by Silva Payne

Created on: March 04, 2011

There can be no doubt that greeting cards are becoming more expensive. While many occasions will only require a simple card as a token of your thoughts, finding a special greetings card that costs less than a gift would can be difficult. If you are keen on crafts then home made greeting cards could be the answer.

With a home made card you can add personalised touches to the design to make the card truly unique. If the card is for a special occasion such as a wedding, anniversary or birthday, you can co-ordinate the colours and embellishments you choose with the recipient's favourites.

Making home made cards requires only a small amount of equipment. You will need some good quality card stock, with matching or co-ordinating envelopes. These can be purchased at most stationary stores.

Cards that have an extra section that can be folded in behind the front are ideal. Often they have a pre-cut hole in the front of the card that will neatly frame a picture or motif. Folding the extra section in helps to keep the card neat and will hide any lose ends of ribbon or adhesive from view.

Beyond the card and envelopes, the kinds of decoration you use on your cards is only limited by your imagination. Stickers, photographs, beads, buttons, lace and ribbon, glitter and fancy yarns can all be used. You may also want to include some hand drawn elements, or use some rubber stamps with a variety of ink pads.

It is a good idea to work out the design you want to use in advance. Take a sheet of paper either the same size as your card will be, or with the size and shape of the card drawn onto it. Then arrange the decorations onto the paper, including any words (check the spelling!) until you are happy with the overall look.

Now you can start to add the decorations to your card. Begin with any background colours, or with any cutting that may need to be done with a craft knife or special shaped hole punch.

Build your card up in layers, giving it plenty of time for any adhesive to dry between adding more items. Adhesive that goes on white but dries clear is the best to use for paper on paper, or fabric on paper designs.

Remember that the more you add to the card, the more space you will need in the envelope. A highly decorated card may fit better into a shallow box instead of a traditional envelope.

Finish your hand made card by either writing a greeting inside, or by using a rubber stamp or clear-backed sticker or transfer.

Hand made cards are a great activity for children to take part in, particularly at Christmas, Easter and for special family occasions.

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