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Rating: 
Summary: Nice designs but a very narrow range of original techniques
Review: I bought this book on the strength of some five star recommendations, knowing nothing else about card making. At the same time I also purchased some more recent card making books as a way to get caught up quickly on the trends in this craft. There are a lot of good points about the Card Book: the projects do cover a wide array of faiths and occasions, the designs are clean, simple and attractive, and some of the cards have elements that can be removed and used as ornaments. That concept is very original in my opinion. However, The Card Book is after all four years old and showing its age; a lot of evolution in the paper arts has occurred in that time while this book is starting to look out-of-date. Author Susan Attenborough focuses mainly on pop-up techniques, a little dry embossing and a small smattering of other paper arts. Meanwhile, the rest of the craft world has discovered vellum, metal embellishments such as eyelets and brads, fibers, stamping, an explosion of patterned papers and accents like microbeads...in fact, a lot of these paper art trends were up and running before this book was published. It leaves the reader to wonder why they were ignored in a book called THE Card Book. So, I can recommend this to crafters who already know a lot about the other paper arts but would like to try pop-ups and designing more 3-D novelty cards. But for complete beginners, there are better resources.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
Rating:
Summary: Nice designs but a very narrow range of original techniques
Review: I bought this book on the strength of some five star recommendations, knowing nothing else about card making. At the same time I also purchased some more recent card making books as a way to get caught up quickly on the trends in this craft. There are a lot of good points about the Card Book: the projects do cover a wide array of faiths and occasions, the designs are clean, simple and attractive, and some of the cards have elements that can be removed and used as ornaments. That concept is very original in my opinion. However, The Card Book is after all four years old and showing its age; a lot of evolution in the paper arts has occurred in that time while this book is starting to look out-of-date. Author Susan Attenborough focuses mainly on pop-up techniques, a little dry embossing and a small smattering of other paper arts. Meanwhile, the rest of the craft world has discovered vellum, metal embellishments such as eyelets and brads, fibers, stamping, an explosion of patterned papers and accents like microbeads...in fact, a lot of these paper art trends were up and running before this book was published. It leaves the reader to wonder why they were ignored in a book called THE Card Book. So, I can recommend this to crafters who already know a lot about the other paper arts but would like to try pop-ups and designing more 3-D novelty cards. But for complete beginners, there are better resources.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
Rating: 
Summary: Can't Put It Down!
Review: I love rubber stamping! "Susan Attenborough" has MANY beautiful ideas I and many others can use too to making beautiful cards. I've read thru it twice and can't wait to go and have the templates sized. She cuts to the chase and I love books like that. I truly enjoy it and brought to work and co-workers loved it! A must on a Christmas list for the paper crafter!
Rating:
Summary: Can't Put It Down!
Review: I love rubber stamping! "Susan Attenborough" has MANY beautiful ideas I and many others can use too to making beautiful cards. I've read thru it twice and can't wait to go and have the templates sized. She cuts to the chase and I love books like that. I truly enjoy it and brought to work and co-workers loved it! A must on a Christmas list for the paper crafter!
Rating:
Summary: Aesthetically Pleasing
Review: Year Round creativity is the goal when purchasing a greeting card book. This one delivers 30 inspired ideas! Christmas, Festival, Good Luck, Romance and Birthday ideas are followed with templates you can photocopy onto thin card. The ideas are literally amazing! As someone who was seduced into attending a card party a few times, I can tell you the ideas did not come close to the creativity in this book. We were left to figure out our own ideas and while that can be enjoyable, the sheer pride you will feel when you make some of these more intricate designs is superior! Your friends will enjoy displaying these during the holidays. The Christmas Hologram Bauble, Holly and Berry Card or Golden Bell will brighten up a tree or table. With today's multicultural society, Susan has included a series of cards designed to celebrate festivals of faith from the Muslim and Jewish calendars, as well as Easter and Kwanzaa. I am especially impressed with the Star of David card you could give on any Jewish festival. You can find everything you need at your local craft store or online. Sure to impress if you make the cards
or give this book as a gift.
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