Handmade holiday cards are art pieces in themselves; some tips

This image provided by Christopher Paul Stevens shows a set of block-print technique handmade holiday cards. Handmade holiday cards can be gifts in themselves for both maker and receiver. They're a way to express creativity and connection. And gathering to make them can be a nice social activity. Photo: AP

Around this time of year, Rose Keiko Higa often finds herself making holiday cards for family and friends. An art history major at Oberlin College, in Ohio, she uses cut and layered paper to craft Christmas cards, and paints traditional Japanese New Year's cards on watercolour paper.

"Written words can be such a meaningful gift on their own, it’s nice to be able to create a vessel for them in the form of a handmade card," Higa says.