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Tuesday, 27 December 2011

The Charm Of Handmade Christmas Cards

By Elsie Brown


Christmas is the season for gift giving. We know we cannot afford to buy something special for everyone that we would like to but we can send inexpensive items. Putting together handmade Christmas cards is the perfect solution.

It certainly is not difficult to go to a local store and purchase cards. You are sending out good wishes, but even with imprinted cards or those with a family photo, they are still done by someone else. Nothing about them speaks of you.

There are many who have never crafted before and it would be foolish to choose an elaborate card. Keep the first ones you do simple. Some finished greetings may not look too complicated but view the how-to list and see all the steps that go into making just one. Supplies are purchased a a local craft store or through one of the many internet sights.

Craft magazines are an excellent source of patterns. Once again, the internet can find many patterns for making your own cards. Do not take on too much the first time. Unless you have had sufficient practice in painting skills it is best to use an array of materials to form your first cards. Ribbons, gold and silver papers, and even tinsel make great decorative pieces.

Never worry about beginning your project early in the year. Especially for the newcomers to crafting, you will find the holidays getting here sooner than you might think. Some people will even craft their items during summer months and store them until it is time to put them in the mail.

Making a list is very important. Doing greeting cards by hand are very time consuming. Check your list carefully and cross off anyone that you feel will not appreciate the effort you put them. This should cut your list in half. After that, go over the list again and remove anyone you are not sure of. By the time you are done you will have a list containing only the people that you know will treasure a greeting made by your hand.

The fun begins when you start to plan your project. The card you have found is not too hard but it is quite lovely in its simplicity. Never try and assemble cards too quickly. Your poor efforts will show and your creation will be much less attractive. If you are determined to make homemade cards, let the recipient know that you cared how it looked.

Assembling one card at a time becomes frustrating. So much so, you could find yourself giving up on the entire project. Preassemble pieces that you can. You can get the card stock all cut to proper size. If you have chosen to use a poinsettia, put those together too. The point is to have everything ready that is to be included. In doing so, your greetings will fall into place quickly and easily. Seeing the completed item will spur you on to get the others finished. Good luck and don't forget to have fun.




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