Card-making better than scrapbooking
Posted on November 15th, 2008 in crafts
Recently, I’ve gotten into making cards. You know, like greeting cards. It’s kind of a fun, quick little craft, and the recipients are generally thrilled.
How did I decide to start doing it? Well, I have a problem with buying craft supplies. I really shouldn’t be allowed into craft stores unsupervised; when I am, I come out with armfuls of stuff I will likely never use. But it’s so fun to dream of all the amazing things I could use them for.
So that’s how I ended up with scrapbooking supplies. Papers, embellishments, scissors & whole punches. The problem is, I don’t scrapbook. I have great plans to start someday, but first I have to organize all my photos and the idea of starting that is rather daunting.
So what to do with all those supplies? Well, make cards with them! It requires all the same supplies as scrapbooking, however since you’re not working with photos it means you don’t need to ensure everything is archival quality. That means you can skip out on the expensive adhesives and acid-free papers, and use whatever you please. And often, that makes it cheaper. I’ve used construction paper and stickers from the dollar store.
So what supplies do you need to get started?
- Blank cards & envelopes, available from craft stores, or you can make your own
- Decorative papers – scrapbooking, construction paper, scrap paper, anything you have on hand
- Embellishments – check out the dollar store for great, inexpensive stickers, stamps, beads and other embellishments
- Glue – I use simple glue sticks, but craft glue will also work
- Pens, markers or pencil crayons – to write your message, of course!
- X-Acto knife
- Self-healing cutting mat
- Scissors & punches – get a variety of shapes
If you’re going to skimp on supplies, I suggest you don’t skimp on your mat, knife and pens – this is where you need quality. Cheap pens write inconsistently, making your cards look messy. And a sharp knife & self-healing mat are essentials that you will have for years, and will serve many purposes.
And just like my plan to start scrapbooking someday, I also plan to post pics of some of the cards I’ve made, over on my Vox blog. Don’t hold your breath.