Sample

BOOK No.1
Introduction by the author

My Mission
I hope to present new challenges to experienced card-makers and, at the same time, instruct in such a way as to make it easy for beginners to understand.    In this series of tutorial books my aim is to help you develop such a thorough knowledge of each technique that by the time each model has been made you will be in a position to create your own designs.  It is my wish to enable and encourage each crafter to mine the mother-lode of creativity within us all.  In short, my mission is to inspire.

General Tips and Other Useful Information
Please read this before getting to the  “good stuff”  (some hope)
The amount of time involved in making a hand-made card varies with each creator, and at the completion of the project it is hoped that the result will be pleasing to both the giver and the receiver.  What follows is my advice and recommendations to help you achieve your goals with the minimum of stress and frustration.  There are some words with an asterisk (*) at the front of them.  This denotes that there is an explanation in the Jargon-Buster. 

I hope you will enjoy your learning experience.  All the designs in this book are plain but highly adaptable and it won t be long before you will see how to create your own variations.  At the end of the day it s all about enjoyment and fulfilment.         

Lauraine Graham 

Advice

1. Keep your work area tidy and surfaces clean.
2. Think ahead to decide what you will need and arrange your tools and supplies in such a way that everything you need will be to hand.  Once you start creating you won’t want to be bobbing up and down like a yoyo.
3. Read the instructions to each project all the way through before attempting to begin, and do not skip any Step.
4. Always use a *bone folder or other indenting tool to make your creases.
5. Cut and crease as accurately as you can.
6. Turn the paper rather than the knife or scissors.
7. Always use a sharp cutting tool; a blunted one will tear your paper and you are more likely to cut yourself if it slips.
8. To enable smooth creasing and *dry-embossing have a small candle or cake of white soap on the table and dip the tip of your chosen indenting tool into it before making each *score.  This will serve to make the *score smoother, reduce the drag on your hands and help soften the fibres of the card without breaking them.
9. BE PATIENT!  Allow time to develop your cutting and creasing skills.  Some of the folds involved are intricate and at first you will find that your fingers will get in the way.  On some of the smaller parts which need to be folded you may find it useful to use tweezers.  This tool will also help in pushing forward or lifting out the piece from the model.
10. It is recommended that card of 160-220*gsm is best for the pop-up designs.  Any lighter and your model would be damaged too easily, and a much heavier card causes problems with folding and lying flat.  
    
    A brief word about card thickness:  The experienced paper-crafter knows that a *gsm weight is merely a guide.  The textures and fibre content used in the manufacturing process make a huge difference in the thickness of the finished product, and comparisons between several samples quoted to be the same weight can vary enormously in thickness.
    
    
11. Practice the project on some inexpensive card (or even copy paper) prior to making your *fair copy.  This will help to keep the cost of your learning curve to a minimum and save your really nice card for the final product. Before making any fold I recommend re-scoring your fold-lines - on the front for the *valley folds (green) and on the back for the *mountain folds (red).  The black lines are your cutting lines.  Don’t *score too heavily as it is easy to damage the card.
12. Bend each fold back and forth several times to soften the fibres, and sharpen the crease with your *bone folder or tweezers to  teach  the card which way it should fold.  When you have completed all your folds, open and close the structure a few times to endorse your teaching on the card.
13. Regarding glue, use one that is *acid and lignin-free, and dries clear and flexible.  Recommended generic glues are photographers  glue, book-binding glue, scrap-bookers  glue, crafters  PVA glue, and for branded glues I recommend Artglitter Designer Adhesive, Hi-Tack Very Sticky Glue, and Crafters  Pick Incredibly Tacky Glue.  Look for  acid and lignin-free  on the label.  Use it sparingly and remove any excess straight away.  
14. Place a book or something with some weight on the top of your finished card and leave it there for an hour or two, or over-night if you have time, so that the card is flattened to its thinnest capability and the card is fully rested.  This will enable slipping the card into the envelope easier and make a neater package to send in the post. 
15. Read the instructions on each template carefully to make sure you are placing it correctly on the card.
16. PERSEVERE.  It will take time and effort to develop your skill and, as with any new procedure, the old adage of practice makes perfect is very much in play here.
17. and lastly

WE DO NOT MAKE MISTAKES, WE MAKE DESIGN ADJUSTMENTS  
Tools and Equipment  

Unlike many other techniques there are no special or expensive tools you need.  Most, if not all, you will probably already have, so THAT’S good news for a start.

For all the projects in this book you will need the following:-

1. (a) scanner, printer and copy paper OR

     (b) a photocopier OR
(c) tracing paper and pen or pencil to transfer the image of the patterns.  

An alternative to copying the designs every time you want a pattern is to make a re-useable template.   To make a template transfer each pattern onto medium weight plastic; quilters’ plastic or plasma are useful materials.  You could just tear out the patterns from the book, but that gives you only one go for each pattern.  This is neither wise nor thrifty!  

1. A craft knife and scissors.
2. A *cutting mat.
3. A metal-edged ruler.
4. A *bone-folder.
5. A wet glue that dries clear and flexible.
6. At least 2 pieces of medium weight *A4 card.           

              They do not have to be the same. 

In addition to the above you may need punches, stencils and a variety of embellishments of your choice to finish the project; how you personalise each one is entirely your own decision.   

Jargon Buster

It is virtually impossible to avoid jargon or terminology, so to make sure we are all  reading from the same page  I now list, in dictionary form, an explanation of all the terms I have used.  Throughout this book I have placed an asterisk (*) beside each word which is explained here. 

A3 - 11.69  x  16.5  (297mm x 420mm)
A4 - (half A3)8.27  x 11.69  (210mm x 297mm)
A5 - (half A4) 5.8   x 8.27  (148mm x 210mm)
Acid and lignin free - Contains no acids or wood oils which, over a period of time, will discolour the paper.
Bone folder - Any implement used to indent or *score a line to  smooth/ define / sharpen folds, like a fine embossing tool, a lolly stick, edge of a plastic ruler, flat-edged tweezers, etc
Cutting mat - Apart from the purpose-made products available in craft shops you can use anything flat and thick enough to protect the table top from your use of various tools.
Double-sided card/paper - Coloured or printed on both sides, not necessarily the same.
Dry-embossing - A technique which uses an indenting tool and stencil to make raised patterns on card.
Fair copy - The final product for presentation
Fair side - Good side, front view, preferred surface, face side.
gsm - Grams per square metre.  Indicates the weight, not the thickness, of the card.  Should be used only as a guide, as weight alone can be deceptive.
Inner - The cut and folded piece of your card
Low-tack tape - Drafting tape / stencil tape / masking tape designed to peel off without damage to the card surface
Mountain fold  - Like a mountain, fold faces out of card
Outer - The outside card, the one seen before the card is opened
Portrait and Landscape - Artist term to describe the lie of the paper.  Portrait is tall and landscape is wide.  This page is printed Portrait fashion.
Reverse side - Side of card/paper to be attached to something or not seen from the front view
Score - A groove to facilitate cleaner folds
Valley fold - Like a valley, fold faces into card

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