The Card Shop : A Dazzling Collection of Handmade Paper Greetings

Spring greetings and summer wishes, autumn notes and winter cheer--learn how to make imaginative cards for every season and any occasion with the 50 projects in The Card Shop by Sandra Lounsbury Foose. Start with simple fold-and-cut designs to create snowmen, animals, witches, and more. Move on to more involved cutouts depicting Santas, snowflakes, kitchen items, hamburgers, and pizza slices. Then try easy, three-dimensional constructions like sleds, houses, and sailboats. Complete templates and detailed instructions demystify the process, though beginners may be frustrated by the sometimes confusing directions. But the wide range of events covered, along with ideas for other types of notes (gift tags, invitations, announcements, bookmarks), plus a list of suggested messages for all sorts of cards, makes this a nice choice for those who enjoy bright, country-style designs and who have some patience with a craft knife. --Amy Handy