How to Make Christmas Cards With Stencils

To make Christmas cards with a stencil, cut one stencil, tape it to a simple card jig so every card sits in the same spot, and dab paint through it with a sponge. Set up like that, one stencil and one sponge will get you through a batch of 20 cards in an evening, and they all come out the same.

Below is the batch method, then a card most people haven't seen: a bauble with your own family photo inside it.

What you need

• Card blanks. A5 card folded in half gives you an A6 card (105 x 148mm), which fits a C6 envelope. In the US, a 5 x 7 inch card fits an A7 envelope. Go for 250 to 300gsm card so it doesn't buckle when the paint goes on.
• A stencil. Mylar if you want it to last the whole batch and next year. Thick paper or card will do 20 cards if you're gentle.
• Paint or ink. Acrylic craft paint, or a pigment ink pad. Metallic gold and silver look brilliant on dark card.
• A sponge. A make-up sponge, a foam dauber or a stencil sponge. One per colour.
• Low-tack masking tape
• Kitchen roll and a scrap of paper for offloading paint
• A spare bit of card to make the jig

Pick a design that suits a batch

Not every stencil design works well for 20 cards in a row. Things that work:

• Bold, simple shapes. A tree, a star, a bauble, a robin, a sprig of holly. They sponge cleanly every time.
• One colour for most of the batch. Each extra colour means another stencil and another round of drying.
• A design smaller than the card front. Leave at least 1cm of border so you're not sponging off the edge.

The free Christmas stencils collection has printable designs sized to suit this. Print one, cut it out and you're ready.

How to make 20 cards from one stencil

Step 1: Build a jig

This is the bit that makes a batch look professional. Without it, every design ends up in a slightly different place.

1. Lay one card blank, front up, on the table.
2. Tape a strip of spare card along its left edge and another along its bottom edge, making an L-shaped corner.
3. Slide the card out. You now have a corner that every card can push into, in exactly the same position.

Step 2: Hinge the stencil

1. Put a card into the jig.
2. Position the stencil on the card where you want the design.
3. Tape the top edge of the stencil to the table (not to the card) so it flips up and down like a lid.

Now you can lift the stencil, swap the card, drop it back down and it lands in the same spot every time.

Step 3: Load the sponge properly

1. Put a small blob of paint on a plate.
2. Dab the sponge into it lightly.
3. Dab it on the scrap paper or kitchen roll until it leaves an even, almost dry print.

This is called offloading, and it's what gives you a crisp edge. A wet sponge pushes paint under the stencil. If you're torn between tools, I've written up stencil brush vs sponge.

Step 4: Sponge, lift, swap

1. Hold the stencil flat with your other hand.
2. Dab straight up and down over the open areas. Don't wipe or drag.
3. Build the colour in two or three light layers rather than one heavy one.
4. Lift the stencil straight up.
5. Slide the card out, put it somewhere flat to dry, push the next card into the jig and drop the stencil back down.

Step 5: Keep the stencil clean

Every five cards or so, flip the stencil over and wipe the back with a damp cloth, then dry it. Paint builds up on the underside and transfers as smudges around the edge of the design. This one habit is the difference between 20 clean cards and 12 clean ones and eight you bin.

Step 6: Let them dry

Leave them flat. Acrylic on card is usually touch-dry in 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how thick you went. Ink pads tend to be quicker. Don't stack them until they're fully dry.

Adding a second colour

Once the first colour is dry, you can add a second (a gold star on top of a green tree, say). Use a second stencil that has registration marks (small alignment marks) matching the first. Line the second stencil up on your first card using the marks, hinge it to the table in that position, and run the whole batch through again.

The family-photo bauble card

This is the one that gets put on the mantelpiece instead of in the recycling. A Christmas bauble with your family, your dog or your kids inside it, done as a one-colour stencil.

1. Pick a photo with clear faces and good light. Crop it fairly tight so the faces fill most of the frame.
2. Upload it to the photo to stencil tool. Choose one layer for a classic silhouette-style print, or two layers for a bit more depth.
3. Adjust the detail until the faces read clearly. Less is more on a small card: you want eyes, hair and outlines, not every shadow.
4. Download the PDF and print it so the image is about 6 to 8cm across. That fits nicely on an A6 card.
5. Cut the stencil out.
6. On each card, draw a circle a little bigger than the photo stencil (a mug or jar lid makes a good template), then add a small rectangle cap on top and a loop for the string.
7. Sponge the photo stencil inside the circle in a dark colour like deep red, navy or black.
8. Once it's dry, colour the cap gold and draw a thin line up from it, like the bauble's hanging from something.

For more festive designs of your own (a robin from your garden, your house, the tree), start from the Christmas stencil maker.

Common mistakes

• A wet sponge. The most common reason for blurry edges. Offload until it's nearly dry.
• No jig. Designs wander around the card. Five minutes of tape fixes it for the whole batch.
• Not wiping the stencil. Smudges start creeping in around card six.
• Thin card. Printer paper wrinkles when paint goes on. Use 250gsm or heavier.
• Too much detail. Fine lines fill in at card size. Keep it bold.

FAQ

What paint is best for stencilled Christmas cards?

Acrylic craft paint is the easiest and covers well, especially metallics. Pigment ink pads with a foam dauber are less messy and dry quickly. Avoid watery paint, which bleeds under the stencil.

Can I make Christmas cards with a Cricut stencil?

Yes. A Cricut cuts a very clean stencil from mylar, which is ideal for a big batch. See how to make a stencil with a Cricut.

How do I stop paint bleeding under the stencil?

Hold it flat, use an almost-dry sponge and dab straight down. Wipe the back of the stencil every few cards so built-up paint doesn't transfer.

What size should a Christmas card stencil be?

Smaller than the card front, with at least 1cm of border. On an A6 card, a design about 6 to 9cm across looks balanced.

Want a card nobody else will have? Upload a family photo to Free Stencil Maker, turn it into a bauble stencil and print your batch tonight.