The wonderful thing when you make your own Christmas cards is that you can make them to the exact card design and style you like and can personalise them as you see fit.

This simple handmade Christmas card is perfect for when you are struggling to come up with some new Christmas card ideas.

Begin creating this handmade Christmas card design by using a 6×6″ piece of scrapbook paper that already has a Christmas theme printed on the paper.

I decided that hanging stockings on the front of this card would look great, so I had a quick look through my card making supplies to see what papers I had which would suit a Christmas theme.

You will need to find  a piece of candy cane coloured paper that coordinates with the paper being used for the base of the card. Red will be fine if you do not have striped paper.

Using a ‘funky foam’ stocking as a stencil I drew around the stocking onto the stripy paper. You may be able find a template for a stocking online or even have a go at drawing it freehand.

Because I wanted the top, toe and heel section of the stocking to be a different colour I cut the template into three sections so that I could draw around the individual pieces easily.

The top and the ends of the stocking were cut from white Brazil paper

 Once placed onto the stripy paper  use white sparkly stickles along the edge to make the stocking look a bit more festive and glitzy.

 A tab of gold ribbon was then attached to the back of the stocking using really strong tape. Remember to create a loop as this will actually be hanging from a separate piece of ribbon.

  Create a hole at either side of your handmade Christmas card using a cropadial, or craft punch and place an eyelet in each hole to ensure the paper does not tear.

You can then thread a length of ribbon from one side of the Christmas card to the other, passing the ribbon through the tabs so the stockings are animated and free hanging.

Then attach the page to a larger piece of A4 card that had been folded in half to make the actual card base.

For the Christmas card wording simply embellish the card using peel off stickers, rub on letters or whatever you have handy in your craft supplies.

And that’s it, a really simple handmade Christmas card idea that anyone card maker can create.