Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Want to give handmade cards as a holiday gift?



I love the convenience of giving gift cards at Christmas.  But I never feel like I'm giving a real gift when I give one  . . . you know, a real gift - a package with wrapping and ribbon.  So, what I've taken to doing is to give a handful of homemade cards with the gift cards.  I have A LOT of cards in my stash, so I choose a nice assortment and bundle them up with the gift card.  Most people really seem to appreciate them (because people always need cards but many people don't have the time or know-how to make cards). A few years ago, for my brothers and sisters, I took collage sheets I made with family heritage photos and used them to make simple note cards.  They were a big hit.
What if you want to give handmade cards but don't have any on hand? 
Here's an easy recipe for using collage  images in cards:  patterned paper + image + ribbon + embellishment.  Need more detailed instructions?
1.  Choose a collage image. It can be vintage, fun, grungey, whatever.  Mat if desired.
2.  Choose a patterned paper for the background - coordinate color and mood, but a small and fairly busy pattern works best. 
3.  Choose an embellishment (or set of embellishments) that captures the same color and mood of the card.  I like to use small embellishments in groups of three.
4.  Choose a coordinating ribbon.
5.  Arrange the image and embellishments.  Adhere.
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Acknowledgement and Variation
I got this idea from a pair of cards I received in a card swap.  The cards were created by Debbie B, and her original card (with the Dubai postage stamp) is below.  If you would like more layers on your card (or if your patterned paper background is not busy enough), you can add some stenciling on the patterned paper and stamped script, like I did in the "Daddy's Girl" card below.

You may be wondering - what is a collage sheet?  It's basically a collection of images that you can cut up and use in your art.  You can buy them at places like artchix, or you can find lots of free downloadable collage sheets by googling free downloadable collage sheets.  Here's a link that's a nice start (you just click on her image and it will give you a screen that you can print out).  
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p.s. This post is a combination of a couple of posts from 2009. I got the idea to freshen them up and repost from Sian's "Blog cos you want to" Suggestion #2: Play on the Popular. You can read her great idea here.

9 comments:

Ladkyis said...

I had never thought of giving a set of cards as a gift... now that's got me thinking.

scrappyjacky said...

Giving a set of cards is a great idea,Rinda.

Sian said...

I think this is an inspired choice for a re-post - you can tell already by the comments that it has reached a new audience!

It's a brilliant idea too, to give a set of cards. I have given my Mum a collection of shop bought ones to keep on hand. But now I've been doing more cardmaking, maybe she'd like some home made ones too

Irene said...

Great idea to give these cards as gifts. I just visited a dear friend who is in a senior living home. I bet she would love to get a set of handmade cards as there seems to be a birthday in the home every month. Thanks for the idea.

Beverly said...

Great freshening post, Rinda! I am bookmarking the link :) The cards are precious.

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

This is a great idea, Rinda. My grandma is a big fan of blank note cards and I usually make a few for her for special occasions.

Melissa said...

I really like the idea of giving some handmade card along with a gift card!

alexa said...

Beautifully vintage and such a pretty gift..

sky-blu-pink said...

This is such a wonderful idea!