something of a tutorial

... handmade, creative, and unique business cards ...

I was running low on business cards and thought I'd make my own. This is how I did it:

1. On watercolor (or some other heavyweight) paper, collage miscellaneous paper scraps and apply a thin coat of gesso over all. I used various book pages and a map. (Beware of magazine paper which will sometimes peel off later.)

2. Apply two or three colors of paint using splatters, bubble wrap, stamps, etc  for varied texture and effect. I stamped aqua, used bubble wrap to apply ochre, and splattered white.

3. Add stamps. I chose fish stamps and used a dark blue and a dark green ink.

4. Print your information using a label template to position everything uniformly on the page. Adhere to the back of your collage paper. Cut into desired business card size using a paper trimmer or xacto knife. (I like the moo card size which is something like 1x2.5)

5. Add finishing touches ... For example, I added more stamping to blank areas, finished the edges with a gold leaf pen, and adhered a piece of text to each card.

 I love the feel of these - they're heavy and ask ever so politely to please be kept and not tossed - "I was made with love, so treat me well"

Each one is a miniature collage and piece  of art.