Tips For Card Making Ideas
Being a keen crafter myself I have always spend a lot of my time trying to find and invent new and interesting card making ideas.
Card making ideas can be as complex or as simple as you desire but knowing that someone will receive something that has been personally made and created by you will bring joy to both you and the receiver.
Sending someone a personal card that is different from any other is sending something that will be treasured and remembered. Knowing someone has spent time and effort to produce something that is personal to the receiver is better than a gift.
Ideas for your cards do not need to be expensive, quite often you will be able to use materials from around your home that you may have thought to throw away. Before you discard anything always ask yourself
Will this add texture to a card?
Could the colour be used?
Could the item be broken down or used as an embellishment for card making ideas
Could it be used as a form of storage for you craft items?
When I first began card making I took got most of my cards making ideas from magazines, the internet and by looking at cards already made in shops. I would take the ideas and try to re create them myself using bits and pieces from around the house.
Its surprising what you can produce from a few pieces of paper and some ribbon if you set your mind to it.
When you are trying to produce card making ideas it is important to have a clean surface, there is nothing worse than creating something unique only to find it has a dirty mark on it.
I find a large cutting matt is the best surface to work on, by using a cutting mat you can also cut your paper as and when you need to with out damaging your tables or what ever surface you are working on.
If you are using a scalpel to cut paper or card for your card making ideas always remember to check that the blade is sharp other wise it will drag the paper when cutting and leave an unattractive tatty edge.
Using different colored paper and fabrics to create the background of a card it the best way to start you can even attach photos or dried flowers to give it a more personal touch.
Rubber stamps and embossing stencils will also produce a very effective look to any card making ideas.
What ever card making ideas you produce as long as it is personal to the receiver and is based on things they enjoy your cards will be warmly accepted and very much appreciated.
Vicki Churchill writes for a site that specializes in card making ideas http://www.vickiscardmakingideas.com providing you with excellent tips and ideas for rubber stamping and many other tricks and techniques.
An Introduction To Card Making Ideas
If you are interested in crafts in any way then card making is an ideal activity to begin with. There is a huge variety card making techniques and ideas that will help you with your card making ideas.
You do not need huge amounts of time and money to get into card making, it can be as simple or as complex as you desire but trust me once you have started you will be hooked.
Card making ideas are easy fun and are an excellent way of showing your creative side, they are considered gifts when being given in the form of a card and will always be well received.
When I had my first card making idea I started with a few basic tools, often you can use items from your home that are gathering dust.
The basic items I would suggest you need to start any card making ideas are the following.
Paper or card – paper and card come in a huge variety of forms from handmade paper, vellum, patterned and so many other designs. Paper and card is really the foundation for any card it can be used to mount toppers, add a layering effect it can be used in so many different ways including iris folding, a simple but very effective technique that involves folding strips of colored paper that are layered together in a spiral pattern.
Scissors – It is extremely important to have a really good quality pair of scissors, using blunt scissors really can mess up your card making ideas.
Metal ruler and craft knife – it is important to always work on a clean surface and a cutting mat is perfect for this as you can also use your craft knife with out having to worry about damaging your table or area of work. Good cutting tools are very important
Peel off stickers – peel off stickers can be used in so many ways they are a must for anyone who wants to produce good quality card making ideas. Using a peel off sticker that is the same color as your card can also give an embossed look.
Once you become a keep card maker you can always introduce additional supplies and items to your craft box.
Remember never to throw anything away that could be used, even your card scraps as these could be used to punch out small punches for embellishments
If you are making cards with your children and using an ink pad always make sure that the ink is washable it is surprising how much children would rather ink their hands and faces rather then using it for their card making ideas.
Making cards is a wonderful past time that all the family can enjoy sending and receiving home made personal cards will bring you joy and a sense of achievement.
Vicki Churchill writes for a site that specializes in card making ideas http://www.vickiscardmakingideas.com providing you with excellent tips and ideas for rubber stamping and many other tricks and techniques.
American History Through The Eye Of A Needle ~ Part IV
Only one form of American needlework is wholly American, without root or kin in the Old World; that is our pieced patchwork. Oh, patches are nothing new.
Ancient Egyptians sewed fabric to fabric, and in medieval Europe women applied cloth to cloth. Patches are as old as poverty. In rags and patches the first workers came to America. Patches belonged to workers, to the poor, low-class subjects of the ruling classes. Patchwork was always a task, not an art.
Poverty came across the ocean with the immigrants. Here on the farthest rim of the known world, it became direst need. The smallest scrap of cloth was precious to a woman who could have no more cloth until the trees were cut and burned, the land spaded and sown to flax or to grass for sheep, then next year the wool sheared, washed, combed, carded and spun, or the flax pulled and carefully rippled, retted, dried, beetled, scutched, heckled, spun, and at last the loom made, the warp threaded, the shuttles wound and the cloth woven.
In a wilderness thousands of miles from home, depending only upon themselves for their very lives, these poor immigrants learned the inescapable fact that a person is the only source of the only energy that preserves human life on this planet. With their minds and hands they made houses, they produced food, they wove cloth and built towns, and each ceased to think of himself as a bit of a class in a nation. They knew that each one was creating the neighborhood, the town, the colony.
To women who knew this, every precious scrap of cloth had a new meaning; they thought of what the small pieces, together, could make. And they began to make a pattern of them.
From this simple beginning, in the crazy quilt and the Log Cabin pattern. American women developed the whole vast treasure of American patchwork, pieced and appliqued, that we are still developing.
From scraps and bits they made the English Rose, the French Lily, the Dutch Tulip, the Irish Chain, the Indian Tree of Life, and with patches they recorded American history, all of it, from Bear’s Paw and Tomahawk to California Poppy and Hawaiian Pineapple.
They quilted – and quilt – their patchwork in webs of tiny stitches; they added touches of embroidery and bits of lace. In originality, in beauty and meaning, nothing else in the whole world’s needlework compares with American patchwork.
Yet for more than a hundred years American students of folk arts did not notice it; they were admiring the Old World’s peasant crafts. Only recently have curators of American museums seen American needlework.
Yet in 1776 its spirit of freedom was nearly two centuries old.
For more than a year British ships had blockaded Boston and British troops had occupied the hungry city. Americans had fought and died at Lexington, at Concord, on Breed’s Hill and at Charleston. The Green Mountain men had taken Ticonderoga. British armies were coming down the Hudson and a British war fleet with troopships was nearing New York harbor when at last, losing all hope of freedom with peace, the gentlemen of the Continental Congress soberly risked their lives, dipping a quill pen in an inkhorn and signing their Declaration.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain un-alienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness… We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America … appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.”.
John Wigham has been a professional author and editor for 20 years and is a co-founder of http://www.patternspatch.com an online cross stitch club dedicated to counted cross stitch. Sign up for
Cross Stitch Tips & News at ppp_totw@aweber.com.
Scrap Booking – An Introduction
Scrap booking is a hobby that relates to pasting articles, photos, magazine, newspaper clippings and other memorabilia into personalised decorative albums. Scrap booking is a growing hobby and often ‘scrappers’ meet on a regular basis for weekends or evenings to share tips and ideas for scrapbook ideas.
In its earliest form scrap booking was a way to blend memorabilia and journals. Scrapbooks have been created since printed material has been available.
Older style scrapbooks tended to have photos that were mounted with photo mount corners with quotes about who was in the photos and when the picture was taken. Quite often these pages would have memorabilia attached to them to make them more attractive.
If like me you are the type of person who is always taking photos and keeps memorabilia from places you visit such as tickets or receipts then scrap booking would be a perfect hobby for you to embark on.
Scrapbooks are great to improve and express your creative side as well as being something that you can store all your photos in.
It is important to use high quality materials when doing scrap booking, as your scrapbook will probably become one of your most treasured possessions due to the time you will spend on it. The most important thing to remember is always use products that are acid free using something that is not acid free can deteriorate and colors may fade over time.
It you are stuck for ideas there are so many books, websites and magazines that will give you great ideas for scrap book pages, however I do think it is important for you to try and create something personal and unique as this will reflect your crafting capabilities and your own personality.
Scrap books can also be given as gifts, sometimes just looking through a pile of photos can be rather boring but choosing the best ones and presenting them on a beautiful page filled with memories will bring a smile to any ones face.
If you are new to scrap booking then you could always purchase a kit to get you started scrapbook kits will contain the basic supplies to create a few pages. The items you will receive will all correspond in colour so you know that it will work together. Although the more professional scrapper would probably not use a kit they are perfect for beginners and will give you great ideas where to start and what colours go with what.
Once you have created your first scrapbook page and have seen how wonderful it looks im sure you will be as hooked on this hobby as I was. Then you can be more creative and try the 100s of techniques there is. It is also a great way to make new friends so keep your eyes out for local scrap book clubs that you could join to share tips and ideas.
Vicki Churchill writes for a site that specializes in card making ideas http://www.vickiscardmakingideas.com providing you with excellent tips and ideas for rubber stamping,scrapbooking and many other tricks and techniques.Plus where to find the best products for your crafts supplies.
How To Use A Sizzix Machine
If you are new to scrap booking, card making or any type of crafting you may not have heard of a sizzix machine. A sizzix machine is made by the company elision and is a wonderful tool that is use to create stunning die cuts.
The sizzix machine has a lever and a sliding cutting mat. You place a piece of card with the die face down onto the cutting mat underneath the pressure point then simply pull down the lever and you will have the perfect die cut.
The sizzix machine comes with full instructions and do not worry they are really easy to read and understand. The machine its self is heavy stopping it from moving around when in use it is also extremely sturdy.
The cutting part is done quickly and easily by simply pulling down the lever. The cut is perfect and precise. You will be amazed at how many different dies sizzix has produced it really will cover every hobby passion or theme.
You can also adapt the sizzix machine to use additional templates called sizzlits. The converter is easy to install and easy to purchase giving you access to loads more dies that are available.
The sizzix machine can be expensive and the average cost is about $65 it is also heavy and quite a large tool however it is one you will use time and time again due to its versatility.
The dies that you can purchase for your sizzix machine can vary in size but they come in a neat little box that can be stored easily.
The sizzix machine can not only cut through paper and card it can also cut through rubber, felt, metal and many other materials.
The die you produce from your sizzix machine can be used for embellishments, toppers and may other things.
One of the most popular sizzix dies is the alphabet, although you may feel they are a big expenditure once you have purchased the die you will be able to cut any word you wish, this is perfect for scrap booking and card making.
Over all the sizzix machine is a versatile easy to use addition to any crafters tools the cutting is easy and the adapter means you really can create anything you want. Storage may be a problem but it is worth clearing out that cupboard for this stunning machine.
Having used a sizzix machine for a few years now I would strongly recommend that this is a great buy, something that will be used over and over again. It is also something you can use with your children, although it is wise to supervise as the blades in the dies themselves can be extremely sharp.
Vicki Churchill writes for a site that specializes in card making ideas http://www.vickiscardmakingideas.com providing you with excellent tips and ideas for rubber stamping and many other tricks and techniques.