Card Making

Step ONE:
Get some card stock from your local craft supplier, or from an online shop. You probably have an A.C. Moore, Michaels or Ben Franklin in your area. The selection is vast. You can buy scored cards ready for folding in numerous colors and sizes, some with matching envelopes.
You can also find great card stock at the websites of the retailers listed above.

Step TWO:
Choose a selection of rubber stamps, inks and decorative papers which call to you or fit the themes you want to create in.
You may also want to consider specialty scissors with edging designs or any of the numerous decorative hole-punches available from Fiskars and other suppliers.

Step THREE:
Get any embellishments you might want to use, anything from stickers and ribbon to buttons or leaves. Many companies provide metallic accessories which are popular.

The variety of paper crafting supplies is overwhelming. When you visit the scrapbooking department at your local craft store, let your imagination run wild!

There is no shortage of inspirational material for those interested in card making, as numerous books and periodicals are devoted to it and related paper crafts.

For projects, you can go with a simple traditional style or try your hand at popular avant garde mixed media techniques.

My personal preference is to take my card stock and apply rubber stamping ink in a random (or planned) pattern across the surface. Then I select the main rubber stamped image I want to use and apply it to the background. I choose a coordinating stamp and apply it in a darker or complimentary ink color positioned partially atop the first image.

Another alternative is to cut a sheet of patterned craft paper to a desired size/shape and attach it to the card stock (I use a simple glue stick for this.
Then I add a variety of stickers, chipboard shapes, ribbon, or any of a wide range of the available embellishments.

The cards I make are blank inside and usually not geared towards traditional greeting card themes. These are art cards or decorative note cards. You may choose to do birthday cards, anniversary cards, or friendship cards as the season or event warrants.