Review: Cardmaking Sketches

by Fransie Snyman (Metz Press, R195)

This book offers wonderful ideas on making cards and it’s amazing what one can do with so little. The projects are easy to follow and no exceptional talent is required.

Unlike her previous book, Cards Galore, where Fransie Snyman shows how to use scraps and bric-a-brac to create personalised cards, in this book she provides more than 50 templates or sketches which you can adapt for standard-size cards, as well as square, oblong and large ones. You can also flip the sketch, rotate it clockwise or anti-clockwise to get a different look.

A chapter covers the basics of cardmaking – the tools you need, different types of paper and versatile materials such as washi tape, a biodegradable tape that resembles masking tape and comes with various patterns which can be used to embellish your cards.

This book has shown me how much more one can do with a piece of paper, even at short notice. And, with cards becoming more pricey, it’s not a bad idea to have it at hand to create your own cards for any occasion.