Free Printable Greetings: Greeting Cards As You Like Them

You would like to give a greeting card to somebody but you just can't find the right one. The cards at the shop all have the same old tired design. You've also tried online card shops but none of the designs seem to appeal to you. Well then, why not print one that you made yourself. This is not as hard as it sounds. Since you are already on the internet, you probably have some tools that you can use already.

You will need some sort of software to do this. You can search for free software for making greeting cards. Or you can do this on your usual office productivity software. If you look for the software on the web, try it out online first. Choose the one that provides graphics and designs that you would want to use. After installing it on your computer, try following the tutorial first (nearly all software has one). Then go for it and make your own special greeting cards.

You might already have software on your computer on which you can make greeting cards. Greeting cards is one of the predefined document formats of most publishing software like Microsoft Publisher. You can also use your word processor or graphics creation software to come up with your card. The tricky part if you do it this way is in the printing. Software designed for creating greeting cards comes with modules that handle printing of say folded cards.

Once you have the software, you will need to determine your design. You have to decide whether you want a one page card or something that has an outside and an inside. You also need to think about the graphics and pictures you will put in; whether this will be a card with a serious theme or one that uses cartoon illustrations.

The advantage of making your own card is that all the messages can be personalized. Each card will be tailored for the recipient. So, when you are thinking of the pictures and drawings, think of the person who will receive it. At this point, you will already be composing the text of the card too so it is important that you have a clear idea of your message.

After you have composed your card then it is time to print it out. Choose the paper you are going to use. This will be limited by the printer that will be employed. If it has to be bond paper, look for those with heavier stock like maybe substance 20 or 24. If you can, go for card stock. They are meant for the purpose anyway.
Now you have personalized greeting cards that only you can give because only you can make them.

365greetings is a greeting website that provides huge selections of Free greeting cards. It also provide different greeting cards and e-cards for different occasion such as Birthday, Wedding, Christmas, New Year and more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anne_J._Walker

Read more »

Valentine's Day Cards the DIY Way

If you visit a store that sells greeting cards in the first two weeks of February, you will find rows and rows of cards specific for Valentine's Day. The cards are no longer just for that special someone. Today, you can give anybody a Valentine's Day card designed for the kind of relationship you have with that person whether they be your parents or siblings or friends or whatnot.

Speaking of design, the cards at the store are certainly varied. There are the funny and humorous cards, and then there are the cards that have dead serious declarations of love. There are nature-inspired cards, cartoons, still life paintings, avant garde or whatever style. Even so, you may find that neon of them is perfect for the love of your life.

What to do then? Why not make your own card? Your recipient would appreciate it more if they knew the card was made purposely for them.

You need to make a plan before you run off to the craft shop. First, decide on what you want to say. Most people put this as the last step but really it will influence the rest of your decisions. Is this a profession of undying love or a confirmation of your wedding vows? Are you going to propose with the card? Or is this a simple Valentine's Day greeting? Write down your message on a piece of paper.

Next, decide on how the card will look. If your message is serious then maybe you would be better off sticking with conventional card shapes like rectangular or elliptical. Maybe you want to make it heart-shaped because it is a Valentine's Day card. If your message is humorous, you can be more flexible with the shape.

You also need to determine how to decorate the card. If you draw well, perhaps you can just sketch on the card. You might want to use picture cut-outs from magazines or your loved one's picture. You could add embellishments like a pressed flower or a ribbon. You might be more creative and decorate with wood chips or cloth. You could even color or paint your card.

Finally, decide how you will package it. Will it fit in an envelope or do you need a box? Would you like to hand it as is or embed it in another surprise like the base of a cake for instance?

Lastly, make sure you give it in person. It is always a good feeling when you see someone appreciates the fruit of our labor, especially if that person is the one we love most of all.

If you are looking for free Valentine's Day greetings for your family, friends and sweetheart, just visit 365greetings. This greeting website offers huge selection of Valentine's Day cards and greeting e-cards.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anne_J._Walker

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6473473

Read more »

It's a Record! - Your Art Business Records

My father often told me that being able to make art is a Gift meant to be shared. In order to share it, artists have to put their work out on the open market. Once you do this, and achieve sales, you realise that your vocation has become a business. To run it successfully, you need to keep records.

Of prime importance is the record of the paintings you have produced. First, you need a pictorial record of them. Just as necessary is the record of their specifications. For this, I recommend using a hard-cover Journal with multiple columns. In these, you will enter such information as: Media (e.g. "Oils on Canvas"), Dimensions (unframed), Date Completed,Date Sold,Venue (e.g. 'XYZ Gallery'), Buyer's name and contact details, (*if these are available from the gallery), Framing style**(You can fix a code for this to save space.)

*Few if any galleries will give you this information when you start out. They have to protect their business against the possibility that you might contact a buyer direct, to offer a discounted price on your work. Never do this! Not only will you get yourself black-listed by all the galleries in your town, but contrary to what some young artists believe, it does not work. You see, the majority of buyers enjoy a bit of a 'haggle' over the price, but feel uncomfortable about doing this with the artist. (It is a major obstacle to be overcome by artists who go on to run their own galleries.) **This item helps you to quickly calculate your real before-tax income from a sale. Even when you make a gift of a painting to relatives or friends, or donate one to a charity, or even have to destroy one - record this in the journal.

A great help in finding info quickly, is to organise your output into Categories and enter these on a Contents page at the front of your Journal. You might list by subject matter, date of completion, or by Series, whatever is relevant to how you work. Simply entering them as they happen causes confusion after your body of work reaches into the hundreds.

Of course, both types of record above are ideally suited to being filed on a rewritable CD or DVD. Your investment in a second disk drive will repay you handsomely in the savings on space - fewer filing cabinets in your studio office,and in time - no more searching through piles of trannies or invoices. After all, you would rather be painting. You may like to use a CD or DVD burner to make a record that cannot be changed or lost by accident. But a rewritable record allows you quick access to your images when you need to reformat them for various purposes. And you will need to do that. Please do not underestimate the value of filing all correspondence between you and your galleries, your collectors, and your suppliers. Absolutely vital is to get any contracts and agreements in writing from galleries representing you or from collectors commissioning a work directly. Be sure both parties understand exactly what is being promised before you sign, then file the papers away safely. Attach to them any notes or letters from the other party, and memos of any related phone calls. Friendships in business can last a lifetime, but can quickly founder on misunderstandings. Best not to just assume that you, or the other party, has fully understood. Get it in writing!

You are no doubt aware that the graphic images of your paintings have a monetary value in themselves. They can extend the reach of your work by being produced as Prints or as book Illustrations, greeting cards and calendars and so on. They need to be kept safe from: Fire. Keep a second set of trannies or CDs in a building separate from the studio. Moisture. Keep trannies in a Dry Box (electrically regulated de-humidifier) to prevent the growth of destructive moulds and fungi. I keep my cameras here too. Scratches and bending. Frequent searching of over-stuffed folders to find that one image you need, usually in a hurry, can damage the film. Make sure you use a pair of plastic tweezers not fingers,when removing trannies from their keepers.

Best of all, put everything on disk and store a copy in your bank Safe Deposit box. Then, you will sleep like a baby log, free of worries about your precious records. You may even shift some filing cabinets out of your studio and use the space for a new music system, a goldfish tank, or some other heart's desire. (c) Dorothy Gauvin

Dorothy Gauvin is an internationally acclaimed Australian painter in oils who specialises in an epic theme of Australia's pioneers. See images of her 'Life-Story' portraits, an ABC of homemade tools for painters with arthritis, plus tips and advice for aspiring artists and collectors on her website at http://www.artgallerygauvin.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dorothy_Gauvin

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/326652

Read more »