Creating the Perfect Greeting Card

No more cookie cutter greeting cards for me.

There was a time in my life when I enjoyed spending hours looking for the perfect greeting card for that special someone.  When the economy dumped in 2008, I dumped the high-end greeting cards for the 99-cent Hallmark bargains or found generic cards at the dollar store. 

I used to be picky about greeting cards.  I’d read them and study their designs, then agonize over the selection.

These days, it’s easy for me to bypass mass-produced greeting cards.  It’s not that I don’t care to send the very best.  Sending a simple greeting will cost you, and that doesn’t include postage.  Most of the time, a lot of these cards are poorly designed.  If a card plays recorded music or pops up into some kind of art, expect to hand over more cash.

I thought musical cards were fun, but as a novelty, it quickly wore off.  As a child, I yanked the cord on my Chatty Cathy doll until she quit talking to me, so you can understand where I’m coming from.

Last month, I wandered into The Paper Garden by Stephanie Nishikawa (papergardenboutique.com), hoping to find some colorful stationery.  In the store, I found a friendly group of women making cards with an Asian theme.  After talking with these women and admiring their card creations, I found myself signing up for a class by the time I walked out of the store.  I took a class, then spent a day taking three classes from visiting Seattle designer Jean Okimoto of Memory Box and Tsukineko inks (www.davebrethauer.typepad.com/inkollage)  Imagine spending the whole day creating greeting cards with a huge selection of inks, paper and stamps.

I enjoy the learning environment, but you have to keep up with the instructor.  Except for tape and scissors, all materials needed are provided for the students.   A lot of the attendees have taken classes for years, and bring supplies like paper cutters and cutting boards.  They are very confident with their skills, so if you ask, or they see you struggling, they will help you.  After a day of making my own cards, I went home with a dozen cards and a lot of ideas for future projects. 

I like the idea of being able to choose my own material, and while the skills of creating these cards is still on the mind, the Paper Garden is a wonderful place to shop after class.  I’ve learned that if you concentrate on the technique and not on making the perfect card each time, you can spend more time improving your craft outside of the class. 

The classes are an inspiration if you want to create something personal instead of picking out a store bought card and mailing it.  I’ve met women who make cards on a regular basis.  Some women have enough skills to design and produce their own engagement, wedding or birth announcements.   The hardest thing I had to do was a little origami, and since I am worthless in arithmetic, I eyeball measurements instead of depending on a ruler.  When you design your own cards, consider yourself the artist, designer and publisher, so anything goes.  You are merely following a guide, and not forced to stick with a pattern. 

I also had to remove glue, glitter, colored dots, and bits of missing designs in my hair at the end of the day, but that was part of the fun.