| Card making is the skill of hand-making greeting cards. | | | | In the late 1990s the market began to divide in to |
| Card making has become a popular hobby. Greeting | | | | three different segments: mass-manufactured cards, |
| cards are a multi-billion-dollar business. In 2009, over | | | | handmade and premium cards, and e-cards. |
| seven billion greeting cards were sent in the United | | | | Types of cards include circle cutter, fabric, collage, |
| States alone. | | | | craft punch, quilling, and stickers. Cardmaking uses |
| Many people construct cards for their own personal | | | | many techniques such as decoupage, waterfall, |
| pleasure. Card making is a way to relax, express | | | | stitching cards, rubber stamp embossing, silhouette |
| ones self and it is certainly a creative outlet. | | | | cutting, tea bag folding, and iris folding. Decoupage is |
| However, some create cards for a different reason: | | | | using four or more layers of the same picture to |
| a profit. Cards are sold at markets, fairs and auction | | | | create a 3-dimensional picture. Iris folding is an |
| web sites such as eBay. Selling online is an advantage | | | | effortless paper folding technique where a square, |
| because of the low costs and large customer base. | | | | round or die cut hole is decorated with folded strips |
| Card making started with the ancient Chinese who | | | | of different colored paper arranged in a spiral. |
| use to trade celebratory messages and the Egyptians | | | | Stitching cards are made by stitching a design directly |
| who created messages of paper scrolls. | | | | on the card using thread. Waterfall cards consist of |
| In the 1850s, cards eventually changed from a rather | | | | five decorative card squares that are mounted on a |
| expensive gift to an affordable way to correspond. | | | | sliding strip. The squares open like the pages of a |
| Previously, cards were handmade and hand-delivered | | | | book when the strip is pulled. Rubber stamp |
| which rose prices. Nevertheless, cards have | | | | embossing is created by stamping a design, sprinkling |
| transformed into an affordable way to communicate | | | | embossing powder over it and heating for 30 |
| personally because of advances in printing and | | | | seconds until the design becomes raised and shiny. |
| mechanization. | | | | Metal stencils are used to produce silhouette cutting |
| New trends like Christmas cards came about. The | | | | cards. A silhouette design is cut and mounted on the |
| first of which was created in London. During the | | | | front of a greeting card. In addition, tea bag folding |
| 1980s consumers were interested in unique greeting | | | | uses Origami techniques. Small squares of paper are |
| cards instead of the same old mass produced card. | | | | folded to form a larger design. |