The Original Post is Located Here: The Perfect Envelope For Your Homemade Cards

Store bought greeting cards are also becoming quite expensive.  For a nice greeting card, you are looking at spending at least $5.00, and sometimes much more. Instead of spending so much, why not make your own using leftover scrapbooking supplies or inexpensive items that can be found that any craft store or even around your house.

Now, if you have been to the craft supply store, you may be thinking that I am completely wrong – scrapbooking and card making embellishments are expensive. And yes, they can be but by using a little creativity you can easily find many supplies at very reasonable prices. Let’s take a look at where you might start:

1) Ribbon

Ribbon is one embellishment that is so simple, yet can add a unique beauty to any card. Most of us have some lying around the house and, if we don’t, it is very inexpensive to purchase. The best part about ribbon is that it comes in a variety of different colors and patterns and can be used in many different ways. Whether you use ribbons to create a card border or a bow, ribbon can be extremely versatile and is an excellent way to add a special touch to your card.

2) Buttons

Buttons are another type of embellishment that can often be found around the home or, at the very least, be purchased for an excellent price. While they are best suited towards cards with particular themes (for example, teddy bears or denim), buttons can add a sense of dimension to almost any card. One of the most popular ways to use buttons is as a border or to create or highlight words.

3) Faux flowers

Faux (or silk) flowers are another cheap yet stunning embellishment that can be used to decorate your handmade greeting cards. These embellishments are best used for cards directed towards weddings, thank you’s, anniversaries, or Mother’s day.

4) Fabric

Also inexpensive, fabric is probably one of the most versatile greeting card embellishments and can be used in many creative ways. Because fabric comes in so many different textures, colours and patterns, it allows you, the artist to be extremely creative. Whether you want to add a pattern, dimension or a special craft to your card, you can do so using fabric.

Because you are making your own cards, it is up to you how much you can spend. It can be as little or as much as you want. You don’t have to spend a great deal on embellishments unless you want to. Supplies such as fabric, flowers, buttons and ribbon are all inexpensive ways that you can spice up your handmade cards on a budget.

The Original Post is Located Here: Inexpensive Embellishments For Handmade Cards

When it comes to creating your own greeting cards you should begin by having your supplies ready. The most basic supplies that you will need to create your own card include glue, scissors, cardstock, colored pencils or markers and glitter. Of course, you can use pretty much anything you like to create a greeting card. The supplies you will use will depend on what you have lying around the house, how much you want to spend, how creative you are and how much effort you want to put into making the card. Remember, this is your creation so you can keep it as simple or make it as complex as you want.
 

Once you have all of your supplies collected, you need to choose a theme for your card. This theme can be anything and will generally be based around both the occasion and who the card is for. If the receiver of the card has any special interests, you may want to base the theme of the card around this. If not, you may wish to base your theme around age or gender. Children, for example, often like cards that are based around animals, a teddy bear or cartoon themes. Men, on the other hand, may prefer cards that are based around sports, fishing or cars. Once you have a theme, use your craft supplies to design a card based around it.
 

On top of theme based decorations, you may also want to use photographs to make the card more personal. If you have a favorite photo with the receiver like a baby photo of the receiver or a funny photo of them, each of these can add a personal touch to the card. By personalizing the card, you make it more meaningful so that it is a keepsake that will be around forever, rather than a card that will be thrown in the garbage tomorrow.
 

Finish your card by adding text. Whether you want to add a funny quote or a personal handwritten message, adding text is an extremely important part of making a handmade greeting card. Always be sure to know exactly what you are going to write before you begin. If you have already designed the rest of your card, you do not want to have to start all over again due to a simple wording error.
 

Creating your own handmade greeting cards is simple. Begin by collecting all of your supplies, then choose a theme that suits the person that you are giving the card to. Use this theme to decorate your card and, if you wish to make the card more personal, add a favorite photograph. Finish by adding quotes or handwritten messages. Then, admire your work, carefully place it into an envelope and hand it over to the guest of honor.

The Original Post is Located Here: How to Make Simple Handmade Cards

Sympathy cards are one of the most difficult types of greeting cards to make for the simple reason that we never know quite exactly how to make them or exactly what to say. Because we are sending these cards to someone who is grieving, we want to make sure that we are very aware of their emotions when making this type of card. Let’s take a look at a few tips to help you design the perfect sympathy card for someone who is going through a rough time.

1) The Design

When it comes to sympathy cards the best thing to do is to keep it simple. An over-the-top design can overwhelm the person who is grieving and may not be the best idea. For this type of card you want the receiver to focus on the message, not the design. One of the most popular themes for sympathy card designs is flowers. Not only are they simple but they also offer a subtle color. If you do not want to make a sympathy card with flowers, try to stick to a basic color. It is okay to add a little bit of texture to your card, but once again try to keep it simple.

2) Color

When designing your own sympathy card, avoid bright colors such as turquoise or pink. Try to stick with dark or pale colors that represent mourning. The two most popular colors to represent sadness are purple and black. However, if you don’t want to use these as your base color it is okay to incorporate them into the design in other ways. Other popular colours are white, cream, soft yellows and pale greens.

3) Writing your Message

By far the most difficult part about making a handmade sympathy card is writing the message. When someone is grieving you never quite know the perfect thing to say. So where do you start? Begin by acknowledging their loss by saying something such as, “I was deeply saddened to hear of Jake’s passing”. Then, extend your condolences.  One thing that many people question is whether it is okay to mention an illness in their message. If the individual who passed has been suffering for a great deal of time, it is not at all unacceptable to acknowledge their suffering.

Is it okay to share personal stories? Absolutely. If you have a great memory to share, feel free to share it. Not only will this let the recipient know how much you care about their loved one, but funny or happy stories may also be enough to put a smile on their face.

Finish your message by offering assistance to the family in a time of need. Close using a short statement such as “my deepest sympathies” or “you are always in my thoughts”.

Creating your own sympathy cards is not always easy to do. Many people do not know what to say to someone who’s grieving. Keep your card simple and speak from the heart. Never be afraid to offer the special memory that you have had with the deceased and let the receiver know how much you care about them and their family.

The Original Post is Located Here: How To Make A Sympathy Card

1) Embossing

Embossing is the process of creating an impression on your greeting card. It generally adds a bit of texture and when touched, you can feel that the area has been raised. In the process of embossing, stencils and stamps are used to raise sections of cardstock. 

To emboss your image using a stamp, stamp your image onto a piece of paper using pigment ink or embossing ink. Then cover it with embossing powder immediately. After a few seconds, carefully tip all of the excess powder on to another sheet of paper. There should still be a great deal of powder that is stuck to your wet image. Pour all of your extra powder back into its container and remove any excess grains on your image using a small paintbrush.

Next, you will need to heat the image. It is generally recommended that you do this with the precision heating tool, but if that is not available hold your card over a hot toaster (face up) until the pattern melts and the image rises. Wait for your image to dry and voila! You are finished!

2) Distressing

Distressing is the technique through which you can give images or cards a classic, aged look. It is one of the simplest, most unique looking of all techniques. All you need to distress an image is some distressing ink and a piece of cotton. Place the image you want to distress on top of a blank sheet of paper. Then dab down a piece of cotton in your distressed ink and gently dab around the edges of your image or card. This will make it look aged. To add extra effect, crumple up your paper and add small dabs of ink here and there.

3) Eyelets

If you don’t know what an eyelet is, think of a pair of shoes. An eyelet is the part of the shoe that you thread the shoelace through. Now you may be thinking, how on earth did those get into the world of card making? Eyelets are commonly used to attach tags to cards for the simple reason that ribbons and lace can easily be thread through them. Using eyelets is simple but you will need an eyelet setter.

To add an eyelet to your card, insert a small hole where you would like it to be placed (matching the size of the eyelet). Insert the eyelet and turn the card over. Using your eyelet setter, find a tip that matches the size. Enter this into the hole and apply a firm pressure to set it into place.

So there you have it. These are a few of the most basic and popular card making techniques. Begin with these techniques and then move on to some of the many others out there as you become more advanced.

The Original Post is Located Here: Handmade Card Making Techniques Explained

The Original Post is Located Here: Make Your Own Christmas Cards

If you want to make the perfect greeting card for that special someone you need to know their interests. Their interests will determine the theme of the greeting card. If, for example, they are interested in cars, you can base the theme of your greeting card around this topic. You also need to know the interests of the recipient in order to know what tone you should use for the card. Is the person receiving the card the romantic type? Or would they prefer a funnier, more laidback card? The more you know about the recipient, the better you can create a card that is perfect for them.

You will also need materials. When creating a greeting card, the skies the limit. You can use pretty much anything you want within your card. Many people like to use supplies that are lying around the house, but you can also find many crafts and scrapbooking supplies for making greeting cards. Some of the most basic craft supplies include things such as papers, scissors, embellishments, inks, buttons and stamps.

When choosing your card supplies be sure to take the size of your card into consideration. Most people decide to go with standard size cards, but if you want your card to really stand out that you can make it larger or smaller than usual. If you are making a larger card, make sure that you have enough supplies to decorate it properly. Similarly, if you are making a smaller card make sure that you do not buy too many supplies that will make your card overwhelming to look at.

Another thing that you will need when making handmade greeting cards is time. In order to know how much time you will need to create your card, make a plan. Decide exactly how you want your card to look (card making sketches can really help  you here) and what techniques you want to use on it. By doing so, you will be better able to determine how much time will be needed to carry out your ideas.

Once you have set aside time, created a plan and have all of your supplies ready, you need to make a special space where you can work.  If the area you are working in is overcrowded you may become overwhelmed and your creative juices will diminish. Clean an area that is large enough to gather all of your materials. If you can, keep your materials in a workbox. The more organized you are, the better you will be able to make the perfect greeting card.

Finally, get to work! Remember, creating your own greeting cards should be fun. Use your imagination and create a card that is representative of your creativity and that will make the receiver smile. When you are finished, don’t forget to add a short message. A personalized message will make the card more sentimental and meaningful.

To make the perfect greeting card, follow the few simple steps above. If you acknowledge the interests of the receiver, gather all of the materials, set aside a proper amount of time and a clean working environment, you can let your creative juices flow and this will ultimately result in a perfect hand-made greeting card.

The Original Post is Located Here: Essentials For Making The Perfect Card

First off, know that if you are making a handmade card for your sweetheart, that will be plenty enough to show them how much you care – you could write nothing at all and you will still be expressing your sentiment! But if you want to write something, here is some advice to help you make the perfect card for your loved one.

Funny Greeting Cards

We all love to laugh. Making the tone of your handmade greeting card light and funny is a great way to avoid becoming overly sappy. If you have been with your significant other for a long period of time, there is a good chance that you share great deal of jokes and funny memories together. Feel free to use these jokes and amusing stories as part of your greeting card. If it is a birthday card and you are comfortable enough to make age jokes, go ahead and do just that.

Typically, funny greeting cards are mostly recommended for men. We all know that the majority of women would prefer something romantic to something funny, but if you are comfortable enough with your girlfriend or wife to make the card funny, feel free to do so.

Romantic Greeting Cards

Most woman prefer a romantic or sentimental greeting card to a funny one. With that said, romantic greeting cards can also be great for men. While they are especially recommended for anniversaries and Valentine’s Day, romantic greeting cards are great for any occasion. After all, there is no day that is inappropriate to tell your sweetheart how much you care.

When writing a romantic greeting card, remember to take the personality of the receiver into consideration. If you are making a card for your wife who is very passionate and emotional, let your feelings run free in your writing. If, however, you are writing for your boyfriend of one year who is afraid of commitment, keep things simple. Express how you feel without getting overly mushy.

Making the Perfect Card

The perfect card is one that your sweetheart will love. If your partner is a romantic individual, go with a romantic card. If they are more lighthearted and like to laugh, go with a funny card. Even if you choose to go funny (when you really should choose to go romantic), the simple fact that you put the time and effort into making your own handmade card will be plenty enough to show your partner how much you love and care about them.

The Original Post is Located Here: Romantic Handmade Cards – What To Say Inside

None of these activities require much thought or effort on our part. That is why it is so special when someone goes to the trouble of hand-making a card for another person!

When you sit down to make a card for a loved one, you are devoting your time and effort to create something special and unique just for them. You think about what they might like – their favourite colours, their favourite themes and their style. As a result, your card design reflects their personality and what is important to them.

It’s a way of recognising and appreciating who they are…and there is no greater gift than to show someone you care about them just the way they are.

It also gives us a great opportunity to place a heart-felt message inside and further express how much that person means to us.

When creating a card like this for someone special, you are making a loving gesture that is sure to be treasured. You are wearing your heart on your sleeve and letting that person know how important they are to you. And the recipient of such a card can’t help but smile and feel special as they open your card.

Making cards for others is a gift that gives back. You will not only make someone else’s day with your efforts, but also your own. It is an amazing feeling when your creative efforts are appreciated!

The Original Post is Located Here: Card Making Comes From The Heart

1. Check in your sewing draw for leftover buttons, pieces of ribbon, cotton threads or yarn. All are great for adding dimension to your cards.

2. Look through your photo collection. Photo cards featuring member of your family are always fun, but also look for photos of beautiful flowers, butterflies or landscapes that you might be able to incorporate into your card designs.

3. Do you have kids? Kids are always drawing, painting and colouring in. Perhaps you could use some of their artwork in your card making ideas too. For example, perhaps you could ask your child to draw a rainbow and then use it as the background for your card. It’s a great way to get your kids involved in your craft too.

4. Keep any store-bought cards you receive. Instead of putting them in the recycling bin, consider recycling some of the images on your cards. They are also a great source of inspiration if you can’t decide on a colour scheme.

5. Keep an eye open as you read your favourite magazines. You may come across the perfect image for your cards. When you do, clip it out and set it aside for when you are ready to sit down and make some cards.

These are just a handful of places you can look to find unique embellishments for your card making. The options really are endless! Keep your eyes open and you never know what you might find!

The Original Post is Located Here: Creative Card Making Embellishments