Some tips for hand made cards

Growing up, I remember my older brother was always really good at making cards. I don't remember if he actually taught me how to make cards, or if I just picked it up from watching him make them, but I have also come to enjoy the art of card making. It is something that can be somewhat time consuming, but I think it means a lot more to someone that you spent the time to make something yourself than you going out and buying something.

I don't claim that my cards are anything super fantastic; it is just something I enjoy. Here are some tips for different things I do that might help you out when you decide how to make your own personalized cards.

I will show you the entire process for how I made a card for mother's day. Again; I don't expect anyone to do all these steps to make a card, I am just hoping that some of the things I do can inspire you when you make your own cards.

Idea #1 - Embossing

Embossing is pretty fun. I chose to do it because it helps simplify the drawing process for me. To start, I printed out the picture I wanted to emboss. You can see from the photo above, that I printed out many different sizes of the daisy. I did this just because I was not sure what size would be best.

Once I picked a size, I cut out a couple of the daisy pictures. I then used those pictures as a template to cut out thin cardboard (think cereal box). I did two different layers for a bit more dimension.

Once I glued the embossing template on the cardboard, I put printer paper on top. I used my finger nails to help crease the paper along the cardboard.

You can see now that I have a card template.

I like my cards to have a rough, organic feel, so I always tear my paper instead of cutting it.

Idea #2 - Drawing a cool picture

Having a flower embossed helps me as a guide for drawing my daisy. You can choose to only have something embossed and not draw anything at all, or you can draw something without having it embossed (I personally noticed that drawing on the daisy after it was embossed made it more difficult to tell that it was embossed in the first place).

With my drawing, I like to have something in the background and one focal point.

I used a Hi-Tec C pen to emphasize the main daisy.

Idea #3 - Colored Card

I like to tear construction paper for my card.

Once I have made my card, I tear computer paper so that I can glue it inside.

If you use Elmer's glue, it will end up looking like the card above. The glue will disfigure the card shape when it dries. Make sure you use a glue stick.

I leave a space in between the white paper so that the card will open and close freely.

Idea #4 - Borders

Borders really help bring your card together.

Something as simple as a single line can work.

Double lines can work too.

Idea #5 - Take the time to write nicely

As a guy I naturally have handwriting that does not look very pretty. Because of this, I take a little extra time in the way I write.

I use an Ames lettering guide to make sure I have straight text. Then I write in block letters (not really pretty, but at least it looks neat and somewhat professional).

Idea #6 - Make a nice title

Find a way to make your title stand out. Add borders or dimensions. Make it extra bold or big. Be creative.