Actually, it does not necessarily means that card making should be done only when there are special occasions about to come like birthdays, weddings, Christmas and other exceptional events. You can give cards to anyone even when you just feel like saying thank you or sorry for a particular person. Card making should be regarded as one productive hobby anybody can do if given enough time and effort during the learning process.

There may be people out there who are wondering how they can start in card making. Well, the process is generally simple and basic. You may want to start out from a simple piece of paper. Prepare some coloured pens or crayons together with a scissor and glue. From here you can start out drawing some images which you think is related either to the recipient or to the upcoming occasion that prompted you to make a card. Then think of appropriate wordings before you write them down on your card. Wordings can be written in front of the card or after opening the cover.

That is actually the downside of the traditional card making. You cannot easily revise the process and if you managed to do it, the outcome will not be polished and will just leave you a feeling of disappointment. Therefore, a mock up card is the best thing to do before you cut and paste your materials to finish a personalized card. If you are the type of person who often change minds and decisions, you might as well remember the word mock up before you plunge in the art of card making. It will not only save your money but most of all your efforts and energy.

Applique work is a technique by which patches of colored fabric cut in various motifs and sizes are superposed on a basic fabric to obtain a decorative whole, with edges of adjacent patches sewn together in some form of stitchery. Color palette for traditional applique items is very basic – red, white, black and yellow fabrics are used to form a vibrant collage, with black preferably forming the base. Glass pieces, metal wires and beads are used for further embellishment. Nowadays, Pipli craftsmen and manufacturers are experimenting with other colors as well to enliven the craft even more.

Today, applique finds expressions in a wide variety of home decor items. From wall-hangings and awnings to Kundini-worked decorative pieces, the range of appliq items available nowadays is pretty exhaustive. One can even choose from a variety of mirror-worked appliqué dresses and skirts for a perfect evening do. Nothing can match the vibrancy of a applique worked handbag on a private function with sequins sewn on it. Appliqué bags and jholas are also becoming quite a rage these days on campuses.

The choice of applique items of Pipli origin for a prospective buyer does not end here. Manufacturers in Pipli and Puri are nowadays flooded with offers from star-rated hotels and resorts to supply applique made side walls and garden umbrellas. Upcoming designers are also considering it a new way to express their creative visions. Accordingly, the fabric used for this typical patchwork has undergone a refreshing change. It is no more the same thick cotton base that is used to elaborate a certain theme; now experimentation is done with fabrics as varied as velvet, satin and Georgette.

Popularity of applique items of Pipli is clearly on the rise. Rathayatra or no Rathayatra- applique saleables of Pipli are now regarded as a major crowd-puller in Puri. Tourists thronging this beach city from all over India and the world find applique art absolutely entrancing, and they make it point to buy a thing or two of this amazing work of art to add a dash of color either to their wardrobe or to a dull nook back at home. This has been augmenting the demand for applique items of Pipli to a large scale over the years. Applique work of Pipli is now a much sought after art of embroidery. Decorative items made of it are colorful, yet not jazzy. They help make a statement when put up at the right place or accessorized properly. The most interesting fact about applique items of Pipli are, unlike many other decorative artifacts of daily use, they are not overtly expensive.