Cardmaking 101 Lesson 1: Learn to Make Pretty Handmade Cards

There’s something remarkable about a handmade card. It might be the feeling you get when you’ve created something beautiful. It might be the way you’re refreshed after a little creative escape from a busy day. Or maybe it’s the amazing way you make someone else feel after you’ve shared your handmade creation with them. Regardless of why it’s remarkable, it is. Whether you’re the naturally crafty type, the moderately crafty “I can copy it if I see it” type, or the “I can’t craft even with a kit” type, you can do this. You can do this. Beginning with this tutorial, I will be walking you through the steps to go from simple stamper to professional. Stick with me and soon, you’ll be that person sharing gorgeous cards (also known as love in an envelope) with all of your friends and family. Ready? Ok, let’s learn to make pretty handmade cards!

Here is the sample I’ll show you how to create today. Just a few supplies and a few minutes, and I have a lovely card to share with someone. Want to see other simple card ideas? Click here.

Here’s what I used for today’s card – the Sweetly Swirled stamp set, Balmy Blue cardstock, and three colors of Stampin’ Pads – Pretty Peacock, Gray Granite, and Balmy Blue. I also used a few adhesives. Links are at the bottom if you would like to order these products! Keep in mind, I will dedicate the next few Cardmaking 101 lessons to talking more about stamps, ink, paper, and adhesives. Make sure to check them out!

First I prepared the card base. It measured 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ (which is half of an 8 1/2″ x 11″ piece of cardstock), then I folded it in half and ran a bone folder along the crease to make it lay flat.

Next I prepared my stamps. As you can see below, the stamps can be peeled from the clear plastic protectors they come in. For this card, I’ll first use the small circle swirl stamp.

Stamps need to be attached to an acrylic block of an appropriate size. Below you can see a few of my collection.

I attached the small circle stamp to an acrylic block, and then gently tapped it on the Pretty Peacock ink pad several times to ink it up. (For some reason, the large circle stamp is shown in this picture, but what you’ll see in the next photo is from the smaller circle stamp.)

Next I stamped firmly on the paper. You don’t want to press hard, but firmly. I re-inked each time I stamped.

Using the oval and large circle swirl stamps, I added more swirls. I stamped the large circles with Balmy Blue ink and the ovals with Gray Granite.

Ok, the background is finished! Let’s make a greeting! I cut a 1″ x 4″ piece of white cardstock and attached the ‘thank you’ stamp to an acrylic block.

Then I inked the stamp with Pretty Peacock ink and stamped it on the paper strip.

It needed some more decoration, so I added some Balmy Blue flowers and Gray Granite leaves, also included in the Sweetly Swirled stamp set.

To attach the greeting to the card, I wanted it to pop up a little bit. For that reason, I attached a few Stampin’ Dimensionals to the back, then removed the paper backing…

…and attached it to the card front.

Here you can see the dimension it adds by using the Dimensionals on the back.

A card isn’t complete without an inside! I repeated some of the floral stamps inside the card, and added a nice greeting. Now it’s done!

Again, with a few supplies and a few minutes, I made a lovely card that I will use to brighten someone’s day. You can do it too!

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