SoulCollage Card Making-
Tips and Tricks

This page covers many useful ideas for making your SoulCollage® cards and organizing the process. If you have any ideas to share, please feel free to use the form at the end of this page. If we can, we will use them here, or in the FREE monthly newsletter .

Organization

Once you start making SoulCollage cards, it doesn't take long before you realize you're going to need some form of organization! This could be as simple as stuffing all of your torn-out images into a plain manila folder, or as complex as sorting them all into a rolling cart, or purchasing a scrapbook carrying case to hold everything.

Give yourself some time before you decide on your SoulCollage organization system. Some organization tools are more expensive than others and you don't want to invest money in something that you will outgrow or not use.

There is an "inner voice" in me who specializes in organization!!! So I use a 10 drawer rolling cart and keep all my images and supplies in it. I separate my SoulCollage images by:

• large backgrounds
• small backgrounds
• community cards-images and photos
• companions cards- images
• images sorted by current themes in my life
• images that I cut out but want to share with the others in my group
• miscellaneous images
• cards I'm currently working on

You could also use an accordian-style folder that has dividers in it, to separate your images.

Organizers that are meant for scrapbookers also come in handy. Some of them are on wheels as well, and are great if you're hauling your supplies with you to a SoulCollage class or group meeting.

But if you're not really into organizing, then just pile everything into one big box. You need to do whatever feels right to you!

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Different Tools

You can use a hard brayer to smooth out your cards/images after the gluing is complete. The harder the brayer the better, as this will exert more pressure and flatten the images more. If you use the brayer for other art projects, you will want to clean it carefully with warm soapy water after each session because the adhesive sticks to it and you don't want it interfering with your other art work.

You can buy hard brayers at art supply and craft stores.

Or you could use a rolling pin instead. Just be sure to clean it before making cookies next time!

A mat knife will be useful for marking the corners of your images when you're laying them under the frame to see how everything fits. I usually make 2 tiny slits in each corner under the frame. Then all I have to do is hold it up to the light to see exactly where to lay it down on the 5" x 8" mat board.

Visit the Dick Blick website by clicking on the icon below. You can purchase all of the above things for creating and organizing your SoulCollage cards and images.

Ready to get started? You can learn SoulCollage® TODAY. Click here now for the online SoulCollage® workshop and save 60%!

Card Making

• Use an old magazine to lay under your mat board while gluing. You can turn the page over every time you're ready for a new one.
• Round the corners of your cards (or some of your cards)with a corner rounder for a unique look.
• Use the colored side of the mat board as the base for your card, and allow a border of the color to show as a frame.
• Take a metallic gold (or other color) marker and make a border around the edge of your card.
• Cut out some of your images right to their edge. A friend of mine calls this "blessing the image."
• Use torn handmade papers as a background instead of magazine pictures.
• Be sure you have a good variety of backgrounds already torn out. An image's meaning will change as it is placed against different backgrounds. When you get the "right" combination (for you), you will know it.

• Use a color copier to make images larger or smaller so they fit on your card in the most pleasing way (for you). Find the copy place in your area that has the best deal on color copies. I use Staples because it's only 79 cents per sheet, and because the employees are always so helpful.
• Cover the entire image with glue, not just the edges.
• Laminate your cards or cover with acrylic varnish to preserve them and to prevent edges from curling up. Try not to do this too soon, however, as you might want to add something to a card later on. If you use the acrylic varnish, be sure to allow a LOT of time (at least 5 days) for each piece to dry.
• Use stickers to identify the suits on the backs of your cards instead of covering each fully.

Want an even bigger selection of ideas for making great SoulCollage Cards? Visit the KaleidoSoul Shop
and check out the e-book
102 Tips & Tricks
for Creating SoulCollage Cards
With Beauty and Meaning.

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