Designing Greeting Cards
Tips to Design and Be Creative!

It is so much fun to design greeting cards, here are some tips for you to try.

1. There are many types of cards you can choose from. Design the ones that you need or that sound the most interesting to you. Try birthday, anniversary, cards for children, wedding, sympathy, holiday or get well.

2. The first thing you will need is good paper. You can purchase pre-folded paper or simply buy some card stock and fold it yourself. Using a bone folder will ensure a nice clean fold. Make sure you have envelopes to fit your choice of card.

3. You will need an image on the front of your card design. Choose a sticker or a rubber stamp. Experiment with different colors and designs until you have the image you are looking for. You can layer the image on other paper, or even a combination of paper such as plain and matching patterned paper, to create an interesting design.

4. There are embellishments you can use instead of a stamp or sticker. These are often dimensional and add a lot to the design of your card.

5. Make certain you have appropriate glue. Carefully consider the adhesive you want to use. A glue gun works well for heavy items but will wrinkle most papers. Glue dots and strips are handy for many design gluing jobs. I really like the glue stick that says "heavy duty" on the label, it is good for almost any paper and dries smooth and clear.

6. The words should be the next thing you design. Consider what you want your card to say.  Where is the message going to be?  Do you want on the inside or the outside of the card?  Rubber stamps, stickers and computer made greetings are wonderful for this.  There are tons of unique fonts out there that can make each and every one of your cards different.

7. Once you have your overall design it is best to lay everything out on the card before you glue it all together.

8. Next you should focus on the inside of your card.  Decide what you want to say and consider layering it with other paper so it matches the design on the front of the card. Adhere these pieces to the inside of your card.

9. Your card is almost finished. Are you pleased with your design? Are any finishing touches needed such as: colored brads or buttons? If you used a stamp would the design look good colored in?

10. Once fiber has been added both inside and out then you can consider your card to be complete.  Find some matching ribbon, yarn, metallic thread or wire and tie them in a knot.  To make it look good clip off the ends so looks like you want it to.  Use your glue gun to attach it and your card is finished.

11. The Envelope. Now that you have designed this beautiful card there it is not acceptable to put it in a plain or ordinary envelope. Using the same materials you used to design your card, decorate the envelope.