Birthday Card with Lace and Braid

As impressive as many handmade cards are, the decoration and embellishments don't always have to be created out of paper supplies and inking or stamping. Beautiful cards for loved ones and friends can also be created with lace, fabric and braid. This one was made for a good friend's 60th birthday.



Art and Craft Supplies

Card with window cutout and clear acetate backing (ref: notes at the end)
Small piece of lace
Small piece of single colour material - I used satin
Double-sided sticky tape
Scissors
Lace motif
Thin braid
Plain sticky tape
Small pre-made bow (unless you want to make your own)
Craft glue and/or spray glue
Decorative stickers for corners of card

Method

1. When you have a look at your pre-made cut-out card, you will see it is divided into 3 sections with the window section covered in a piece of acetate. Firstly we'll be working on the back of the cut-out area so when it is folded back together, the rough edges of the material etc. won't be seen.





2. Place your lace motif face down on the back of the acetate. Don't use any glue as it will show through on the acetate.



3. Cut-out your piece of lace to cover the back of the cut-out area on the card. Place face down gently over the back of the motif and tape down with plain sticky tape. Remember you won't end up seeing the rough edges and sticky tape as they will be covered when the card is folded back together.



4. Cut-out your piece of material to cover the piece of lace and tape face down with plain sticky tape. The colour of this material is going to show through your lace when the card is put together.



5. Place double sided sticky tape around edges of the card as shown. Before doing this, fold your card back together lightly to make sure you are taping the correct piece of card and that it is going to open the right way once finished. It sounds obvious but is easy to get wrong if you tape the wrong side.





6. Now for the embellishments for the front. Place double sided tape along the edge of your piece of braid. As it is clear, you won't see it once it is stuck down. Alternatively, you may prefer to stick it down with craft glue.



Carefully place your braid around the outside edge of the window of your card. If you start at the bottom, the join will be hidden by a bow which you can glue on with some craft glue.





7. Finish off the card with other embellishments of your choice. I had a sheet of gold stickers which I used for the corners just to add something a little extra plus as it was for a 60th birthday, I added the 60th stickers.



Other

Some of these pre-made cut-out cards come with the acetate backing already in place (as in this case) and some don't. If your card doesn't, packets of acetate can be easily purchased from craft/card-making stores and just stuck down on the back of the cut-out.

You may prefer not to use an acetate backing at all. Although it helps protect the fabric and hold everything in place, it isn't compulsory. I've also made cards without the acetate and used a thin wadding underneath the material and lace to give more of a 3-D effect.


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#cards
#card_making
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#card_inspiration
#embellishment
#card_ideas
#lace
#braid
#lace_motif

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