[Nillohit Bagchi]

1. Make the base of the card – This first step applies if you don’t have a pre-folded blank card. If you do, move on to step two. Take your cardstock or thick paper and cut it into your preferred size. As mentioned previously in this guide on how to make greeting cards, the standard size is 5″x7″. Next, you’ll need to create a fold. Making a neat and professional fold on your card will require a scoring technique. The paper fibres are loosened when scoring before folding, allowing for a neater fold.<div>

Grab your ruler and a blunt piece of metal like a butter knife. First, measure the centre point on the cardstock or thick paper. Draw a line down the middle of the cardstock or thick paper crosswise using a pencil. Make sure not to press down too hard when drawing this line, as you’ll need to erase it.

Once you’ve drawn the line, leave your ruler where it is and grab the blunt piece of metal. Drag it down the line as you did with the pencil to create an indentation. Once that’s done, erase the line you drew.N ow, turn the cardstock or thick paper over and fold it. This technique is known as folding on the mountainside. It creates a better edge on your base than folding on the side you scored. Scoring is also a great way to divide a big sheet into two. Simply draw a scoring line and divide the sheet into two small base cards.

2. Decorate the card – You can have as much fun as you want and tap into your creativity to create something striking. For example, you can create a sketch out of watercolour over the top of the card. Or draw a field of flowers on the inside.

If you’re not up for drawing, you can use patterned paper and other materials to decorate. Try to make a card for a general occasion that matches the theme of the greeting. For example, a card for a 50th anniversary can include elements of gold to signify the milestone. Alternatively, if you know the person receiving the card, personalize it to appeal to them.

You can always find decorations around your house, such as buttons, ribbon, and magazine pages. Scrapbooking embellishments also make incredible decorations for cards.

It’s best to go with less rather than more when decorating the card. Although a cluttered design will be appreciated as much as a simple look, it can draw focus away from the message. Be conscious of where you place elements and use the white space concept.

3. Add text to the card – Most greeting cards have generalized messaging, like “Happy Birthday”. Therefore, you won’t have to worry too much about what message to write. Add a personalized message to leave a more lasting impression on the recipient. This is typically a more detailed text wishing the person well.

Write the text on the card in whatever style you want. Don’t be afraid to get creative here with swirly text and unconventional lettering.You can always skip this step if you’re making a greeting card for someone else.

</div>

[Nillohit Bagchi]

1. Valley Fold – To make a valley fold, simply fold part of the paper towards you and crease along the dashed line. Sometimes, you are asked to fold and unfold the paper after you make a valley fold. This is called pre-creasing. When you make a pre-crease, you are setting the stage for later steps in the diagram. Pre-creasing is done at the beginning of the process; it is sometimes too difficult to put them into place accurately at a later time.

2. Mountain Fold – To make a mountain fold, fold part of the paper away from you and then crease along the line. You can do this by holding the paper in the air and folding it. However, it is easier to turn the paper over, fold a valley fold, and then turn the paper back to the original position.

As with a valley fold, you may be asked to fold and unfold the paper to create a pre-crease that will be used later on in the process of completing a particular model.

.3. Squash Fold – The squash fold is essentially a neat way of “squashing” your paper into position. It is a compound fold that is a combination of creases that are more or less performed simultaneously. Then, you will collapse it into the shape that is shown your instructions you are following. Two layers of paper open up from a central point.

Look at your specific design instructions to get a feel for the correct placement of the paper during a squash fold. Some, but not all, squash folds are symmetrical. If you make a squash fold that is symmetrical when it is supposed to be off towards one side of the model will throw off all of the other steps in your project.

Once you know how to make a squash fold, you can create a variety of origami models, ranging from flowers to animals. The origami organ base shown in the photo is made using a squash fold. Bases are important to know because they are the foundation for making more complex origami models.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by  Nillohit Bagchi.