Scrapbooking – What is a die cut, die, embelishment, accent – What are the diferences?

Die cut – is a usually machine cut image. It may be lettering, animals, flowers… Pretty much anything. Sometimes they are already completely cut out and ready to use, but commonly they are sold in a sheet and just require you to push them out of the base cardstock. Die cuts can be further embellished with chalks, paints, pens etc to create an original piece for your page. Here are some links to sites with die cuts.

http://store.scrapbook.com/bagrdiecucut.…
http://www.stuff4scrapbooking.com/die-cu…
http://www.scrapbooksupercenter.com/hoto…
http://adoptionshop.com/adoption_product…

Die – is usually a metal device which when used with a cutter provides a die cut image. Portable die cutters and dies can be purchased for home use. Here are some dies and die cutter links…
http://www.scrapwitch.com.au/articles/pe…
http://www.scrapjazz.com/topics/Techniqu…
http://www.sizzix.com/shop.cfm?function=…

Embellishment is anything used to embellish or decorate a page. These can be store bought or hand made. Embellishments include eyelets, brads, ribbons, flowers etc…

Accents and embellishments are interchangeable terms, but many people use the term accent to refer to a special detils used on the page to bring all of the elements together. For example a flower which matches the photos and contrasts with the cardstock…

Hope this helps and happy scrapping,
mum2MH

BlackBerryInsight » Christmas Card- Greet in a unique way!

You can choose the greeting card from the options that are available. After selecting a card for your special person, you can customize the greeting card and modify them to transform them into an original creation of yours. …

Secrets for to Creating Elegant Handmade Christmas and New Year …

Once my handmade Christmas cards and Santa letters are in the mail, I still can't rest. I always make handmade New Year cards for select friends and family members, as well as an electronic greeting for everyone else. When I make those, …

Blacks Photo Canada: Some Tips! | BargainMoose Canada

Order without credit card info, the pictures you want, even custom greeting cards and invitations with your pictures. This is VERY CONVENIENT as reprints can be done with one hour service that you pick up at your convenience. The CD has photo editing, text effects, collages, photoblankets and photobooks for creation as well. Included, inside the CD, was a $5.00 coupon for the 6 x 6 100 image :little Black book”, another for 15% off Frame purchase and 25 free prints to be …

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Technorati Tags: Greeting card creation, Scrapbook die cuts

Ok so 3 more posts today that I’ve dug up – I’m an information JUNKIE on this stuff lately. Give em a browse and let me know what ya reckon. They’re just from a few different sites I’ve been surfing lately that are generally good for information like this…

20 Tips to Help Stay Within Your Holiday Budget | dollarish

Therefore, trekking all over creation with cash in both hands prevents you from reaping the big-time savings. Instead, keep your eye on sales fliers and decide to tackle all holiday shopping in a certain category (say, … There's also wrapping paper, greeting cards, decorations, supplies for any parties you may be holding or assisting with, etc. Left unchecked, these ancillary costs can add a lot of heft to your holiday bills, and they should be kept in mind when …

Presence From The Past: Collecting Nativities from Around The World

I made my first set myself out of egg carton cups and greeting card images. We were newly married (that was 40 years ago!) and didn't have much money so we celebrated Christmas as best we could. … The process of creating a Fontanini nativity figure ends with the application of patina, a compound of oil, lime, and burnt oils and earth. The patina is applied with a brush, after which the figure is wiped with a cloth, placed in a tub, and wiped dry. …

Chromolithography and The Private Library (Part III) – The Private …

… are numerous other chromolithographed items, such as greeting cards, advertising, sheet music covers, cigar box labels, fruit crate labels, and so on. Among the many publishers creating, and responding to, this demand was the great.

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Do you value this day only?? or you think everyday is special cos you surely love some1 or the other… be it a guy, gal, parents, sis or bro..

For years, schools have been using expensive die cutting equipment for bulletin boards and craft projects. Then as scrapbooking became more popular scrapbook shops and craft stores started selling die cuts and cutting equipment. Usually, the cutting equipment isn’t that expensive. However, you can easily spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on die sets. For most individuals who love to scrapbook, the cost of owning a traditional die cutting machine along with a large selection of dies is just not practical.

With the cost of traditional cutting solutions, most serious scrapbookers were left to either buy cuts or use a cutting machine at local scrapbooking stores. However, that has now all changed. With the advent of computerized cutting solutions, it is now possible for individuals to create their own die cuts in the comfort of their own home without breaking the bank.

There are a number of different computerized cutting machines available on the market. However, most of these machines require users to buy font sets and shape sets to use with the machine. Usually the machine itself is not very expensive. However, like traditional cutting solutions it is easy to spend two or three times the value of the machine on the fonts and shapes. Unfortunately, this isn’t that much better than the old way of doing die cuts.

A few computerized cutting solutions are different. They allow you use your computer to cut any font or shape that you have on your hard drive. With these solutions, there are literally millions of possibilities and you don’t need to buy a single font set or cartridge. You can use any of the fonts, clipart or shapes that you currently have on your computer or you can design your own shapes and cut them out. These solutions even come with software that allows you to “weld” words together to make a die cut of a complete word.

The possibilities for this type of machine are endless. You can use these machines to cut letters and words from virtually any type of paper you can find. You can cut nearly any shape that you can imagine, including complex shapes with small details such as a snowflake. You can even cut a logo or shape out of a card or document allowing you to create unique layers. Plus, if you run out of ideas of things to cut out you can find endless ideas on the internet. In fact, there are even groups dedicated to sharing ideas and designs to use with these type of die cutting machines.

There are currently three different machines on the market that offer the option of cutting shapes and true type fonts from your computer. These options include the Xyron Wishblade, The Craft Robo and the Pazzles Mini. All three of these machines offer similar features at similar prices. Check them out for yourself and start cutting shapes and letters today.

If you are interested in more information about the Xyron Cutting Systems, you might want to visit MyBinding.com. They offer a great price on these machines and they even offer Free Shipping. MyBinding carries a large selection of crafts and scrapbooking supplies including the Xyron Design Runner. Check it out today!

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Back with more news for you today. It’s amazing how much good information there is on this stuff out there if you know where to look. Three in particular that I found really valuable were…

Retailers Enlist E-cards to Cut Through Crowded Inboxes – MarketingVOX

In an attempt to make their messages stand out in increasingly cluttered online mailboxes this holiday season, a number of retailers are using digital greeting cards to entice customers into their stores. … off its “Make Your Holidays Sing” campaign, which lets users create a personalized digital e-card as and view Intel products. Here too, users can upload their photos and pick from music selections. The eCard creation depicts the photo singing along with the music. …

AMS Greeting Card Studio v1.81 ML – BlogΘέα Portal v2 – Greek …

AMS Greeting Card Studio v1.81 ML διακοσμηστε τις φωτογραφιες σας Greeting Card Studio is an easy-to-use application that enables users to make high-qu. … You may also create your own unique design and enhance picture with effects, spice up your creation with borders, frames, backgrounds and clipart. Zoom, rotate, and flip the photo inside the card until it looks perfect. When you are finished with your work you can save it as digital file. Features Show Off Your Smile …

Crafter’s Delight: I’m Thinking Wintry Days…

Send Handmade Greeting Cards to Heroes. Send Handmade Greeting Cards to Heroes Formerly Cards For Heroes … When I first started making cards, my style was pretty “free” with a mish mash of this and that. Other crafters have inspired me and I've toned down some of my designs that were sort of out of synch. Just remember — your card creation is yours to enjoy. Don't sweat the small stuff – make what you like and like what you make! …

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i need money bcuz things arent going rite around the house or 4 me

Technorati Tags: Greeting card creation, Scrapbook die cuts

Hoot! Card » Creation | Cut Out + Keep

Adorable owl card….: TakeMe2Tokyo's craft creation for inspiration, or make your own version. … Greeting Cards · A to Z · Contests New · Crafty Superstars New · Random Project · Log in or Sign up to remove sponsor. You Will Need …

Greeting Card Studio 1.81 Portable » Download – Rapidshare – PC

AMS Greeting Card Studio v1.81 Portable | 12.83 Mb AMS Software Greeting Card Studio v1.65 Fotoğraf ve resimlerinizden yüksek kalitede tebrik kartı hazırlama uygulaması.İçer. … You may also create your own unique design and enhance picture with effects, spice up your creation with borders, frames, backgrounds and clipart. Zoom, rotate, and flip the photo inside the card until it looks perfect. When you are finished with your work you can save it as digital file. …

Sweet Baby Designs: Holiday Extras and Gifts!

We are happy to be able to offer so many services and products, to fulfill all of your holiday greeting needs! Not only can you order your holiday cards, but now you can order customized address labels to match your… … All of our labels are 100% custom designed for you after the creation of your card, so that the style matches exactly. You can choose to add a photo or use only your personal address information! Addresslabelimage-2 …

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Does anyone know where I can find a scrapbook gift box for an 8×8 scrapbook? The scrapbook is a gift for my grandmother and I wanted it in a box.

Technorati Tags: Greeting card creation, Scrapbook die cuts

Scrapbooking is a wonderful form of art and memory preservation, practised the world over by both young and old. A lot of self satisfaction is achieved by scrapbookers who put pages together of one or more photos, along with a story, to preserve a memory of an event, or capture a unique moment in time.

Now anyone who is into scrapbooking, especially with embellishments, would be very familiar with the company Making Memories. They also make a wonderfully extensive range of some amazing scrapbooking tools like the tag maker, eyelet setter, stamping die sets and much more.

However the question here is, with the popularity of die cutting machines for scrapbooking and the massive competition in the market from the two big brands of Die Cutting Machines… the electronic Provo Craft Cricut range of machines and the manually operated Sizzix range of machines, can Making Memories make a Die Cutting Machine that is comparable with these two big brand names?

Making Memories entrance into the Scrapbooking Die Cutting Machine market, has only come recently with its Making Memories SLICE machine. The SLICE retails for US$150.00, so it is half the price of the cheapest Cricut machine and slightly more expensive than the Sizzix Big Shot machine.

The SLICE die cutter is marketed as the first die cutting machine that doesn’t need a power cord. So it is really competing with the Cricut as an electronic die cutter and not competing with the Sizzix range of manual cutters. Imagine being able to take it anywhere and show off what it does, without having to plug it in! Just imagine the possibilities.

The Making Memories SLICE has similar features to the other electronic die cutters on the market like being able to plug in cartridges (known as design cards) and cutting shapes and letters at varying sizes. It does not need to be connected to a computer to function.

The SLICE however does try to do something the Cricut Personal machine doesn’t and that is to cut slightly thicker types of material. The Cricut can only cut cardstock, and the Sizzix can cut pretty much anything (but it is a manual machine). The new Making Memories die cut machine however will cut up to 0.5mm thick. This means you get the benefit of an electronic die cutter, as well as the ability to cut a wider range of materials which will add to the uniqueness of your Scrapbook pages.

Given that the SLICE is competing with the Cricut and other electronic cutters, it is very well priced. It also takes up a lot less room than the other electronic cutters. From all reports, it also cuts very well and can cut sheets up to 0.5mm thick.

One of the SLICE’s disadvantages though over the Cricut range of machines, is that you have to hold the card while it is cutting, as it does not have a sticky mat or other means of automatically cutting. This makes it a little time consuming, compared to the Cricut which you can set and forget. However at half the price, with the same advantages including the added bonus of no power cord, it is a definite player in the scrapbooking die cut machine market.

Jenny James is a scrapbooking addict who loves to make scrapbook pages using die cuts made with die cutting machines for scrapbooking. She reviews a lot of machines like the Making Memories Slice to see how they perform.

BOYS FOCUS: Sector Guide Special | Licensing Industry | News …

Long-term calendar and greeting card partner Danilo is planning wall and desk calendars for 2010. Season eight hit DVD this month to boost the franchise further, while the Star Wars spoof, Something, Something, Something Darkside will be released in …. It is also keen to leverage the appeal through previously untried publishing ventures – such as Purple Ronnie's Totally Brilliant Doodle Book and an iPhone card creation app – plus new approaches in the gifting market, …

Christmas Card Crafts | Easy Crafts

For more grown-up cards, use card stock. You can also matte these pictures for a fancier look. Then, affix them to the front of the card stock. Now you have a one-of-a-kind creation. 4. Create a collage card. Cut out portions of several old cards … Staple an extra sheet of heavy paper inside of an existing card. Glue the edges down so that you won't see any writing underneath. This becomes the place where you can write your special greeting to a friend or family member. …

Handmade 3-D Baby Boy Greeting Card on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Puppy Love Creations says: He's a cricut creation. Both the body and the head are made with 3 layers of cards stock with foam pop up in between for the 3 D effect. Hard to see from this angle. Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink ) …

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Scrapbooking Materials: Know What To Buy

Originally, it was quite hard to find suppliers and retail stores that would sell you scrapbooking materials. But with enthusiasts opening their own local scrapbooking stores and with online vendors that can sell you everything and anything in between, the difficulty is now in choosing.

Many beginners find it confusing to choose the basic materials once they get into the scrapbook shop. This is, of course, due to the fact that there is simply too much to choose from. Add to that the excitement of seeing all the different colors, designs, samples, layouts, concepts and ideas that will overwhelm your senses and having you buying everything in sight.

This is a common trap. However it must be understood that to get started, there are only a few things that you must buy. In fact, you need not buy them all at once. It is best to just buy a few pieces and try it out to see if scrapbooking is for you.

Planning what must be bought and what should be left for later is a necessity when shopping for scrapbooking materials. It’s too easy when faced with the array of overwhelming choices, without really knowing enough, to get carried away and buy stuff you don’t really need or will never use.

Even veterans can fall into this trap. The variety of materials, embellishments, die cuts etc. plus the tools and gadgets is, these days, really overwhelming and it’s really tempting to buy that set of die cut letters with no idea what they’ll be used for. But they look so good!

So you really need to have a definite plan of what materials you want to buy. In this article, we will tackle the major scrapbooking materials that will prove useful for almost any project.

Album
The most important scrapbooking material and the one that completes the project is the album. For the album alone, you will find hundreds of various designs, formats and sizes that will in itself make it a hard decision. We will not discuss the many types of albums here, we’ll just provide an overview for some of the basic choices. Conventional albums appear in 8ݗ11″ or 12″×12″ pages. However, smaller albums have become more popular with the integration of newer scrapbooking formats. Other smaller sizes appear in 6″×6″ to 8″×8″.

Page protectors
The main function that page protectors serve
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is to help lessen the susceptibility of your photos, memorabilia and the pages, as a whole to damage and tears. And the added value of holding them in place and to avoid stick-ons from falling out. There are basically two choices when it comes to protectors; a) clear protectors that let you retain the normal hues of the layout and, b) non-glare protectors that can make it easier to view the contents.

Paper
Many scrappers turn to papers when it comes to adding designs and choosing the background for their layouts. Patterned papers are among the main choices. For the background, however, it is best to use papers with subtle colors so as to help focus the eye’s attention on the photos rather than on the background.

Cardstock
A staple in the scrapbooking world, cardstock is light card, generally heavier and more rigid than papers but not what you would consider cardboard. These are effective in securing the foundations when placing memorabilia, embellishments and photos.

Adhesives
These materials simply hold everything together. These are widely available but be careful in choosing one though. Always look for acid-free adhesives and make sure that they are photo-safe. If they are not, they will most likely cause oxidation of the pictures, the condition when the colors of the paper, photos and other similar materials fade.

Scissors
A definite must-have. You obviously need scissors for cutting and trimming. They help transform objects such as fibers, ribbons and fabrics into manageable size that will coordinate with the design you have.

Paper cutter
A handy addition for trimming photos and papers where you want a really straight edge.

Rulers
Precision, that’s the rule. Obviously, this will save time when it comes to drawing clean, straight lines.

There are many other scrapbooking materials that you will find useful. Among them are the following: vellum, exacto knife, self-healing cutting mat, white plastic eraser, glue eraser, lettering and fonts, black pens, colored pens or pencils, grease pencil, photo corners maybe a tote for your scrapbooking storage.

By: Betty Wilson

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Do your scrapbooks look like scrap? Then check out How To Scrapbook at howtoscrapbookingideas.com where you will also find some free videos on how to edit your photos and pictures.

Technorati Tags: Greeting card creation, Scrapbook die cuts

1. Spellbinders Paper Arts

Spellbinders entered the craft market in 2003 with the introduction of the Wizard Universal Die-Cutting and Embossing Machine. Spellbinders die templates are coated with a bronze color making them easy to distinguish from other competitor dies. All Spellbinders dies have a triple function that cut, emboss, and stencil, making them the most versatile dies on the market.  As far as quality and design, stacey Caron head designer and president of Spellbinders Paper Arts, is nothing but spectacular.  With 250 patented and patent pending products like Nestabilities, Shapeabilities, and Impressabilities, she takes designing to the extreme providing exactly what customers want.  Spellbinders die templates are a little more expensive than other die-cuts, but the quality and versatility make their products a very good value for your money. Hands down Spellbinders has the most creative and overall best design team in the market today.  This is why they received the number one spot on the list.  

2. Provo Craft (Cuttlebug)

Provo Craft is definitely the pioneer of crafting with over 40 years of experience. They inspire creativity and provide some of the best products on the market, like the Cuttlebug and the Cuttlebug embossing folders.  The Cuttlebug Die Cutter & Embosser is considered the most portable, user-friendly die-cutting system out there and is very popular with papercrafters of all ages.  It is easy to store and will cut and emboss a wide range of materials. This machines accepts all leading brand dies.  Following the Cuttlebug machine, Provo Craft then released their line of embossing folders, which flew off the shelves!  Card Makers are not shy in telling you these A2 embossing folders are a dream come true.  With professional quality embossing, texture, and design, scrapbookers can’t resist them.  Cuttlebug cutting dies are also of good quality, but don’t boast the creativity of the embossing folders.  And at only 4.99, the price of the embossing folders is hard to beat.  So with the easy to use Cuttlebug machine and the amazing texture and design of their embossing folders Provo Craft wins second place.

3. Quickutz Inc.

Quickutz Inc. was founded in 2000 by Natasha Hixon.  Natasha was searching for a way to create cut-out letters without having to hand trace or use a big industrial die-cutting machine. Hence the Quickutz personal die-cutting system was born.  Quickutz offers a variety of dies, however, unlike Spellbinders if you want to cut, emboss, and stencil you might find yourself purchasing multiple dies. Most Quickutz die-cuts do not offer a triple function, but if you will be doing projects where you will only be cutting, then Quickutz dies are the most affordable dies on the market.  Also if you are a collector and like new dies they are a die-cutting company that release new dies every month.  The die-cuts are usually seasonal shapes that are released a few months prior to the upcoming season.  So come Christmas, Quickutz will usually have a release in October with all their christmas shapes. When papercrafters think of alphabets, no one can beat their designs. With their new 4×8 alphabets, Quickutz has taken the ease of cutting out letters to a whole new height! Quickutz stands for quality and die-cutting innovation.  With the release of their new universal die-cutting machine the Epic Six, that cuts all their dies and other leading brand dies, it has brought them to a higher level of quality for 2009.  Quickutz Inc. has also joined with Lifestyle Crafts to bring back letterpress printing, making handmade stationery affordable and easy for the home crafter.  This is why Quickutz is in our number three spot.

It is important to note that most crafters seem to use a combination of the three die-cutting manufacturers.  A serious crafter on average would probably be found owning a Cuttlebug Die Cutter & Embosser, with Spellbinders nestabilities and some individual Quickutz dies on the side for very specific seasonal projects.

To receive more information on these scrapbook die-cutting companies visit http://www.cutathome.com With personalized customer service, great prices and a wide variety of products, Cut@Home is the Ultimate Die-Cutting, Papercrafting, and Card Making store online. They specialize in carrying only the best die-cutting machines, die-cuts, embossing dies, card making supplies, and scrapbooking paper on the market.

I can't believe this is not a spam email.

Can anyone advise if there is a way to check this? I am certainly not expecting anything!

Technorati Tags: Greeting card creation, Scrapbook die cuts

The Basics Of Scrap Booking

Terms are important in life, including when crafting scrapbooks. When you visit craft stores it is great to know a few terms so that the sale clerks will think you are an expert. In addition, having a basic line of terms will help you find your way, rather than getting lost when you hear the clerks talk foreign craft lingo. To get started we can consider acid.

How to understand craft and scrapbook terms:
Acid-free products are the key to creating and preserving your scrapbook. You want to request materials that do not have acid-based chemical reactive content. The Ph level should be around seven or even higher, to produce a safe keep scrapbook. The products should not have polyvinyl chlorides; therefore look for PVC-Free materials. Instead, look for materials made of polyester, polyethylene, or polypropylene. Lignin-Free materials will prevent your newspapers, or clippings from yellowing. Lignin is acid based. In addition, you want to learn steps to avoid acidy contents touching your scrapbook. You should wash your hands prior to touching your scrapbook, and request that anyone touching your scrapbook wash their hands beforehand.

Archival is a common term in crafts, since many scrapbooks are made up as archrivals. Archival is the process of protecting your scrapbook from fading, yellowing, or deteriorating. Buffer paper is recommended for crafting scrapbooks. Buffer paper will protect your book from defused acids, and acid migrating from damaging your papers and photos. To find buffer paper suitable for scrapbook crafting, look for paper with the label “Photo Activity Test,” approved or P.A.T., which is approved by ANSI. (American National Standards Institute)

If you plan to glue your photos and news clippings, or other materials in your scrapbook, keep in mind that reversible adhesive is optional. The contents will allow you to remove the photos later and re-locate them in necessary.

“CK OK,” is the “Seal of Approval” that provides you a safe keep in scrap booking. If the materials you purchase do not have this seal, leave it alone.

Scrapbook crafting entails cropping, workshop, page exchange, produce swap, scrapbook club, layout, “Pass the chocolate,” mounting, double mount, heading, embellishment, them, title page, page, and memorabilia.”

How to crop:
Croppin
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g can be done with PhotoShop otherwise, you will need scissors. The process requires that you trim the photos to fit your book. Cropping also entails collecting, allocating ideas, and putting the parts in order so that it tells a story. Workshop is the process of working together with other scrap bookers to come up with ideas. You can use PhotoShop to devise a scheme.

Page exchanging is similar to workshop, only you bring a page with you and work with others to share ideas and to craft a page. Product swapping is the process of getting rid of old craft materials, such as scissors, papers, etc, and swapping with your friends to gain new materials. You can create a scrapbook club from here, which swapping can occur and you and your friends can “pass the chocolate.”

How to layout your scrapbook:
In your club, you will hear the term layout. The term is used to define page grouping. Page grouping is the process of collecting your pages and inserting them alongside the joined group, using the same theme. You can devise your own theme, such as “My Scrapbook of Memories.”

Once you adhesive your photos on a single sheet of paper you are conducting the process of mounting. Double mount is comparable to Layer Mattes. The process includes adhesive two cuts of paper, sticking them together with the photos resting on top of the papers.

Embellishment is the terms used to define die-cuts, stickers, or related materials that make up a page in your scrapbook. The header is your title page. Title page is the start of making your scrapbook. For instance, “Jane Does Scrapbook.” The theme will define your overall ideas behind your scrapbook. Page is the process of making up non-photographic materials, such as journal, embellishments, etc decorated around your photos. Finally, memorabilia is adding souvenirs, official documents, artwork, or related documents to your scrapbook.

By: Mac Gay

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

For tips on msg allergy symptoms, seronegative arthritis and other information, visit the Health And Nutrition Tips website.

New Contender in Online Card Company Packs a Punch by Style Cafe Moms

Style, convenience, and innovation have burst upon the world of personalized stationery, which are now keepsakes to treasure instead of simple notifications or tired greeting cards. … Their live-view editing and proofing lets customers see exactly what their card with look like and make the changes they want right on the website, so every creation is perfect. Soon, they will even offer live-view photo editing within cards, making one-stop customization a breeze. …

RAMONA’S HOME OF CREATION: Magnolia Down Under Challenge #26

I used some gold peel-off stickers for the numerals and the Birthday greeting, attaching them to some yellow cardstock and then cut around the greeting with scissors and used a 1″ circle punch around the numbers. (I edged the circle of cardstock with a gold ink … Please check out our MDUC site here to see what the other team members have done for this challenge and if you want to play along too, add your card creations to our link so that we can all have a look at them. …

women-prenuers galore: Rewiew of plantable greeting cards from …

When she founded Botanical PaperWorks, she spent days creating handmade papers of every hues and textures. Then they designed the invitations and the note cards and their favorite embellishments and favorite colors. …

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Have a great day!

Technorati Tags: Greeting card creation, Scrapbook die cuts

The cards of Valentine’s Day prove to be extremely attractive. Valentine day cards express different feelings and emotions like romantic, sensitive, charming, humorous, and ornate etc. Such cards can be sent to family members, friends and loved ones. Valentine cards were sent to their beloved ones even during the period of middle ages. Greeting cards of Valentine Day gained rapid momentum during sixteenth century. Flowers, laces, satin, gold leaf, silk, and perfume sachets were used for decoration purposes and messages were written with hand. Water colors and colored papers are some of the materials needed for the creation of card.

Printed cards were exchanged on Valentine’s Day. But most of the people prefer to express their emotions to their beloved ones with the help of ready- made cards. Valentine’s cards that were made out of paper earned popularity in England. Towards the end of 19th century images of heart and cupid were printed on cards that were manufactured. Esther A. Howland sold valentine day greeting cards during the early years of 1840s in America. More than one billion cards are being sold every year on valentine day.

Valentine day symbolizes the gesture of respect, admiration, and love. The fascination towards handmade cards is being revived in the present century. The card proves to be sentimental when they are made with hand. Though the form and color of the card varies from each other, the message written within the card remains unchanged for ages. Valentine day is deeply associated with Mexican Holidays. Brief information about valentine day gifts, cards and gift baskets are available on the web site. The art of surprise must be sincerely practiced before giving romantic greeting cards to the beloved ones. Such cards are very appealing and eye catchy. Most of the romantic cards are made in advance as it enables the giver to pick up a card that is creative. Some of the steps can be followed if the giver wishes his or her card to be a unique one.

The giver can indulge him with a fight and can refrain from talking with the partner. A dozen of roses can be presented along with the card if the partner is a girl. If the partner is a boy card can be attached with pizza. Giver can pretend as if he or she does not remember any of the anniversaries and birthdays. Strange series of cards can be sent to the partner in order to ensure that the giver of romantic card has completely lost his or her mind. The giver can also act as if he hates the in laws. The card can be given surprisingly to the partner during a party or a get together. Surprise actions can be adopted depending upon the craziness of the card giver.

So choose from an impressive range of online cards while approaching your partner and display feelings of love and affection. No one can describe the feelings of happiness and joy when your loved ones sends you a romantic card reflecting love and warm wishes.

Maria Lacy is famous e-card designer, who owns a blog on e-cards [http://www.ecardstown.com/blog] and customized gifts [http://www.ecardstown.com]. Here, she discusses the tips on choosing an e-card for your loved ones.

Classical music is a fatherless child. there are far too many influential people, nations, and ideas throughout the history of classical music to pin it down to one single entity.

Technorati Tags: Greeting card creation, Scrapbook die cuts

I'm American and realize this is a stupid question, but is it?

And if it is, what kind of things do you do on Halloween?

Onam is a festival celebrating in Kerala. As India is a true multicultural country with lot of cultures and languages, it is also having countless numbers of festivals. Some of these are popular, where as others are just limited to the local village and districts. People are considering Onam as state festival of Kerala, as all over Kerala people are celebrating it.

Onam Legend

Onam legend evolved from the story of a demon king who ruled Kerala. This king Mahabali had ruled Kerala before Lord Krishna’s Birth. Hindus consider Lord Krishna was born around 5000 years back. Therefore, the story might have happened before 5000 years.

Lord Vishnu in the form of Vamana (Vamana avatar is one of Dasavatharam) begged 3 feet of land form King Mahabali. Once Mahabali has granted  his wish, Vamana has taken his Universal form and with his 2 footsteps he measured all the universe including earth, heaven and sky. Since there was no place left for 3rd footstep of Vamana, Mahabali shown his head to Vamana to keep third footstep, as to keep up the promise he has given to Vamana.  With that footstep Vamana pressed Mahabali to the world under the earth known as pathalam (Hindu mythology). However before pressing, him in to the pathalam, Lord Vishnu granted a boon to Mahabali. With that boon Mahabali is allowed to visit Kerala, once in every year. To convince the visiting king Mahabali, that the country is still prosperous as it was under his rule, Kerala people started celebrating that day as onam with lot of food and dance.

When is Onam: .

Onam 2009 is on Wednesday second of September. The atham star that is 10 days behind of Onam is on 24th of August. From Atham onwards the Onam pookalam will start and ends on Onam day.

Onam pookalam:-

Onam pookalam is the art works done by flowers on Onam season, in front of houses in Kerala. Every day morning people clean the floor and put fresh flowers to make pookalam. Plenty of flower were available in olden days, as the month chingam (August) is Just after the monsoon and Kerala was an agricultural state. Special Kerala flowers like thumpapoo, kakkapoo were available plenty in olden days. However, nowadays these flowers are not available.  So now the creation of pookalam is greatly depends on the imported flowers from neighboring state of Tamilnadu. The price of the flowers will go up on onam season. Malayalee associations will conduct onam pookalam competitions in Kerala and abroad. We can expect lot of onam competition for onam 2009.

Onam celebrations:

In Kerala, people celebrate onam in their house. However, in outside of Kerala normaly malayalee associations will conduct onam celebrations. All this function will have lot of cultural programs like bharatnatyam, mohiniyattam, and thiruvathira kali. In the Middle East countries like UAE, Kuwait and Oman, onam celebration will be in a bigger manner. Other countries like, Singapore, USA and Australia will have bigger celebrations. Known Film stars and famous writers will attend these functions as chief guests.

Onam dance: 

Thiruvathira kali is one of the main dances for onam. Group of women with 8, 10, or 12 members performs it. They will be dressed in Kerala traditional dress and dance with rhythmic steps against thiruvathira songs. Thiruvathira songs will be usually Hindu devotional songs about Lord Krishna or other gods. We can expect lot of videos of thiruvathira kali on YouTube after Onam.

Onam is the harvest festival of kerala:

As onam falls after the harvest season of Kerala, some people consider it as harvest festival of Kerala.

Vegetables:

On onam season, the price of vegetables will increase. To control this Kerala government will open vegetable markets all over Kerala known as Onamchandha . They will close these markets after Onam. There will be heavy rush and crowds on this market as vegetable will be considerably cheaper in these market. We can hope that presence of these markets will control the price of vegetable and commodities to a certain level on in this Onam season.

Onam Greeting Cards 

Normally sending of greeting card for onam has become a tradition for Malayalees. Lot of cards are available in the shop, with various subject like vallam kali (Boat race), kathakali, and sceneries from various parts of Kerala. Not only that almost all online greeting card sites are giving a fair importance for this festival.

You can find lot of onam cards at 365greetings.com.

Author is inviting you to visit 365greetings.com For Sending Free birthday cards to your Friends and relatives

Technorati Tags: Greeting card creation, Scrapbook die cuts

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Have a great day!

Technorati Tags: Greeting card creation