cards!

For the last few months, I've been making these cards for various occasions- thank yous, new babies, birthdays, etc., and today Nicole suggested I share the idea. It's so easy that even a person such as myself can handle it. Please don't tell the feds about my (probably) infringing upon copyright laws to make these. I don't sell them! That makes it ok, right? Sorta? Anyway, here we go...

Supplies needed:

• your favorite children's books
• white cardstock or sturdy white paper
• computer and printer/scanner
• notecards (I buy them cheap at Michael's- the ones that come with envelopes)
• something sticky, like tape or glue or those little photo stickers
• contrasting paper (optional- I only use it when I'm using white notecards)

1. Scan pages from your favorite books. The ones pictured above are (left to right) The Best Nest, by P.D. Eastman, Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey, Are You My Mother?, by P.D. Eastman, and Millions of Cats, by Wanda Gág. I've also done The Little Engine That Could, Corduroy, The Runaway Bunny, and my personal favorite, The Story of Ferdinand. And in the works are Where the Wild Things Are, Make Way for Ducklings, and Caps for Sale. I have LOTS of favorite children's books, and I can get seriously carried away with this kind of thing. But I digress...
2. If you have iphoto, crank up the contrast and the saturation until you have a nice bold image. I've sharpened a few of them when the scan comes out a little blurry, but I don't stress out about making it perfect. On a PC, you can probably do these things in MS Paint? Or, even better, download Picasa.
3. Drag the photo into Word and adjust the size (locking the aspect ratio) to fit your card.
4. Print it onto your sturdy paper or cardstock, cut it out, and stick it on the pre-made card.
5. Give credit where it's due: On the back of the card, write (or print and paste) the author and/or illustrator's name and the title of the book.

Finito!