Home Made Greeting Cards....another easy gift.

I've been making gifts this year...avoiding the malls and the mass produced.  Since no one in my family likes vintage bits, I decided to make them a pack of greeting cards.  Blank, so they can write their own message.

I though it would be a way to use some of my favourite photos that I have taken this year.

You can buy blank cards at a craft shop like Michaels.  I bought 25 cards for $6.00. 

I picked my favourite photos and made a collage out of several.

You can do this easily with free software

http://www.picnik.com/

or

http://www.bighugelabs.com/

     I printed them 4 pictures to one page, so as to not waste photo paper. Slice off the edges with an Xacto knife, then simply glue it with a glue stick to the blank card.

Package them in a clear cello bag and adorn with a trinket, ribbon or tag. 

 I used some of my clay tags that I made yesterday.   

 While I was at it I made this years Christmas Card from our family.  A collage of 2 photos.  Simple grey border around the photo. Handwritten scrawl inside.  (I used to work for a doctor and I had by far the worst handwriting in the entire hospital.)  

Here is a shot of the "variety pack" .  An assortment for various occasions.  I have 2 friends battling cancer this year and I think they would make nice gifts for them as they won't have to worry about picking up cards through the year.  And for my brothers who every time they are here ask "you don't happen to have a card I can borrow for so and so, do you?"

I am not sure how much they each cost to make.  The card and envelope was 25 cents.  Photo paper varies and you don't need to buy the really heavy stock.  You can do 4 cards per sheet. Printer ink is likely the most expensive part.  Even if it costs $1.00 per page, 4 cards per page is another 25 cents. So maybe 50 cents per card. 

Watch me get them all back on my Birthday.....