Homemade Dog Christmas Card

If your pride and joy has four legs, then a dog Christmas card might be the perfect season's greeting for you! All you need is a photo of your furry friend and you can easily turn one of these Christmas card styles into your own.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

For this first card, almost any photo of your best friend will do – you'll add your own holiday embellishments so just focus on finding a photo that shows your dog clearly. Once you find a great picture, have enough prints made so there's one for every card, and then follow these steps.

• First, choose your background color. You can purchase blank cards from a stationary store or make your own with card stock from a craft store. The scrapbook aisle will have plenty of choices! In this example, the background is white.
• Trim the card stock to the desired size. Most commonly, cards are 4" x 6" (trim to 8" x 6") or 5" x 7" (trim to 10" x 7"). Fold the cards in half.
• Next, turn your attention to the photo. Trim around your dog as closely as you can, removing as much of the background as possible.
• Place the trimmed photo on a background color (green in this example) and draw a crude line around it. You want to more or less follow the shape while keeping it edgy and abstract as you see in the sample.
• Put the background shape on your card, and then arrange the photo on top. Once they fit to each other and the card the way you want them to, glue both pieces down.
• Next, use two rectangular blocks of the same color for the words "HAVE" and "CHRISTMAS" as shown. Cutting the individual letters out may be tedious, so consider using a colorful marker instead.
• Finally, fill in the remaining words by writing them directly on the card. Embellish with a Santa hat (made from a red triangle) and a red nose, stars, or other Christmas accents, and this dog Christmas card is ready for your personal message on the inside!

The Scenic Route

If your taste is more traditional, you can still create a fun dog Christmas card featuring your favorite pup. To best re-create this design, start with a boxed set of cards featuring a wintry scene.

You'll also need a good picture of your pet – the sample shows a great frontal shot – and a copy of the picture for each card that you'll be making. If your dog's photo is not one of him wearing his Santa gear, there's no need to worry – you can add that later.

• The first step is to trim carefully around the dog, removing as much of the background as you possibly can.
• Next, position the cut out on the front of the card. You may need to trim your photo further, cropping it so it doesn't overlap the edge of the card once you have it in position. Remember to leave room to add a Santa hat if your dog isn't already wearing one.
• After finding a spot you like, glue the photo to the card.
• Put your dog in the Christmas spirit by adding the Santa hat and coat if he's not already wearing one. You can use stickers or make your own with wrapping paper or card stock. If your dog isn't wearing the Santa coat in the picture, it may be easier to add a bow to his collar instead of trying to make a coat to "fit" him. Glue all of the pieces in place.
• The final step is to add the greeting if your card wasn't preprinted with one. Again, you can use a sticker – they should be easy to find during the holiday season – or alternatively you can create and print one from your computer, cut it out, and glue it to the card.

Now all you have to do is add your personal message to the inside and your personalized dog Christmas card is ready to go in the mail. What a fun, creative way to wish friends and family a Merry Christmas!

Read more about how to cherish your holiday memories using the unique Christmas photo cards that fit your style and budget.

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