Patrisha Stauss has been doing this for a number of years and has written an informative little booklet that explains how to go about researching the market, contacting publishers and protecting your rights. She also emphasises the importance of taking a professional approach to your writing. After all, if you hope to support your brood of starving children or keep your spoilt furred, finned and feathered friends in the manner to which they have become accustomed, you need to adopt a business-like attitude.

Many of the tips Patrisha gives in her book Freelance Writing for Greeting Card Companies would apply to any type of writing, not just greeting cards. She gives a list of the basic equipment you need to set up as a professional writer and some of the ongoing costs associated. Things we tend to overlook like paper, ink cartridges, discs and then visits from your friendly, local 'puter doctor.

Because greeting card verses and messages are brief, you need to submit multiple ideas to publishers, so you really need to have a foolproof system to keep track of your submissions, and Patrisha has some practical ways you can do this in her book.

It has innovative projects rnaging from the colorful, really creative ones to subtler, more elegant ones. There really is one for everyone and the instructions are very clear, detailed and, simple to follow. No crafter, regardless of skill, will have any trouble completing any of these cards.

The authors did a great job of writing this book. Also worthy is the creative use of rather unusual materials (for a card at least). I've been working with paper for a long time now and it still helped move some things inside of me which helped me come up with a whole set of new ideas on how to work and what to do. The pictures are great, you'll enjoy them and they'll inspire you to create some new, totally different projects of your own.

This is one book you'll definitely enjoy.

If I had to break it down into one word, I'd say this book is about alchemy. Taking common materials beyond the limit of their accepted potential. Embossing powders transform into precious minerals and mysterious artifacts. Inks do things most people hadn't considered they could before. Embellishments that might seem old-hat are given a surprising new aesthetic status in the context McGraw places them.

I hate that this looks like a greeting cards book. It's an ART book, darnit.

Author MaryJo McGraw is clearly an experienced artist who has explored many techniques, but whose first love is obviously the paper arts. Although this is a book on greeting cards, there were a lot of projects that would work on a different scale for other purposes, such as embellishing scrapbooks; and many of them could be frame able art in their own right. The designs and color choices reflect rich, muted tones and multilayers of materials such as fibers, charms, gold leaf, wires, inks, watch pebbles, beads, punches, stamped papers and photos. Often the card shapes and closures are not the standard rectangular format. The processes are carefully explained and illustrated as though to first-timers, but the results will make you look like a terribly sophisticated artist.

If you're hoping for ideas that would make for good quantity mailings such as invitations, be aware that most people would probably not have the time or money to make these cards in bulk: these are complex labors of love that are definitely not suited to mass production. Never once did I read a suggestion that the reader purchase ready-made embellishments or stickers, because the emphasis here is on handcrafting rather than time efficiency. For the crafter who has special, personal sentiments to express however, these are the ideal medium for that individual touch to the recipient.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

The title says it all and the paper artist/craftsperson who is looking to expand their skill and designs they will be pleased with the concepts that McGraw presents in this well illustrated and clearly written guide. She takes you beyond rubber stamps and beyond cute...many of the designs are just downright art but on a smaller canvas. More than a few of the cards are just...well, they are just too cool for words.

If you want to make cards just out of your rubber stamps, don't buy this book. If you want to expand your creative possibilities and make cards out of some very interesting stuff, then you should buy this book.

If you want to make greeting cards that are "oh, so sweet" don't buy this book. If you want to make greeting cards (or adapt the designs for other paper arts projects) that will knock the socks off the recipient then buy this book right now.