I Want To Make a Card. Now What?

Are you new to card making and don’t know where to start? I was in that boat not too many years ago, and just recently on social media, saw a very similar post. My number one answer is open up your mind to your inner creativity, but then what? I’m hoping I can help with that. Five years into making cards, I have an entire room dedicated to it, but to get started you need to know a few things, and have a few supplies. I have taken my card back to basics today, because I think someone out there what’s a starting place. Luckily Maker Forte has you covered! So lets’ explore this.

Besides your creativity, I would say you need cardstock, envelopes, a trimmer (or scissors), ink, stamps, ephemera, and stencils. And I forgot… adhesive. Of course you need that to make everything stick together! Commonly in the crafting/ cardmaking industry we create an A2 card size which measures 4.25x 5.5 inches, and you can create either a top folding or side folding card base. From there the possibilities are endless. For today’s card I made a side folding A2 card starting with piece of Eclipse cardstock measuring 5.5 inches x 8.5 inches scored (or folded) in the middle. I also used Bubblegum Cardstock to make my layers. I personally like my borders to be 1/8th of inch so I cut the panel 1/4 inch larger than the panel it is backing.

So now you know about cardstock. let’s get into a fun and easy way to create a card panel. I recommend dye based inks because they are very diverse and can be used for stamping, stenciling, water coloring, and so much more. For my card today I used the Bubblegum Color Hive Ink and the Remarkable Eclipse Ink using the easiest method, ink blending. On the Bubblegum Cardstock layering measuring 3.5×4.75 inches I blended the Bubblegum ink with a blending brush to add a little more depth and contrast drawing your eye into the middle of the the panel. If you don’t have a blending brush you can lightly take the pad to paper to get a similar look. On the same panel, I then blended the Remarkable Eclipse Ink through the Balloon Animals Stencil. Stenciling is probably the easiest method to create a background or even a focal point on a card and are affordable stash builders. To apply the ink I used an ink dauber, but a brush or sponge would be effective as well. So far we have made a card that is fun, easy, effective, with diverse and in my opinion must haves in the craft room.

I mentioned that ephemera or stamps are another necessity for cardmaking because they are effective for adding sentiments and images to your cards. In this example I used Birthday Sentiments Ephemera because I love the bold fonts that come in this pack. An added benefit of the Maker Forte Ephemera packs is that foiling can be added using Toner Foils and a laminator, so when you are ready to take them up a level you can! With that said, you have made your first card. But maybe you want to embellish it a little bit? I always like to add a little shimmer and shine to my projects so you will find a few gems, wire, or glitter onthem. You can find all the embellishments that Maker Forte offers here, and I’m sure you will want all of the things. I know I do! But don’t you just love how adding a few bits of shine makes your card pop?

I hope this helps clear up where to start, if you’ve never made a card! Also when I first started out, I watched hours of Hedge Hog Hollow Videos. Maybe that will help you too?

For more Maker Forte inspiration:
Shop Maker Forte
Cardmaker’s Blog
Instagram

Below I am linking to the items used in this card, and those that I think are basic must haves.