Card Making for Complete Beginners: The Really Basic Basics ✂️💕
Have you ever looked at a handmade card and thought:
“I wouldn’t even know where to start!”
Then this blog post is for you.
And I really do mean complete beginners. Perhaps you don’t even know what a stamp is yet – and that’s absolutely fine! A craft room certainly isn’t required, nor are seventeen cupboards full of crafty supplies. 😂
There’s no need to understand all the crafty terminology that gets thrown around online either.
Today we’re going right back to the really basic basics.
Forget complicated techniques and fancy equipment. We’re starting from scratch, with no assumption that you already know what you’re doing.
We’re simply going to answer:
What do you actually need to make your very first handmade card?
🌸 What Do You Need to Make Your First Card?
Probably much less than you think!
At its absolute simplest, you could start with:
- Some cardstock
- A stamp
- An ink pad
- Some glue or adhesive
- A way of cutting your cardstock
- Perhaps a little patterned paper or a few decorations
That’s it!
You don’t need to buy an entire craft shop before you’ve even discovered whether you enjoy card making.
Start small. Have a play. Make something.
That’s exactly what crafting should be about.
📄 What Is Cardstock?
Let’s start with the thing your card is actually made from.
Cardstock is basically thicker, sturdier paper.
Normal printer paper is quite thin and floppy. Cardstock is heavier, which means it can stand up when folded and makes a much better base for your handmade card.
It comes in all sorts of colours, but you really don’t need them all.
For your first few cards, a few sheets of white cardstock and perhaps one or two colours you love are more than enough.
You can fold a piece of cardstock in half and…
Ta-da! 🎉
You’ve already made your card base.
See? We’re crafting already!
🌸 What Is a Stamp?
When crafters talk about stamps, we don’t mean the little sticky things you put on an envelope! 😂
A craft stamp has a raised image, pattern or wording on it.
You might have a stamp that says:
Happy Birthday
Or one with a flower, butterfly, heart, Christmas tree, cute animal… you name it!
You add ink to the raised part of the stamp and then press it onto your cardstock.
When you lift the stamp away, the image is left behind.
That’s stamping.
And yes, the first time you lift a stamp and see a lovely image underneath is surprisingly satisfying!
🎨 What’s an Ink Pad?
An ink pad is exactly what it sounds like – a small pad containing ink.
Instead of colouring your stamp with a pen or dipping it into liquid ink, you gently press or tap the stamp onto the ink pad.
The important word there is gently!
You don’t need to squash the stamp into the pad.
Make sure the raised parts of your stamp are covered with ink, then press your stamp onto your cardstock.
Try to press straight down rather than rocking it backwards and forwards.
Then lift it straight back up.
Hopefully, you’ll have your first stamped image!
And if it isn’t perfect?
Keep reading… 😉
🩷 What Glue Should You Use for Card Making?
This can get confusing because crafters use all sorts of adhesives.
You’ll hear people talking about liquid glue, tape runners, glue dots, double-sided tape, foam pads and more.
But remember:
We’re keeping things simple.
A good paper crafting liquid glue is absolutely fine when you’re starting out.
You only need a small amount.
In fact, one of the most common beginner mistakes is using far too much glue!
A thin amount around the edges and a little through the middle is normally plenty.
One advantage of liquid glue is that you usually have a few seconds to wiggle your paper into the correct position before it sticks completely.
Very handy when you’re learning!
✂️ How Do You Cut Things Straight?
Ahhh… the question many of us still ask ourselves! 😂
You can use scissors, a pencil and a ruler.
However, if you decide you enjoy card making, one tool I would recommend fairly early on is a paper trimmer.
A paper trimmer has measurements marked along it and allows you to line your cardstock up before cutting.
It makes getting straight edges and accurate measurements much easier.
Don’t worry if you’re not ready to buy one yet, though.
A ruler, pencil and scissors will get you started.
Your first card does not need to be perfectly straight.
Nobody is standing beside you with a spirit level checking it. 😂
😱 What Happens If You Make a Mistake?
This might be the most important part of this whole blog post.
Nothing happens.
Seriously.
The Craft Police do not arrive at your door. 🚨😂
You’ve stamped something wonky?
Put another piece of cardstock over it.
You’ve got a little ink mark somewhere?
Stick a flower over it.
Cut something slightly too short?
Change the design.
Glue something down squint?
Sometimes you can carefully lift it. Sometimes you can’t.
And sometimes…
you just leave it squint!
Handmade doesn’t mean perfect.
I’ve been crafting for years and I still make mistakes.
Sometimes those mistakes even lead to a better idea than the one I originally had.
💕 Your First Card Doesn’t Have to Look Like Mine
This is something I really want beginners to understand.
If you’re watching someone who has been crafting for years, please don’t compare their card to your very first one.
They’ve had plenty of practice and learned lots of little tricks along the way. In fact, they may have made hundreds – if not thousands – of cards by now.
Your first card only has one job: to be your first card. 💕
Your first card only has one job:
To be your first card.
That’s it.
Make it.
Enjoy it.
Learn something from it.
Then make another one.
🌸 You Don’t Need Everything to Start Card Making
One of the reasons I’m focusing so much on beginners at the moment is because I think crafting can sometimes look far more complicated than it actually is.
You see beautiful craft rooms.
Hundreds of stamps.
Shelves filled with ink pads.
Machines, dies, punches, tools and gadgets.
And you think:
“I can’t do this. I don’t have any of that!”
But those collections were usually built over years.
You don’t need everything.
You just need enough to start.
A little cardstock.
A stamp.
An ink pad.
Some glue.
Something to cut with.
And a willingness to have a go.
That’s your starting point. 💕
✂️ Are You a Complete Beginner? I Want to Hear From You!
I’m currently on a mission to introduce more complete beginners to papercrafting and handmade card making.
Not secretly crafty people hiding seventeen cupboards of stamps. 😂
I mean people who genuinely haven’t tried it before.
Perhaps you’ve always fancied having a go but didn’t know where to begin.
Maybe you’re looking for a relaxing new hobby.
Or perhaps you’ve seen my posts and thought:
“That looks lovely… but I wouldn’t have a clue what I was doing.”
You’re exactly the person I’d love to hear from.
💌 Email me at Smithscraftycreations@gmail.com
Or simply leave me a comment on the social media post where you found this blog.
I’d love to send a few complete beginners a little something to test the water and see whether card making might be their new thing. 🥰
No experience required.
In fact…
The less you know, the better! 😂✂️💕
Because everybody starts somewhere.
💬 Got a Question? Just Ask!
Still confused about something? Not sure what a crafty word means? Wondering what you need to buy – or whether you actually need it at all?
Got a question? Feel free to message or email me! 💕
There really is no such thing as a silly question, especially when you’re learning something completely new.
📩 Email me at Smithscraftycreations@gmail.com or send me a message through my social media pages.
I’m more than happy to help you get started, explain the basics or point you in the right direction.And your first handmade card could be the beginning of something rather lovely.
Happy crafting!
Tricia 💕
Smith’s Crafty Creations
Smith’s Crafty Creations
Creativity isn’t about perfection. It’s about relaxation, and making time for yourself.
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🌸 Fancy Giving Papercrafting a Try?
Then something like:
If you’re completely new to papercrafting, I’d love to help you get started. Follow my beginner series, join my crafty community, or get in touch and tell me “I’M NEW!”
Then give them perhaps three choices maximum:
💕 Follow the beginner series
👭 Join my crafty community
✂️ Find out about beginner classes
📧 Sign up to my newsletter
