Getting Started with Card Making

Card making is a great hobby for anyone and everyone! If you’re here reading this it probably means you currently make cards or you’re looking to get started! Lot’s of people have asked me; ‘What do I actually need to start card making?’ So here are my top suggestions for getting started with card making!

What you’ll need – The basic essentials:

• Base Card – I suggest Natural colours like Ivory or Vanilla at 300gsm for your base. You can usually get a better deal buying in bulk rather than getting individual sheets.
  **Prices will vary depending on stores**
• A cutting board – You can buy all types of fancy ‘self-healing’ boards, but a piece of flat wood works for me and it didn’t cost a penny!
  **Free**
• A craft knife – A must have tool for any type of crafting, you can pick these up cheap at most craft stores.
  **£1 – £5 Depending on quality and changeable blades**
• Envelopes – I prefer buying pre-made, but if you’e cutting your own card size you might be best to make your own! There are plenty of templates online.
  **£3 for a multi pack**
• Adhesive – Double sided tape is your new best friend! Glue pens and glue dots are also a must have for attaching your embellishments.
  **£1 for a double sided tape pen from Hobby Craft sale*

That’s the basics sorted, and it’s not looking too expensive if you’ve shopped around is it? Now for the fun bits!

Decorative Items:

These are the bits you can use again and again on all of your cards.

• Stamps & Ink – Start with sentiments for occasions as these will be used a lot! Its much cheaper to buy unmounted stamps and use acrylic blocks as mounts.
  **Range from 99p – £10**
• Paper Punches – There is such a variety of punches available, check out Ebay for cheap deals – second hand punches work perfectly!
  **Range from £4 – £30 at Hobby Craft**

Finally, consumable items. These are the bits that you will need to stock up on once in a while or seek when you want to make a certain card.

• Ribbon – Why not cut the ribbon ties off your clothes, these are the perfect size for a card!
• Decorative paper – Seasonal paper can be restrictive, why not buy paper that can be used all year round – this will save you some money too!

Top Tips:

• Try out your card design using scrap card first to make sure your happy with your idea.
• When you’re happy with your idea, place your design on the card without sticking it down to double check you’re happy – you won’t be able to pull the card off once its stuck down!
• Make sure you have an envelope to fit your card! And remember that some postal services charge extra if it’s a ‘large letter’.
• Ink will stain stamps, so have some wet wipes handy to clean your stamps after using.
• Be creative – utilise old wrapping paper, packaging and ribbon from around your house, these are perfect for adding an extra handmade feel to your cards.

What was your craft box like when you started making cards?