Holiday Card Making

Craft: Drawing with Tape

Description

"There are so many different colors and patterns of decorative tape. With a little imagination and an eye for an object in its simplest form - rectangle, ellipse, circle, square - it is possible to create images that represent special events or occasions using the tape as the drawing medium."

Directions

1. With scissors, square off one end of the tape. Apply the tape to the folded card approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the edge.

2. Tear off at approximately 2 1/2 inches (6.4 cm). Repeat for the second and third colors.

3. Cut three teardrop shapes from the yellow tape and adhere to the tops of the three vertical strips, creating the flames for three candles.

Variation: Tannenbaum

Christmas trees are a popular icon for the season, and with so many different styles, you are sure to make loved ones smile when they receive a Christmas tree made from decorative tape.

Craft: Warm Wishes

Designed by: Angela Poole

Description

"Send a beautiful dove card this Christmas, with stitched writing or create the effect in pen. They also make stunning tree decorations and gift tags."

Directions

Step 1:

Using the templates on the next page, trace and cut out one body and one wing shape for each dove. Then fold the wing shape in half lengthways.

Step 2:

On the reverse, lightly draw the picture or word you'd like to stitch on your dove. Use a sharp needle to punch holes along the pencil line.

Step 3:

Punch an additional hole at the center top edge of the dove's body and another in the center of the fold on the wing shape. Use six strands for the stitching.

Step 4:

Thread a length of baker's twine through the hole in the dove's body shape. Now thread through the hole in the middle of the wings and pull down to the body.

Variation

Experiment with layering shapes and textures in red and white; add buttons and ribbons for the finishing touches to your cards and decorations.

Craft: Crayon Resist

Description

"A technique in which a wax-based crayon and water-based media repel one another. Depending on the paper or crayon used, the repelling of the paint allows the color of the crayon to be highlighted, or to become a highlight."

Directions: Crayon Resist - Variation 1

1. Draw a design or picture with crayons. Light colors work the best.

2. Press hard with the crayons so they will show up under the paint.

3. When complete, lightly brush dark paint over the picture.

4. The areas of crayon will resist the dark paint.

Share joy with handmade cards!

Handmade cards are fun to give and receive! 175 Fresh Card Ideas is packed with ideas for all occasions—from kid-friendly themes and milestone birthdays to holidays, bridal and baby showers and sweet sentiments—so you'll never be stuck without a design idea for any card-giving occasion. More than 50 cards include step-by-step instructions and each chapter features a gallery brimming with more inspiration.

You'll discover:

• Essential techniques for card-making—including rubber stamping, paper trimming, using
• Copic markers and more—great for beginning card-makers and enthusiasts alike.
• Ideas for special sentiments that will work interchangeably with many of the cards.
• Sketches for creating cards and inspiration for tags, gift bags, candy wrappers and more are also included.

Let 175 Fresh Card Ideas help you celebrate any occasion!

Dynamic new ideas for your handmade cards

Dazzle your friends and loved ones with the one-of-a-kind projects in Cards that Pop Up, Flip & Slide. A few simple cuts and folds are all it takes to create over twenty cards and envelopes with moveable parts. From pop-up trees to flipping leaves and sliding message panels, the mechanism that make these cards spectacular are easy to re-create or adapt to whatever suits your fancy!

Everything you need to get started is inside, including clear instruction, easy-to-follow patterns and introductory information on tools, materials and techniques. And every card featured is designed to fit inside a standard A-2 or #10 envelope, so mailing is as easy as sealing, stamping and addressing. Tips, tricks and ideas for personalization help you create unique cards that their recipients will remember for a long time to come.

The creator of the viral hit "Empathy Cards" teams up with a compassion expert to produce a visually stunning and groundbreaking illustrated guide to help you increase your emotional intelligence and learn how to offer comfort and support when someone you know is in pain.

When someone you know is hurting, you want to let her know that you care. But many people don't know what words to use—or are afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing. This thoughtful, instructive guide, from empathy expert Dr. Kelsey Crowe and greeting card maverick Emily McDowell, blends well-researched, actionable advice with the no-nonsense humor and the signature illustration style of McDowell's immensely popular Empathy Cards, to help you feel confident in connecting with anyone experiencing grief, loss, illness, or any other difficult situation.

Written in a how-to, relatable, we've-all-been-that-deer-in-the-headlights kind of way, There Is No Good Card for This isn't a spiritual treatise on how to make you a better person or a scientific argument about why compassion matters. It is a helpful illustrated guide to effective compassion that takes you, step by step by step, past the paralysis of thinking about someone in a difficult time to actually doing something (or nothing) with good judgment instead of fear.

There Is No Good Card for This features workbook exercises, sample dialogs, and real-life examples from Dr. Crowe's research, including her popular "Empathy Bootcamps" that give people tools for building relationships when it really counts. Whether it's a coworker whose mother has died, a neighbor whose husband has been in a car accident, or a friend who is seriously ill, There Is No Good Card for This teaches you how to be the best friend you can be to someone in need.

This extra-special selection features 236 gorgeous designs to stitch for all occasions – there's a card for every celebration! This essential collection of cards includes birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, weddings, Father's Day, Mother's Day and much, much more – you'll never be stuck for a card idea again! With charts from your favourite designers, there's a whole world of different styles at your fingertips, so you're sure to find a card you'd like to stitch for the ones you love. Inside this issue: ✱ Stitch a gorgeous greeting for all the family, plus great ideas for friends too! ✱ Beautiful designs to celebrate weddings and wedding anniversaries ✱ Congratulations on your… new home, graduation, passing your driving test… and much, much more ✱ You'll love these adorable animal pairs – they're ideal for Valentine's Day ✱ Cute caravan cards to make you smile!