If there was ever a time to push the boat out when it comes to cardmaking, it would be Christmas. Despite what people say, less is never more during the festive season; it’s the perfect occasion to go a little over the top and try your hand at new and exciting techniques. Understandably, your mind is currently racing about how you’re going to cater for 20 guests at the dinner table and whether you’ll be able to finish your handmade gifts before the clock strikes midnight, which is exactly why we’re lending you a helping hand and guiding you through 14 foolproof card shapes that you can whip up in the days leading up to Christmas. From rocker to a layered scene and the ‘impossible’ greeting, there’s something to inspire any keen cardmaker. What will you be trying?

1 Pop-Up Card by Helen Fitzjohn

1 Follow the countdown calendar guide to make a basic 7cm square box card. Cut pink card, 7cm square, with folded 1cm tabs on two sides. Check the card folds flat. Trim 7cm squares from red, pink and green card, then snip into strips. Stick to the bottom section to make a striped panel. Print two small Santas onto white card. Use one as a template, then cut sleeves and legs from red card, a body from red glitter card, belt and boots from black. Stick the separate pieces to the base Santa and cut out.

2 For the box flaps, cut 7cm squares from pink and green card, then emboss with circles. Take 4cm x 5.5cm rectangles of white card and tape small loops of red ribbon to the back. Cut out the words ‘Ho Ho Ho. Add to the box flaps and decorate with snowflakes and stars. Emboss white card, 7cm x 14cm, with stars and stick to the back panel. Use the template to make coloured shooting stars and add to the box. Glue Santa’s boots to the middle section of the card to finish.

2 Angel Rocker by Colette Smith

Download and print the angel templates onto thin card or thick paper and cut out. Trim one outline and a dress from thin white card. Score across the top of the dress 5mm down from the top, fold and stick the tab to the angel, lining up each piece. Cut out the sleeves and dress from pale blue card, the head and hands from pale pink, the hair from yellow and the halo and frills from white card. Line up and stick the dress to the front of the angel blank. Attach the sleeves to the dress with foam pads, then fix the hands in place. Adhere the head, neck, hair and halo to the card front. Layer the frills onto the hem of the skirt, collars and cuffs of the sleeves. Draw and colour the facial features. Add a black line vertically down the hands, then trim a tiny sliver of card from the bottom of the blank.

3 Kinetic Slider by Keren Baker

Take a white top-fold blank, 10cm x 16cm, then stamp a present onto coloured card and paper piece together. Add detailing using a white gel pen. Draw a slider aperture onto the top part of blue spotted card, 8cm x 14cm, then cut out. Stick two 1p coins together using a foam pad. Add a double layer of foam pads around the outer edges of the aperture piece and stick to the base. Glue the present to the pennies and tuck it into the aperture with the top penny above the card and the bottom one tucked underneath. Stamp and trim two Christmas trees. Punch out little coloured circles and stick to the shape like a garland. Stamp a sentiment and heat emboss in white.

4 Layered Scene by Elizabeth Moad

By scoring and folding a strip of card, a simple box with an aperture is made to separate each layer. To create this design, a tree archway die has been used that has its own frame and is placed at the front. Two trees from the same die are cut out from the frame and placed behind the front trees, but on the back panel. This small amount of distance on the card helps create a forest effect. The deer trio is die-cut from red card and the stag is glued on the back panel. The smallest animal is at the front and the medium sized is glued on a strip of blue card mounted between the front and back pieces.

5 Flip by Tracey Daykin-Jones

Take pink card, 10.5cm x 18.5cm. Draw a line 8cm in from the left and a second, 2.5cm to the right of this line. Secure a circle die to the centre of the first line, place the cutting mat up to this line only and die-cut. Repeat on the other side, using the second line as your guide. Leave the central strip clear. Score vertical lines, above and below the circle. Remove the tape and erase the pencil guides, before folding to create the flip element. Trim two panels of heart patterned paper. Using a slightly larger circle die, trim off semi-circles and adhere panels to card. Die-cut a circle from pink and a second smaller circle from red. Make a scallop-edged circle from black card and set silver foil using a laminator. Die-cut a snowflake from glittered paper and layer the elements. Adhere the circle to the central panel of card and sandwich small silver corrugated rectangles to the bauble. Layer a sentiment onto red and adhere to the bottom-left of the front panel.

6 Impossible by Sarah Jackman Read

Take white card, 14cm square, and mark along the centre with a pencil. On the section above the pencil mark, cut a line down the centre to the pencil mark. On the bottom section, cut a line 3cm in from the left, then repeat on the other side. Turn the right side of the card over, then push up the centre panel to create a blank. Layer a scene, fix to the upright panel, then embellish with blue pearls. Layer spotty paper, then sentiment paper onto the base of the greeting. Stick snowflake paper, 2.5cm x 14cm, onto white card, then adhere to the base. Fix a sentiment to the right of the strip with foam pads, then a pearl either side.

7 Stepper by Sarah Jackman Read

Take red card, 12cm x 25cm, then score and fold the long side in half to create a top-fold blank. Score down the short side of red card, 11.5cm x 12cm, at 5cm, then 10cm. Attach double-sided tape to the flap and adhere to the card front. Mountain-fold the panel to create a stepper card. Layer navy snowflake paper, 10.5cm x 11cm, onto teal, then attach to the back panel. Fix teal snowflake paper, 4.5cm x 11.5cm, to the front panels. Add a thin strip of navy snowflake paper to the bottom of the front stepper. Decorate the back panel. Layer a decoupage scene to the front of the card with foam pads. Adorn the corners with red pearls. Wrap red bakers twine around the base and tie into a bow with a jingle bell.

8 Build-a-Scene by Sarah Jackman Read

Cover a top-fold blank, 10.5cm x 15cm, with star paper. Fix pink tree paper, 9.5cm x 14cm, on top, then die-cut a 10cm oval through the centre. Attach acetate behind the aperture. Die-cut a 5.5cm oval from the centre of green star paper, 9.5cm x 14cm. Fix this behind the first aperture with foam pads. Stick two small trees to acetate, then adhere behind the aperture. Stick red star paper inside the card. Fix tartan washi tape towards the bottom of the aperture, then add triangle paper on top. Adhere gold washi tape on top of the strip, then attach a die-cut sentiment in the centre. Secure a small label in the top-right corner and fix a star sticker on top. Stick a baby reindeer and a tree sticker to the acetate, then decorate the edges with gold gems.

9 Acetate Front by Sara Davies

Acetate card fronts are an exquisite yet simple way to add the wow factor to your Christmas cards this year. This stunning design features the A4 Luxury Printed Acetate pack in my Winter Wonderland collection, which is sturdy enough to be used in this way and features gorgeous snowflake-patterned detail. Simply trim your acetate to size, score and add a matt and layered panel to the inside to reinforce. Die-cut two borders from blue glitter card and adhere them to the top and bottom, then secure a die-cut sentiment to the centre. So quick and easy to make, yet it looks so effective! Use a small amount of clear-drying glue, such as Collall All-Purpose, to secure your sentiment and borders to the card. It won’t show through the back of the acetate, but be sparing!

10 Twist & Pop by Trimcraft

It’s worth investing a bit more time to try different card shapes, such as twist and pop cards as this gives you more opportunity to use your dies and will add an element of surprise when opened. Invest in dies that will last you year after year, and rest assured that any festive papers or embellishments that you don’t use this year, will come in handy again next year.

11 Multiple Apertures by Sarah Jackman Read

Create a white top-fold blank, 13.5cm square, and cover the front with triangle paper. Attach a 12.5cm square of scene paper on top, then die-cut a 10.5cm diameter circle through the centre. Take spotty paper, 12.5cm square, and die-cut a 7.5cm diameter circle through it towards the top. Attach acetate behind the aperture, then adhere it behind the card front with 3-D foam pads. Die-cut a 5.5cm diameter circle from 12.5cm of pink tree paper towards the top. Secure a number sticker to the left of the aperture, then stick this layer behind the last aperture with foam pads. Trim a house and fix it behind the aperture. Adhere decorative paper inside. Fix die-cut snowmen to the card front and decorate the acetate. Fix spotty paper to the base of the card, then wrap black sentiment washi tape around it. Glue a tab in the top-right of the greeting and fix a sentiment sticker.

12 Concertina by Sarah Jackman Read

Take white card, 21.5cm x 27cm, then score down the long edge at 9cm and 18cm. On the right short edge, mark 10cm up, then draw a line from here to the top-left corner. Trim the excess card, then concertina-fold to create a blank. Cover the panels with red star paper, then layer decorative contrasting papers on top. Fix star stickers to the top of the back panel. Add a ‘Merry’ flag so it protrudes from the middle section. Adhere a die-cut tree and present sticker to the top of the front panel. Fix washi tape across the bottom of the front, stick a snowflake and sentiment to the left, then embellish with gems.

13 Easel by Sarah Jackman Read

Take white card, 9.5cm x 15cm, and fold in half. Fold the front in half again to create an easel. Cover the inside, back and front panels with tree paper. Die-cut a 6.5cm oval from pink paper, layer onto an 8cm green oval die-cut, then fix a tree die-cut and present sticker on top. Add gold gems around the edge, then attach to the top of the easel. Take tree paper,7.5cm square, and layer onto green tartan, then wrap red spotty washi tape around it. Fix this to the base with 3-D foam pads. Die-cut a 3cm oval from pink paper and fix to the centre of the washi tape. Adhere a sentiment on top and decorate with snowflake stickers.

14 Shaker by Tracey Daykin-Jones

Take a top-fold card, 11.5cm square, and cover with green dot paper. Trim pink card, slightly smaller, and die-cut a circle from the centre. Fix acetate to the back of the pink panel using double-sided tape close to the circle’s edge. Trim two board squares, 10.5cm, and die-cut slightly larger circles from the centres. Join together and fix on top of acetate. Pop a few sequins in the back of the sphere and add double-sided tape around the edges. Seal with a panel of dot patterned paper. Fix the shaker panel to the centre of the card. Die-cut a bauble top from glitter card and stick in place. Add a sticker sentiment to finish.