CuteCardDesigns

Date: Saturday May 23rd 2015 For: Beginners    Length : Half Day (3 hours)   Morning Session - 10.00 - 1.00pm   Afternoon Session - 2.00pm - 5.00 pm   Workshops Description: All About Making Your Own Cards - Half day workshop. This half-day course is for you if you are keen to take up this rewarding hobby, or if you have dabbled in it but without much structure in your approach. Do you lack inspiration - do you buy card embellishments that you really don't know what to do with? This session steps back to give you an overview of the card making process. By the end of this workshop you will be able to: ◦ Employ a Variety of Blank Cards ◦ Experiment with Card Design Layouts ◦ Make stunning cards using everyday materials ◦ Apply the Basic Card Making Materials & Tools Workshops Structure: This is an interactive workshop. We will explore blank cards and card making materials and tools. I provide templates, hand-outs ...

Craft Projects Using Doilies A cheap and effective Card Topper: A little goes a long way. Use a corner of a doily to decorate a card - I use them in my cup-cake card designs. Doilies can be found in golds, silvers and in bright colours, as well as the traditional whites and creams. Less is more when it comes to using doilies to decorate a card, so keep that in mind. Doilies are usually 2 or 3 ply (they come in very thin layers), so when sticking a doily onto a card be sure that you remove one or two of the top layers, as in some cases they will drop off as only the bottom layer is stuck onto the card. For silver and gold doilies you'll have to peel off the top layer (which is the one containing the colour)  and then stick it directly onto the card. Use the curves and patterns to your advantage. Some doilies have lovely rose patterns on them  - carefully cut them out and you have lovely embossed looking  roses to decorate your card.

This is my 2013 Valentines card ! It is made from decorating a large love heart punch with cute tiny bits and pieces to look like a posh selection of chocolates. The background square is tissue paper, crunched up to look like choc wrapper. The bottom border is pink card with a straight cut line of silver doily. The tricky part of this card project is sticking the tiny bits and pieces onto the card - I used some interesting brownish buttons and small cut-outs of different texturised paper as well as trying my hand at some quilling (rolling up a strip of shredded paper).

What are Blank Cards? What are Card Blanks? Blank cards are, as the name suggests, blank card paper that is folded, or is pre-scored to be folded. They are more commonly known in the carding world as Card Blanks. They come in different shapes, sizes, textured finishes and weights. They are used for making professional-looking greeting cards at home. Usually large packs of card blanks are sold unfolded. They are flat with a score made in the middle for you to fold along the score. Both folded and unfolded packs of card blanks usually come with envelopes in the matching size. What does Paper Weight mean when describing Card Blanks? Paper quality is determined by it’ s weight. Usually, the heavier the paper, the higher the cost. At one end of the scale is photo-copy paper which is normally between 60 and 80gsm. And a professional shop bought card is usually up to or more than 300gsm. For home use a card blank of 120gsm in weight usually represents the best value for your money. ’ s ...

I have been using my extensive shopping experience to source cheap envelopes for your card blanks..... Usually card blanks come with matching envelopes. But if you have made your own card blanks, or have purchased card blanks without envelopes, then you will need to source envelopes for them. Envelopes in non-standard sizes are difficult and expensive to source. I have found that it can be worthwhile to buy boxed-sets of Christmas cards on sale after Christmas, just for the envelopes. It can be way cheaper than buying the envelopes on their own! I have found this to be a great way to stock up on large and small square envelopes, and long thin envelopes.

I have a simple tip for making your own version of foam pads. Sticky foam pads are fantastic for giving a card that really professional ‘look’. If you have run out of them, or are new to this and don’t have them at hand, then don’t worry. I have a great alternative in the form of ‘Double-sided Sticky Cardboard Squares’. The cardboard provides the depth that foam does, and paper paste is applied to both sides of the cardboard for the stickiness factor! These photos show the process of turning a piece of cardboard into 4 sticky pads. 

I have 3 suggestions for making your own card blanks: 1. Make Cards using Plain Card Paper 2. Double-fold Low Quality Paper 3. Recycle Unused Christmas/Greeting Cards 1. Make Cards using Plain Card Paper. Buy unscored unfolded card paper in A4 size sheets with a weight of between 120 - 150 gsm. These can be found for sale in stationary shops, large supermarkets and in online stores in the Paper or Card Stock section. They usually come in packs of 50 sheets and are available in lots of colours - white sheets are usually cheaper than coloured. If you are confident in folding card you can fold it yourself without scoring it. But the heavier the card, the more necessary it is to score the card - that means, make an indent in the card at the point where it will fold. Scoring sets usually consist of a plastic knife and a sheet with card sizes marked on it, that you place your card. The sheet will indicate, for different card sizes, where the centre of the card is and gives a guid...