Paper, glue, lace, ribbon … simple greeting cards

Sunset, Nov, 1984

Next time you're at the fabric store, treat yourself or your children to bits of ribbon, lace, and other trimmings. Combined with paper and glue, they're all you need to make simple, striking greeting cards or package tags for the holiday season.

A plain card front serves well as a back-ground for the trimmings. Or you can glue a rectangle of colored paper to the larger rectangle of the card front before the trimmings are added. Weave ribbons with other ribbons or with lace, if you like, but use restraint in planning your designs. Too many trimmings too elaborately entwined look confusing.

To make the cards, buy heavy plain paper or blank cards of your choice, colored paper (if desired), and a glue stick. Also purchase a bag of remnant trimmings at a fabric store, or indulge yourself with small quantities of more expensive ribbons and lace. You'll also need scissors, a ruler, a pencil or pen, and a piece of newspaper.

Fold the piece of heavy paper in half and cut to the size desired for your cards. Plan the design for the card front; sketch your design onto it, using the ruler as a guide if necessary. Then cut colored paper and trimmings to the correct sizes.

Place your cut trimmings wrong side up on the piece of newspaper, rub the glue stick over them, and glue them onto the from of the card.