Tutorial: Christmas Card Banner Wall Art

When it comes to temporary decor (like Christmas decorations, for instance), I like projects that are quick and easy. The way I see it, I am simply too busy a person to put too much time and effort into something that I am just going to tear down and pack away in a few weeks. That’s why most of my holiday projects tend to be like these Christmas card banners: made using recycled materials paired with cheap supplies, done in a half hour or less. So gather up those leftover Christmas cards and whip up some festive wall art!

Project estimate:

  • Frame mats (2 sizes), $2
  • Paint, on hand or $1 and up
  • Christmas cards, on hand or $3 and up
  • Tape, on hand
  • Ribbon, on hand or $1
  • Hot glue, on hand

Total: $2 and up

frame mats

I snagged a whole stack of these frame mats a while back at Dollar Tree. They are for matting photos in frames and come in several standard sizes. The number of mats per package varies based on size. For my project I used four smaller frames and two larger frames, so two packages (one of each size) was enough. If you want to use a different layout with more or less photos, purchase the mats accordingly.

painted frames

Paint the frames. I used a silver metallic paint from Martha Stewart’s craft paint line because I had it on hand already; if I’d gone out to buy paint for this project, I probably would have picked up some metallic spray paint because it’s so quick and easy to dress things up with it.

cards

You will also need one card for each frame. You can use all different cards or use pairs like I did. This is a great use for old Christmas cards that you have saved from previous years, or cards left over from sending them this year!

framed cards

Trim the cards to fit in the frames and use a couple of pieces of tape on the back side to hold them in place.

ribbon

Cut two pieces of ribbon the same length and trim the ends to make them look pretty. I taped my ribbon down to my work surface to hold the pieces parallel while I glued on the cards, making it easier to keep the spacing on both banners even.

assembled banners

Working on card at a time, run a bead of hot glue down the center of the back of each card from top to bottom, then carefully place each card onto the ribbon. Once all of the cards are glued into place, you banners are ready to hang!