challanging card

[alsmouse]

Hi All, I'm creatively stumped on a card I need to make. The person receiving it is sight challanged. I realize texture is important but am not too sure about how to handle the words. All suggestions will be fully appreciated.

[stampin stacy]

How about a visit to a scrapbook store to get one of those things that you can record a message onto.

[XrayAmy]

Keep the message short and emboss it maybe?

[alsmouse]

Stacy, is that a verbal recorder type of thing or tactile?

[XrayAmy]

I think it's verbal like those cards you can buy with a song in them. What Stacy is talking about you can actually record your own message instead.

[stampin stacy]

Yep Amy is right, it's a little disc that you record a message onto and then attach to a scrapbook page or a card. Once upon a time when I still worked, we even recorded messages onto a cassette tape for someone that was having eye sight issues and included in the envelope with the card.

I liked Amy's idea of embossing too, or chipboard letters maybe.

[XrayAmy]

You could always do a simple pop-up card too.

[CatStamper]

Hi All, I'm creatively stumped on a card I need to make. The person receiving it is sight challanged. I realize texture is important but am not too sure about how to handle the words. All suggestions will be fully appreciated.

How sight challenged? Completely blind or can still read large font or ???

If completely blind, dry embossing (with the metal stencils so that the image is raised on the card) might be nice either as the main subject or just to add interest (fancy corners or borders). I would think a simple image (like a lone flower) that was dry embossed (or embossed with pigment ink as usual for stamping) could be felt and appreciated with the fingers.

If the recipient can still ready large print stuff, large bold images and lettering might work.

Let us know how it goes!

Kate

[Inky Whiskers]

Don't limit your self to making this card in the usual sizes! If you're going to up the font size for easier reading, up the size of the whole card. You can mail a 10 x 13" envie for a reasonable price and use posterboard for the card foundation. Heck! Who says the card has to have a fold in it? Make your friend a poster big enough to easily see. Have an image that's too small? Stamp it, color it, scan it, print it out jumbo sized.

Have fun with this & your friend will love it! :D

[Elli]

If the person reads Braille you could dry emboss Braille words. (I'm assuming somewhere on the internet ther'll be a site that shows the Braille alphabet.)

As well as texture you could consider making a card with a smell to match the picture. (eg. a floral smell for flowers, the aroma of coffee with a coffee cup etc.).

[Inky Whiskers]

I LIKE your idea, Elli, and not just for sight challenged folks! Anybody remember Kool-aid embossing powder from Carol Duvall's show? Lemme see...

One part unsweetened Kool Aid brand soft drink powder blended with one part embossing powder. (regular worked best)

You can match the color of the Kool aid powder to the embossing powder, but only the Kool Aid name brand works well for this. This does limit one to somewhat fruity scents.

A few tips:
Don't over heat the blended powders or they will scorch & look nasty.

Store your "scratch n' sniff" embossing powders in labeled, water proof containers. The drink mix will cake up hard if it gets wet.

Solid images seem to work better as they provide more scratching surface.

Once the Kool Aid is mixed with embossing powder, KEEP IT AWAY FROM THE LITTLE ONES!!! It is no longer eatable. :eek:

I also recall the manufactured scented embossing powders, but the company I bought mine from is long gone. Maybe somebody out in web land still carries it.

[alsmouse]

Thank you ALL for the great ideas. The scratch & sniff would be a good one. Since this is for a guy, I'm thinking either root beer or coffee. Has anyone tried coffee before?? Or am I to be the guinea pig for this? How about approximate ratios? I'm so glad I'm part of this group. You all are Oh So Wonderful. I feel like a newbie after seeing all your wonderful creations.

[stampin stacy]

:p I've used the foil off of the top of a coffee can to emboss on and it made my craft room smell like coffee but that would be as close as I've ever come to anything scented. :D

[alsmouse]

So how would I add the wonderful hazelnut cream smell I like for my Latte's?

[Inky Whiskers]

So how would I add the wonderful hazelnut cream smell I like for my Latte's?

You could try mixing a bit of International Coffee (or other flavored powdered coffee drink) with some embossing powder (clear or brown ep would blend well) and do a test. Real coffee might work too. I do know that anything with real sugar in it can scorch and start to carmelize if you over heat it, so be careful when doing your test pieces.

The original Kool Aid recipe is a one to one ratio, so you could start with that & adjust it if need be. Say a 1/2 teaspoon of each powder to start for testing purposes. I recommend taking notes while testing so you can easily remember what worked & what didn't. Good ventilation is a must!

Experiment & have fun with this! You just might discover the next stamping fad. :D