Here's a great way to take advantage of rich, textured cardstock. Layer a simple medallion on top by die-cutting or punching contrasting papers with your favorite shapes, and embellishing with a stamped image. Add a strip of ribbon at the bottom or scallop the edges to finish it off.

Salt dough or polymer clay gift tags are perfect if you’re sending out goodies this Christmas. I made these stamped ornaments last year, and they're a really cute gift tag alternative. To make salt dough, just combine flour, salt and warm water — or you can buy polymer clay at any craft store. Form and press flat circles and stamp them with Christmas images and holiday messages before putting them in the oven. Remember to poke a little hole at the top of the tags where the strings will go through. Use baker’s twine or jute twine to attach these to your holiday goodies. 

An easy way to give your holiday cards a personalized, fun look is to use chalkboard markers to write heartfelt holiday greetings on plain cardstock. Write messages like “Merry Christmas” or “Joy to the World” and then add a special doodly touch with simple wreaths or holly leaves. Here's a handmade card that I received last year, and I thought it was really fun and very thoughtful! 

Sharing family photos is far more intimate than sending out generic cards. Pick your favorite group or individual photos to create a collage, or choose just one photo and back it with patterned paper. Holiday photo cards are excellent for family members who don’t get to see you and the kids too often. Personally, I love receiving photo cards. I actually save mine and do my best to archive them in a photo album so we can enjoy them throughout the year — my kids love looking through photos of friends and family! A friend of mine creates a framed photo collage of all of her photo cards and hangs them in her kitchen. You can use a professional photo or a family snapshot from a recent outing. 

Instead of the typical elves and reindeer, try creating cards with illustrations of each member of your family. Use the filters in your own photo editing software, or try a site like Pick A Face to create custom cartoons. Create a a digital design to print out, or collage elements together for a super fun card!

If you've been saving the Christmas cards you receive over the years, don’t throw them away just yet. Cut and punch your old greeting cards into holiday shapes like ornaments and trees, as well as basic geometric shapes — then layer and collage them into new handmade gift tags. We love upcycling!