How to Make Cameo Cards
Often carved out of coral or gemstones, cameo brooches and necklaces typically feature the profile of a person or recognizable object. Create the same elegant look for handmade greeting cards adorned with a simple silhouette cut from white or cream-colored card stock with sharp scissors. Use an easy technique to make a paper cameo of your child's profile to make an adorable and meaningful embellishment for a card to celebrate Mother's Day, Father's Day or Grandparent's Day.
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Things You'll Need
- Digital camera
- Home photo printer
- 4-by-6-inch photo
- Scissors or craft knife
- White or cream-colored card stock
- Pencil
- Tan or light blue craft chalk
- Sponge-tipped applicator or paintbrush
- Pastel-colored card stock
- Glue stick
- Oval stencil
- Metallic silver or gold card stock
- Victorian-style decorative edged scissors
- Blank card
- Marker
- Envelope
Instructions
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Use a digital camera to take a profile picture of your child in a well-lit area to ensure each part of the profile such as the eyelashes, nose, lips and chin are clearly visible. Output the 4-by-6-inch image on a home photo printer in color or black and white.
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Cut the profile out carefully with sharp scissors or a craft knife. Make the profile's features easier to distinguish by cutting slightly outside the lines to exaggerate the shapes.
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Trace the profile onto a piece of white or cream-colored card stock with a pencil. Cut the shape out with scissors or a craft knife.
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Add "dimension" to mimic the look of a real, carved cameo by shading around the profile's eye area, nose, lips and chin with tan or light blue craft chalk applied with a sponge-tipped applicator or paintbrush. You can also add shading to give the paper cameo's hair subtle texture.
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Affix the paper profile to a piece of pastel-colored card stock with a glue stick. Trace an oval-shaped stencil around the cutout with a pencil to mimic the look of a cameo brooch. Cut the oval out with scissors.
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Attach the oval to a piece of metallic silver or gold card stock with a glue stick. Use Victorian-style decorative edged scissors to cut around the oval to create a half-inch-wide metallic photo mat.
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Adhere the completed paper cameo to a blank card base that coordinates with the pastel card stock used to mat the paper profile. Write a sentiment inside the card with a marker and mail the cameo card in a matching envelope.
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Tips & Warnings
If you're using a craft knife to cut your profile photos, protect your work surface with a self-healing cutting mat sold at craft, scrapbooking or sewing shops. The PVC mat can cushion the blade that would easily slice through cardboard or layers of scrap paper. Easily turn the cameo card embellishment into a chic silhouette by cutting the profile out of black card stock instead of white or cream-colored paper. Embellish a greeting card with an accent that resembles a real jewelry cameo instead of a hand-cut paper profile by pressing a rubber stamp of a cameo brooch onto a piece of cream-colored card stock. Use colored pencils or craft chalks to shade the image, if desired. Cover the stamped image with a layer of dimensional paper glaze, allow it to dry and cut the shape out with sharp scissors before affixing it to your card.
