Impress Everyone With These Fast And Easy Silk Painted Christmas Cards

These silk painted Christmas cards are very quick and easy to produce so they are ideal if, like me, you are always "volunteered" for the Christmas decoration and craft stall at your childrens school Christmas fair. In fact the children can help, although they may find the putting together of the cards a bit tricky, depending on their age and dexterity!

Supplies Required

Piece of silk pongee or habotai

Frame or hoop

Selection of silk paints

Silk gutta (optional)

Paint brushes (not fine-tipped - you will be spreading the paint quickly,not accurately)

Salt (table salt or rock salt)

Wadding

Double sided selotape

Three fold cards with pre cut christmas shapes in the centre portion

Take a piece of silk which will fit the frame or hoop you are using and attach, keeping the material taut. If you don't have a silk painting frame, improvise with an old picture frame or embroidery hoop. The larger the frame,the more cards you will be able to make in one batch.

Make sure the paints, brushes, salt and water are all to hand because you will have to work fairly quickly.

Moisten the silk with clean water. Immediately brush the different colours of silk paint over the silk randomly to completely cover it. The different colours will all blend together to produce amazing effects. While still wet, sprinkle salt over.This produces a marbling effect. Table salt will give a finer marbling.The coarser rock salt gives a more exaggerated effect. Experiment to see which you prefer. Allow to dry while still on the frame. (see silk paint instructions for drying time)

When dry, remove from frame and iron carefully ( remember it is silk and use the correct temperature) on the wrong side to heat set the silkpaint.

Now take the precut Christmas cards.These can be bought from most craft shops with shapes such as Christmas trees, stars, bells, church windows cut out of the centre portion. Cut out a piece of the painted silk larger than the aperture and a piece of wadding about the same size. Put the double sided sticky tape all around the edges of the aperture.

Place the silk painted side down on the table, followed by the wadding.  Then carefully position the aperture part of the card,so that the sticky tape catches the silk with the wadding inside. Smooth down, making sure the silk doesn't have any wrinkles.

Using the double sided sticky tape round the edges and foldlines of the card, fold the left hand portion of the trifold over to cover the back of the aperture and hide the wadding.

For extra embellishment, you can use silk gutta to put more finishing touches to your silk painted Christmas card.

Depending on the size of your painted silk and with careful cutting, you will be surprised at how many Christmas cards you can make.