Celebrate your creativity with homemade holiday cards
There is something about the holiday season that makes me crazy with creativity, crafting, and do-it-yourself projects. I am always fussing with new tools and techniques, and experimenting with suggestions from my craftiest friends and mentors, but not with the frenzy and excitement that I display in November and December.
For example, a few years ago, I learned about embossing with gilding powders, and I decided to make cards for 200 special friends this way. I ordered an oversize rubber stamp of my sycamore tree woodblock, a work of art I had commissioned from book illustrator and wood engraver Michael McCurdy for my farm . I also stocked up on rag paper with deckle edges and envelopes from Kate's Paperie, gold and silver embossing powders, embossing pads and two heat guns. All of these materials were sent to my house in Maine for Thanksgiving weekend.
I was entertaining friends and family but thought I would have enough free time to complete this card project. The process really interested everyone -- until I started a production line . By Saturday night, I had been totally abandoned, submerged as I was in gold powder and heat guns and stamp pads. Cards were drying everywhere, and all of the surfaces were lightly coated with fine gold and silver dust.
Everyone enjoyed receiving these spectacular, luxurious images. What was strange was that, because the cards looked so professional (except for those I smudged or overheated), no one seemed to realize they were homemade with loving care in my kitchen. After figuring out the number of hours the project took, and multiplying that by my hourly rate as a model when I was in my early 20s, I discovered that each card cost a lot more than if I had purchased it at Tiffany or Buccellati!
If you prefer to use photography for your cards, I urge you to try some of the methods I have learned over the years. My friend and fellow crafter Melissa Neufeld showed me how to enliven any image with glue and glitter. Megen Lee, another gifted crafter (and a colleague ), helped me with many of my homemade cards, and we realized how easy it is to alter, color or antique pictures using a computer.
Good luck with your projects, and don't forget to send me one of your creations. I truly would love to see what you all come up with.
1. Press a rubber stamp onto an embossing pad. Position the stamp over the card, and apply firm, even pressure to transfer the design. Clean the stamp with a paper towel, then a stamp-cleaning pad.
2. Place the card on a paper plate, then sprinkle embossing powder over the stamped design. Tap the card to remove excess powder, and reapply as needed to coat design. If there is stray powder on the card, very gently spray compressed air from a can fitted with an extension wand.
3. Working in sections, hold a heat gun 2 inches from the design and move the nozzle in a circular motion. The powder-covered areas will melt, creating a glossy finish. Continue until the entire design has melted.
Gently wave the card 3 or 4 times to set the design. If the paper begins to curl, heat the back of the card, and fan it again. Then place the card under a heavy book for 5 to 10 minutes (this will not smudge the design).
1. Emboss your design on a folded card by following the instructions above.
2. Using a utility knife, cut an opening into the card that is slightly smaller than the photograph.
3. Center photo over a piece of card stock (cut to the size of the card) and secure with double-sided tape.
4. Tape the card stock and photo inside the frame.
1. Working in sections, use a fine-tip brush to apply white glue to an area of the card. If there is snow in your picture, you might glitter those areas. If not, you could glitter spots where snow might fall, such as tree branches.
2. Place on a paper plate and sprinkle with glitter. Shake to remove excess . Let dry.
1. Place a sheet of card stock face down on a flat surface. Align a ruler parallel to one side, about an inch in.
2. Pressing firmly on the ruler, rip the edge of the paper along the length of the ruler. Repeat on the remaining three sides to create desired size.
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Questions should be addressed to Ask Martha, care of Letters Department, Martha Stewart Living, 11 W. 42nd Street, New York, N.Y. 10036. Questions may also be sent by electronic mail to: mslletters@marthastewart.com. Please include your name, address and daytime telephone number. Questions of general interest will be answered in this column; Martha Stewart regrets that unpublished letters cannot be answered individually. For more information on the topics covered in the Ask Martha column, visit marthastewart.com. 
