Homemade Cards: Something Simple

Hello again, and happy March! I know the March break is already half way through, but if you're looking for something fun to do, this post is all about the easy steps involved in making homemade cards. There's only 5 steps! Here are the supplies you will need:

Blank Cards (I get them at Michaels or Walmart)

Stock Paper

Scrap Paper

Stickers, Stamps, and other embellishments

Scissors

Glue stick

Hot Glue Gun

Sharpie

And anything else you'd like to decorate your card with

Now you're ready to start!

1. First step is to have an idea of what you want your card to look like. There are a few rules of design that really give it that professional touch, such as leaving an invisible border around the edges of your card to keep it looking simple and not so crowded. Then there's the rule of thirds. Try to avoid putting something right in the middle of the card, or dividing it in half. When things are slightly 'off-balanced', it gives it a more artistic look. You'll see what I mean as we go along.

2. Now to actually put something on the card. It's best to work in layers, so pick a piece of card stock that you think will go well with the colour of your card, (patterns are tons of fun and add variety!) and figure out how big you want it, making sure to leave that "invisible border" around the outside.

3. Okay, easy, right? We want it to look cooler than that, though. Obviously we need to know what it's for, so in my example, I'm choosing "Thank You" as a message I want on the front. Go ahead and choose which paper you'd like to use again, (pattern on pattern is cool, but if you're adding words make sure you can read it. And if you've got a light colour as your base, you'll probably want to pick a darker colour to create contrast. Just also make sure you can still read the words), and write your message on it. If you don't have nice handwriting, use a stamp! Cut it to size, and lay it out to see where you want to place it (remember, try to avoid smack dab in the centre).

4. Looking good.... but still empty! This is the fun part and where you can get the most creative! What to add?! I recently got new flower embellishments, so I want to use that! Choose whatever suits your card - this is the main focus, so if it's small you'll want more than one. Figure out if you want it on another piece of paper to add more colour, or if you want it off to the side a little more, etc. Don't glue anything down until you've experimented what looks best!

5. Well it coullld be finished at this point, but I'm going to disagree with myself because there's two problems. It still looks a bit empty AND this card has been split in half! It's not following the rule of thirds sinnce it's got a flower on one side, and the "thank you" on the other. It needs at least one more thing to blend it all together.... a frame around the flower perhaps? Yes. Yes, I want a frame. (Some other ideas include adding leaves or a stem or both.) What frame? I went with twine :)

6. I did say there were only 5 steps, right? Well, technically there's six. I didn't glue anything on until I finished step 5 since I wanted to make sure it looked just the way I wanted it to. So now you glue it all together and you're done!

Once you've made some cards and feel good about it, it's time to get even more creative! You can use natural materials such as sticks, you can incorporate drawings or paintings, or you can even ditch the 'invisible border' rule to add spunk. I also find anything 3-D really makes a card POP! (Haha, get it?) So I purchased little double-sided stickers that can turn anything into a 3-D pop-up (they are the handiest little buggers)! You can cut out your own designs, or use those special patterned scissors, etc. The possibilities are endless!

I hope you enjoyed this post! here are a few other card ideas to get you inspired and started on your own creation:

#crafts #cards #howto #5steps #gettingstarted