Card Making

How do you feel when someone gives you a homemade card? I know I always feel touched that they have taken the time and made the effort to create something unique and heartfelt for me.

You can make your own cards at home with your scrapbooking supplies. You can also use rubber stamps to embellish your card making in almost infinite ways.

The first site I found that illustrated literally hundreds of different stamping techniques was SplitCoastStampers. I still go there to browse member's cards for new ideas and technique tips. It's a very friendly community!

I made the 'Happy Everything' card shown at the top of this page with a few basic supplies and some sponge daubers. Sponge daubers are little cylinders of plastic or wood that are tipped with a dome of sponge. You can press them into an ink pad to pick up some ink, then apply them to your paper. Make sure you rinse them well before changing ink colours.

Here's how I made the 'Happy Everything' card shown above:

• I used a pink coloured cardstock as a base and
  
• Versamark ink to stamp the pattern on the background and
  
• two different coloured papers to mount the main image on and
  
• a Stampin' Up! stamp to make the flower from the set 'Greetings Galore'. The image is stamped on glossy white cardstock with black Stazon ink. Then it is coloured in with chalk pastels and a blender pen. The background has been sponge-spotted yellow with a sponge dauber
  
• last I speckled the image with more ink to give it a random and completed look.

You might like to try making one of these handmade cards yourself. Or here are some other ideas:

• Colour Ribbons to exactly match your projects
  

  

• Make your own Papercraft Bears or Papercraft Ladies
  

  

• Make some Card Spinners
  
• Try some Easel Cards and use one of your favourite photos to show it off
  

  

• Working with Chalks
  
• Crayon Resist Technique
  
• Dry Embossing
  
• Heat Embossing
  
• Faux Metal
  
• Glitter Embossing
  

  

• Faux Silk
  
• Gatefold Cards
  
• How to make your own envelopes
  
• Inchies
  
• How Do You Find Inspiration? I show you one way to be inspired in Stamps Craft 2
  
• Folding can be a great way to add interest to your cards. Try a Folded Greeting Card (also known as a Stair Step Fold or Accordion Fold card) or
• - Iris Folding
  
• Kissing Technique
  
• Masking
  
• No Adhesive Cards
  
• Paper Piercing
  

  

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  Now Here's More Card Making Techniques For You:

• Paper Craft Punch Cards
  

  

• Using Recyclable Products in paper-crafting
  

  

• Reflections Cards can really dazzle!
  

  

• Twinchies
  
• Rub Ons - Custom Made!
  
• Shadow Technique
  
• Stamping with Bleach

  

• Tearing tips for your card making and also your scrapbooking pages
  
• Two Step Stamping
  
• Water colouring tips
  

  

• Sometimes you need to match your card to your wrapping paper too, if you are giving a gift at the same time :)
  

  

Now you have some card making tips and techniques to try, go ahead and have some fun! When you have made a project, I hope you will share it with me here :)

Do You Have A Favourite Handmade Card to Share?

Have you made a card lately and have fallen in love with it? Do you have a picture of it too? We'd love you to share it!

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

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For more birthday card ideas, try Linda's site as well:

Perfect Birthday Celebrations
100's of ideas and resources for birthday cakes, birthday gifts, birthday cards, birthstones, birth flowers, and more; Birthday party planning, party themes, and etiquette. Free zodiac cards and recipes. Many Birthday Greetings!