This is Halloween Part 3 : If its paper make it a card!
October 09, 2009 | By
22 days and counting. The spooks are gathering, the werewolves are combing their fur and the vampires are sharpening their fangs. Oh, no Halloween is almost here, but don't fret I still have one more trend for you!
So how can you send off graveyards and monsters and spooktacular Halloween icons to places far and wide? Well, you don't need an army of darkness to carry them all, your neighborhood mail man will do just fine. Zombified or not!
Paper creations are a laser hot trend. It may have started with scrapbooking but it has grown to monsterous proportions since then!
The most popular products created from paper are cards. These vary in creation and inspiration almost as widely as their mad scientist creators.
To make a spooky card or any sort of card you need a base. Cardstock is the standard for this and comes in hundreds of styles and colors from your local crafting shop. Choose carefully as this will be the backdrop for your card and ultimately set the tone.
Next you need a plan of attack. A design. You can start with your own ideas and drawings if you are so inclined. Make sure you keep the purpose of the card in mind, while designing. You don't want a creepy critter card to turn into a cutesy baby card, unless of course you are sending it to a cutesy baby type monster.
If you are not one for drawing or painting, there are other options for you to decorate and achieve your desired effect. Stickers are not just for kids test papers anymore. They are brilliant and artistic representations of ideals and three dimensional imagery. If you go down the isle of stickers, yes they have their own isle now, you will find a whole world of options for making cards that will jump off their card stock backers and catch the little ghouls they are sent to totally by surprise.
There is also stamping. Stamps are just as varied as stickers and can put the words to the messages you are trying to send. Inks and paints can be used to imprint different images on your design.
These are a few ways to create your images. If you want to get really creative and spend a bit more money you can invest in the dozens of paper punches and even machines that will turn out perfect detailed images for layered effects and incredible designs that plain old scissors just won't do.
Now once you have all these wonderful things to put on your card, you'll need ways to make sure they 
stay put.
Members of this arsenal are:
-Glue
-tape
-glue dots
-double sided tape
Any one of these options will get you started.
So, design and a the means to Frankenstein it all together. Now before you get to going glue and paper crazy, there are a few things to consider.
-Keep in mind the construction of your card. When designing it is important to understand how it opens and closes in relation to your design. Your embellishments should not interfer with this or the card will not function like you wanted it to.
-Positioning of your elements is important also for how the card will look. When the card is folded what is on it will look one way. When it is opened it will look another way. If don't think about that you might end up with a witch that loses her head when the card is closed and no one wants that. Least of all the witch!
-If you are sending this card via snail mail, keep in mind weight is a factor. If it is too heavy it might cost a mint to send to your ghoulish recepient. Also make sure that your embellishments do not or will not puncture the envelope you are sending your art work in. This will end up with your piece not arriving as intended and might even get it sent back to you. If your card is a bit spikey and a little over weight you might do well using a padded envelope to get it there. Ask your local post office or mail center for help or advice before you get started.
That's all from Xane for this time kids! Tune in next week to see what ghoulish suprise I dig up next!
IMAGES in order of appearance
Happy Halloween Card by cozink
3D Halloween Haunted House PopUp Card by thepurplegiraffe
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Xane Dravor Likes the darker side of crafting. If it is dark, full of teeth and covered in stuff best left to nightmares, she might have it on her shelf somewhere. Sculpture and paintings being her primary mediums. Come by and see what we mean at - House Morbid Ltd
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