Archive for 'Techniques' Category
How to make a centre band
21 January 2008A centre band is a strip of card or paper (or you can use ribbon) wrapped round the middle of a card like a belt. It is made slightly loose round the card so it can be slid off to read the text beneath.
To make a centre band firstly you need to decide how wide you want your band to be. The easiest way to do this is to try it out experimenting with scrap or printer paper. Cut a strip anywhere between three and ten centimetres wide, wrap this round your base card then trim it to the right length leaving an overlap of a couple of centimetres. Make several bands in this way so you can decide what width suits your invitation size and design best. Once you have settled on a size you use it as a template for your chosen decorative paper or card.
Attaching the two ends of the same strip of paper together is what creates your band. To adhere these ends use double sided tape or a tape runner and place the adhesive as close to the edge as possible of one end of the strip. Remove the backing if necessary and wrap round your base card, attaching the two ends at the back. Ensure the band is not sealed too snugly, that any extra overlap is trimmed and that the band is attached only to itself and not the base card.
What if my band isn’t long enough?
You may find a strip cut from the long side of an A4 sheet is not long enough to wrap round your card. In this case you will need to attach two or more strips together. Firstly cut the strips of paper making sure they are exactly the same width. Place your adhesive over the end of the strip ensuring it is very close to the edges and attach the end of the second strip onto the sticky area. If there is a pattern, make sure both patterns face the same way. Once your strip is long enough to wrap round, form it into your band as above and trim any excess if necessary. If you are making a band to wrap an A4 card landscape you will need three strips cut from the longest side of your paper to make one strip long enough. Pay particular attention to the joins if you are using this size as they will be on the front of the card as well as the back.
Decorating your band
Now all that remains is to embellish your band as you wish. They can be left plain but a simple flower, heart or a few gems can really add to the design. Remember to keep the off cuts of any paper or card that are left over, you can use larger pieces later to decorate menus and tiny strips will finish your place cards and coordinate perfectly.
How to ensure items are perfectly positioned on your card
6 November 2007To place your embellishments accurately a cutting mat with a printed grid is a very useful. If you don’t have a mat you can download a sheet of squared paper from the net and print it, it will do exactly the same job Try a web search for graph paper. Place the card on the mat lined up with the grid and use the squares as a guide for placement. Make sure there are the same number of squares on each side of a centrally placed item, or use the squares to make sure a band of ribbon is the same height each side of a card.
Always check the positioning before adding adhesive to the item, then once you have added your glue, or removed the backing from your double sided tape, hold the item with your fingertips over the place you want to put it, looking from directly above. Only firmly push the item into place when you are sure it’s correct.
If you are not completely sure if something is well positioned, try looking at your card in a mirror. This will show up any imbalance in your design.
Cutting Mulberry Paper Shapes with a Punch
22 August 2007I want to punch shapes from Mulberry paper but the paper always tears and makes a mess.
Mulberry paper is a very thin paper with lots of fibre inclusions. Punches tend to chew the paper rather than cut it cleanly. There is nothing wrong with your punch although it may seem like it. The solution is to place the mulberry paper between two sheets of copy paper and punch the sandwich. When punched in this way the mulberry paper will be cut cleanly and crisply and you will have the shapes needed to make your invitations punched out in no time.
Once you see how easy it is to punch shapes like this you might want to decorate the backs of your envelopes with punched mulberry shapes to match your invitations.
How to line an envelope
10 August 2007Lining an envelope with a decorative paper that matches your stationery creates a luxurious finish. Once you have made a template it is easy to do multiple envelopes and when your invitations are received they will have that extra special wow effect.
From The Wedding Crafter You will need
- Decorative Paper
- Envelope(s)
- Scissors
- Glue Stick
You will also need
- Card to make your template (A Cereal Box would be perfect)
- A Pencil
Lay the envelope with the flap open onto your template card. Draw round the envelope and flap with pencil. Cut out with scissors, trimming the sides slightly narrower.
When lining your envelope you need to leave the gum uncovered so it can be sealed as normal. To do this you need to trim the flap part your template down. Place your envelope onto your trimmed template card with the flap opened out, but this time about 1.5cm down from the top. Draw round it and trim your template.
Place your template inside the envelope to check it fits and leaves the gum uncovered. Trim again if necessary.
Next take the envelope that matches your card and the paper you have chosen to line it with. Using pencil draw round the template and cut out. If you are lining multiple envelopes think about the way you draw them on your paper so you get as many as possible out of a sheet.
Using the glue stick lightly cover the back of the lining paper paying particular attention to the edges and slide into the envelope. Rub firmly with your hand to make sure it is stuck well then leave to dry before using.
Pearlescent papers make great linings - in the example shown we have used bronze pearlescent paper with a cream envelope. Choose the combination to best compliment your invitations.
Tying Bows
7 June 2007Bows are beautiful embellishments and with a little practice you can creat a whole range of stylish decorative bows. Here are the ones that work best on cards and stationery.
Single Bow
To tie a small single bow
- Leaving a length of about 4cm loose to your left make a loop in your left hand
- Make a loop of the same size next to it with your right hand
- Tie these two loops in a knot
- Oull the loops and the ends to create the size of bow you want.
- Tighten the knot to secure the bow and trim the ends on a diagonal - this looks good and stops the ends fraying.