| Forget Hallmark, make your own cards |
|
|
| Written by Meagan Robertson - Argonaut | ||||
| Monday, 15 September 2008 | ||||
|
One of the most valuable things I learned in grade school wasn’t how to multiply or tie my shoes, but how to make pop-up cards. No longer do I waste money on over-priced cards from Hallmark. Instead, I make personalized greetings, birthday hellos and “I love you” cards for those I care about. Not only are they insanely awesome, I feel that it’s an excellent way to show you care, or even that you’re just thinking about someone. With a little paper, glue and a touch of creativity you can make your own cards for any occasion. What you’ll need: Colored paper (Construction paper works best, although cardstock or any other kind will do as well.) Scissors (The regular kind. But the funky scrap-booking scissors are great for special effects.) Glue or glue sticks Markers, crayons, colored pencils, glitter and any other basic craft supplies you may need for your specific project. Step 1: Picking the subject matter. My personal favorites are reminders of undying affection. Birthdays work too, but this is specific to your reason for needing the card in the first place. Pick an occasion and draft out what you want to say on the inside. Cute little poems or inside jokes work best. Or you can always keep it simple and just put “I love you” in huge letters. Step 2: Making the card. Grab two full sheets of paper, one for the inside of the card and the other for the outside. Fold them both in half together, that way the folds line up when the two individual sheets are glued together. Now take the inside piece of paper, still folded in half, and make cuts into the folded part of the paper (see image). Make sure your cuts are straight and even, and the idea here is to have two small, parallel cuts at your desired length. The longer the cut, the farther your pop-out text or image will stick out. Make as many or as little as desired. Step 3: Getting that pop out. Now, still using the inside part of the card, unfold it slightly and push the cut parts inside, having them fold at the ends of the cuts. When you open the interior of the card all the way you should see the folds sticking up, sort of like little boxes. If you plan to have the card open sideways, you can start gluing your interior decorations right onto the side part of the pop-up flap. If you plan to have the card open like a regular card, keep in mind each of your little decorations must be folded in half and glued with the fold of the decoration aligned with the fold of the pop-up flap. If this is confusing, don’t’ worry. Once everything is all glued together, it will make more sense. If you find your pop-ups are flapping around and you want a sturdier interior, use two sheets of paper glued together. Keep in mind all folds and cuts must be aligned. Step 4: Give that card a backbone. Now that your interior is all cut and glued to your specifications, glue the exterior of the card on. Just make sure to keep the middle fold (or the spine) aligned and the corners even. If you want to use fancy scissors to make cuts around the edges, it’s best to wait until the outside and inside pieces of the card are glued together. Just make sure not to smear glue all over the edges. If you do, cutting the edges could be extremely messy if the glue isn’t dry, and if it is dry it could make cutting more difficult than necessary. Step 5: Personalize it. Now that the foundation for the card is made, have some fun with it. Glue on some more decorations to the front, back and inside, or just scribble all over it. Don’t forget the all-important message you’ve chosen for your card. Once the glue holding everything in your card together has dried, the scribbles and other fancy artwork have been added and the card is more lovely than anything a greeting card or stationary store could offer, you’re finished. Pop that sucker into an envelope and rush it off to your mom to thank her for those cookies she sent you.  Add as favorites (9) | Views: 240
Only registered users can write comments.
|
||||
