Techniques, Tools, and Tips

Window To Spring card

After six years of scrapbooking, I turned to making cards for a while using rubber stamps, dry embossing, and techniques learned from my scrapbooking days. I have found card-making to be very satisfying and much less overwhelming than scrapbooking … I can make a single card in a fraction of the time that completing a scrapbook would take. More importantly, I am able to funnel my creative energy into making something that another can enjoy.

At one point I tried turning my love for making cards into a business, but found that that took away the joy of making cards with a particular individual in mind. So now I make cards for friends and family members to celebrate that special occasion or just to let them know that I'm thinking of them. I also make wedding invitations for family members.

Please visit the links at the bottom of the page for some examples of my card designs or view a slide show of a few of my cards (works in IE, Firefox, Opera, and NS4-7 with JavaScript enabled).

Rubber Stamping

I mostly use rubber stamps for my card making. There is an incredible selection of stamps available both in craft stores and online that represent every type of special occasion, interest, or design. Rubber stamping can be done using either dry ink or pigment ink. While dry ink dries naturally, pigment ink requires the use of embossing powder and a heat gun. I prefer using pigment inks as they give a deep, rich color and look very elegant when embossed.

Unicorn and Maiden card

You will need the following tools for rubber stamping:

I often use special color markers to color in my rubber stamp designs. I find that using a dry black ink works best when using markers. Double-tipped specialty markers, such as those put out by Marvy or Tombo, work the best and come in a wide variety of vibrant colors. For a softer look, I use colored pencils.

For the Unicorn and Maiden card displayed above, I used colored markers to give the maiden's clothes a rich, royal look.

Dry Embossing

Dry embossing is a completely different technique that requires few tools and gives a very clean, artful look to handmade cards. Dry embossing involves the use of a tool that has a rounded tip on each end to etch a design on paper using a metal template, or stencil, as a guide. While not absolutely necessary, a light box can be extremely useful, especially when using dry embossing on light-colored paper.

You will need the following tools for dry embossing:

You can also use stencils, pigment ink, and embossing powder to make colorful stenciled cards, such as this Glitter Dragon card.

Embellishments

In addition to rubber stamping or dry embossing, I often embellish my cards with ribbon, buttons, seed beads, specialty punches, tassels, or tiny accessories available at most craft stores. Such embellishments go a long way toward dressing up a card.

Favorite Supply Sources

Mother's Day Cards

I still have a few Mother's Day cards left over from my card business that are available for ordering. Mother's Day Card