There are many sites out there that explain how to make your own cards, mainly because to do so is enjoyable and it proves to be a perfect gift. Many say that handmade gifts demonstrate time and effort spent on the person you are giving them to. I believe this is very true. I would much prefer to receive something that somebody has taken the time to create themselves. Of course, you can even sell them and make some profit.
Materials
There are some lovely materials and embellishments out there to use with your cards but they do cost. For those of us who want to make them for as little as possible, as well as develop our talent to make the most out of nothing, why not use materials we already have at home?
Materials include:
- Glitter/Confetti
- Parts of old letters/cards/magazines/photographs/newspapers/travel/postcards brochures/stamps
- Beads/old necklaces and other jewelry
- Pressed flowers
- Stickers
- Ribbon/wool/felt
- Buttons
- Shells/pebbles
- Present tags
- Christmas decorations e.g. bits of tinsel
- Patterned cloth/bows
- Selection of background papers (newspaper, freebies from the internet)
These are just a few ideas of what you can use. I particularly use bits off other greetings cards - ones I receive for birthdays and Christmas. Even if I only use the words on the front or inside of the card, very often it saves a lot of money. The great thing is that nobody can tell where they have come from because when you accessorize the cards they become extremely original and pretty.
The first thing you need is a piece of card or thick paper. This can be card from the back of a pad of paper for instance, or even card from cereal boxes that can be covered in paper. Cut to size and get sticking away! Cards don't have to look busy either. They can be very simple. For instance, cover the card in newspaper and stick a plain square piece of paper in the centre. On top the square you can then stick anything you like; maybe a couple of stamps for a traveller, a picture of an animal for a naturist, a picture made of string or a photograph…whatever you have!
Examples
I made a card recently just using bits of paper. I created a stencil out of card of some flowers and then drew around them on coloured paper. I then stuck the flowers on in no particular arrangement and wrote "to special friends" at the bottom. It looks good but cost me nothing to make!
I have also made some cards before from old gift bags. I took a small clear envelope full of glitter and sequins off a gift bag that was old and crumpled so could not be used again. So, I took the bag apart and used the paper, card and embellishment from it. This card was therefore made from a gift bag!
The most important thing is that you have fun and be adventurous. The best cards sometimes come from those you make spur of the moment rather than putting lots of thought into it. Other are better when you take a risk mixing colours and materials. Learn from experience and collect what you can. When you have made a good selection you could even photograph them and put together a portfolio. That way you have something to show people if they want to see examples of your work.
