Homemade Greeting Card Ideas from 1960: Christmas Tree Cards

Making your own greeting cards has exploded in popularity over the last few years, mainly through the advent of stamping. But we sometimes forget that making your own greeting cards has been popular for decades. As a bookseller I have the privilege of coming across a wide variety of books; my latest treasure I just discovered on my shelves is "How to Make and Have Fun with Greeting Cards" by Joseph Leeming published in 1960. Now Mr. Leeming didn't have access to the same technology and materials that we do, so he had to be, in my personal opinion, much more creative in his ideas.

In this article I will describe four kinds of greeting cards you can make around a Christmas tree theme.

Simple Cut Out Christmas Tree Cards
This first kind of greeting card with a Christmas tree theme you may be familiar with from elementary school. Using a basic folded card design from green construction paper, trace or free hand the outline of a tree on the front so that part of the design is flush against the fold. Cut out the design leaving a fold at the top (if a horizontal fold design) or at the top (if a vertical fold design). Decorate the Christmas tree on the front with glitter, paint or crayons, and write your Christmas greeting on the inside of the card.

This same technique can be used to make other cut out cards using other common Christmas themed shapes: stars, ornaments, candles, presents, angels, gingerbread men, snowmen, etc.

Live Evergreen Christmas Tree Cards
I thought this idea was the most creative of all the Christmas tree themed cards I saw mentioned in the book. The author recommended using the tips and other parts of actual live evergreen trees to decorate a card to make a realistic Christmas tree. To attach the evergreens to the card consider using green thread and thick paper that can be sewn through, then gluing another piece of paper on the back to hide the stitches. Glue or sew pieces of fabric at the bottom to represent the Christmas tree skirt. Glue or hang tiny ornaments from the branches.

A variation of this idea the author suggested was to curve the pieces of live evergreens into the shape of a Christmas wreath instead of in the shape of a Christmas tree. This wreath, like the tree, could be sewn to the greeting card.

Christmas Tree Cards with Tissue Paper Lights
For this card you will need tissue papers in a variety of colors. Draw or cut out a shape of a Christmas tree and put on the front of a folded card. Using either a nail or a pair of manicure scissors punch or cut holes in the tree where you would like to place lights. On the other side of the tree glue squares or strips of tissue paper to cover the holes. To give the back side of the Christmas tree a finished appearance and to add to the "color light" effect, glue a piece of white or light color paper on the back. Add any additional decoration to the Christmas tree and write your seasons greeting on the inside of the card and you have an unique, one of a kind of Christmas card!

Consider using this same technique of cut outs and colored tissue papers to design and decorate other Christmas cards. Instead of a Christmas tree, consider using an angel, snowman, or gingerbread man shape and carefully cutting out those shapes you want to emphasis with color tissue paper (the angel's halo or hair, the gingerbread man's buttons, the snowman's hat).

Christmas Tree Cards with Blinking Lights
This card is similar to the previous Christmas tree card in that you need to draw or cut out a shape of a Christmas tree and put it on the front of a folded card, then punch or cut out holes in the tree where you would like to place the Christmas lights. The difference is that with this card you are going to create a special effect where the color of the lights appear to change. To do this you will need to cut out a circle made out of cardboard (or stiff card paper) that will fit inside the folded card and extent slightly outside the edges. Divide the circle into 4 or more sections (like pie slices) and color or paint each section a different color. Connect the circle to the back side of the tree with a brass paper fastener pushed through the center of the tree and the circle. The concept is that as the circle is turned, the lights will change color.

Merry Christmas!

Source
Joseph Lemming. How to Make and Have Fun with Greeting Cards