Best Places To Make A Family Christmas Card In Sacramento

These days, people do much of their shopping, bill paying and communicating online, rather than through "snail mail" with the U.S. postal service. But when it comes to the holidays, many of us still love to send out old-fashioned greeting cards. Buying premade cards can be expensive, as well as being a rather impersonal item to receive. So gather up the family and check out these great opportunities in Sacramento to make your very own holiday cards. Doing it together will be a fun and rewarding experience, and the results will be lasting keepsakes for the lucky recipients of the cards.

ReCreate
8417 Washington Blvd.  #135
Roseville, California, 95678
(916) 749-3717
www.recreate.org

When: Fridays between 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., Saturdays between 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Price: $6.75 per person per hour; all materials are included

ReCreate is a nonprofit organization dedicated to both reducing waste and expanding the artistic souls of the community. More than 70 tons of clean, otherwise unwanted materials of many types are collected each year from area businesses, and are reused for cool projects instead of ending up in landfills. ReCreate hosts an open studio "Drop-In Creative Adventure" on Fridays and Saturdays at the above times. The whole family can participate in designing holiday cards, gifts, decorations and other crafts using paper, fabric, beads, leather scraps, wood, buttons, stickers, corks, pens and more.

Southgate Library
6132 66th Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95823
(916) 264-2700
www.saclibrary.org/Locations/Southgate

When: Dec. 11, 2015 from 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Price: Free

Family members of all ages are welcome to the Southgate branch of the Sacramento Public Library for this special "Winter Holiday Card Making" event. This library location is very kid friendly, and the festive atmosphere will put the family in the perfect mood to create holiday cards. Best of all, the whole thing, including materials, is free of charge.

The Paper Garden Boutique
565 Pavilions Lane
Sacramento, CA 95825
(916) 487-2737
www.facebook.com/Paper-Garden-Boutique

When: Dec. 4, Dec. 5 or Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Price: $35 per person

Paper Garden is a haven both for creative types who love to work with paper and for anyone seeking beautiful, unique invitations for their special event. The boutique is not large, but carries a nice collection of handmade cards and gifts, paper punches, rubber stamps, washi bark paper, paper punches, pens, ribbons and creative embellishments. Custom work is available, and the shop regularly offers classes in book binding and other paper crafts. The 2-hour "Super Simple Christmas" classes on these early December dates are best for families with older children rather than for youngsters. The classes involve making six beautiful designs of holiday cards.

Related: Ask An Expert: DIY Gift Ideas

Purple Fox Gifts And Crafts
3214 Riverside Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 538-6584
www.purplefoxgifts.com

This shop offers a great selection of unique jewelry, decor, cards, bags, lotions and other gifts which are appropriate for any occasion. Many of the items are handmade by local artisans. In addition, the back room of the boutique carries everything a teacher or parent could want in the way of fun craft and school supplies. Families with young kids can pick out inexpensive materials to make and personalize cards to send out over the holiday season.

Carmichael Library
5605 Marconi Ave.
Carmichael, CA 95608
(916) 264-2700
www.saclibrary.org/Locations/Carmichael

When: Dec. 12 from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Price: Free

This special Saturday "Holiday Craft" event at the Carmichael branch of the Sacramento Public Library is geared for families with children ages 6 to 12. The library generously provides all of the materials, so you and the kids can focus on creating one-of-a-kind holiday cards and other festive items.

Related: Best Ways To Help Your Winter Skin In Sacramento

Valerie Heimerich is a freelance writer out of Sacramento. She typically covers business, employment, animal rescue, volunteerism and nonprofits. Her work can also be found at Examiner.com.