Thursday, April 29, 2010

Holiday card making ideas

There are many important characteristics of a good holiday scrapbook, and it is all a matter of personal preference. Since the idea is to compile your own memories into your own personal album, it is important that you choose them carefully.

Photos

One of the key ingredients of a holiday scrapbook is your photos. The images you portray are much of what actually make up a good part of your holiday memories, and often depict a true representation of your family and friendships. Since there are probably several from which to choose, you might consider coming up with a central theme for your holiday scrapbook and base everything you decide to include on that idea. For example, if your scrapbook is a Christmas album, you would want to use pictures that are representative of that holiday.

Use a wide variety of photos within your central theme. If you have children, include pictures of them taking part in various holiday activities. Also include photos of other friends and family members, and then tie it all together by using group photos that show the involvement of your entire clan. You can use pictures of your child sitting on Santa’s lap, photos of people opening presents, and images of everyone around the Christmas tree.

Use images that are unique and will easily show others your dynamic personality. Decide on striking images in attractive settings that will make the viewer stop to look at and admire them. Choose carefully, and have fun creating your holiday scrapbook.

Sliding Cards

Microcut sliding cards can help take your holiday scrapbook to another level. They make it easy for you to include the photos you want on an attractive card that you can embellish as desired. Simply scan your photos into your computer, then use the included software to put two separate images together for one card. Then, print and assemble the cards to create a page that viewers won’t miss. You can get more information about sliding cards from the Internet, where you can also purchase the software and necessary supplies. Also check your local scrapbooking supply stores for this product. Sliding cards are fun and easy to assemble, are very unique, and add fun and originality to your holiday scrapbooking project.

Mothers day card making ideas

We live in a society of commercialism. It seems that no matter what time of year it is or what is happening with the economy, the merchants try to turn the event into another reason to have a sale. Every possible three day weekend marks a sale of some type. The Martin Luther King Sale, the Presidents Day sale and the luck of the Irish sale. And that is only the first three months of the year. No matter the significance of the day on the calendar, some marketing firm will come up with a way to create a shopping event.

I love to shop and I have to admit that many times I am out amongst the shoppers looking for a bargain at the different sales events. The commercialism did strike me however as I was looking for mothers day cards last year. I originally went to the store for something else completely, but I saw the display of mothers day cards so I thought I would pick one up for my mother and one for my mother-in-law.

There were so many cards in different headings. There were mothers day cards for grandmothers, aunts, sisters, special women in our lives, step mothers, girlfriends, the list was on-going. I could not believe that the card industry had expanded the simple day of honoring our mother’s into including buying a card for every woman in our lives.

As I was looking at the mothers day cards I picked out the one for my mother and one for my mother-in-law. I then was holding three for my sisters and one for my god mother. I was then looking for one for my husband’s god mother and that is where I stopped. I realized I had met his god mother one time at our wedding reception. He did not have a close relationship with her. She played no role in making him the person that he is today.

I found that I was picking out mothers day cards to send just because they were there. If I had bought all the cards that I was holding it would have cost me over twenty dollars. I looked at what I had in my hand. Why would I buy mothers day cards for my sisters? They did not raise me. They have children and are mothers, but not to me. We are friends as well as sisters, but that did not mean I needed to send them mothers day cards. I put back all of the cards except the one for my mother. I liked the card and what it said. I thought my husband should pick out the card that would be sent to his mother. I am glad I did not support the commercialism of mother’s day.

Birthday card making ideas

The World is crying out for a Birthday Idea Generator

The Party Planning was going nowhere.

In sheer exasperation the hostess yelled:

"I don't need your help, your money, or your advice. Just give me an IDEA!!"

Smiling, you handed her your Birthday Idea Generator. The tears of joy were instant.

A Birthday Idea Generator...what an idea.

An idea on its own will not guarantee you a cool birthday. We find people simply think that the idea will solve all their headaches. Or that the idea comes with a how to manual, unlimited budget and an army of workers at your command!

Some do, it's true. They usually cost a bomb and take months to get together. Is that you? If so, read on it will be of use. If it's not you, then READ ON WITH EXTREME INTEREST.

"Where did you get that idea from??"

It's a great question! The answer is equally great, maybe a touch cheeky.

I farm them.

Huh?

Seriously. And by the time you have read this article you will be farming as well. Got your plough ready? Giddy-up!

In no order I think the following 10 methods of Farming Ideas work the best. I do this every week, so that when it's time I'm ready.

1.Create an Idea Finder
This could be a ring folder, a journal, a blog or a brain dump page on a web site. The more 3D it is I find the better it is to show others and scratch additional info on. You can scribble, glue cut-outs, sketch, alter ads in papers, play with words, brainstorm gift ideas...and on and on. Whatever you need to help you remember that spark!. My favorite way is to have an artists sketch book 120pages, thick paper, spiral bound, $5. Every thought, idea, cartoon, concept, whatever!, goes in it. I'll chew threw about 6 per year! Personalize it and make it part of your daily life.

Handmade card making ideas

Handmade graduation cards do not have to be decorated with the traditional graduation caps and tassels or rolled up scroll, they can be created with your special graduate in mind. Taking some time to make a custom homemade graduation card for your graduate will be a special and memorable gesture.

Here are some creative graduation greeting cards ideas that might help to spark an idea of your own:

* Did your graduate complete his or her studies in an interesting major? Can you incorporate some part of their chosen major into a handmade card? For instance, if they graduated with an

English major, then maybe you can decorate the front of the card to resemble dictionary entries with words like congratulations, graduate, honor, and other uplifting terms. Or if they graduated with a degree in geography you can decorate the front of the card with a cool topography or antique map.

* What school did the graduate attend? If you are familiar with the school, maybe you can incorporate the school mascot or school colors into the card. Does the school have a neat slogan that you can borrow to use on the front of the card? Incorporating aspects of the school into the card will be a fun way to personalize your congratulations and if the graduate is preparing a scrapbook of their college years, then it would be easy to include the card to represent their alma mater.

* Does the graduate have grand plans for the near future? Will your graduate be traveling after graduation? Or maybe they are planning on moving or getting married? Consider incorporating an aspect of their near future into their graduation card. Let them know that you are proud of them and know that they have some exciting things lined up for their future.

* Did your graduate complete specialized schooling? Did he or she attend law school or medical school? Can you decorate the handmade graduation card to reflect their chosen specialty? How about including a judge's mallet or stethoscope on the front of the card? Little fun items to reflect their interests is a great way to make your handmade graduation card stand out.

Scrapbook card making ideas

Wikipedia defines scrapbook as “Scrapbooking is a method for preserving a legacy of written history in the form of photographs, printed media, and memorabilia contained in decorated albums, or scrapbooks”. While the photographs, printed media and memorabilia make it distinct, the “decorated” part identifies the project as a scrapbook as opposed to a basic notebook. Here are a few scrapbook ideas for you to improve your end-product.

The person that produces a scrapbook should keep in mind that the project is an extension of one’s self. Through the layout, decorations, colors, and textures, the producer controls the project.

A lot of thought must go into what may seem mundane. Things such as size, number of pages, materials required have to be planned and determined before the fun or creative stuff. Go ahead go wild. Don’t hold back your creative juices. The producer defines the perfection of the project. All these aspects have to be present to reach perfection. Scrapbooking as a hobby lets people express their creativity.

Don’t underestimate the power of color combinations. With the right color combinations, the project looks great. If the combinations are wrong for the project, an otherwise effective project loses some of its attractiveness. With improper color combinations the project can look shabby.

The proper enhancements to your scrapbook can spark up the project. These enhancements can turn a poor effort into a decent looking project. If you start out with a good project, the proper enhancements can make it shine and glitter.

One of the most important aspects in the formation of an attractive scrapbook is the use of borders. Borders can be made of stickers, stamps or stencils. Borders should highlight the focal points of the page, they should not steal the show. While attractiveness is certainly a big consideration, the story is what the scrapbook is about. There should be some contrast between the borders and the outlines of the individual photos or clippings. Main photos should be highlighted with different colors of pencils, even multi-colored pencils for each individual piece. Borders, whether page or picture are an important vital role in the scrapbook. Along with the highlighting function of borders, they will also add spark to the project.

Christmas card making ideas

Taking a nice photo for the Christmas card family photo sounds so easy. However as any parent who has attempted this holiday custom can tell you, it's not as simple as it sounds. What you want is an exceptional, nice photo Christmas card. And what you usually get is squirmy, stubborn kids that blink just as you're taking the picture. But don't give up easily and throw in the Santa hat just yet. Here are simple, neat solutions to those top challenges.

Challenge 1: You want a cheerful Christmas background for your family photo Christmas cards, but you don't want to decorate your house with strands of lights and tinsel as early as November.

Solution: Go to the Mall. Department stores and shopping malls are decorating for the holiday earlier, usually right after Halloween. These Christmas backdrops are perfect for family photo Christmas cards. Take the kids to mall and gather them in front of the blinking lights with a few camera clicks and you'll have the perfect shot.

Challenge 2: Your young ones won't sit still long enough to take the photo.

Solution: Take out the props with you. Get the oversized teddy bear or other toys that mesmerizes them. Pose them with a dog or cat. Make them do something simple, like ringing a Christmas bell or kissing their sister’s cheek. Use trial and error until you figure out the item or activity that interests them long enough for you to take a few shots.

Challenge 3: Your teenage kids don't want to pose for a family photo.

Solution: Get some candid shots. Make action the focal point of your photo Christmas cards, focusing on things that your teenagers like to do. Take pictures of them showing off their talents or skills. Whether they are in the swimming pool, a canoe, playing basketball, horseback riding, baking cookies, playing with the cat, or enjoying any activity, your holiday cards will provide a quick look into your family's interests and personality.

Greeting card making ideas

Greeting card can make any occasion all the more special whether it is a birthday, anniversary, a festival or just any other event. You can just send across a greeting card and be assured this will be a gesture which anyone will just love. Greeting card has the amazing capacity to say many things without someone actually have to say the things verbally. You can give a greeting card to just about anybody starting from family, friends, relatives, colleagues and neighbors. You just

have to identify that special occasion and simply send across a greeting card and you can make the other person feel special. On second thoughts, do you even need an occasion for this? Simply send a card across to your loved one and see their wonderful reaction of joy and delight.

Buying a greeting card to send to friends and family has become passé these days. All this is largely due to the increasingly large scale use of internet. Today E cards are the rage and you can find anywhere people sending out these greeting cards. There are several advantages of this and the foremost among them being that it is very simply to send to anyone in any corner of the world and at anytime. The cost is less and the options are varied. In fact statistics indicate that the sale of traditional greeting cards for all occasions has come down drastically due to the huge popularity if E cards. So if you are still having second thoughts shed this and send a greeting card to your loved one.

Have you ever though of sending across a customized greeting card? Well it is not that late you can still do that and that too with wonderful results. There are several sites on the web that provide one with the option of making customized pictures incorporating different pictures. So if you are an enthusiastic photographer and have a digital camera in hand, you can easily make customized greeting cards though these sites. If you have uploaded personal pictures, you can put that picture in your customized greeting card. Imagine the surprise and joy of your sister if you can send her a birthday card with an old picture of her during her schooldays. She will be thrilled and this will surely be her most treasured birthday gift ever.