Let's face it, money is tight and there isn't much spare cash around to splash out on elaborate and expensive greeting cards. Be the occasion a birthday, an anniversary or a wedding, a greeting card is a sign of appreciation and it will be even more valued if not only the gift attached, but the greeting card itself shows, that effort and thought have gone into the creation.
Make use of digital camera
Fabulous greeting cards can be fashioned with the use of a digital camera. You need to take a lovely picture of your friends. Then, by using for instance a Pentax Optio E40, you will find a device which gives you the choice of three beautiful frames to put around the picture. Two are of different flowers, one is of flowers in the shape of a heart. Superimpose the frame on the picture. Edit with the help of for instance ACD Photo manager, download onto your computer and print out in whatever format you wish on glossy paper.The finished picture is then pasted onto folded and cut-to-size card board in a matching color.
Creating a picture frame
Another possibility is to print out the picture without superimposing a frame and creating a frame of your own design by gluing mulitcolored sequins around it, pasted directly onto the cardboard. The trick lies in the color schemes. Keep it in shades of pink or blue and you get a very sophisticated effect.
Instead of a picture of your friends and if you desire a more neutral effect, you can take closekups of flowers, enlarge and edit, again with the help of photo manager and paste on cardboard.
Using pressed flowers
If you do not wish to use photographs, you can create lovely greeting cards by using dried and pressed flowers. They are not easy to get hold off, but you can prepare a stock of your own. Collect flowers when they are in full bloom. Put between two sheets of blotter paper and press down with the weight of some heavy books. Change the paper from time to time as the juices are squeezed out and absorbed.
When the flowers are totally dry, preserve texture and color by painting them over with clear nail varnish or spraying them. Let dry thoroughly and preserve between sheets of tissue paper until needed. Apart from the flowers, fal lprovidedsyou with a collection of beautifully colored leaves. They are dried and pressed in the same way and, combined with the flowers, make pretty designs for greeting cards.
The possibilities are endless and there are no limits to your creative talents.
Inka Piegsa-Quischotte - Since two years I am a full time travel and lifestyle writer and blogger. I published several articles and blogs on ...
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