★ Card Making Tutorials & Projects | DIY Ideas and Designs ★

Materials, Tools & Techniques You Can Use

• Handmade paper - it's thicker than normal paper and has a lovely texture. You can buy this or make your own.
• Ephemera - such as old book pages, music sheets, maps etc.
• Felt - this is good for cutting shapes out of because it doesn't fray.
• Fabric scraps.
• Machine or hand sewn stitches.
• Embroidered stitches.
• Decoupage - this technique raises different card parts up so it looks 3D.
• Pop-up - when you open the card a 3D design pops up in the centre. This makes use of paper cutting skills.
• 2D cut-out designs - cut out shapes in the top layer of the card and then put a contrasting piece of card, paper or fabric underneath.
• Knitting - small knitted squares are great for toppers on the front of cards.
• Printing - block, screen, lino or other types of printing to add ink or paint designs to your cards.
• Buttons.
• Lace.
• Stenciling - can use existing things like mesh, doilies or lace, or you can make you own stencil (if you make it in acetate rather than card, you will be able to wash and re-use it)
• Ribbon.
• Tissue paper
• Crepe paper
• Acetate - great for window/stained glass effects
• Cellophane
• Photographs
• Quilling. - shaped spirals of paper strips
• Different thicknesses, colours and textures of card - my personal favourite is white hammered cardstock.
• Scrapbook papers
• Embossing stylus and stencils can be used to produce textured (raised) designs in paper or card (called dry embossing.).
• Pressed leaves, skeleton leaves and flowers.
• Ripping edges instead of cutting them with scissors can create a nice effect on some papers.
• Crimping tool can make paper crimped.
• Pre-bought, DIY or custom made rubber and foam stamps.
• Use pinking shears (for a zig-zag edge) or other types of scissors which cut non-straight lines.
• Craft punches - you can buy punching tools which cut-out a particular shape from card/paper when pressed. You can buy them in lots of diferent sizes and shapes, and you can also get ones which punch corner or border designs.
• Heat embossing - this adds a shiny and raised coating for a textured and professional result.
• Cut a window in your card to reveal the inside design, and perhaps add a bevelled edge.
• Wax seals.
• Letter transfers or greetings stickers - for adding messages to the front of cards.
• Paint - acrylic, watercolour, poster etc.
• Calligraphy (with ink) - for adding pretty writing inside or out.
• Pens (e.g. felt tip or gel) and pencils (e.g. watercolor or charcoal)
• Masking fluid to resist ink or paint.
• Wax resist technique - wax is used to draw a pattern and then paint/ink is applied over the top. The wax resists the ink so it you can see the design you drew underneath the ink.
• Things you find such as seashells, sandpaper, feathers, old train tickets, measuring tape, broken CDs etc.
• Decorative embellishments you can buy such as sequins, rhinestones, glitter, beads, eyelets, stickers etc.