Celebrating World Card Making Day

Do you make cards? Why not? Let’s start with the basics ….

If you are a scrapbooker you can use your same supplies to make wonderful cards. But maybe you are a newbie to both . Let’s start here. Lisa

Cardstock – you’ll need a selection of weights of card to enable you to create your cards.

Glue and Tape – you can never have enough glue or tape in your stash! There is a huge selection of adhesives available, from traditional liquid glue to foam pads that can add depth to your designs. You need glue that’s not bulky for adhering layers of card and that dries clear for adding embellishments.

Craft Knife and Scissors – A decent pair of scissors (or a few different sized pairs) and a sharp craft knife will enable you to cut shapes and also cut intricate designs.

Cutting Mat – you need to protect your surfaces with a cutting mat when cutting but these mats can also protect your surfaces from inks and glue. A large cutting mat can act as a general crafting surface, most come with ruled lines to help you cut straight lines and get measurements right. You can get self-healing cutting mats or glass medium mats.

Metal Ruler – you can use any ruler, but a long metal rule will last forever and you will never accidentally cut into it with a craft knife.

Paper Trimmer – you could use a metal rule and a craft knife but a decent quality paper trimmer will give you far more accurate results.

Embellishments – Ribbons, glitter, buttons, brads, gemstones and more. Embellishments can help add wow factor to your cards and it’s great fun building up

Inks, Pens, and Pencils and Colouring Media – building your stash will take time, but if you’re planning on stamping you’ll need some inks and colouring pens or pencils.

Stamps & Dies– There are 1000’s of stamps and dies available to help you create beautiful designs.

Making the Basic Card :

CARD SIZES

The standard size for handmade cards in the US and Canada is one-quarter of an 8-1/2″ x 11″ sheet of card stock. 8-1/2″ x 11″ is commonly called “letter size”. You can achieve the standard size of card base by cutting a letter size piece of card stock in half, and then folding it in half.

Portrait cards are 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″
Landscape cards are 5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″

SCORING CARDS

A score line is an indentation in the card stock that allows it to fold more easily. To create a score line, locate where you’d like the score line (or fold line to be), and run a scoring tool or bone folder along the area while pressing lightly. This creates the indentation which is the score line.

ENVELOPES

While you can make handmade envelopes to fit your cards (no matter what size they are), it is easier to buy envelopes pre-made. The following envelopes fit standard size cards:

Cards made from letter size card stock: A2 envelope (4-3/8″ x 5-3/4″)
Cards made from A4 card stock:C6 envelope (114 mm x 162 mm)

Decorate the front :

This is the fun part. That you can decorate what ever way you want or any occasion. You can use store bought embellishments or stamp and make your own design. So have fun…… Lisa