Making Handmade Birthday Cards

I love creating handmade birthday cards and have been doing so for around 20 years. I have found it very gratifying, relaxing and rewarding to create my own handmade cards. It can be a good method to relax, by sitting with all of my papercrafts things all spread out next to me and to really allow the inspiration to flow!

A hand crafted card can be as complicated or as simple as you wish it to be. A very simple design can be extremely attractive and exceedingly effective. Uncomplicated designs are perfect for first-timers to card making to begin with. You could try mounting a die-cut decoupage image onto a plain blank card with a peel off sticker message to finish the handcrafted card, a super easy design to create without a great deal of gear required, but nonetheless very interesting and effective.

Once you have mastered simple designs, have a shot at adding to those designs. Introduce an additional embellishment like a bow or perhaps a pre-made topper. Start incorporating background papers to a section or all of the card blank and include glittery or pearlised accents with decorative glues. Rather than a decoupage image, have a go at rubber stamping a picture onto some card, colour the rubber stamped image with colored pencils or watercolour paints, trim around the stamped picture in a rectangular shape or square shape and then put that stamped picture on your card blank. Your own ideas will soon come to be bigger, better and more elaborate designs. By using a minimal amount of work you can actually come up with some very impressive designs.

Whenever you begin to create a Birthday card, first of all it is advisable to give thought to whom the greeting card is for. Is it for a teenager or an adult, might it be for a male or a female, precisely what are their passions and hobbies?. It is usually good to integrate a little something personalised into the birthday card. If for example your card will be for a soccer player, a soccer picture, with soccer embellishments will create the ideal birthday card and would suggest that a large amount of deliberation has gone in to the card.

Once you have decided upon the concept for your card, you will need to decide on the colour scheme. A colour scheme for a card could be guided via the colours in a decoupage image or perhaps a pre-made decoration that you have already decided on. Pick out a couple of colors from that decoupage picture or decoration and work with those colours with the entire card, colour co-ordinating any ribbons, accessories or backing papers to those two colours. If you use a rubber stamped picture then you'll be able to colour that picture using your individual colour scheme and build on that scheme by using colour co-ordinated additions.

To personalise the hand made birthday card, you could have the person's name within the theme of the card. This can be accomplished with the use of peel off sticker lettering, clear alphabet stamp lettering or should you have a steady hand, you'll be able to hand write his / her name using a decorative ink or glitter glue.

Lastly printing an insert for the card which has a lovely personalized message like a poem or lovely message definitely finishes off your hand-made birthday cards.

On the lookout for craft supplies? Check out http://www.glittermonster.co.uk for a big selection of decoupage sheets, rubber stamps, card, paper and card making materials.

Get Well Card Making Ideas

Receiving a hand made get well card really shows someone you are thinking of them when they are not feeling well and it will be received with love and thanks.

One idea for a get well card is to use a decoupage piece that can either be 'get well' themed or something floral that will make someone smile and feel at ease.

You will need to cut out your decoupage and layer the pieces together using foam pads ready to be applied to your card.

Teddy bears or flowers are also a good choice for get well cards, as they are soft and have a warm look to them.

When choosing the type of card for a card base I really enjoy working with pearlescent card, as it is excellent quality and is perfect for lace. The card is usually different colours on the back and front so will give a stunning effect.

Once you have cut out your decoupage piece and stuck the layers together and have chosen the type of card you are going to use you need to determine how you will fold the card, do you want the card to be DL size or A6? The easiest way to decide is to place your decoupage piece onto the card to see how it looks, remember if you are going to use lace then depending on the style you will need the card to also fit that.

If your decoupage piece is small and the lace is long then a DL card is probably the best option.

Fold your pearlescent card so that it is DL size then place your lace template over the card where you would like the design to show, you can also score your lace along the fold, which really does look eye-catching. Use a craft knife to score the pattern and fold the pieces as directed.

Then place your decoupage wherever it looks best and attach to the card using double sided tape or sticky dots if you prefer.

It is always nice to have the words get well on the front of a card, use a rubber stamp, peel offs or rub ons for the desired look. You can mount these if you like to match the rest of the card or emboss them if you prefer.

If you do decide to mount the wording, try using brads to attach to the card for a high quality effect.

You can not use an insert with this type of card as you will be able so see through the lace effect, that said, this type of card is double sided and beautiful on both sides so any insert would be wasted.

Vicki Churchill writes for a site that specializes in Card Making Ideas providing you with excellent tips and ideas for Rubber Stamping and Get Well Cards including where to find the best bargains

Pottery Painting, Soap Making and Decoupage Parties

There are 3 crafty party ideas which can be really good fun to do and learn from. Whether you have artistic and creative flair or not, you can always produce something that looks good.

With pottery painting, although what a person might create on a chosen piece of pottery might initially look a bit drab, once it has been glazed and fired it always comes out looking really great. Painting onto bisque (white unfired pottery) is very easy. After washing the bisque down to get rid of any residue and dust you apply the paint to a maximum of three coats. You must start with the light colours and add the dark. The colours applied change quite dramatically in the firing process which takes roughly 24 hours.
The second idea is the process of sticking colourful paper onto any hard object and has become known as decopatch. As its name suggests the origin of decoupage comes from France. This is a fantastic newish art medium and does, to a degree, take you back doing collage and paper mache at school. It has however, evolved. The lovely thin paper with dramatic colours and patterns can be stuck onto almost anything producing a unique and personal piece of work. It is remarkably simple. All you do is tear the paper and stick it onto your object either randomly or not.
We all go to the shops and spend mountains of money on beauty products but making soap and and other bath items such as bubble bath and gels can be so easy and so creative. This is the 3rd idea and it can be fun because you can add the flavours you want and make the items the colour you really want... maybe to match your bathroom.

ARTYCRAFTYPARTY are based within the Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire area and can provide the 3crafty ideas for children and adults of all ages and abilities.

To find out more information visit our website or give us a call and we will match your needs and budget as best as we can. We aim to create a funfilled party crafty party or event and an experience everyone enjoys and remembers.