Three-Dimensional Greetings Cards

No. 170 June 2006

I found this book very inventive and helpful. The illustrations are very colourful and show everything clearly to enable you to make the cards. There are all sorts of different ideas and at the end of each set of instructions there are photographs of the different types of card it is possible to make of that kind. I loved this book and would recommend it to anybody with the time to be creative.

JJ (aged 10)

Nov 05

3D decoupage or paper tole started in the 19th century, and recently enjoyed a revival first for pictures and then for cards. Find out the craft's secrets to success with this book, part of the long-running, up-to-date and very user-friendly Handmade Greetings Cards series.

At the beginning of the book is the inevitable hefty list of materials, and don't worry you won't need them all. Avoid the rubber stamps and expensive watercolour pens if you are on a budget and go straight for the printed sheets, my own personal favorite and what must make up at least 80% of all paper tole work. More useful is the chapter on cutting out; learn how to reproduce fur and other fiddly details with the flick of a knife, shape and mount your work. Then it is on with the projects, starting with a step-by-step sheet and then one that reproduces several images entirely, so it is up to the individual how they make up their picture. This was not explained in enough detail for me, and I felt that the sheet should have been gone through carefully, with the author explaining what things to omit from each successive print and why. A pleasant surprise was the chapter on making 3D pictures from peel-off stickers, and then there is another on making them from rubber stamps, and working with watercolour pens and blenders.

The tone of the book is predominantly cute animals and pretty flowers, and I wished for some more unusual subjects and something that would appeal to men, and perhaps teenagers. But for anybody wanting to have a go at this popular craft it is one of the very few introductions on the market, and takes a good look at some less obvious ways of going paper tole that most of the others omit.

Nov 05

If you love 3D designs then look out for [this book]. Inside is a collection of projects showing how simple techniques can be used to make 3D designs. Each project features step-by-step instructions and there are cards for all occasions.

Apr 06

Take your papercrafting to the next level with this inspirational guide to 3D cardmaking. Dawn Allen's book is beautifully presented with clear photography, showing how you can create stylish greetings cards using layering techniques. Each step is easy to follow, and the skills required are relatively simple to pick up. Dawn shows you how to use ribbons, stickers and embellishments to enhance your work and create cards for any occasion that recipients will treasure. We certainly got lots of ideas from it.