Handmade christmas cards

This year we seem to have made a range of cards. There are still more to go but here is what I have done so far.
There was a time when I would carefully handcraft all my cards - then I had children and for the past few years I have tried to get them to do as much of the work as possible. BUT this year I have made a few handmade grown up cards of my own without any little helpers. The ones on the left are brooches and the rest are little decorations. I have made some more in red and white which I really like but they are awaiting finishing off. They are to be something a bit more than a card, maybe a presentette, or a card-ent, or a pres-ard...okay, I will stop this nonsense now. Back to more cards.

We made these black and gold cards yesterday for friends and relations - can you tell what they are? They are supposed to be Christmas baubles. I am not sure if anyone will get it. T has told me that I need to draw on the hanging threads to bring the message home.

T potato printed a sheet of black paper with gold paint. It was all going superbly and was a lovely wholesome family scene until I left the room and he went into a Jackson Pollock mode, ending with a full handpainting finale, and obliterating almost all the potato prints. (Yes, this is the seven year old, not the three year old). He then gilded our bathroom and towels trying to wash his hands. He returned to survey his masterpiece and sighed "It looks really beautiful". Once cut up and glued onto blank cards he added the mandatory glitter. *
Next up - these cards are for our Christmas Card Swap. We made ten of these beauties.

I do like to set my children to work...we have signed up for Kids' Craft weekly card swap. You have to register interest by the 30th November and then get assigned 10 swap partner families. This is very exciting if you are seven and like receiving post.

Last weekend in the interest of forward planning we made our ten cards. The rule is that the cards must be made by the children, so I cut out simple tree and stocking shapes, some from felt and some from craft foam which we glued on to the cards and they then added shapes and glitter. Plenty of glitter....

On a more serious note I do try and show T and I that is fun to make cards and gifts for people and it is good to have to make a bit of an effort for others in your giving.

* I didn't tell him off for the Jackson Pollock episode as (and I may sound like Hippy Mum here) the art he does at school is so narrow and prescriptive that he never gets to have any freedom in creativity there or just to enjoy the physicality of working with materials. So I feel it is my mission to allow some exploration at home. I do have rules about wall painting and vandalism though.