|
Holiday greeting cards were thought to have originated with the Egyptians who exchanged messages to celebrate their new year. By the 15th century, Europeans used wood engravings. Greeting cards as we know them today became popular in the 19th century largely due to the availability of printers and cheap delivery.
Greeting cards remain very popular today for the same reasons as in the 19th century as a wonderful way to bring friends and family closer together and strengthen relationships.
Cards are certainly more affordable and meaningful if you make them using your own creativity. Cards can be made using a wide variety of crafting methods, here a few ideas to get you started.
EMBROIDERING CARDS
Using a piece of Aida fabric hand cross stitch or machine embroider your favorite holiday pattern. Press the finished piece on the wrong side with a warm iron. Using a three section white note card cut a square, circle or oval frame out of the middle section on the card. For a perfect cut trace your framing hole with a crafting template. This will frame the cross-stitch.
Using a low temp glue gun, hot glue carefully around the edges of the cutout, and center the embroidery in the window. Next, Open the card and cover the left flap with a layer of glue. Fold the left hand flap to meet the embroidery piece to finish off the rough edge.
PATCHWORK CARDS
These cards use left over fabric scraps and rubber stamping to create a one-of-a-kind look for cards. Using the same 3 folded kind of note-card as we mentioned above, cut a shape out of the middle of the card. Your imagination is your only limit on what you could make but cutting a triangle makes an adorable Christmas tree. Next choose a small fabric scrap that will adequately cover the triangle and using small pieces of double stick tape cover the wrong side of the card so that the right side of the fabric fills the triangle. Set your sewing machine on a zig zag stitch and working on the top, stitch all the way around the triangle on the card. Don't forget to backstitch!
Follow the instructions above for gluing the flap closed to nicely finish the raw fabric side. the rest of the card can easily be decorated using rubber stamping supplies to add stars on the side of the tree or holiday greetings are also available on rubber mounted stamps for creating the inside of the card as well.
DIMENSIONAL CARDS
This kind of card uses embellished die cuts that are mounted on springs to add movement and whimsy to your card. You will need a regular folded note card, 5 inch long florist binding wire as well as acid free tape and glue for mounting. You will also need several die-cuts of acid free paper. Any scrapbook store and most craft stores will carry a wide variety of cut outs for you to choose from. Layout your holiday design the way you want it to look. Go ahead and glue on any background pieces. Set aside a couple of main subjects in your layout to mount on springs.
To make a spring, wind a piece of wire tightly around a pencil and carefully slide it off the top leaving the wire coiled. Attach one spring to the center of the subject on the wrong side and the other end to the card using acid free tape.
| 
