Handmade Art Ideas for Christmas Gifts & Cards

Discover unique ways to create handmade Artistic gifts for Christmas

It’s not too early to think about Christmas!


I have already started. I usually try to give my friends and family something personal that I have made myself. I think it’s enjoyable to take the time and effort to make something unique especially for them. 

It’s  not being mean or tight with money. I could buy them gifts but my are doing well.  Anyhow that’s not the point. The point is, if you want to make something to offer your friends and family for Christmas, then you should start now before it’s too late. 

Maybe not too late if you are just going to make cards. But if you want to make anything bigger or if you have a BIG family, then it’s probably better to start right away. 

Let’s say for example you want to make 10 framed collages. Frames have become less expensive these last few years and most of them are quite light using perplex instead of glass. If you can’t buy them locally then they are easily available online. Small frames that are postcard size are inexpensive and look great in a group.

First decide on the size of your frames. Make the collage slightly bigger than the size of the frame or mount. Everything looks better with a mount. 


Next decide on your materials. 

When it comes to collage - the world is your oyster. Maybe with the exception of perishable items, like leaves or flowers, fruit and vegetables etc. Although if you have dried flowers and leaves they could work really well. Sticks and branches look great too. Corrugated packing material can add an interesting texture. 


Gather up paper, prints, fabric, carton, shells, buttons, wool, magazines, newspaper, tissue paper, textured paper, wallpaper, old maps, old books or photographs, stamps, coins, old banknotes, feathers, in fact just about anything you can glue onto your chosen surface.


Your base should be strong enough to support your collage without bending or tearing. Card stock is often a good support. It’s  solid but not too thick. Your glue should be strong enough to hold your items stuck onto the surface without falling off. 

The heavier the item the stronger the glue. 


Now to facilitate you choices, I find it best to sort the items into the various colours or textures. 

Then it’s  a matter of cutting, tearing, ripping your paper or fabric into pieces and arrange them onto the surface. Play around with similar colours, contrasting colours, similar or contrasting textures. Try to get a balance. Remember you don’t have to cover the entire surface. Leaving blank areas can add to the overall balance of the arrangement. It’s  what is called negative space. In fact, if you are using a base that has a colour, then that becomes part of your composition. bBack makes a sophisticated background. 

Don’t start gluing until you are happy with the composition. 

Once you’ve finished the composition, you could add buttons, shells, beads, string, wool, sticks, glitter or whatever decorative items you have to finish it off. Alternatively you could use paint or permanent markers to add lines or squiggles. 


A word of caution - less is more. Don’t overdo it, either with colours or textures unless you are pretty confident with your work. 


You can always add another piece but once it’s stuck down, well, it’s  not so easy to remove it. Especially paper. You could try a 3D effect by covering thick card with paper or fabric before placing it on your work. It will be a slightly raised surface. Obviously it can’t be so high that it interferes with closing the back of the picture frame. 


Once it’s  dry you can attach it to the mounting you got with the frame. Either glue it or tape it to the mount and voila!  Your unique and special gift is ready. 


It can be a lot of fun making your own collages. You could get hooked and now you’ve found a great pastime. Collage gifts are not just for Christmas. What about St.Valentine’s Day. Or Easter, or perhaps for birthdays. 


Let me know how you get on and if you have ideas of your own. 

I’ll be doing another blog soon with ideas for cards, boxes and more collages. 



If you like this Blog please comment and feel free to share. Follow me for more articles. Thank you. 


  





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