by: Melanie Brown
Once you have the basic stamping techniques mastered, you will likely want to move on to something more. By adding embellishments to your handcrafted cards, you will create cards that are more than just messages of greetings, but little pieces of art as well. When you think of embellishments, you may immediately think that you need to spend a lot of money to add beautiful things to your cards. But this is not true; by using a few embellishments wisely, a strong statement can be made on your creations. Some of the easiest embellishments can make the most difference to your finished look. Common additions include eyelets, brads, buttons, charms, and fibers.
Eyelets
Eyelets are very easy to add to your card if you have the right tools. All you need is an eyelet punch, an eyelet setter, a small hammer and a mat or hard surface to protect your working area. Simply use the punch and the hammer to create the hole in your paper, place the eyelet in the hole and use the eyelet setter and hammer to set the eyelet. That is all it takes to add an excellent little detail to your work. Eyelets are great for joining two different pieces of paper, hanging a tag, threading fiber through, or using simply as a little extra effect.
Brads
Brads are similar to eyelets except instead of creating a hole, they are a solid piece. You can find brads in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors so they will be a perfect compliment to any design. They are applied using the same technique as eyelets.
Buttons
Buttons are a beautiful addition to any design, and can easily be sewn onto your paper using a strong needle and embroidery floss. You can also purchase buttons that are especially made for card making and scrapbooking. These buttons typically are flat on one side and have adhesive making application a breeze. Pastel buttons look very sweet on a baby announcement or card, and look nice grouped or individually.
Charms
If you want to add a special touch to your cards, charms are a beautiful way to do this. A large assortment of charms can be found at your local craft or scrapbooking store, to fit any occasion. Most charms can be attached by a piece of fiber through an eyelet hole, others can be sewn directly onto the card, and some even come with adhesive backings.
Fibers
Any piece of thread, yarn or ribbon can be considered a fiber. Fibers add a little something extra to any card as they can be wrapped around pieces of paper, incorporated into stamped images, sewn into a card or used to thread through an eyelet. The possibilities are endless with fibers.