Card Making Basics

While I was working on my very first scrapbook, I decided to sign up for a scrabooking basics class at my local craft store. I didn't know what to expect, but I was hoping to get a few good tips on how to put attractive pages together. Instead, the teacher spent practically the entire time showing us different adhesives, tools, and other products that we could use. Even though knowing about the scrapbooking tools was helpful, it didn't fulfill my expectations at all.

I ended up buying a scrapbooking basics idea book and using the layouts as inspiration for my book. Along the way, I started to pick up on some basic habits and rules that a lot of people seemed to follow. Even though most people say that they just do "whatever looks good," there actually seem to be certain styles, patterns, and techniques that they use. 

Since I finished that scrapbook, I have spent a lot of my crafting time working on cards. I feel a lot more comfortable talking about card making basics than about scrapbooking basics. Rather than just talk about the different card shapes and sizes, and tools that you might want to buy, I am devoting this series to the basic techniques and the rules of good visual composition that go into some of the best cards that I have seen and made.

Everyone has their own card making style, which may or may not be in line with all of the current fads or trends. Whether you have a lot of experience making cards, or have never made one in your life, I think it is beneficial to recognize that there are certain "rules" of card making - just like there are rules for photography, painting, writing, and other arts. By understanding the card making basics and the rules of composition, you can decide which rules and techniques will work for you, and which to throw out the window!

4th of July

Over the past year, I have thought a lot about how important it is to develop and nurture close relationships. One of the things that I have done to show family and friends that I care is to make them cards for holidays and birthdays. With Independence Day and the beginning of the Olympics this month, I have been feeling particularly patriotic so here are some red, white and blue cards:

I used the Paper Studio embossing folder for the background blue and to create texture on the red star. A medium sized star punch created the perfect sized stars for this card, which are attached to the paper with foam adhesive squares. Also, do you see how the picture I took is distorted? I learned that when you hold a lower quality camera really close to something, it does that.

This card seems pretty self explanatory. I did want to point out that "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" is not a stamp. With a limited scrapbooking fund, I often use my own computer to design and print messages and pictures rather than running to the store to buy stamps or stickers.

I am NOT a Scrapbooker

It all started when my mom practically forced me into the scrapbooking world. She took me to the craft store and bought me everything I needed to make a scrapbook for my daughter. Even though I never really considered myself to be a crafty person, I figured that, if I was going to make a scrapbook, I might as well do it right. So I took a free beginner scrapbooking class. And that's how it all began....

I worked really hard on that book, learning the "rules" of good visual composition, and vowing the entire time that I would never scrapbook again after it was finished. I enjoyed the time I spent working on the book, but I didn't want to pick up another hobby. I already had too many!

Well, here I am - more than a year later - and somehow I never stopped scrapping. I have found that I like making cards a whole lot more than I like scrapbooking. I promise I am not going to scrapbook my kids' entire lives. But I do enjoy a little bit of creativity now and then. I even do the occasional sewing project. So, here is my new blog. I am creating it mostly so my mom can see the cards and projects I have been working on, but who knows where I will take it in the future.