While it’s true that letter writing is a dying art form, one visit to the Paper Pastries site will have you never wanting to send out another e-vite ever again! This positively charming web site is an extension of the Los Angeles greeting card and stationery company Margaret Haas started with the hopes of turning people on to letter writing again. We fell in love with her work immediately, and promptly asked her to contribute a guest post on making handmade holiday cards! Take her advice and you’ll be the holiday envy of all your friends and family, who’ll be marveling at your crafty hidden talents.

Thanks for helping us out, Margaret. Over to you!

1. A problem I always run into during the holidays is having little scraps of wrapping paper left over. I hate to throw it away so I came up with a couple of ways to include the paper in a holiday card.

2. If you’d like to buy already folded note cards, Paper Source has a great selection of colors and sizes.

3. If you’d like to make your own card- I recommend using a thick cardstock. Cut your paper to size, and fold in half if you’d like. Using a bone folder is the only way to get a clean crease. Using card stock is great if you want a specific size- like to fit exactly on top of a gift.

4. Now back to the wrapping paper- a fun way to incorporate it into a holiday card is work with the printed design. I love these gumdrops from Snow & Graham, so I cut out 3 gum drop shapes and used a glue stick to attach to the front of a card.

5. Complete the card by adding a message- a personalized greeting is even better!

6. Many families like to send photos this time of year. The scrap gift wrap would make a pretty backdrop for a photo. First make sure your photo fits on the card you’re using. Flip the gift wrap over and trace the size of the card. Using a ruler draw a box slightly smaller than the outline.

7. Cut out the box with decorative scissors.

8. Attach the background with glue then the photo on top of that.

9) A more advanced option is cutting a shape directly out of your card. First you should choose a shape; the simpler the better. Lightly pencil on the shape.

10) Lay your card flat and cut out the shape using an exacto knife. It’s recommended that you cut on a cutting mat, to protect your tables and blades.

11) Cut a piece of the scrap paper the fits the front half of your card. Then place glue around your shape on the card. Lay the piece of scrap face down. Smooth with your fingers or a bone folder.

Finish the card with a personal message!