December's Art Guide: Holliday Gift Cards
This December, we're slowing down and creating with intention. Four weeks. Four greeting cards. Four techniques we've explored together this year. Each one a gift - for loved ones, and ultimately, for ourselves.
This year has been... a lot. For many of us. For me, it's been a year of navigating health challenges, saying goodbye to beloved companions, and learning that sometimes the most courageous thing we can do is rest. These cards aren't about perfection. They're about connection. About taking something we've learned and transforming it into something tangible we can share with the people who matter.
We'll create together four greeting cards (one per week) using these techniques:
Week 1: Junk Journaling - Layered stories and memories
Week 2: Geometric Patterns - Structure and simplicity
Week 3: Abstract Mixed Media - Freedom and texture
Week 4: Loose Florals with Gouache - A love letter to this community
Each week offers a feeling, a technique, suggested materials, and complete creative freedom. There are no step-by-step instructions. No "right way." Just gentle guidance and your intuition.
Basic Supplies (Use What You Have):
Card bases (pre-folded cards, cardstock folded in half, or watercolor paper - A6/A5 size works well);
Your favorite adhesive (glue stick, gel medium, double-sided tape);
Scissors and/or craft knife;
Ruler (optional);
Magazine pages, book pages, junk mail;
Wrapping paper scraps, tissue paper;
Washi tape, stickers, ephemera;
Paint, ink, markers (if you have them);
Paper bags, security envelopes, napkins;
Old postcards, maps, sheet music;
Ribbon, string, stamps (optional);
Week 1: Junk Journaling Card
Feeling: Nostalgia & Comfort. This is for someone who knows your history.
Junk journaling is about layers - paper, memories, time. This card celebrates shared moments, inside jokes, the comfort of "remember when?" It's messy, personal, and wonderfully imperfect.
Technique Reminders:
Layer different papers (thin and thick);
Tuck elements into pockets or folds;
Add journaling, dates, snippets of text;
Embrace visible adhesive and rough edges;
Think: scrapbook meets love letter.
Materials That Work Well:
Old book pages or sheet music (background layers);
Tickets, receipts, or meaningful ephemera;
Torn magazine images;
Vintage-style papers;
Washi tape for borders;
Small envelope or pocket (optional);
Your handwriting.
Week 2: Geometric Patterns Card
Feeling: Calm & Clarity. This card is for Someone who brings order to your chaos (or needs peace themselves).
Geometric patterns are meditative. Repetitive shapes. Clean lines. There's something deeply satisfying about structure - especially in a chaotic world. This card is a breath of calm.
Technique Reminders:
Repeat a shape (circles, triangles, squares, lines);
Use paper punches or trace and cut shapes;
Create pattern through repetition and spacing;
Play with positive/negative space;
Think: modern, clean, intentional.
Materials That Work Well:
Solid color papers (creates impact through shape, not pattern);
Paper punches (circles, hearts, stars);
Ruler for clean lines;
Patterned paper used sparingly as accent;
Metallic or kraft cardstock bases;
Black and white with one accent color.
Week 3: Abstract Mixed Media Card
Feeling: Wild Freedom & Joy. For Someone who celebrates your authentic self.
Mixed media is permission to play. To combine things that "shouldn't" go together. To add paint, then paper, then more paint. To not know where you're going and discover something beautiful anyway. This card is pure creative joy.
Technique Reminders:
Start with a background (paint, ink, or paper);
Layer different mediums (paint + paper + marker + tape);
Add texture (crumpled paper, thick paint, fabric);
Embrace happy accidents;
Think: expressive, layered, no rules.
Materials That Work Well
Acrylic paint or watercolor (if you have it);
Tissue paper (adds translucency);
Textured papers (paper bags, corrugated cardboard);
Markers, gel pens, paint pens;
Collage elements;
Modeling paste or texture medium (optional);
Thread or fabric scraps (optional).
Week 4: Loose Florals with Gouache Card
Feeling: Deep Gratitude & Beauty. This card is for YOU - This Community - My Creative Companions.
Loose florals. A technique you've asked for again and again over the years. Your favorite. And that's exactly why this final card celebrates YOU - this community that has sustained me, inspired me, and waited patiently through a difficult year.
Dear fellow artists,
This year asked a lot of all of us. It asked me to navigate health challenges I didn't expect, to say goodbye to my sweet cats, to honor seasons of rest even when I wanted to create. And you... you stayed. You understood. You were patient with delays and absences. You showed me what true community looks like.
This card features one of YOUR favorite technique - because this week is my thank you. My acknowledgment. My heart, painted in soft petals and gentle strokes.
Technique Reminders:
Embrace imperfection - blooms don't need to be "real";
Loose, confident strokes;
Layering when dry for depth;
Simple shapes: circles, ovals, curved lines;
More water = softer edges, less water = bolder marks;
Think: impressionistic, gentle, flowing.
Don't overthink it - loose florals are forgiving and beautiful in their simplicity!
Materials You'll Need
Essential:
Gouache paint (even just 3-4 colors works!);
Card base (watercolor paper or thick cardstock);
Brushes (round brushes in 2-3 sizes: small, medium, larger);
Water container;
Paper towel or cloth;
Optional:
Palette or plate for mixing;
Pencil for light guidelines (if wanted);
White gel pen or paint pen for highlights;
Gold or metallic accents;
Don't have gouache? Watercolor or acrylic (thinned with water) can work too! The key is the loose, flowing approach.
Pro Tips:
Let each layer dry before adding details (gouache reactivates when wet!);
Start light, add darks later;
Less is often more with loose florals;
If you "mess up," add more elements or turn it into foliage;
Step back often to see the whole composition.
A Personal Note on Week 4
If you've created with me before, you know loose florals are about freedom. About trusting your brush. About making something beautiful without overthinking. That's what I hope this whole year becomes in our memories: imperfect, but beautiful. Loose around the edges, but full of color. Not what we planned, but somehow... enough.
Thank you for painting through this year with me - literally and figuratively.
If You're Following Along
Create one card per week (or all four in one weekend if that feels better);
Share your process if you want;
Modify techniques to match your style;
Combine techniques if inspired.
If Life Gets Busy
Make just one card for one special person;
Create digital cards instead of physical ones;
Skip a week, come back later;
Batch-create all four in one creative session.
If You're Grieving or Struggling
Creating can be healing, but it can also be hard;
Honor where you are;
Make just one card - for yourself;
Or save this guide for when you're ready.
I'd be honored to see what you create. Share on Instagram and, please tag me. I'll be creating alongside you, probably with music playing and tea nearby, grateful for this community that held me this year.
This year, my goal was to create monthly guides that explored mixed media in various styles. Despite the delays and absences along the way, I genuinely loved planning these guides and sharing my own creative interpretations with you. While I won't be continuing monthly guides next year, I promise to come up with something special for us to create together. Happy New Year - may 2025 bring you love, creativity, and abundant happiness.
If you've read this far, thank you for your patience with my delays, for understanding that this year was hard and for still being here, ready to create.
With warmth and gratitude,
