Gift cards with their own hands

Today’s masters and craftswomen use a lot of techniques for card making. All of them are distinguished by creativity, individuality and special elegance, because, whatever you say, the creation of a postcard – it’s a real art!

How did the greeting card come into being?

Let’s first find out when and how this pleasant tradition to congratulate each other with postcards appeared. There are several versions of the “open letter”. The Chinese believe that the prototype of a greeting card was a business card. The Chinese version says that the visitor should have left it in case he/she had not found the person celebrating the event at home.

In Europe, the first surviving greeting card dates from the 15th century and is kept in the British Museum. However, the real popularity of this tradition came much later. In England at the beginning of the XIX century, cards were sent to each other at Easter, Christmas and St. Patrick’s Day. In 1795 there was the first series of Christmas cards, and a few years later they started to sell them in postal paper stores.

A few words about the modern card

The art of greeting card making has a beautiful but rather complicated name: card making. The basis of any card is cardboard. For decoration, experts recommend using any material that you can not only buy, but also find in the closet or attic. With such a variety of materials, postcards are really bright and interesting.

In addition to cardboard and decor, you will need auxiliary tools. Most commonly, you need scissors, a utility knife, double-sided tape, a glue gun, and more. Their choice depends on the technique of designing a postcard. It is not necessary to have design skills. You can choose the design of your future postcard from the master-classes of those who have mastered this art to perfection.

frame greeting cards

How do I make a quilling card?

One of the most popular ways to decorate postcards is the quilling technique. The main material for decorating in this case are thin strips of colored paper. You can make them yourself, but it is better to use ready-made sets for quilling.

To create the main elements of the composition, the ribbon for quilling should be twisted on the base, dissolve and give the element the shape of an oval, a drop, a leaf, a triangle, etc. The center of the part can be exactly in the middle or be displaced to the edge. The tip of the ribbon should be fixed with glue. Once all the basic details for the composition are ready, you can start placing them on the cardboard and fixing them.

Postcards in the “vintage” style

It is no secret that vintage products are becoming increasingly popular. This trend can be seen not only in the manner of dressing and decorating your home. So, for example, a pleasant and fashionable gift will be an artificially aged postcard. You can give the paper a vintage look in several ways:

Moisten the paper with coffee or tea and place it in a microwave or electric oven for a few minutes;

Lightly scorch the edges of the paper with a burning match or a lighter.

The decor for such a card should be chosen accordingly. Newspaper clippings, photos, coarse textiles and pieces of leather will look best on it.

Traditional ways to decorate a postcard

Scrapbooking die cutting

This type of decor is openwork details made of cardboard, leather, Kraft paper and other similar materials. It is possible to make a scrapbook yourself. For this you will need special knives and a manual machine, through which the cake made of knives, cardboard and protective plates is rolled. Of the parts thus obtained, you can create really fantastic compositions and complete them with greetings!

Old photos

If you are preparing a card for a person you know a long time ago, use old photos together to decorate it. First, such compositions look very stylish, as any retro products have been in the trend for many years. Secondly, photos, especially if we are talking about black and white images, will give the card a soulfulness. Such a gift will never be forgotten, it will certainly take a worthy place in the family collection of a loved one.

frame greeting cards

“Children’s” decor

In this category can be placed materials that will be appreciated by the youngest fans of card making. To make a New Year card or a gift for a friend’s birthday, you can use ordinary buttons. Another favorite material of children is regular Plasticine. With its help, funny animals, charming houses and Christmas trees with fantastic toys on the branches appear on the surface of the cardboard.

Original variants of decoration

Supplement, the list of materials for card making can be ad infinitum. When decorating cards, masters use satin ribbons, rhinestones, beads, fabric, pieces of leather and much more. And the technique of decorating can be not only traditional, but also quite original.

Kirigami

This type of art has appeared quite recently in Japan. Its “father” – the architect Masahiro Tyatani, created these three-dimensional masterpieces using only scissors. The material for the production of kirigami is a thin paper. It is cut and folded in a special way, so the composition becomes three-dimensional and expressive. For postcards, krigami technique is used recently, but it does not prevent her gaining increasing popularity.

Kanzashi

Like the previous method of decoration, kanzashi appeared in Japan. This type of needlework is translated as “hairpin”, but it can be used to decorate not only the head, but also postcards. The main material for making compositions in the technique of kanzashi is silk. From small squares of brightly colored fabric, rolled in the form of petals, masters put a stunning beauty of flowers. To fix details with each other, they use glue or a lighter.

Collages

This type of art implies the use of heterogeneous materials to create a composition. The postcards obtained with the help of collage resemble the masterpieces of Pablo Picasso, but therein lies their uniqueness. The most popular materials for creating collages are pieces of wallpaper, oilcloth, printed ads, textiles and wicker. You can complement the ensemble with a fragment of one of the great master’s surrealist paintings.

The shape of the card

Talking about the methods of decorating a greeting card, we missed such a detail as the choice of form. Of course, the most common shape for cards that are handmade is the classic greeting card, but this shape is not required. You can make it in a beautiful box “with a secret”, an envelope, a heart, etc. An interesting solution is a card with a mat. Inside the frame you can put a greeting, a thematic drawing or any decorations.

Choosing a way to decorate

It is impossible to describe all the ways of decorating, because almost each of them deserves a separate article. How to navigate in this variety and choose the technique that suits you?

Let’s estimate the skills. Of course, it is better to create a card in the technique that you are already familiar with. So your masterpiece will look more refined and professional. And you’ll need less time to make it!

Analyze the occasion. This aspect can be called one of the main when choosing how to decorate and design a postcard. If we are talking about an invitation to a wedding, in this case the main trend in design will be romanticism. To congratulate the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity, choose floral motifs, and for men – strict decor options.

Study preferences. When choosing the technique and design of the composition, the character of the person to whom the card is intended is of great importance. Connoisseurs of vintage perfectly suits the design of a photo or scrapbooking, creative natures – collages, and lovers of originality – kirigami.

Can’t wait to start creating a “living” card? Use our expert advice and suggestions, get inspired, and get creative!

How do you display greeting cards in a frame?

There are many ways to display greeting cards in a frame. One way is to use a card holder. This is a piece of metal or plastic that has a number of slots or hooks to hold cards. The cards are inserted into the slots or hooks so that the front of the card is visible. Another way to display cards is to use a card stand. This is a small stand that has a number of slots or pegs to hold cards. The cards are inserted into the slots or pegs so that the front of the card is visible. A third way to display cards is to use a card rack. This is a piece of furniture that has a number of slots or shelves to hold cards. The cards are inserted into the slots or shelves so that the front of the card is visible.

How do you make cards into art?

There are many ways to make cards into art. One way is to simply use some type of adhesive to attach embellishments to the card. Another way is to use a die cutter to cut out shapes from cardstock, and then adhere them to the card. You can also use a stamp to add a design to the card.

How do you put a card on the wall?

greeting cards

To put a card on the wall, you can use a thumb tack or a push pin. You can also use a Command strip if you want to be able to remove the card later.

How do you make a card border?

There are a few different ways to make a card border. You can use a border punch, a die-cutter, or a template. If you are using a border punch, you will need a piece of paper that is at least twice as wide as the border punch. You will also need a ruler to help you measure and align the border punch. To use a border punch, first measure and mark the desired width of the border on the paper. Then align the border punch with the mark and use a ruler to punch the border. If you are using a die-cutter, you will need a piece of paper that is at least twice as wide as the desired border. You will also need a die-cutter that matches the shape of the border. To use a die-cutter, first measure and mark the desired width of the border on the paper. Then place the paper in the die-cutter and use the die-cutter to cut the border. If you are using a template, you will need a piece of paper that is at least twice as wide as the desired border. You will also need a template that matches the shape of the border. To use a template, first measure and mark the desired width of the border on the paper. then place the paper in the template and trace the border.