Read Invitation to Murder (Book 1 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) for Free Online

size. The easiest card
to make is to just fold it in half, and then it’s ready to
adorn.”
    She started to fold the sheet when I handed
her at metal ruler. “I like to make the fold with this so your get
a nice crisp edge. Put a light pencil mark at five inches on each
side; then fold the paper over the ruler until you have a sharp
crease.”
    “ Jennifer Shane, I can
certainly fold a piece of paper in half without your detailed
instruction.”
    I shrugged. “Go ahead, then.”
    She bent the paper in half, matched up the
edges, then folded the stock. “See? It’s not that difficult.” I
took another sheet, did as I’d instructed her, and handed her my
fold. “Now compare our results.” She studied both cards, then
acknowledged, “Okay, your edge is crisper; I’ll grant you that. But
is it really that important?”
    “ Lillian, in handcrafting
cards, everything is in the details. If you can’t understand that,
then I’m sorry I bothered you, but I won’t be able to use you
here.”
    That got her attention. I hadn’t meant to
spank her so harshly, but I was serious about cards, and if she
couldn’t match my commitment and dedication, I didn’t want her
working in my shop.
    Lillian said, “Okay, you’re the teacher.
I’ll do better, I promise.” She grabbed another sheet, folded it as
I’d suggested, then asked, “What’s next?”
    “ The other card we can do
with this size folds together in the middle like a pair of doors.
We do the same thing as before, only we space the folds to give us
three sections. The two creases on the outside should be two and a
half inches from either edge. Then fold them with the ruler
again.”
    “ That looks nice,” she
said as she handed me her newly folded card. I noticed she’d done
exactly as I’d taught her this time. “What do you think?” I
examined it, then said, “Good job.”
    “ That’s really all there
is to it?” she asked. “No offense, Jennifer, but that was
easy.”
    “ The basic steps are
simple to perform; that’s why card making is such a good craft for
anybody to try. Now comes the fun part.”
    I grabbed a clear plastic template and said,
“You can make your own guide out of plain paper or even graph
paper, but I had some of these made up for the shop.” The thin
template was a five-by-five-inch piece of Plexiglas with a square
cut inside it that measured three inches by three. That gave me two
pieces when they were separated: a two-inch framed border and a
square that fitted exactly within it. “First we lay the outer frame
on the front of our single-fold card. Then we put a little
transparent tape on the inside square and secure it to the
paper.”
    “ So that automatically
centers it,” Lillian said. “I get it.”
    “ Very good.” After she’d
done as I’d told her, I said, “Now lift the border off and your
square is exactly where it needs to be.”
    “ What comes next?” The
enthusiasm in my aunt’s voice was readily apparent. I was beginning
to believe she might work out after all.
    “ Now we can get started on
adornment.”
    I flipped the card open as I turned it over
so the square was now on the bottom, attached to the lower half of
the stock. After that, I grabbed the smooth wooden stick that
resembled a letter opener, then said. “Now we press the creases
where the square is. By the way, this is called a boning tool.”
    “ Is it really made of
bone?”
    “ Some are, but this one’s
made of polished maple, would you like to try it?” I asked as I
rubbed an edge of the paper.
    “ Certainly,” she said as
she took the tool from me and rubbed the paper. “Is that
enough?”
    I looked at the card. “It’s perfect. Now
flip it back over and gently peel off the tape. Then you can remove
the square.”
    She did as instructed, then examined the
results. “My goodness, it looks so professional.”
    “ It is,” I said. “You did
a very nice job.”
    “ So what are we going to
put inside it?”
    “ Why