The Art of Making Greeting Cards

I've made many a card in my life. Some were great and some were duds, but all were a heartfelt attempt to do something more than spend $5.00 at a store.

Being young and industrious, my first cards were made by recycling ready made cards. Many people save the front of Christmas cards and use them to make a brand new card by gluing them on paper, cardstock, or construction paper.

You can also make pop-up cards, fold out cards, or cards that are mini-books.

All of your scrapbook making skills can be transferred to greeting cards. If you are a rubber stamp artist, put all those stamps to good use and make original cards. You don't have to stick to the major holidays. It's fine to make original holiday cards such as Our First Kiss or the Last Day of High School or Guess what kids? We are having another baby or Baby's First Hair Cut.

Below is a list of things you can add to your card:

Pressed flowers

Laminated cut-outs

Locks of hair

Movie tickets

Postage stamps

Clip art

Glitter

Confetti

Die-cut shapes

Letters and words clipped from magazines

Cereal box games

Crossword Puzzles

Cartoons

Brain Teasers

Mirrors

Foreign coins

Play Money

Tips on successful card making.

Decide if you want to mail your card. If so, and postage is an issue, find out from your post office which cards will fly for standard postage and which ones will cost you extra. Get the envelope first and plan the card size from there.

If your card will be three dimensional, make sure you have a mailing envelope or box it will fit in. U.S. Priority mail boxes are free and you can get them in advance so you can determine what size to make your cards.

Postcards are fair game too. Be sure to check your post office for correct measurements. Gone are the days when you can mail any size and shape of card you want to. There are minimum size requirements.

Once I mailed triangular shaped cards and had to pay .10 each extra to get them hand cancelled.

Don't forget to decorate your envelope to match your card theme.

The inside is the place to put your original poetry, personal sentiments, clever anecdotes, recipes, prayers, or blackmail photos.

And on the back of the card, don't forget to add your name and date and if you have one, your artist's mark. A card is an original piece of art after all.