There are numerous ways to show your appreciation for someone during the holidays and occasions. Cards are one of those ways, and it’s not just because they’re cheap, but because they can be customized in any way that you see fit! All it takes is a little creativity and a few supplies to make your cards. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about making your cards, including card-making supplies, design ideas, tutorials, and more!
Why Make Your Cards?
I don’t know about you, but every greeting card I have received lives in a box under my bed. When times are tough, seeing a card from someone I love is the best thing to cheer me up. And these days, the sentiments inspired by greeting cards — whether for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or to say hello — are even more appreciated as many of us still are (or feel) disconnected from one another due to the pandemic. Like many people, I saw our socially distant times as an opportunity to connect with loved ones this old-fashioned way, with a physical card and a pen. But the more I looked for greeting cards, the harder it became to find the right ones.
The best greeting cards speak to a recipient’s identity and personality, but I couldn’t find a lot that is inclusive to all ethnicities, cultures, or people with disabilities. So why not make my own? Between paper and printers and other gadgets, there are countless supplies you can use to make cards and things to decorate them with, with very little information about what stuff works well together.
Get Started With A Design
To get started, you need to decide on your design. This can be done by creating new designs or using pre-existing ones. To start, try making a card that has no words and just a photo of the person you’re making your card for.
Try to create something exciting, unique, and fun that means something to who you are making it for.
Greeting card ideas come in many forms. You can come up with homemade cards and be inspired by sketches, books, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and the world wide web.
Now that you have a design idea, it’s time to get started. The first thing you want to do is decide what supplies will be needed for the design. You’ll need paints, markers, pencils and other tools like glue and scissors. Next, decide on what paper will be used to make the cards. There are many types of papers available, so something like cardstock or construction paper can be used depending on the look you want your card to have.
There are a variety of card creation packs available at your nearest craft stores. It may cost a bit, but it pays for itself when you think about the fun you have and the amount of events you may need cards for.
The next step is to choose the size of your cards (smaller cards are perfect for gifts). You’ll also need to decide whether you’ll use a single color or multiple colors in your design, so think about how many different papers will go into one card before deciding which method is best for you.
Create unique and fun cards
There are so many ways to customize your cards. By using colorful and unique paper, you can make them stand out. You can use different types of stamps and markers to personalize the inside of the card. If you’re feeling wildly creative, you can even add a bit of a different design with glitter!
Some basic supplies that most card makers have on hand often include cardstock, paper, clear acrylic stamps, dye inks or pigment inks, embellishments, stencils, alcohol markers, dies, and in recent times, watercoloring tools. However, crafting supplies aren’t limited to these. Many other supplies can be added to your handmade cards. For example, ribbon, twine, stickers, enamel dots, and patterned paper are but just a few.
Another popular product to use for card making is the category of dies for paper crafting. These, too, come in different forms – coordinating dies, sentiment dies, cover dies, and stand-alone dies. With crafting dies, card makers can quickly and efficiently cut out beautiful designs with a die-cutting machine to add to their cards.
Why not use paper sticker printing? Custom sticker printing is a fantastic way to share your love for your art. As well as creating bespoke printed stickers for jars, bottles, boxes, candles you could make photo stickers or use cute emojis and images to add some sparkle to your card.
Don’t have time for DIY? There are plenty of companies that will create custom cards for you. But if you want to keep it in-house and save some money, then this is the guide for you!
Reuse your Leftover Scraps
As a tip, we want to stay cautious about the environment and make sure no card or paper scapes go to waste. Make sure to repurpose your saved paper scraps. You can always use your punches and die-cut machine to cut simple shapes from scrap paper. Then, use those paper shapes to embellish your cards. Who doesn’t want to save money?
Use Foam Tape and Dots to add Dimension to Your Cards
Part of the fun of making cards is that you can quickly take them one step further from retail cards by adding dimension elements. For example, foam tape and dots give just enough space between the items on the face of your card project to make them pop.
A Card Box Could Be Useful
Have a storage box with file folders for each month of the year. Make your cards ahead of time and store them in the appropriate month’s file folder. Then, pull out the cards at the beginning of each month and mail them. After that, never be rushed to make a card again!
Write Your Message On The Card
If you are going for a more personal note, you can write your message on the card itself. This option is not as cost-effective, but it also doesn’t have that mass production feel. If you aren’t sure what to say, plenty of complimentary printable messages are available online and in some scrapbooks.
A quick Google search turns up many options like this one:
“Every day is an opportunity to show someone how much they matter.”
Make Your Cards With A Laser Printer Or Digital Printer
One of the best ways to personalize your cards is to use a laser printer or digital printer. These printers allow you to print designs quickly and easily, and they’re affordable too! It’s easy to get started with a big stack of blank cards; all you need is paper and ink cartridges for your laser printer or toner cartridges for your digital printer. This is an optional step; you do not necessarily need a printer.
Final Note
There is no denying that a handmade card goes a long way, as knowing someone has taken the time to make you something special is always heartwarming. It’s a chance to show a loved one how much they mean to you by personalizing the greeting to suit their interests. These tips are just the beginning. If you find that the card-making bug bites you, it is helpful to look at magazines, books, and the web for inspiration. Take some card-making classes at your local craft store to increase your knowledge and design levels. Classes are also an excellent place to meet like-minded people that will be glad to share their knowledge and crafting enthusiasm with you!
Disclosure: This is a featured post.