate designs, you can take a different color paint and apply it to your template, and reapply it to the card either directly on top of the first print, or slightly off set. This craft can be done to create different types of cards, invitations, flyers, and gifts.

If you are going to include written text in your design, remember to write it backwards so that it is legible when printed. If you accidently did not write the text backwards, do not panic, just make a print from a print. Apply the paint to the template, and use a regular piece of white paper to create a print. Take the paper print, and press it to a cardstock.

If you are not a great artist, you can find free images print them out, and place the design over the Styrofoam and follow the design. Be sure that if you use a picture it comes from a free source.