Book Description
With designers constantly working for clients and having a limited amount of freedom in much of their work, the chance to strike out on their own and do something truly original and personal is a real luxury. The cards included represent some of the most creative design available so are a wonderful source of inspiration for all types of projects. All designers and design firms, whether in-house or freelance, create their own greeting cards which serve not only as a greeting card, but as an opportunity to show off their work in a totally unique and uninhibited light. In addition, they are the perfect project because they are small enough so they are not incredibly time consuming nor are they very expensive to produce -- even with unique materials or treatments.
Customer Reviews:
A full color collection of thumbnail images - Umm... Yay?.......2007-08-04
I have a lot of problems with this book.
The first being that while the designs are split into categories such as "brand identity", "invitations" and "self branding" (among others) the individual pieces have virtually no information given on their purpose or use. It would be very helpful to know standard information like the target audience or main goals attributed to the selected works shown. It isn't enough to simply lump sum all this work into a category and offer no explanation on demographics or psychographics. A directory at the end of the book lists who designed the work, but that's really all you get.
The second thing that irked me is that the pictures are very small. Each page may have half a dozen or more pieces shown but no detail shots of any. This further adds to my first complaint. The viewer can't even deduce for themselves what most of the work was intended for since the images are so small. Some of the photography is very lovely and truly works to show off the best qualities of the selected pieces but without detailed shots or full page displays the viewer is left unsatisfied.
While all the designs shown are very good, many are based off of common ideas. Lots of Pseudo-Asian, lots of decomposed and grunge. While they're attractive, they're not particularly inspiring.
Over all I think this book would do more good in the hands of a craft minded individual and not a designer. I can see many of the invitations lending themselves well to home projects and offering some inspiration for personal correspondence stationery.
An acceptable coffee table book, but not a design tool.
Great Resource.......2007-03-09
Love this book. It's jam-packed with inspirational greetings that can be applied to all types of graphic design projects. I plan on buying their other 1000 series in the near future.
My favorite book ever.......2007-02-22
I bought this book and used it everyday until I lost it. I felt completely off base without it for several months until I couldn't take it anymore and purchased it AGAIN! I absolutely love 1000 greetings and recommend it to everyone.
Who is this for?.......2007-01-31
Not enough details for inspiration. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, not in this case. Maybe if they would have given us a quick paragraph about the piece, (how, who, what, . . .etc). I'm sure the designers would've loved this. Were they even asked?
A lot of fluff, not a lot of detail.......2007-01-19
While this book is filled with 1000 different images, you don't get any details. What does the card look like when opened? What type of client was this project done for? Also, the images are incredibly small so you can't read any of the copy, which for some of the designs, is critical to their success. I wouldn't have bought this book had I been browsing in a store and been able to see it first.
Book Description
For scrapbookers looking to expand their craft, this guide is the perfect find, opening up new avenues to spark their creative drive. They'll find:
* Ways to use scrapbooking supplies to create amazing handcrafted cards for every occasion, from a new baby to the holidays
* A diverse spectrum of cards, appealing to a wide audience of tastes
* Projects utilizing common scrapbooking techniques, such as paper tearing, embossing, embellishing, and more
* Lists of necessary tools and materials for easy organization and planning
With 200 fun examples, along with step-by-step instructions for re-creating them, this book will have scrapbookers growing their skills and passions in new and exciting ways.
Customer Reviews:
love to craft.......2006-09-06
I am pleased I bought this book to add to my collection. The ideas are good and offers interesting suggestions to break our of your routine of making your usual cards. I have made and adapted a number of the cards and constanstly received rave reviews from the reciptants of my cards. Great buy, worth the money, have no problem recommending this book!
Card Making Review.......2006-03-20
This book is a great book with lots of colourful pictures to help you on your way or to help you mix and match. Paper sizes for the cards would have been a helpful addition for some of the cards. But all in all, a good book.
Book Description
Best-selling author MaryJo McGraw's newest book showcases how to create imaginative and artistic greeting cards from innovative materials. In this book, she branches out beyond her rubber-stamping roots to deliver to readers a whole new world of creative card making. Paper crafters, collage artists, weekend crafters and rubber stampers now can create unique greeting cards, announcements and invitations with beautiful papers and fanciful embellishments. A wide array of papers from around the world, amazing fabrics, ribbons, mica chips, foils, feathers, yarns, wax, embossing powders, store-bought tags, and many household and hardware store items comprise the list of interesting and unusual materials McGraw adopts for card-making purposes. Readers will also find: * An overview of basic folds and sizes of greeting cards * Information on weights, grains and varieties of paper and suitable adhesives * 8 basic card-making techniques demonstrated with corresponding step-by-step projects * Projects suitable for beginners and experienced crafters alike * Projects that can be completed in under an hour, some in ten minutes * A resource guide full of stores, magazines and web sites to help locate the materials used in the book Blending fun and "user-friendliness" with variety and creativity, McGraw encourages the reader to go beyond basic greeting cards to design one-of-a-kind projects.
Customer Reviews:
don't make the same mistake.......2006-04-18
Dear prospective owner,
This book is definitely artsy and collagey as per the other descriptions--in what I would describe as a Stevie Nicks-kind of way. That said, it is very helpful for the beginner cardmaker like me.
My only caution if you're stocking up on how-to books is not to make my mistake and also buy the Everything Crafts Create Your Own Greeting Cards (Ed. Courtney Nolan), because 80% of the material in this book appears there as well. Save your $$ and buy this one--it has full color photos throughout.
Great, easy art!.......2004-06-08
I like crafting very much. Greeting cards hold an especially dear place in my heart and I love to make them constantly. Just about everyone I know has received at least one homemade greeting card from me at one time or another. So yes, I'm always on the lookout for new books on the subject. This one, I have to say, is great!
It has innovative projects rnaging from the colorful, really creative ones to subtler, more elegant ones. There really is one for everyone and the instructions are very clear, detailed and, simple to follow. No crafter, regardless of skill, will have any trouble completing any of these cards.
The authors did a great job of writing this book. Also worthy is the creative use of rather unusual materials (for a card at least). I've been working with paper for a long time now and it still helped move some things inside of me which helped me come up with a whole set of new ideas on how to work and what to do. The pictures are great, you'll enjoy them and they'll inspire you to create some new, totally different projects of your own.
This is one book you'll definitely enjoy.
Cards redefined as artistic masterpieces to give or keep.......2004-03-12
The first word that came to mind when I saw the projects in Making Greeting Cards with Creative Materials was "artsy". The next word was "collage". I think those two concepts neatly sum up the style and involvement level you can expect from this multimedia craft book.
Author MaryJo McGraw is clearly an experienced artist who has explored many techniques, but whose first love is obviously the paper arts. Although this is a book on greeting cards, there were a lot of projects that would work on a different scale for other purposes, such as embellishing scrapbooks; and many of them could be frame able art in their own right. The designs and color choices reflect rich, muted tones and multilayers of materials such as fibers, charms, gold leaf, wires, inks, watch pebbles, beads, punches, stamped papers and photos. Often the card shapes and closures are not the standard rectangular format. The processes are carefully explained and illustrated as though to first-timers, but the results will make you look like a terribly sophisticated artist.
If you're hoping for ideas that would make for good quantity mailings such as invitations, be aware that most people would probably not have the time or money to make these cards in bulk: these are complex labors of love that are definitely not suited to mass production. Never once did I read a suggestion that the reader purchase ready-made embellishments or stickers, because the emphasis here is on handcrafting rather than time efficiency. For the crafter who has special, personal sentiments to express however, these are the ideal medium for that individual touch to the recipient.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
Good for Beginners.......2004-02-26
This book is an excellent starting place for skill building.
Grandslam.......2002-07-03
I don't know how the woman does it, but MaryJo McGraw has produced another winner. One might think that by the fourth book, her ideas and designs might be repetitive, but McGraw's latest foray into the seemingly overly crowded subject of "greeting cards" shows that the well is still quite full.
The title says it all and the paper artist/craftsperson who is looking to expand their skill and designs they will be pleased with the concepts that McGraw presents in this well illustrated and clearly written guide. She takes you beyond rubber stamps and beyond cute...many of the designs are just downright art but on a smaller canvas. More than a few of the cards are just...well, they are just too cool for words.
If you want to make cards just out of your rubber stamps, don't buy this book. If you want to expand your creative possibilities and make cards out of some very interesting stuff, then you should buy this book.
If you want to make greeting cards that are "oh, so sweet" don't buy this book. If you want to make greeting cards (or adapt the designs for other paper arts projects) that will knock the socks off the recipient then buy this book right now.
Book Description
• Why make one card when you can make a whole batch? • Paper crafters love cardmaking • Fast, easy, innovative ideas and techniques
Crafters, stop sweating over one little greeting card at a time. By the Batch: Creative Cards, Postcards, Envelopes & More reveals innovative new ideas for creating fabulous cards (and envelopes, tags, and bookmarks) in batches, with impressive results. The wide range of techniques presented includes everything from the tried and true (rubber stamping) to the unexpected (polymer clay!), from the spontaneous (smudge-and-smear) to the whimsical (shaped cards). And author Judi Kauffman shows precisely how to put pedal to the metal and create whole batches of cards in just one sitting! Sophisticated materials and appealing design blended with speed-boosting ideas? By the Batch is just the ticket...uh, card...for anyone with lots of friends and family, and only a little time to create something special.
Customer Reviews:
Great Rubber Stamping Book.......2007-04-12
I really enjoyed this book. It is well written, with clear instructions and great examples. This is the kind of book that you will go back to again and again. It also inspires you get out your stamping stuff and start making batches of cards. I highly recommend this book.
New idea generator.......2007-03-01
This book is great for making you think about your creative process in a whole new way. I'm sure many of you, like me, make your cards one at a time, with one recipient in mind and by the time you've got out the right papers, stamps, inks, tools, and embellishments, it takes well over an hour or two per card (or maybe I'm just a perfectionist)!
Anyway, Judi Kauffman sweeps that mindset aside and says, "Just do it!" She uses a lot of different materials (cork, punches, clay, found objects, embossing/diecutting machines), but what I found most useful were her layout ideas in the front of the book--12 to 15 of them, all based on design principles that many of us might not have been trained in.
I know I have often sat pondering how to come up with a pleasing arrangement of elements on my cards and having a batch of standard designs to refer to will simplify the guesswork and speed up the process.
I also appreciate that she provides the manufacturer's names of the products she uses. I, for one, want to know why artists prefer special brands and in most cases in the book we learn why (e.g., use round sponges for daubing on soft colors of ink b/c they don't have the harsh edges that other square/triangular sponges do).
Overall, though Judi's style of cardmaking might not be your cup of tea (it wasn't mine in most cases), her freeflow methods and suggestions provide many a springboard for creative inspiration and guidance. This is a keeper for your creative library.
Very inspirational book.......2006-08-23
I love this book. It's very inspirational. Like most people, I work on my cards etc. one at a time but am tantilized to learn about making them in batches when necessary. You need to actually train yourself to let-yourself-go and still produce something exciting. The teaching in this book is great for beginners, yet still an invitation to challenge for the more experienced! An added bonus is Judi's wonderful storytelling!
"They lied...".......2006-07-31
Most of us have grown up with the famous advertising slogan, "When you care enough to send the very best..."
Well, Hallmark lied. Because when you REALLY want to send the very best, you make it yourself. Which is exactly what Judi Kauffman teaches -- in a fun and compelling way -- in "By The Batch." Illustrated with wonderful photographs, the author demonstrates how to create and produce wonderful greeting cards, postcards and envelopes... all demonstrating your personal love, creativity and committment. And if you MUST include a corny poem or sentiment... at least it's YOURS... not written by some anonymous hack who works at some greeting card company!
It's terrific. In fact, I only wish I could send Ms. Kauffman a homemade "thank you" card using the skills I learned from "By The Batch." But I don't have her address!
This is a book I will actually use! .......2006-07-30
This is a book I will actually use! All too often, I buy a "How To" book, look at it, then never actually do any of the projects. The theme of this book is really appealing-to make handmade cards in a batch. These projects are fun. The text is written in a friendly-conversational style. The photos are fabulous. Just like cookies, if one is good, a batch is better!
Book Description
“Window cards, pop-ups and other dimensional cards are sure to intrigue....After an introduction to technique and tools, you’re off to projects for nearly any occasion. The focus is on dimensional elements and interactivity, whether you consider a diorama card...or a spiral mobile card...the author knows how to share her expertise with composition and color.”—RubberStampMadness. “Inspiration for every occasion.”—Rubber Stamper.
Customer Reviews:
A book with a lot of great ideas!.......2001-12-01
After seeing Sandi Genovese on a tv show and seeing the card she made on the show, I was very interested in getting her book, Creative Greeting Cards. The book has many, many wonderful ideas for making greeting cards. If you're bored with the standard folded card, you might want to give this book a try. She shows you how to do photo, window, diorama, and tie-it cards just to name a few. Her use of incorporating die cuts, stickers and paper are really creative and can help get your imagination going again.
The book is nicely illustrated with color pages and photos. The only small downside (which is why I voted 4 instead of 5 stars) is that the templates that she uses for all the cards in the book are provided in the back of the book, and she tells you how much percentage you should enlarge the template or pattern to make the card. I would have liked to have known how large the card or pattern was suppose to be (ex. "use a 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper), instead of being provided with the percent to increase the image. But I "winged" it and guessed at the size of the cards that she made and my cards turned out just fine. It took a couple of practice tries, but once you figure it out, you're amazed you created a really cool card.
Unique ideas without a lot of fuss!.......2001-08-23
The bright, clever designs in this book really make a statement without a lot of fuss. Although some of the designs look complicated, they can be scaled back and still make an impact. I especially liked the spiral mobile greeting card. I made a thank you note with this technique. It only took about half an hour and it really was appreciated. Although Ellison makes the die cuts shown in the book (especially the letters), similar products are available anywhere scrapbook or teacher's supplies are sold. They are a big time saver, but you can always grab the Exacto knife and cut your own! Two thumbs way up for this book!
Pretty Patterns.......2000-12-22
I love to make cards and was excited to add this book to my collection of idea-inspiring tomes. The cards in this book are bright and pretty. The author has creative ideas for many specific holidays and events. The cards are very pattern oriented rather than technique oriented. The author has published a lot of work on scrapbooking, and there is a fair amount of emphasis on having particular colors of cardstock and on using the patterns in the back of the book. She does give many ideas for types of cards (pop-up, accordion, ribbon tied, etc.) I like the book, but to get a card that looks just like hers seems like it would often take a fairly long time investment unless you had some pretty specialized tools. It does offer some great inspirations and the photography is very nice.
Wonderful collection of ideas and creative inspiration!.......2000-12-08
Creative Greeting Cards is a very apt title for this wonderful collection of ideas and inspiration for making cards. The book includes ideas and patterns for making accordian cards, pocket cards, pop-up cards, photo cards, window cards, vellum cards, envelope cards, spiral mobile cards, diorama cards, faux-embossed cards and several other card types. While the card examples are based on using die-cuts, patterns are included in the book so you are able to cut the shapes (albeit with scissors) needed to create each card. But you needn't limit your thinking to die-cuts as it is quite easy to apply rubberstamped or punched images and other techniques to the ideas here. Also the card examples in the book present really nifty ideas and ways to use color and pattern combinations and patterns to make bright, eye-popping designs.
Product Description
Over 80 step-by-step projects are beautifully illustrated in this oversized publication. Includes sections on Greeting Cards for Every Occasion, Vintage Greeting Cards, and Creative Correspondence and Stenciling & Embossing Greeting Cards.
Customer Reviews:
scam.......2007-02-01
It is shameful that publishers are reissuing titles previously published under different names. This volume is nothing more than a compilation of previously published work. I could have just thrown my money in the garbage.
Wonderful Reference for all Cardmakers.......2005-12-08
I teach cardmaking classes and received this book as a gift from my students. I LOVE it! This large volume of 480 pages is like four books in one. It is full of wonderful projects and techniques. The authors cover many different methods and styles to help you make truly unique creations - from beginner to advanced. Includes four "book sections": Greeting Cards for Every Occasion by Mary Jo McGraw, Vintage Greeting Cards with Mary Jo McGraw, Creative Correspondence by Michael & Judy Jacobs, and Stenciling and Embossing Greeting Cards by Judith Barker. Highly recommended.
Book Description
Perfect for paper crafters, beginner and experienced.
Creative Cards is a how-to guide to turning plain paper into personalized and unique gift cards, boxes, bags, tags, and wrapping paper. The book shows how to transform plain paper into something special, and how to wrap a gift for a beautiful presentation.
The techniques section explains all the basics, such as using a bone folder, embellishing edges, choosing the right adhesive, working with 3-D decorations, stamping, gilding, die-cutting, and folding, with lots of how-to photographs.
Projects are suited to making a single card or large quantities, and are coded to indicate how long they may take to complete. Tip boxes offer handy pointers and there are ready-to-use templates at the back of the book plus a section on choosing and laying out text on a computer.
The step-by-step projects include:
- Baby shower invitation
- Birth announcement
- Children's party invitation
- Birthday card for a man
- Wedding folder
- 50th anniversary card
- New home
- Valentine
- Halloween
- Christmas card
For the occasional crafter or the experienced hobbyist,
Creative Cards is rich with expert advice and colorful inspiration.
Customer Reviews:
Good for all levels.......2006-06-30
This book takes you step-by-step of every project. Good and easy to follow pictures and explanation. Couple of the projects even have templates to work with. Outcome always nice and fancy, 100% surprised by the results. Very excited to get the book!
Book Description
Freelance Writing for Greeting Card Companies is a comprehensive guide for writers of all types with a desire to write for the lucrative and wide spread greeting card market. The book will show a writer how to enter the greeting card market. Writers will be taken step-by-step through the process of professionally preparing their work to be reviewed by editors. Writers will also be shown how to approach the greeting card market on a professional business level.
Customer Reviews:
Please note the year this book came out..........2007-01-24
This book was decent, and I learned several things I did not already know. I'm definitely glad I read it. Plus, it was a very quick read. But please note something that I did not before purchase: it was written over a decade ago, when computers were just becoming truly popular. It recommends you purchase an electric typewriter. So a few things are outdated, but it is a good book.
Not What I Was Expecting.......2007-01-09
This book was just alright. I wasn't totally impressed with it. One thing I found out about books like this is the information becomes out dated very quickly.
disappointed.......2006-02-25
I was disappointed in the lack of helpful pertintant information in this book. It seemed to be geared to someone(a child perhaps) that didn't know to "gather pencils and paper to write"
I can honestly say I found NOTHING helpful in this little book to help me on my journey toward writing for greeting card cmpanies.
An Interesting Potential Market.......2004-01-16
Now here's something you may not have considered writing ... greeting card messages. Just pause to think for a moment how many cards there are in gift shops, newsagencies, department stores etc. Squillions of 'em ... and someone has to write all the verses in them! Why not you?
Patrisha Stauss has been doing this for a number of years and has written an informative little booklet that explains how to go about researching the market, contacting publishers and protecting your rights. She also emphasises the importance of taking a professional approach to your writing. After all, if you hope to support your brood of starving children or keep your spoilt furred, finned and feathered friends in the manner to which they have become accustomed, you need to adopt a business-like attitude.
Many of the tips Patrisha gives in her book Freelance Writing for Greeting Card Companies would apply to any type of writing, not just greeting cards. She gives a list of the basic equipment you need to set up as a professional writer and some of the ongoing costs associated. Things we tend to overlook like paper, ink cartridges, discs and then visits from your friendly, local 'puter doctor.
Because greeting card verses and messages are brief, you need to submit multiple ideas to publishers, so you really need to have a foolproof system to keep track of your submissions, and Patrisha has some practical ways you can do this in her book.
Excellent Freelance Advice.......2001-04-09
The book helped me to better understand what is expected of editors &/or greeting card companies. The material in the book was well organized. It helped me to get more organized within the realm of preparing my work for the market. This is a good business type book to get one started in pursuing a possible career in writing for greeting card companies. I found it to be very informative and recommend it to anyone who plans to be a freelance writer for greeting cards.
Customer Reviews:
Desgins are awesome.......2005-06-19
This book is rather hard to read due to the lack of contrasting colors, even though I rated it 4-star. Other than that, it has fabulous designs. Even beginners would find the book satisfying and gratifying.
If you like making greeting cards, buy this book........2001-11-10
If you want to send cards that will NEVER be thrown away, try these easy to follow patterns and instructions. There is one pattern that pops out to reveal the word "PEACE". Due to the recent Sept. 11 events, this could be a card used for many years to come. Aloha from Hawaii, Vicki Lynn Soule'
Pop up Greeting Cards.......2000-05-01
This was a rather more difficult book than the others by Chatani and by Chatani and Nakazawa, but the designs are exceptionally lovely even to see. I'd recommend the other volumes to start: Pop-up Cards, Paradise of Origamic Architecture, Paper Magic, and White Christmas.
"One of our favorites" Fred Showker, DT&G Magazine..........1999-09-07
It's a real shame this book is not readily available... it's one of the best books available for the craft of folded paper creations. ***1) will spark your imagination, and reinforce your skills ***2) will give you hours of creative enjoyment. PLUS: the pieces you create from this book will be treasured, and kept by the recipient. ... I cannot recommend it too much to anyone who likes making things with paper!
it was fantastic.......1998-07-18
anyone who ever receive these kind of cards will really be touched and it is really special
Books:
- 1000 Glass Beads: Innovation & Imagination in Contemporary Glass Beadmaking
- 9 Heads: A Guide to Drawing Fashion (3rd Edition)
- A Pig in Provence: Good Food and Simple Pleasures in the South of France
- A Quilter's Christmas (A Rodale Quilt Book)
- Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration with Nature
- Applique the Basics and Beyond: The Complete Guide to Successful Machine and Hand Techniques with Dozens of Designs to Mix and Match
- Batiks and Beyond: 22 Quilts from Fabulous Fabrics
- Bead On A Wire: Making Handcrafted Wire and Beaded Jewelry
- Beekeeping for Dummies
- Bend-the-Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide to a Whole New Way to Sew
Books Index
Books Home
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Illustration
| Commercial
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
1,000 Graphic Elements: Details for Distinctive Designs
1,000 Bags, Tags, & Labels: Distinctive Designs for Every Industry
1,000 Type Treatments: From Script to Serif, Letterforms Used to Perfection
The Best of Business Card Design 6 (Best of Business Card Design)
The Best of Brochure Design 9 (Best of Brochure Design)
