CARD MAKING TIPS & TRICKS

Making your cards for your friends and family can be an enjoyable hobby. When you design your greeting cards, you have control over the look and sentiment so that your card delivers just the right message. Taking the time to make a greeting card personally, lets the receiver know just how special they are to you. Anyone can go to the store, grab a card from the shelf and mail it, but making one with your hands shows just how much you care about the person that receives the card. There are card crafts for ever level of crafter ranging from the simple to the complex.

If you are a beginning card maker, you might appreciate some of the next card making tips and tricks. They will help you avoid many of the mistakes and problems beginning greeting card crafters face, helping kick up your card designs up a notch.

1. A TIP TO HELP OUT DETERMINE YOUR CARDS BACKGROUND COLOR

 

Many times beginners don't have a clue determining which colors to use. A simple way to get excellent results is to pick a color from the image you are using and make that your card-stock background color. Use one or two more colors from the picture to add similar colored embellishments and accents to your card.

2. REUSE YOUR LEFTOVER PAPER SCRAPS

Beautiful papers are not cheap. Make sure to re purpose your saved paper scraps. You can always use your punches and die cut machine to cut simple shapes from the scrap paper. Use those paper shapes to embellish your cards. Who doesn't want to save money?

3. LOOK BEYOND THE NORMAL SOURCES FOR YOUR PAPER SUPPLIES

Did you ever go to the card section of the store and noticed the beautiful gift bags and wrapping papers available for sale? Who says you can't use unconventional paper sources for card making? Gift bags are often made from a heavier weight of paper that is just the right weight for card making. All you have to do is unfold the bags and cut out the shapes you need, making sure to avoid the creased lines.

Wrapping paper is a bit thin, so you may have to reinforce it with some heavier paper as a backer. You may have to do a little more work with these papers, but they will be a beautiful addition to your card design. Just use spray adhesive to attach wrapping paper to card stock. Make sure to lay the wrapping paper down carefully onto the sprayed card-stock, then flatten down with your finger or a bone folder so that you do not get creases or air bubbles in the wrapping paper.

4. USE A WHITE POLYMER ERASER

When laying out cut paper shapes onto a card people will often use a pencil to make light marks as a placement guide. After adhering your embellishments, the pencil marks need to be erased. Make sure only to use a white polymer eraser. Pink erasers and worse yet pencil erasers will leave dark spots and smudges on your card.

5. HOW TO MAKE PERMANENT TAPE LESS

Sometimes you want to attach elements to your cards to determine placement. You might wish to test various designs before choosing the final layout. Tape can be weakened by placing it on cloth and ripping it off several times. Your card background will be not be damaged from the distressed tape