Crafts and Card-Making Ideas
- Homemade cards add a personal touch.arts and crafts image by Gina Smith from Fotolia.com
Crafts are great activities for all ages and a wonderful way to let your creativity shine. Crafts and homemade cards can be used as gifts, decorations or simply a fun way to pass the time. Many of the tools for making a great craft project are readily available at home. - Die-cuts are usually made by a machine that punches out decorative shapes in paper or other materials, but you can make own version using an X-acto knife or scissors. To make a dynamic die-cut card, fold a sheet of colored paper or cardstock into a card shape and cut a design out of the front. The colorful inside of the card will now show through.
Clever die-cut designs might show a peek-a-boo image through the cut-out window on the front that is part of a totally different image on the inside. - Collages are an easy way to create dynamic, expressive homemade cards. Collages might include old magazines or photographs, unusual materials like felt, thin colored plastic or waxed paper, and tactile elements like ribbon and pipe cleaners. Other elements like rubber stamps, stickers and hand drawings can also add humor and personality to your card.
Secure collage materials to your card using a strong craft glue or rubber cement. Collage cards may also be stitched together using a sharp craft needle and colorful yarn or embroidery floss. - Make simple paper carnations by stacking several squares of tissue paper on top of each other and folding them in half into a rectangle shape. Cut a petal-like fringe along the three non-creased sides of the tissue paper, then snip small triangles from each separate ply. Twist the flower in the center of the creased edge to create the flower and help your carnation "bloom" by gently pulling individual layers down. Finish by attaching a green stem made from paper or chenille with glue or a wire hook.
- Silk screen your own design on a set of personalized cards or stationary by making your own home silk-screen kit, which acts like a high-quality stencil. First, stretch a piece of curtain material or organdy over an embroidery hoop or other simple frame and attach it with glue or staples. Make the silk screening "ink" by mixing liquid laundry starch with tempera paint in the desired color. Cut out a simple design in newspaper and place it under the material and embroidery hoop. Apply some of the tempera paint mixture to the curtain screen using a squeegee so that the newspaper sticks to the underside. Print your design on cards by setting them underneath the hoop and newspaper, applying more tempera paint to the top of the screen and running the squeegee evenly over the surface. You can use this simple home silk screen to make up to 50 impressions on cards or other crafts.
- If you have a puzzle missing some pieces, you can give it a new life as a personalized puzzle picture frame. Start with a piece of cardboard slightly larger than the photo you wish to frame. Use an acid-free glue stick to adhere the photo to it. Frame the photo on each side with four Popsicle or craft sticks and secure them to each other using hot glue. Decorate several puzzle pieces with paint and glitter and set aside to dry. Attach the puzzle pieces to the Popsicle stick frame with glue, then attach the completed frame to the cardboard backing with more glue. Add beads, glitter and buttons as desired.
