Covid Crafts with Liv: Card Making

This column is dedicated to inspiring creativity for the duration of Covid-19 and the time we must remain at home. My interests and creative choices will include crafts, recipes, hobbies, and more distractions I discover during the coming months. This series of columns will include links, references, and photos of my own creations. Card making is the first creative expression I am discussing.  

Card making was originally an ancient Chinese tradition where people would make cards by hand and deliver them to friends and family in celebration of the New Year. While the Chinese tradition dates back to the early 15th century, the first greeting card was created by a British man in 1846. Popularity of greeting cards increased with globalization and now greeting cards are used for all occasions. 

Sending a letter by mail is uncommon nowadays, although using the United States Postal System is extremely important at this time. Mailing handwritten letters and cards to loved ones can help to keep USPS open through the 2020 election. President Trump’s attempts to attack the US Postal System affects those incapable of voting in person for their safety and the safety of others. If you are choosing to vote by mail, ballots are due by Oct. 3, 2020; send letters until then to help USPS remain open. 

Handwritten notes are extremely personal, they are a nice way to show people how much you care about them. Something about reading a physical copy of a note and seeing a person’s handwriting gives a different feeling than reading a message typed and delivered on a computer or phone. I save all the notes I am given from friends, family, peers and teachers; I enjoy going through old letters or cards to reminisce. 

Birthdays did not stop for corona, so during corona-cation I showed friends and family love by making them cute cards. I like using paint, tissue paper, glitter, writing utensils, wrapping paper, and various other art supplies for cards. If you’re including a gift with the card, it can be cute to use the same wrapping paper on both the gift and some features of the card.  

Pinterest is my favorite place to look for card making inspiration, to recreate cards I see, or to incorporate different colors and designs I find. The link to my “Cards” Pinterest board is https://pin.it/vk0Lrtdn