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by Sheetal Lad

Card Making in Less than Five Minutes

When it comes to cards, there are plenty of patterns you can choose from.  Card making has never been easier because the Internet is full of ideas on what you can do in your next card project.  All throughout the year, you might be sending out Christmas cards more than birthday or thank-you cards.  That is why it is important to think of ways to save on Christmas cards.  There are a lot of simple and easy to follow instructions.  You just need to search for them on the Internet, print them out and you’re all set to start your first card making project.

The easiest would be scribbling an image on the cover.  You can use sparkly paint or glossy markers.  Look for a nice card stock.  For DIY cards, card stocks with unique edges are perfect and would be suitable for any kind of design.  Look for sparkly fabric paint.  Gold or silver would be perfect for Christmas designs.  Take the pen and scribble a tree at the center of the card.  Then put star stickers at the end of each row.   You can also add a sticker that says a holiday greeting at the bottom of the tree.  In just a few minutes, you have just completed your Christmas card.

Collages also look good on cards.  You can use printouts or different textured paper for your images and then stickers for the caption.  In the scrapbooking aisle, you will often find stickers on sale.  You can cut the pieces that you don’t need and just use the parts that you want.  A good example of a collage is a Christmas card with cut-out trees. Use a corrugated paper for the tree.  Make a pattern of triangular shapes.  You can also cut them in graduating sizes then cut the corrugated paper along the edges of the pattern.

Card making can be easy and fun.  All you need are the essentials and a few embellishments.  Even a simple sparkly marker could do the trick.  Look at patterns than scribble the design using a marker.  You can also add stickers to complete the look.  Stars and other holiday images would be perfect.  Collages would also be a great card making project.  You can glue different images using different textured paper.  For Christmas trees, corrugated paper would be the most suitable material.  There is a variety of easy to follow instructions.  All you need is some research and a few supplies.

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Tags: Card, Five, Less, making, Minutes, Than
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by Pink Pug, INK

Where to find card making ideas

When people find out I make cards they often comment that they couldn’t do that. They automatically assume every card I create is something I came up with but the truth of the matter is anyone can make cards and you don’t have to come up with the ideas yourself. The world is full of ideas and inspiration and lots of them for little or no cost. So where do I find ideas and inspiration?

I can remember when I first learned about rubber stamping and card making. I got some supplies and went to a gathering with a few friends who also enjoyed paper crafting. I sat down at the table with everyone, pulled out my supplies and then had no idea what to do next. I didn’t know what to make. I sat there thinking and thinking, getting more frustrated by the minute. Then I was let in on a little secret. Most card makers don’t just sit down and create cards from scratch. They begin with an inspiration piece. Quite often a card someone else made.

Online

Since you are probably online reading this article let’s start here. The online world is full of ideas for card makers. There are entire sites dedicated to galleries of card samples. Many card makers now write blogs as a place to share their creations. The companies that make and sell card making supplies often have galleries dedicated to cards made with their products. Many of the card making and paper crafting magazines also have online content. Some is what you would find in their regular paper publication while more often there are ideas and examples they couldn’t fit in the printed version. This leads me to the next place to find ideas.

Magazines

There are dozens of magazines currently in print dedicated solely to card making, paper crafting or paper arts. Check your local book store, craft & hobby store, or big box departments store and you’re sure to find plenty.

Stores

Many local paper crafting, card making, stamping or scrapbooking stores have projects on display that change with the season or when new products are released. You can even take your camera or camera phone into the store and snap a photo of any projects you like to refer to later when you sit down to create.

Think Outside the Box

While this idea may not appeal to beginners many experienced card makers look to nontraditional places for ideas and inspiration. Our world today is more saturated with advertisements and color than ever before. Look through any magazine at the ads, the layouts, the fonts and color combinations. See what colors and color combinations are popping up in local stores. What trends are hot in home fashions and interior decorating? Ideas and inspiration are everywhere. You could even be inspired by the front of a box of cereal. Just keep your eyes open and pay attention.

What’s most important to remember is that you don’t have to pull ideas from thin air. There are plenty of places to look for inspiration. Start with something and once you get going the ideas will flow. You’ll find yourself making small changes to the idea you began with and soon the creation will be your own. Now find an inspiration piece and get started.

Tags: Card, find, ideas, making
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by Burns Library, Boston College

Being a Member is More Than Just Having a Plastic Membership Card

Being a member of a particular group gives a person a feeling of belongingness. Whatever group the person is in, the feeling of being accepted is invaluable. More often than not, membership groups have membership cards to prove that each of them is a certified member.

Membership groups are prevalent today. There are just so many rising groups from student groups, political groups, civic groups and even church groups. These groups usually have membership cards that they can show to prove they are members of the group. The membership card, usually made of plastic cards for durability, is the physical proof of the membership.

But more than just the plastic membership cards, each member must strive to build involvement and real membership to the group. The plastic card is the physical proof while involvement is the membership proof. Here are some ways to help build real membership:

Each member of the group must be encouraged to get involved. A group is not a group if not all its members are getting involved. There should be open communication among the members.

If there are newsletters or publications, each member should receive one. This will make the members updated about the group.

Always recognise the contributions and involvement of each member of the group. This will help motivate the members to further get involved. The more involvement is recognised, the more the members will want to get involved.

In order to expand the membership group, each member must strive to invite more prospective members. The prospective members must qualify the requirements set by the group.

New members must be welcomed. They must feel that the members of the group are happy to have them.

These are some ways to make members of the group get involved. As a member of a group, it is not enough that you have the plastic membership card. Anyone who has met the requirements of the group can have that plastic card but not all will be true members of the group.

Remember that membership is more than just a plastic card that you can display in your wallets or card holders. True membership means getting involved and becoming a real member whom other members can relate to. If all members of a group are involved, there is no doubt that the membership group will continue to expand and stay strong as a group.

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by Mr.Tea

Custom Plastic Card – Some Vital Details for UK Business Owners

If you’re considering implementing a Custom Plastic Card for your UK business’s customers, here’s some information about features that you might want to consider.

Process of Using a Hot Stamp

The most common way to put information on a Customized Plastic Card is via the hot stamp process.   A metal plate that has been engraved is raised to a high temperature and added to the plastic card; the card has dry ink spread on it.  This process creates the familiar printing and logos seen on plastic discount cards or plastic membership cards.   You could even buy some plastic business cards – these look like metal and are very attractive.

More Options: OCR, Bar Coding, Numbering, and Magnetic Striping

Putting ordered numbers on cards is the simplest way to tell cards apart.  A variety of bar code formats also is available for custom plastic card printing.   Magnetic striping costs more and can be low density or high density.   For custom plastic cards, encoding data can be done on three available tracks.   The process of OCR involves taking a special preprinted graphic or logo existing on a plastic card and scanning it in such a way as to make it useful to a digital cash register with the help of a computer.

Raised Lettering

You’re probably familiar with the raised lettering that appears on a Custom Plastic ID Card. Pressure and high temperatures are mixed to form the raised lettering that appears on an embossed card.   To give it a polished look, raised letters are frequently tipped with a ink color or foil that is in contrast during the plastic card printing procedure.

Panels

Many cards carry the cardholder’s signature on a panel for comparison at the point of purchase or security checkpoint.   This colorless or transparent-colored panel may be customized through handwriting, type, or computer-generated modifications.

A custom plastic card is a distinctive and cost-effective way for UK business owners to recognize and reward customer loyalty.

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Tags: Business, Card, Custom, Details, Owners, Plastic, Some, Vital
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