Try Your Hand at Card Making!

Since the Fall season has officially begun and thoughts are drifting to the holiday season, many folks begin to think about preparing handmade gifts.  For many years, I have been making Christmas cards to send to my family and friends.  They are a fun way to send something sweet and personal to the folks you love!  I found two new "book treasures" a few days ago when I was looking for new Christmas card ideas.  Both books contain card ideas, although one is focused strictly on cards and the other on general Christmas crafts.  Ultimate Cardmaking by Sarah Beaman is a collection of over 100 techniques and 50 projects to make homemade cards for any occasion!  I really enjoyed the first section, which contains wonderfully illustrated descriptions of many different card techniques.  There are a few templates for Christmas cards in this book, but the biggest value to me is the book's clear explanation of common card techniques.  The second book, Christmas Crafts by Carol McCleeve, gives instructions on how to make cards, gift wrappings and decorations for the entire family!  This book contains many examples of cards, complete with patterns.  I especially enjoyed the section on making your own wrapping paper.  I personally believe it would be time-consuming, but I think the results are gorgeous.  The library has many other Christmas craft books available--please ask the reference desk for help in locating the perfect one for you!