Every year I look forward to the Christmas cards that come from family and friends. It's a wonderful way to send a small "gift" to someone each year letting them know that you are thinking about them and are grateful for the impact they have had in your life, even if you haven't seen then for awhile!

Hello! It's Jana Eubank and today I wanted to share a few Christmas card ideas using the beautiful Country Christmas collection.

When I am designing cards, I like to design the focal point of the card first and then move backwards to the paper layers and card base underneath.

I spread out the embellishments I plan on using over the surface of my desk. It looks best (and is the most fun!) to combine a variety of materials, like paper die cuts, stickers, and chipboard elements. From there, I shuffle things around, auditioning pieces in different ways to create a variety of embellishment clusters. Sometimes I start with a 3x4 card or a frame as a background; other times I choose my favorite Bits & Pieces die cut that I really want to use as the focal point of my design. The fun part is playing around and combining things together. Don't overthink it too much. Listen to your creative heart and go with the flow!

Once I have my clusters and focal points put together, I am ready to decide what size card base I should put them on. I try different colors of paper layers underneath each clusters and add decorative paper strips as colorful accents. My final step is to add additional detail, if needed, like twine, enamel dots, or buttons.

I hope you'll give this technique a try this year! Turn on your favorite holiday album or Christmas movie, keep a mug of hot cocoa nearby, and spend the afternoon playing with your supplies! It's a great way to create special cards (gift tags, too!) for loved ones.

Merry Christmas!