Craft Blog

Chip board, the new craze in the crafting business.  You can create some very cute craft projects using chipboard.  So what is it you ask?  Chipboard is basically the thin hard-pressed cardboard you see as cereal boxes or many other dry goods.  It’s what they use to keep things from bending.  It’s very cheap, and easy to come by.  Thus using chip board to create great crafts has become the newest craze in the arts and craft business.  To give you a better on the uses of chip board, let me give a few examples of how you can use it to create some really great crafts.

How to use Chip board
If you can think of it, you can probably do it with chip board.  After you have acquired some chip board one of the things you can do with it is paint it.  Some companies make paint specifically designed for painting chip board.  These paints usually have less water so will not saturate your paper or make it warp, and are generally acid free (which makes it great for scrapbooking).  If you don’t want to pay the big bucks for the stuff you buy at the scrapbook stores, acrylic paint will work just as good.  Once you’ve painted it you can use it with ribbons, stamps,

Creating great craft ideas
There are a number of different ways you can use chip board so here are a few ideas:
 Create your own embellishments- You can use chip board to make some great embellishments in scrapbooks, cards, or any type of paper project you are doing.  Because it is extremely cheap you don’t have to worry about making mistakes and having to spend a fortune on re-doing the page, or starting over with a new card.  They make your creations really stand out.
 Add dimension- using chip board can really add depth to crafting project.  You can cut chip board to whatever shapes you want and place them behind letters, words, or pictures to create a "pop" on your paper. 
 Create your own alphabet- who knew that you could create such cute looking alphabet letters at such a cheap price.  By simply stamping letters onto cardstock you can then attach them to the chipboard and create your own sayings.  You can use any font you want (purchased of course), and any colors.
 Making gift tags- simply make your tag, attach it to the chip board, and add any embellishments such as ribbon, letters. Etc.  It’s really that simple.
 Mini Albums

Some Ideas on just using Chip board
Here are some fun and creative things you can do to make your chip board more exiting to look at and use.
 Use colored ribbon to design words on your chip board
 If you want to make your chip board look shiny just cover it with versamark ink and apply a UTEE heat setting.  The UTEE comes in different colors and also clear.
 Attach fabric or ribbon to your chip board using xyron spray adhesive.  You can also use this spray to attach objects such as shells, or small rocks.
 You can use glue dots (purchased at any craft of scrapbook store) to attach any sort of button you like.  You can cover the entire board, or just use them as embellishments.  Denim and velvet look great on chip board.
 You can use eyelets, and brads to decorate your chip board.  Just be sure that the chip board itself is not too thick or you will have a hard time getting them through. 
 Use embossing glitter if you like that look.  Regular glitter tends to get really messy on chip board.
 A metallic look can be achieved with your chip board by using leafing pens. 
 Create collages right on the chip board using photos and stickers.  Just trim off the excess and it looks great.

Hopefully this will get you started on using chipboard to create great crafts.  Once you try it, you’ll never turn back.  It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s fun.  You can’t beat that.

Paper crafting has become much more than simply cutting and pasting today.  It has become much more complex and detailed and thus more people are taking to paper creations.  Here is a look at the top five paper crafts (in no specific order).  Keep in mind these may not be your top 5 paper crafting projects, but may become such after reading about them.  They are quite intriguing.

1. Origami.  Who know that the ancient oriental art would be such a hit in the United States?  This art has been part of many cultures for a long time, but began with a story of a Japanese girl named Sadako.  He quest as a dying girl was to fold 1000 paper cranes, and apparently the story caught on.  The most popular symbol for origami is of course the crane, but it has taken many other forms since then.  Not all origami styles today have originated in Japan but are considered now one art under the title "origami."  You can find many different kinds of origami paper such as foil-back, two-toned, and patterned paper depending on the look you are going for.  Origami has become an art form today as many upcoming and established origami artists have proven. 
2. Cards.  It is probably no surprise to you that making cards and gift tags has become extremely popular today.  With so many options available to the avid card maker it makes it so easy to produce a great outcome.  From Holiday cards, to birthday cards; thank you cards, to announcements; you can create a card for every occasion you need one.  There are also many new crazes that give card maker endless possibilities.  Embossing, stamping, using embellishments, and now the latest craze, chip board; these are all just the tip of the ice berg with card making. 
3. Paper weaving.  This may not be one of your favorites, but there are enough people out there who love it to make my top five list.  Weaving is the process of forming cloth fabric (or in this case paper) on a loom by interlacing them.  I’m sure we have all heard of basket weaving; well this is the same only with paper.  Kids especially love this craft because they are fairly quick (depending on the project) and easy to catch on.  These are fun to use in paper quilts because they add dimension and creativity; some have actually weaved paper baskets, and many people have also used them in their scrapbooks to add a bit of a flare.  Whichever way you use them they’re always a hit.
4. Holiday craft items.  I know this is a very general statement but it seems that as you get closer to the holiday seasons crafting becomes more popular.  The paper Thanksgiving Turkey is very popular among children, as are the angels and any sort of Santa Clause.  Snow flakes are also extremely popular.  Of course there is always your typical Valentines card, Father’s and Mother’s day paper crafts, and let’s not forget all those spring flowers that come out during Easter.  Everyone loves the holiday seasons and paper crafting always seems to make its way out during these times especially.
5. Quilling.  This was actually a foreign term to me, but for those who know a lot about paper crafting quilling is quite an art.  Defined as the art of creating decorative designs fro thin strips of curled paper.  Quilling has been around since the Renaissance age.  How it works is that with the use of some simple tools you tightly wind long strips of paper to make forms some very complex shapes.  It has also become quite popular to create three dimensional quilling crafts.  Much more complex in design but very cool looking.  You can be as simple or detailed as you like with these. 

These of course may not be your top five paper crafts but give them a try, you might be surprised at how hooked you become.  

There are so many different ways to use paper today in craft making it’s hard to know where to begin.  Creating great paper crafts can be easy and fun.  There are also some easy ways in making your paper crafts last a little longer.

Gift Cards/ Gift tags
Gift cards and gift tags are a fun way to use paper.  You can buy some very cute and stylish paper at any craft or scrapbook store.  You can make gift cards and gift tags for any occasion really, birthday’s, thank you notes, Christmas, Halloween, Mother’s day, and the list could go on and on.  Or maybe you just want to make a stack of cards to have on hand in case you need them for something.  One way to make your card or tag last longer is by wrapping it with some clear heavy duty cellophane paper.  You might have seen other cards like this in the store, but if you don’t want the paper to bend or rip, this is a great way to keep and store them so they last longer.  This also helps embellishments from getting snagged or caught on things. 

Scrapbook Pages
It’s probably no surprise to you that scrap booking has become one of the most popular was to keep your pictures and memories.  There are not very many people who just put their pictures in an album and leave them.  With so many cute papers to buy at craft and scrapbook stores why would you want to?  As you create your great scrapbook pages, keep in mind these helpful tips on how to make your pages last longer.  Always use archival quality products.  I am not just talking about he paper you use; everything!  It does not good if you are using archival paper, without archival inks and adhesives.  The paper will last, but the ink will start to bleed or discolor and the adhesives will begin to loosen.  Archival products are acid free and will not discolor thus lasting much longer than non archival.

Holiday decorations
If you are planning on making some great holiday craft decorations out of paper and want them to last more than one holiday season you will want to make sure to take some precautions before and after you make them.  If it is a decoration that will be hanging somewhere make sure that you choose some heavy duty paper.  Don’t just use your regular computer paper, as this will tear very easily.  You can also buy some clear sprays or glues that you can paint on to your paper after you have finished with your project.  The objective of the glue is to make the paper stiff and give it a longer life.  You can also buy contact paper and use that over your paper crafts.  It is sort of like laminating them, just a little cheaper. 

Whatever it is you may be thinking of crafting with paper you should always look at the type of paper you are buying.  Believe it or not, paper comes in different weights and thickness.  Thin paper obviously is not so durable but may be easier to mold into what you are making.  Thicker paper may last longer just due to its thickness.  If you want to make crafts that you want to hang think about laminating them when you are done.  Laminating anything makes it last forever because it becomes virtually impossible to tear.  There are lots of different ways to make your paper crafts last longer, it really depends on what you are making.  Go into your local craft or scrapbook store and ask for some helpful advice and good luck.

Everybody loves to receive stuff for free and paper crafters are no different. In fact if you do paper crafting for a hobby you are probably always on the look out for new paper craft ideas. Some of your best resources to find these ideas are through magazine subscriptions, there are numerous magazines that are dedicated to the world of crafting, or you can attend crafting classes for a small registration fee. But if you don’t want to spend money on obtaining paper craft ideas the good news is that there are ways to get the ideas for free.

Here are some tips on where to find great paper craft ideas for free.

Tip one:
One of the best places to find great paper craft ideas for free is online through the use of search engines. The internet is a great resource when it comes to looking for any type of project idea. There are numerous websites that offer free craft ideas for kids and adults; they also offer numerous craft ideas for a variety of different levels. All you need to do to find these websites is to type in "paper craft ideas" into a search engine and you will get back thousands of results. Some websites might require you to register with their website for free (meaning no paid dues or memberships) in order to access their information, but it could be worth it.

Tip two:
Another great place to find free paper craft ideas is on television. There are numerous day time television shows that offer craft segments or that dedicates their entire show to a variety of different craft ideas. You can usually get the instructions and supplies that you will need from the television show directly. But if you need patterns or other items to complete the craft you have two choices you can mail in a request or you can print the pattern from the television or craft shows website. Keep in mind that many of your day time news programs will also provide craft ideas during holiday seasons.

Tip three:
While this might not seem entirely ethical to you it happens rather often in the crafting world to help people get ideas, so you shouldn’t feel guilty. Besides the fact most of these ideas are available in craft stores or online as well. But what some people will do is go to boutiques or craft shows at the fairgrounds to see what other people are making. By looking at what other people are making you can get new ideas of your own or you can think of ways to improve what others are making. Or you can simply make what others are making.

Tip four:
Another great place to find paper craft ideas for free is your local fabric or craft stores. Many times they will have fliers that offer classes (sometimes these classes are for free) that will teach you how to make certain crafts. Or you can find other people to talk to inside the stores who have the same passion for paper crafting that you do and get ideas for them. Often times craft stores will put out a calendar that offers a list of the crafts they will be focusing on that month, and some of them include free instructions. But keep in mind that not all of your craft or fabric stores will do this.

Tip five:
If you don’t currently have a subscription to a crafting magazine you can still find out what is inside the issue. One of the best places to go to read and look at magazines thoroughly is the library; they will even let you photocopy the pages you need. But the best thing about libraries is in addition to the magazines they also carry numerous books on the subject.

Everybody loves to receive stuff for free and paper crafters are no different. In fact if you do paper crafting for a hobby you are probably always on the look out for new paper craft ideas. Some of your best resources to find these ideas are through magazine subscriptions, there are numerous magazines that are dedicated to the world of crafting, or you can attend crafting classes for a small registration fee. But if you don’t want to spend money on obtaining paper craft ideas the good news is that there are ways to get the ideas for free.

Here are some tips on where to find great paper craft ideas for free.

Tip one:
One of the best places to find great paper craft ideas for free is online through the use of search engines. The internet is a great resource when it comes to looking for any type of project idea. There are numerous websites that offer free craft ideas for kids and adults; they also offer numerous craft ideas for a variety of different levels. All you need to do to find these websites is to type in "paper craft ideas" into a search engine and you will get back thousands of results. Some websites might require you to register with their website for free (meaning no paid dues or memberships) in order to access their information, but it could be worth it.

Tip two:
Another great place to find free paper craft ideas is on television. There are numerous day time television shows that offer craft segments or that dedicates their entire show to a variety of different craft ideas. You can usually get the instructions and supplies that you will need from the television show directly. But if you need patterns or other items to complete the craft you have two choices you can mail in a request or you can print the pattern from the television or craft shows website. Keep in mind that many of your day time news programs will also provide craft ideas during holiday seasons.

Tip three:
While this might not seem entirely ethical to you it happens rather often in the crafting world to help people get ideas, so you shouldn’t feel guilty. Besides the fact most of these ideas are available in craft stores or online as well. But what some people will do is go to boutiques or craft shows at the fairgrounds to see what other people are making. By looking at what other people are making you can get new ideas of your own or you can think of ways to improve what others are making. Or you can simply make what others are making.

Tip four:
Another great place to find paper craft ideas for free is your local fabric or craft stores. Many times they will have fliers that offer classes (sometimes these classes are for free) that will teach you how to make certain crafts. Or you can find other people to talk to inside the stores who have the same passion for paper crafting that you do and get ideas for them. Often times craft stores will put out a calendar that offers a list of the crafts they will be focusing on that month, and some of them include free instructions. But keep in mind that not all of your craft or fabric stores will do this.

Tip five:
If you don’t currently have a subscription to a crafting magazine you can still find out what is inside the issue. One of the best places to go to read and look at magazines thoroughly is the library; they will even let you photocopy the pages you need. But the best thing about libraries is in addition to the magazines they also carry numerous books on the subject.

Are you the type of person who enjoys making paper crafts? Do you make paper crafts to sell? Do you make paper crafts to give out as gifts for special occasions? Or are you the type of person who enjoys decorating your home with paper crafts that you have made? If you answered yes to any of the questions above you might have run into the problem that your paper crafts don’t last as long as other decorations. One major problem that people are experiencing whether they are decorating their house or making things to sell is that their paper crafts or their other crafts with paper accents are deteriorating faster than they would like. If this has happened to you the good news is that there are ways to help make your paper crafts last longer than average, maybe even as long as your lifetime.

Here are some tips on how to make your paper crafts last longer.

Tip one:
One of the ways that you can make your paper crafts last a lifetime is to use acid free paper for your paper craft projects. Everybody knows that over time normal paper can deteriorate or turn yellow, not to mention it can also affect the objects that are surrounding the paper, such as photos. The reason that this happens is that the acids that are inside the paper start to cause things to break down over time. The good news is that over time we have developed acid free paper which helps to save the colors of your paper, as well as prevent it from breaking down.

Tip two:
Another thing that you can do to help make your paper crafts last longer is after making the project you can paint it with a glue and water mix. To make this mix you will need to mix two cups of glue to one part of water and lightly coat your paper craft. This will increase the durability of the paper so it won’t lose its shape. You might have to reapply the glue and water mix as time goes on.

Tip three:
Everybody knows that over time paper will fade in sunlight, how fast it fades depends on how exposed it is to the sun. So a great way to help preserve the colors of the paper is to not place paper crafts in direct sunlight, such as hanging paper crafts in windows or placing them on window sills.

Tip four:
Another great tip to help make your paper crafts last longer is to use an acrylic spray after you have finished the project. This spray works similar to the glue and water mixture that was mentioned above, except that the spray works better for painted surfaces. In fact if you have painted the paper you don’t want to use the glue and water mixture because you can cause the colors in the paint to run. You can also use varnish instead of the acrylic spray, but with the varnish you will have to paint it on rather than spray it on.

Tip five:
Since your paper crafts are not always on display another way to help them last a lifetime is to properly store them. When storing your paper crafts you are going to want to store them in a room that provides a stable humidity and temperature, you don’t want to expose any kind of paper to extreme temperatures, whether high or low. Basically the best place to store these paper crafts is on the main floor of your home next to an inside wall, but you also want to keep the place relatively free from light. You also want to store them in a plastic box that is made up of polyester or polyethylene.

Are you the type of person who enjoys making paper crafts? Do you make paper crafts to sell? Do you make paper crafts to give out as gifts for special occasions? Or are you the type of person who enjoys decorating your home with paper crafts that you have made? If you answered yes to any of the questions above you might have run into the problem that your paper crafts don’t last as long as other decorations. One major problem that people are experiencing whether they are decorating their house or making things to sell is that their paper crafts or their other crafts with paper accents are deteriorating faster than they would like. If this has happened to you the good news is that there are ways to help make your paper crafts last longer than average, maybe even as long as your lifetime.

Here are some tips on how to make your paper crafts last longer.

Tip one:
One of the ways that you can make your paper crafts last a lifetime is to use acid free paper for your paper craft projects. Everybody knows that over time normal paper can deteriorate or turn yellow, not to mention it can also affect the objects that are surrounding the paper, such as photos. The reason that this happens is that the acids that are inside the paper start to cause things to break down over time. The good news is that over time we have developed acid free paper which helps to save the colors of your paper, as well as prevent it from breaking down.

Tip two:
Another thing that you can do to help make your paper crafts last longer is after making the project you can paint it with a glue and water mix. To make this mix you will need to mix two cups of glue to one part of water and lightly coat your paper craft. This will increase the durability of the paper so it won’t lose its shape. You might have to reapply the glue and water mix as time goes on.

Tip three:
Everybody knows that over time paper will fade in sunlight, how fast it fades depends on how exposed it is to the sun. So a great way to help preserve the colors of the paper is to not place paper crafts in direct sunlight, such as hanging paper crafts in windows or placing them on window sills.

Tip four:
Another great tip to help make your paper crafts last longer is to use an acrylic spray after you have finished the project. This spray works similar to the glue and water mixture that was mentioned above, except that the spray works better for painted surfaces. In fact if you have painted the paper you don’t want to use the glue and water mixture because you can cause the colors in the paint to run. You can also use varnish instead of the acrylic spray, but with the varnish you will have to paint it on rather than spray it on.

Tip five:
Since your paper crafts are not always on display another way to help them last a lifetime is to properly store them. When storing your paper crafts you are going to want to store them in a room that provides a stable humidity and temperature, you don’t want to expose any kind of paper to extreme temperatures, whether high or low. Basically the best place to store these paper crafts is on the main floor of your home next to an inside wall, but you also want to keep the place relatively free from light. You also want to store them in a plastic box that is made up of polyester or polyethylene.

Are you having a hard time keeping up with the latest trends in paper crafting? Do you enjoy knowing what the in thing to do is? If paper crafting is a hobby of yours you might want to know what the latest trends are so that you are not left behind.

Here are some of the latest trends in paper crafting.

Trend one:
Mini albums are currently one of the hottest trends in paper crafts. One of the reasons for this is the thought of completing a large scrapbook can be rather overwhelming, so to help take off the pressure people started doing albums based on certain events. This trend led to more people becoming involved in scrapbooking than ever. And the best thing is you can do a mini album with or without photographs. Some of the more popular mini albums are brag books for grandparents (mostly Grandmas), graduation albums full of quotes from friends and neighbors, bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, etc.

Trend two:
To some of us this trend might sound a little weird, but one of the current trends in paper crafting is our pets. In our world today pets are starting to take a front seat, and for many people pets have replaced children, so why shouldn’t we make them a huge part of our lives by recording information about them. People have started making fancy books to record their pets shots or the create scrapbooks to record their dog’s performances in dog shows, etc.

Trend three:
Ribbon is another popular trend in paper crafting. It used to be that ribbons were only used for wrapping packages, but now a day all kinds of crafts can be embellished with a bow or rather than using paper you can use ribbons. Because of this latest trend you can find ribbons in all shape and sizes, you can also find them in a large variety of colors (similar to a crayon box), you can even find ribbons that are patterned. But the stuff doesn’t stop there with more and more people using ribbons in there crafts you can find ribbon irons and special glue that is designed strictly for ribbons.

Trend four:
Most of you have probably heard the term "bling" on occasion, especially if you have teenage children, but some of you might not be familiar with what "bling" is. "Bling" basically means more sparkle, flash or pizzazz. In some people’s opinion you can never have to much sparkle so they have started adding all sorts of things to dress up their paper crafts. People who use "bling" tend to use more glitter, jewels, beads, metallic paint or ink, etc all to dress up their paper crafts.

Trend five:
Another trend in paper crafting is the use of geometrics, which is the use of shapes. The most popular shape that is being used currently is circles. You can find circles on most any project. Circles are being used as parts of backgrounds, as elements, the main part of the project, etc. Other popular shapes include squares, triangles, rectangles, and ovals. You can find that these shapes are being used the same way that circles are, but circles are more popular because they are usually used for the symbol of life.

Trend six:
Another popular trend in the world of paper crafting is chipboard. When people first started using chipboard it only came in its natural color, soon after it became popular it was also available in white. But today you can find chipboard available in almost any color you can think of. If you can’t find the exact color that you are looking for you can still alter the chipboard to your tastes by using chalks, paints, inks or a combination of those items. You can also cover your chipboard using paper or fabrics. One of the most popular uses of chipboard is chipboard alphabets that are larger in size (5" or larger) for monograms. You can either buy chipboard sheets and die cut or own or buy pre-made chipboard shapes or letters.

Scrapbooking is one of the funniest ways to store your pictures because aside from keeping your pictures in a safe place, you get to display your pictures in a fun and creative manner. You also can tell the story behind the picture with how you create the pages. One of the best things about scrapbooking is you don’t have to be a professional to do it, by simply using your imagination and being creative you can scrapbook with the best of them. One of the great things about scrapbooking is you can buy pre-made kits or you can create your own using stencils, paper, and other art and craft supplies. But the fun doesn’t stop there; the good news is with scrapbooking you can finally empty out those boxes of pictures that you have been storing in your closet for the last ten years.

Here is a list of the supplies you will need to start scrapbooking.
 Photo Albums – Photo albums come in two standard sizes, 8.5" x 11" and 12" x 12", but you can use smaller albums what you use is up to you. You can also choose from a variety of different kinds of albums such as 3-ring binders or D-ring binders, post-bound albums, or strap-hinge albums to name a few.
 Sheet protectors – you will need to buy these separately if you choose to use 3-ring or D-ring binders, otherwise most other types of photo albums come with their own sheet protectors.
 Adhesive – what kind of adhesive you use is going to depend on what you are doing and what you prefer. A favorite type of adhesive is glue sticks, most people use glue sticks for the embellishments and any journaling that is to be put on the page. Photo tabs are recommended for pictures because that way you don’t have to tear apart the page if you want to take the picture out to make copies. There are other adhesives out there, just keep in mind no matter what you use you need to make sure that it is acid-free.
 Paper – this besides pictures is probably the most important part of scrapbooking, without the paper you wouldn’t have the backgrounds and designs. You can choose patterned paper, but if using patterned paper you should mat your photo on solid paperYou can also choose solid colors, and if you mat your picture with a solid background you don’t want to use patterned paper for the same reason as above. You can also use old greeting cards to help add decoration to your page. No matter what paper you choose just make sure that it is acid-free, many craft stores sell scrapbooking paper.
 Journaling tools – You can use a black pen to journal by hand or you can use a typewriter or computer, but again make sure that you use acid-free paper.
 Photos – One thing that you can do is separate your photos into activities or ages and start from there or you can start with your most recent photos. Just choose whatever method you feel is the best.

While those are the basic supplies you are going to need to begin scrapbooking there are other supplies out there that you can buy. Many of these optional supplies are going to be tools that you can use to spice up your scrapbook pages. Here are some other popular supplies that are used in scrapbooking.
 Stickers – You can find stickers for almost every occasion, and best of all they are rather inexpensive.
 Tags – You can buy plain tags and decorate them yourself or you can buy pre-decorated tags that you cut out and add to your scrapbook.
 Cut-outs or punch-outs – both of these are the same thing except that one requires the use of scissors. But they can come in all types of forms including letters, numbers, tags, toys, etc.
 Punches – you can buy punches in a variety of shapes and sizes to use to punch your own shapes and stuff out of paper.
 Embellishments – this can include lace, stamps, glitter, craft beads, etc.

Are you one of those people who send out greeting cards for every occasion? Are you tired of buying your own greeting cards? Do you think you can create better greeting cards than what is currently being offered? No matter what the situation is the good news is you can now create your own greeting cards on the computer that are just as good as any greeting card you purchase in the store. You can create cards for any type of occasion, such as birthdays, Christmas, New Year’s, and Groundhog’s Day. You can even create greeting cards for your own special occasions.

Here are the steps you should follow to create a greeting card for any occasion.

Step one:
The first thing that you need to do is to make sure that you have the right kind of saoftware on your computer to create greeting cards. You can use desktop publishing software such as PageMaker or InDesign or you can buy software that is specifically designed for creating greeting cards, such as Hallmark Card Studio or Art Explosion Greeting Card Factory. But whichever software you are going to use you want to become familiar with the basic operation of the software before you begin making greeting cards.

Step two:
Now you are going to need to think about what kind of greeting card format you are going to create. You are going to need to decide what you are making the card for, what style of card you want to use and what size card you are going to create. Knowing this stuff ahead of time will help speed up the process of making the greeting card.

Step three:
Now you are going to need to set up a greeting card document. Depending on what kind of software you are using you can use a wizard to help you create a greeting card, use a blank template or create your own template. If you are using letter sized paper rather than specialty paper you should create a folded dummy and mark the various sections of the card so you know which way to insert the paper when you are going to print.

Step four:
Now you need to choose the graphics that are going to be displayed in your card. You can choose one or two images or you can choose five to six, how many you choose depends on what you want to do and how much room you have. You can use images that come with your software or you can find other images online. Images can be found for any type of situation. After you have placed the graphics on the card you should make any modifications to size or color that need to be made, but some graphics won’t require these modifications.

Step five:
Now you need to choose a font style and size for your greeting card. You can use various styles and sizes on your greeting card depending on what you are doing. If you want to give it a more uniform look you should stick with the same font throughout the card. Just remember your font and graphics should both match the message you are trying to send, don’t use fun types of font with somber images. After choosing the font you are going to need to arrange where your font is going to go, sometimes using grids can help you figure out the right places for the various images and text that will be included in your card.

Step six:
Now that everything has been done you need to double check to make sure that your card has a consistent look and feel to it. You also need to proofread your card for spelling errors.

Step seven:
Now you need to print a practice card before printing it on the specialty paper. After printing the practice card you need to make sure everything lines up correctly when the card is folded, that the margins and alignment are correct and that the card printed out correctly.

While using computer software is a easy way to make greeting cards for all occasions you can also create your own cards by using heavy duty paper, markers, pictures, embellishments, and glue.