BASIC ESSENTIALS FOR CARDMAKING

STAMPS - They come in various shapes, patterns and designs.. They are usually made of rubber,but the adventurous type can carve them out of erasers or vegetable (such as potatoes) OR use leaves and other things to make texture.. Stamp Cleaner is essential to keep your stamps clean and stop colors running and mixing together..

INK- Comes in various colors and is usually applied from an ink pad. Standard dye inks are used for general stamping.
*Pigment inks are also used for general stamping and embossing.
*Permanent inks are used when the surfaces needs a waterproof ink for watercoloring of fabric stamping.
*Pearlescent inks pigment inks that create a lustrous sheen when stamped.
*Watermark inks give a tone-on-tone look when stamped.
*Embossing inks stay wet longer so they can be used with embossing powders.
*Rainbow ink pads contain a variety of ink colors on a single pad..

EMBOSSING POWDERS - You apply embossing powder to wet ink to create raised designs. They are available in a variety of colors from metallic colors like gold to solid colors like white.. They are also available in fine powders for detailed work..

PASTEL CHALK - These are available in a variety of colors ad can be found in a plastic palette.. You can apply them with a sponge or your finger tips to create a soft color to your cards..

WATERCOLOR MARKERS - Various colors.. these are water based and can be applied directly to the stamp in specific areas.. They can also be used to color images after you stamped them.

COLORED PENCILS - Variety of colors and are used to color and shade images.. Look for soft, leaded pencils as they are easier to color and blend with..

WATERCOLOR PENCILS - you can use them like ordinary pencils or they can create a water color look.. You simpy add water to a brush and brush over the area that has been colored in with the water color pencil, this will soften and blend the color.

PAINTBRUSH - They come in a variety of sizes and qualities.. It is best to use a soft, small brush for specific areas and big wide brushes for water color wash and backgrounds..

WATERBRUSH - This is a brush that is attached to a plastic barrel filled with water, but can also be filled with ink.. It is used to blend colors..

SCISSORS - You NEED good scissors. Fine-tipped scissors that are sharp to the edge. Teflon coated scissors will help resist the stickiness of the glue. Decorative-edged scissors that have shapes cut into the blade can also come in handy..

PAPER TRIMMER - This is an excellent tool for getting straight lines.. There are plenty of guillotines on the market which include ruled grid lines..

PAPER PUNCH - They are great for punching a variety of shapes out of paper. You can use the cut out piece of the whole piece or both ..
CRAFT KNIFE - This is a very important
part of your card making toolkit.. It contains sharp blades in the handle for cutting and the back of the blade can be use to make sharp creases (scoring) in paper.

BONE FOLDER - This is a useful tool for making sharp fold lines across paper. This gives your fold a crisp crease.

HEAT GUN - This is used to melt embossing powders.

From Kristyn's Card Craft Kitchen....

Sometimes we can be so lost of words...It is not easy to express what we want to say what more to put them in writing. However, you can find a variety of card sayings, poems, and quotations on the following websites which I have source out for you. Enjoy these simple guides and be sure to add on your own for a personal touch:
The Quotations Page
Card Making Info
Poem Source
Crafty Sayings
Card Shoppe Wording Ideas

Recipes for card making

While many crafters like to model their handmade greeting cards on designs they have seen on cards they’ve received in the past, card making sketches are a much more convenient way to start your creative process. The following websites offer a number of useful ideas for how to create greeting cards:
The Sketch Lover Card Sketches
Page Maps for Card Makers
Split Coast Stampers Card Sketches
Witty Living Handmade Card Sketches

How to Make a Greeting Card

People always enjoy receiving a handmade greeting card for any occasion. So, why go out to the store and pay up to twenty dollars for a card that won't make the person receiving it as happy as they would be if the card was homemade?
This article is to encourage creativity and my mission is to promote cardmaking and to spread the joy of giving and receiving a handmade card.

Steps

1. Buy some materials at the store to start off with when making cards. Start off with a few punches, rubber stamps and cardstock/colour papers. Although, recycling things around the house such as buttons, ribbon, old belts, etc. also look great when properly attached to cards.
   
2. Sit down at a comfortable desk or an area that is clean yet comfortable to begin making greeting cards. Music can be played if desired, but a good lighting is also very important
3. Take out a blank card, or fold a piece of paper in half.
   
4. Use the store-bought and/or recycled decorations to make the card.
   
5. Put your signature on the back of the card just made so that the person it is being given to knows who made it.
   
6. Place the card in an envelopes that fits the size of the card. Depending on where the card is going, place a stamp in the upper right hand corner and continue punctuating the envelope properly. If you like you can even decorate the outer part of the envelope
   
   

Tips

• Try using a quality white craft glue like Amos or Halo brand instead of a glue bottle or glue stick so the items put on the cards won't wrinkle.
  
• Using a paper cutter like Carl paper trimmer to make edges straight and is worth the money! Your card will look more neat and profesional.
  
• Purchase some cardmaking books/ magazines for inspiration an ideas . Or attend a cardmaking lesson for some basics and knowledge. Look out for my class schedules. I conduct punch class lessons to help you kick start this hobby.
  
• One of the most important element in cardmaking is colour coordination. Do not use bright colors when making symphony cards, and don't make cards too dark for birthday cards. In other words, make sure the decorations and color of the card matches what the card is being given for. Invest in a colour wheel for guidance
  
• Make sure the message written on the inside is heartfelt. Try to make it unique, meaningful and personalized.
  
• Take your time all the time! Happy Crafting!

• If you really don't have the time then contact me to create a simply beautiful card for the person you have in mind to bless.
  

Warnings

• Don't use the rubber cement glue too much or else the smell of it could cause damage.
• Punches may get hard to compress due to the designs and delicate blades. If needed use a punch aid to help punching . (Carl's Mega Punch Aid)

• Be careful with scissors and the paper cutter. If children below 10 years please have an adult supervision.
  
  

Things You'll Need

• White Craft Glue (Amos or Halo)
  
• Scissors or paper cutter , paper punches (Carl's Products), rubber stamps and ink pads(HeroArts, Penny Black, Making Memories, All Night Media.....etc)
  
• Paper or blank cardstock in a variety of colours
  
• Matching Envelopes
  
• Small decorations/embellishments to put on the card such as glitter, gel pens, fancy ribbons, stickers, brads, buttons......etc
  
• Pen or pencil , waterbase colouring pencils, ink pads, embossing powders, heat gun, stencils.....etc
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Make a Square from Rectangular Paper
  
• How to Make a Paper Snake
  
• How to Make the Crepe Paper Flowerlets to Cover a Pinata
  
• How to Make a Ribbon Journal
  

Punch Care and Maintenence

Punches are among the most durable of scrapbooking tools, if they receive proper care.

Store them in a dry place to avoid rusting, such as a fishing tackle box or embroidery floss box. To lubricate a sticky punch, (or a brand new one), punch through a couple of sheets of waxed paper. This should be done regularly to ensure that you don't have problems with your punches. Intricate designs stick more often than the more basic shapes.To sharpen your punches, punch through a couple of layers of aluminum foil. This does not usually need to be done very often.If your punch won't compress, don't be afraid to stand up and put some weight on it. Use the palm of your hand or even place it on the floor and step on it gently.

A Punch Aid (available from Carla Craft) can help ease punching hard to compress punches. It is also very suitable for little children. A punch aid is also useful for lots of punching.

You might also want to switch to a thinner material. Best paper weights for small to medium punches are between 110 to 120gsm papers. Watch out for the right kind of papers that you use to punch. Some of the more intricate designs will break if you attempt to punch through heavy card stock. But some corners and border punches ay require about 160 to 230 gsm card stock/papers.

If your punch gets stuck and you can't get the paper out, try compressing it once more. If that doesn't work, turn the punch over and use a screwdriver, a spoon handle or some other blunt object to press on the protruding punch design to help release the paper. DO NOT use your fingers...the metal is sharp!


Spray a little wd40 oil to lubricate the punch and gently use the end of a pencil that has an eraser to push the punch back into position.

WHAT IS PUNCH ART?

The Art of Punching is basically assembling the punch shapes to create your desired layout. Using just single shapes or combining with another you can create a wide range of designs.
Punches are very versatile tools .You can begin with just a handful of punches and slowly add on your collection.

I have designed a basic course for beginners to learn some of the different techniques required for Punch art. You can then sign on for the intermediate and advance level once you've mastered the skills required.

View my cards in the gallery section and see the amazing work that can be accomplished with the punches. I carry Carla Craft punches and other brands as well. Continue to browse and find the punches that you like and place your orders today! Why not purchase a beginner's set to start with and sign in for the course today. Do contact me via email at
contactchristiecraft@yahoo.com
for details.

MY STORY

My passion in papercraft began when I was just a little girl. But as I grew up my interests were redirected, I forgot all about crafting until my trip to Australia in 2001. During my visit to the Paddy Market in Sydney I found myself hooked onto a craft stall for more than 2hours admiring all the beautiful cards made from paper punches and paper quilling. My passion was rekindled and I started my punch collection.
I found myself immersing deeper into this hobby as time goes by. My craft studio needed more space for drawers and shelves to store my punches, rubber stamps, stencils, craft tools and papers.

I began making and giving my cards away to friends and family members. I was happy to see my cards being appreciated and kept as momentos. Soon I was teaching punch art to children during school holidays. I designed a punch art programme for both children and adults to enjoy the fun in creative punching. I have also conducted demonstration in One U, Subang Parade, Mid Valley,Pavillion and KLCC to promote my work in punch art.

What started as a passion bloomed into a small home business and continue to grow. Today I set up Christie Craft to reach more people and to share the thought and the idea of creativity through Papercraft. I also designed my own line of handmade card and wedding invites. View my Blog


Thank you for visiting my site. I hope you would come back to visit as often as I would add on more new products and ideas.
Please help me spread a word to your friends who are interested in high quality handmade cards, cardmaking or scrapbooking.