I'm super excited to tell you about my tutorial for printing illustrations on handmade recycled paper!
It's the perfect opportunity to dive into a super fun, easy, wow-worthy, and eco-friendly DIY project. You'll truly surprise your loved ones with your card creations from A to Z.
I've worked hard to make it easy for you, so you get a personalized result! Both in the card illustrations I created and in my invention of a template for printing your paper.
Written by Julie Maron
Imagine the satisfaction of transforming old paper into beautiful personalized cards. Giving a handmade card is like giving a piece of yourself, a special touch that truly touches the heart. Each card you create is unique!
I invite you to discover my little secrets below. You'll be amazed when you see how much I've done to make your creative moment easy!
Make handmade paper.
First of all, to create cards, you need to create the paper. This is the most fun part of your card creation, believe me! And for that, you have 4 options :
1- Make your own sieve and cut the dryer sheets following the instructions on my blog page and the free papermaking tutorial.
2- Get our sieve and its frame, by following the free tutorial on our blog page.
3- Get the complete papermaking kit at this link (Including all the materials ready to create with paper shavings as well as seeds and dried flowers). You can always come back to this blog page if you have questions not answered in the kit.
4- If you live in Montreal, come and do your paperwork in the workshop and meet me at the same time! It's an immersive creative workshop, because I offer you lots of different paper baths to make and we take care of the drying for you! Then, I also offer a second associated course which is an introduction to bookbinding and making greeting cards which evolves according to the seasons. It's cool, yes I know :P
Cards printed by Amielle during the introductory workshop on bookbinding and making greeting cards.
Print your paper to make greeting cards.
Once your papercraft is complete, I've prepared card illustrations ready to be printed on your paper, as well as an easy tutorial for printing your cards.
Why did I prepare illustrations? Partly, because I love doing them, but mostly because you usually don't have the software or skills to create designs in Photoshop or Illustrator. So, I made them for you! That way, you too can have beautiful cards!
To make your cards, you need:
- Have your sheets of handmade paper well flattened.
- Choose a set of card illustrations to purchase here.
- Have a home printer and at least one sheet of 8 1/2 x 11'' paper.
(My printer is an inkjet printer, a Canon Pixma TS3420.)
Yes, that's all! ;)
To start making your cards, you must first choose your illustration sets.
As I mentioned above, I've prepared enough for you to choose the ones you like and those you're sure your loved ones will love when you give them. If you enjoyed making your cards, know that I add new illustrations every season!
Here are some examples:
So I invite you to go to our page [here] and [here] to get them for you.
Once your artwork is downloaded, you'll open the document and print a copy of the first page on an 8 1/2 x 11" sheet of paper. If you have cardstock to print your template on, even better. The template looks like this and is included in your downloaded file in French and translated into English.
You'll see, the entire procedure is already written out. But on top of that, I've made a video tutorial for you.
Basically, you stick your paper to the bottom of the template with sticky tape, put your template with your sheet of paper in your printer and choose your illustration to print. Once printed, you cut out the contours of the card, fold it and... My god, your card is finished! Admit it, you're going to make lots of them?
The little things you need to know to make successful prints:
- Your paper should be very flat. If it curls at the edges like in the photo below, simply trim the curled edges with scissors, being careful not to cut your paper smaller than the template's printing frame.
On the left, curled paper; on the right, paper with cut edges.
- Your paper shouldn't be too thick, otherwise it might not be picked up by your printer or get stuck. It's difficult to explain paper thickness in writing. Don't worry, it usually prints anyway. You'll just have to do a test card print with your thickest sheet of paper to see if your printer is working.
Yes, once again, that's it! ;)
Personal note: I love creating cards throughout the year for my family and friends. Choosing each design to match each person's personality is a real joy. It's my way of spreading love and showing how much they mean to me.
I hope my creations will inspire you to make some of your own! See you soon for new creative adventures :)
