Card Maker Advice for Beginners

When I first started out, I purchased a few cardmaking kits from "Annie's Cardmaker Kit of the month" (not sponsored), but you can purchase card making kits from a number of sites. They provided all the materials needed such as paper, ink pad(s), stamps, instructions, etc. I was able to learn a few techniques that I didn’t even know existed. Once you've made a few cards and have the basics down, it's time to branch out.

         

 

     

    

 

Next, you need to figure out what your preferred aesthetic is. Is it funny, is it nature related, bold in color, soft in color, cartoony, etc. For me, I like cute-cartoony/kawaii stuff. Once you figure out the aesthetic you like, you can then search various websites that have images of cards made for inspiration. A good way to search for cards in your aesthetic is to go onto Pinterest (not sponsored) to look for card images. As you click/save each image that you like, you will create not only a file of inspiration, but, also, learn of the companies that created the stamps you like for purchasing down the road. 

When it comes to materials, experiment. I bought a couple of stamp pads of various brands as well as alcohol markers and tried them out first prior to buying all the colors offered by that brand. I was able to return items that I didn’t like. Once I found the materials that I liked, I then bought more supplies from that product line. By doing this, I wasn’t stuck with a bunch of supplies that I wasn’t going to use. 

Shortly after I started making cards, I found out that the layouts for cards are called "sketches'. So, go to Pinterest and type in card sketches. You will see various layering ideas for making cards. 

One extra piece of information that everyone forgets to mention is that "Square cards" are considered odd shaped and cost more to mail. You will never see me make a Square card because of this. If you see me make one, it's because I will be delivering it in person. 

Hope this helps. Good Luck.

#AnniesCardmakerKit #cardmaking