Christmas Card Holder Tutorial

I love Christmas cards! One reason I like sending them out is to get some back in return that I can then decorate with. It’s very common to see folks’ Christmas cards taped around a doorway. I’ve strung ribbon in the past and clipped my cards to it with clothespins to make a card garland. This year I decided that I wanted to make a more substantial card holder. Here’s what I came up with. It can even double as a wreath… Happy Christmas crafting!

Supplies:

• Round, Wooden, Wreath Form (I used an 18 in. 3 Ring Circles one)
• Craft Paint (I used Martha Stewart Pearl Acrylic Craft Paint in Holly Berry)
• Paintbrush
• Wooden Clothespins (I used 15)
• Assorted Cardstock (I got a Christmas pack from Michaels)
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Paper Trimmer, Rotary Cutter, or Scissors
• Mod Podge
• Another Paint Brush (I have a small one that I use exclusively for Mod Podge)
• Amazing Goop or Hot Glue Gun
• 12 in. of Thin Cording (I used silver)

Step One:

Paint your wooden wreath form with craft paint. I chose to use Martha Stewart’s Pearl Holly Berry because it coordinated well with my cardstock. It might be my new favorite shade of red. It’s got lots of pink tones in it. Beautiful! I gave my wreath form two coats.

Step Two:

If room permits in your craft room (it does not in mine!), start your clothespins while the paint dries. Measure the width of your clothespins. Using a ruler and pencil, mark up strips on the reverse side of your cardstock.

Cut your strips of paper with whatever cutting tool you prefer. I’m not steady enough with a pair of scissors and I didn’t want to haul out a cutting mat to use my rotary cutter, so I opted for my paper trimmer.

After cutting your cardstock strips, mark off the length of your clothespins on them.

Cut the strips into smaller pieces that should perfectly cover one side of your clothespins.

Step Three:

Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to one side of your clothespin, and adhere one of your small strips of cardstock to it. Do this until all of your clothespins are covered with cardstock.

For a couple of reasons, I chose to apply a layer of Mod Podge over the cardstock. First, I like the look of shiny things. Second, I knew that the top coat of Mod Podge would seal the cardstock. You can certainly omit this step if you prefer.

Step Four:

Once both your paint and Mod Podge have dried, glue your clothespins to the wreath form. I laid all of my clothespins out before I began gluing so that I could decide on a pattern and check the spacing. I’m not a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of crafter.

I know that lots of you love your glue guns. I certainly have a good relationship with mine. I chose not to use it for this project because I wanted to make sure that my adhesive was strong and permanent. That’s why I used Amazing Goop, but a glue gun would be fine, too. Make sure that you glue the clothespins to the wreath form with the clip opening facing outward. If you glue them in the other direction, your cards will hang in the center of your wreath instead of framing it. Let your adhesive dry/cure the appropriate amount of time.

Step Five:

Fold your cording in half. Because I used a 3 Ring Circles wreath form, I had holes pre-drilled in it. I threaded the two ends of the cording through one of the holes and pulled them through the looped end of the cording until it was taut against the wreath form. If your wreath form doesn’t have a hole, you can use the same technique I did around the entire width of the wreath form. Then tie the ends of the cording in a square knot, and snip off the excess cording.

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