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Holiday Favorites, Holidays · January 27, 2022

Melt Their Hearts With Homemade Holiday Cards

Stay eco-friendly and on a budget this holiday season starting with these homemade holiday cards that reflect the love that is put into making them

Holiday cards can be pretty generic when bought in a 12pk from the dollar store, so why not spice it up this year with unique designs, personalized messages, and handmade envelopes?

While this may seem like a daunting task for an already hectic gift-giving season, these cards take almost no time to make and are much more fun than the traffic you’ll deal with just to get identical ones in a set.

Want to make your cards match? No problem!

Coming up with ideas on what to draw out is probably the hardest part of making these cards. If you find free-hand drawing to be a challenge, try using references or taking inspiration from existing card designs. Make several of the same design or use the same art style to create a matching set for the whole family!

Now, are you up for the challenge?
Most, if not all, of the cards I make use watercolors with detailing in black pen ink. I recommend painting the watercolor shapes first and then going in for the detail with your pen. This creates a unique look while preventing the ink from smearing.

Looking for inspiration? Use the list below to generate ideas and look up graphics online if a stencil or reference is necessary!

Taking inspiration from any of the cards pictured is always welcome, too!

  • Evergreen tree
  • Gingerbread man
  • Snowflake(s)
  • Ornament(s)
  • Holly and ivy
  • Snowman
  • Present(s)
  • Penguin
  • Elves

Alright, now time for the fun part—making the cards!

The first step for those making watercolored cards is to make sure you get the right paper to hold the pigment. Thicker paper holds better and won’t get soggy from the watercolor as printer paper will.

Trust me—it’s worth the extra dollar or two to invest in watercolor paper to avoid this issue.

I recommend drawing out your design very lightly with a pencil to get a general idea of what you want the card to look like. This can be used as a sort of stencil to keep the proportions looking right.

It’s important to let all of the paper dry if you intend to add more than one layer of watercolor or if you intend to write in pen ink on top. The water base can let the ink bleed, so waiting is worth it. Once the paper is dry, make a crease so it folds to hide a personal message inside! You can also experiment with vertical and horizontal folds as needed and you’re almost done!

While you’re planning your gift shopping this year, check out my gift guide featuring my favorite low-waste home and body essentials!

Intimidated by homemade envelopes? Do what I do!

I’ve found huge rolls of recycled wrapping paper that can be used to wrap gifts in a more sustainable way, and they can be re-recycled! They also double as minimalistic envelope paper, because let’s face it, the colorful paper isn’t worth the waste.

Take an envelope that fits your card and unfold it so that it lays flat on the paper you intend on folding into the new envelope. Trace the outline and then cut it out and fold it into a new envelope before sealing it with a glue stick. Once you’ve traced and made one envelope, you can make as many as you’d like.

Envelopes can seem intimidating at first, but they don’t have to be overcomplicated. If you want to try a freehand design, check out one of many YouTube tutorials that provide a variety of envelope shapes for unique card designs.


An unbelievable amount of wrapping paper isn’t recyclable for its vanity and too many presents come smothered in plastic to stay conscious during the holiday season.

I challenge you to follow along with my zero-waste posts to stay waste-conscious this season!
I’ll be covering cards, food, gifts, and more during the Zero Waste Holiday Series from now until New Year’s! I’m so excited to share the changes I’m making this year and I hope it encourages you to make a change yourself!

Going completely zero-waste overnight is nearly impossible but the little changes do add up!
Don’t be afraid to be an imperfect zero-waster, you’re part of the majority, and we’ve got to remember that all the little changes add up to something big over time.

Posted By: byshannonamos@gmail.com · In: Holiday Favorites, Holidays

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Who remembers these journals? They were the very f Who remembers these journals? They were the very first product I ever made with my TUO photography on it and I still have a couple leftover 💕 I of course kept one for myself and have since filled it almost halfway full of journal entries straight from the heart

What would you use this journal for?
Alright y’all, who’s ready for my Italian herb Alright y’all, who’s ready for my Italian herb cracker recipe?! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I made these for our trip to Deep Creek as we always stop by @fireflymarketdeepcreek and they made the perfect base for all the different flavors we got 🤤

I’m in the final stages of getting this posted, so keep an eye out!
I’ve been considering an update to last year’s I’ve been considering an update to last year’s post on fall earring inspiration… these definitely need to make it on there!
There’s always something to admire in the space There’s always something to admire in the space around us. This little guy was happy buzzing around (quite loudly) while I washed my car and I couldn’t help but watch him for a while. If you’re lucky, you can catch them leaping from one flower to the next, letting their wings dance around in the wind rather than putting them to work.
In case you didn’t know, the Untamed Optimist is In case you didn’t know, the Untamed Optimist is 7 years old as of August 2023 and I couldn’t be more proud of where it’s come in all these years. I know it’s been pushed to the back burner recently as my other business has picked up, but I can’t wait to make more TUO content for you in the coming weeks ☺️ thank you for sticking with me all this time, and get ready for new posts by #theuntamedoptimist coming soon!

I’m definitely sharing my Italian herb cracker recipe with you cause it was just too damn good not to, and I’ve got a few new ideas brewing for my local readers 😉 you’ll have to stay tuned for that one though!
There’s something so special about the wildflowe There’s something so special about the wildflowers that pop up around our garden spaces. The ones that are planted by the birds and cultivated by only Mother Nature’s touch.

Some might consider them weeds, but I know they serve a purpose. Take a moment to appreciate the ‘weeds’ in your yard today.
Our Hostas are blooming and I’m feeling grateful Our Hostas are blooming and I’m feeling grateful for the long lasting blooms we get this time of year. I made a point to scatter the Hostas around the garden beds earlier this season in an effort to do two things:

Toward the end of last summer, the hostas had completely outgrown their space and weren’t living up to their potential. Dividing them filled the otherwise empty spaces in our beds whilst allowing each individual plant to grow bigger to fill it in.

While the largest section of Hostas wasn’t quite as showy as last year, our garden is already fuller and will only fill in more as the years go on. Turns out, plants and people aren’t so different if you think about it 🤔
It’s important to be present in each moment as i It’s important to be present in each moment as it comes. I try to remember this as often as I can and my garden is often the best reminder.

Each bloom changes day by day. The colors and conditions are always a sight to see and I don’t think I’ll ever not look forward to it. Nothing beats an evening stroll during harvest season.

Ask yourself, how do you ground yourself in the present? There are more opportunities than you may expect.
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