Make Something For The Mailbox

Handmade Cards Still In Fashion
In the age of electronics, email, Facebook and Twitter the homemade card still has a very special place. Clicking on send and receive will never match the feeling of reaching into your mailbox and pulling out an envelope containing a greeting that was made just for you. It may be a simple card made by a child in kindergarten or an elaborate layered and hand coloured work of art made by a friend or relative. They both mean the same thing, somebody thought enough about you to make you something special and remember you for whatever reason.

There are many websites you can check out to get ideas on cards to make and all sorts of different techniques that can be used but the most important thing is to start small and simple. As you learn more your cards will grow. No matter how fancy you may get with practice there will always be a place for the quick, simple card.

Every card, like many projects, starts with a blank sheet of paper which you cut and fold into the desired shape. Most cards are made from a sheet of 8.5” by 11” cardstock, cut in half width-wise producing two pieces that are 8.5” by 5.5” and then folded to create a card measuring 5.5” by 4.25”. Sets of blank cards and envelopes are also available, which help eliminate this step. Now that you have your card ready you can design the front by making a panel that you would adhere to the folded card or just decorate the base layer. It is up to you! If you’re a little unsure how to proceed, The Paperie offers classes each month where you make a couple of cards that you can take home while learning techniques and being introduced to all the materials available for card making. You can also check out their blog at thepaperie.wordpress.com where there’s great inspiration for card making.

The cards shown here are made by the staff at The Paperie (mostly Meghan) and illustrate how beautiful and simple a card can be. The wedding, cupcake and boat card are all made with stamps from Amuse. The wedding card has a white base and then the panel layered with graduated and contrasting coloured squares, making the main image stand out. The bride and groom are stamped on and the dress has glitter added for effect. The Cupcake card has a cut out square in the middle and is stamped with Amuse’s cupcake builder clear stamp set. The cupcake image is coloured and then a smaller stamp from the set is used to make the background. Curling Waves and Sailboat are two the stamps used for the you float my boat card, both images are cut out, then layered directly on the card front.

The other two cards are made with heat embossing techniques, which you would surely learn at The Paperie’s classes. The stamps used are from Hero Arts and are Poppy Background and Silhouette Grass.

All stamps and materials are available at The Paperie. For more information visit http://www.thepaperie.ca or call them at 709-726-5323. For additional content visit

http://www.just2crafty.blogspot.com.