Updated: Supply suggestions

Quite a while ago, I did a short series on must-have supplies for those who are new to card-making. Since then, things have changed a bit -- both in terms of what I use and what's available. Some products got retired, some companies went out of business, etc. I thought it would be a good idea to update my list every 6 months or so and share my new go-to supplies.

Cardstock:

For white card bases, my go-to cardstock is Stamper's Select White from Papertrey Ink. It's very affordable (40 sheets for 6$) and it has the perfect thickness and texture.

For white panels, I prefer a thinner cardstock, so I use Neenah's Classic Crest Solar White 80lbs, which I grab from Simon Says Stamp. It's slightly more expensive (40 sheets for 10$), but it's a very smooth and bright white cardstock. It's thin enough to be a good layer, but not so thin that it's flimsy.

For colored cardstock, I buy from: My Favorite Things, Papertrey Ink and Gina K. Designs. The cardstock in all 3 shops is the same high quality, and they feature different colors. I also still own quite a few cardstock packs from Simon Says Stamp - I especially like Lipstick Red, which is a very bright red.

Paper Trimmer:

I still own my Fiskars SureCut Deluxe trimmer along with Titanium replacement blades. However, it does get expensive to replace the blades. So, I've recently invested in Tim Holtz Tonic Guillotine trimmer. The guillotine trimmer works really well and it's self-sharpening. The only downsides is that it's not long enough to create top-folding A2 cards and that it has no locking mechanism -- so it needs to be kept away from little ones.

Patterned Paper:
Since I'm inspired by patterned paper, I have a very huge variety of paper and quite a few must-haves. So, instead of recommending a particular paper pad, I'm recommending a couple of companies that have really good 'basics'. My Favorite Things features simple designs (chevrons, polkadots, stripes and plaids) in a large variety of colors that match their cardstock. Avery Elle also features basic designs (stripes, hearts, etc) matched together in sets -- these are really great if you're not sure what colors pair well together.

Inkpads:
For Copic coloring, I use MFT's Hybrid Black and Hybrid Chocolate Brown.

For sentiments, I generally use Versafine Black Onyx ink or Ranger Archival inks, as they both stamp very crisply and clearly.

For colored ink, I have Lawn Fawn inks, WPlus9 inks and Simon Says Stamp inks. They all have the same formula and a different range of colors.

I also have a sticky ink for embossing and some pigment inks, but I don't use them very often.

Adhesive:
My go-to adhesives are Tombow Mono Dot adhesive and Plus Honeycomb adhesive. They are both strong adhesives with affordable refills that are easy to use.

For liquid adhesive, I use Ranger's Multi Matte Medium, which dries clear.

For dimensionals, I use the big roll of foam tape along with Scrapbook Adhesives foam squares that I bought on sale. Another great affordable option is from Best Creation.

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One thing you'll notice is missing from my supplies list is stamps. I have so many amazing and wonderful stamps that it was impossible to narrow them down -- even the list of companies/designers I love is giant! Instead, I will be sharing occasional spotlight weeks on my blog, where I create several projects with particular stamps/companies.

I hope this list is helpful!
~Elle~

Basic Card

As I approach my one-year anniversary in card-making, I wanted to write something for those of you who are just starting out - or thinking about getting into card-making. I've got a few posts now about the different tools and supplies, but I've never written a post about the process itself. True, my regular card posts outline the steps (and I hope dearly those are not boring and annoying to read!), but they all operate under the assumption you're familiar with the tools and basic techniques.

So, I thought I'd walk you through a process of making a card and maybe go over a few tips or tricks that could be helpful.

This is the card we're going to end up with. It's very simple and easy to reproduce, and - most importantly - it doesn't use a million supplies and techniques.

The first step with this card was choosing a focal image. Now, I normally stamp an image and then color it in with Copics or watercolor, but coloring is not always easy to get into. I'm lucky in that my current job has me creating art, so I was able to skip over a lot of the basics of coloring and just focus on techniques using the particular coloring tools. But if you've never done art before, it might be a bit more challenging and leave you with a result that you're not happy with.

So, the very first step in choosing that focal image is to get creative. Since I was trying to go simple with this card, I chose a beautiful sticker from Penny Black's Petals and Poetry sticker sheet. The reason I like this particular sticker is because it's fairly large, and it looks like it has texture and detail. This means I could keep the rest of the card simple and focus on the card layout - something that will set your card apart from a random card you find in the grocery aisle.

This is what the full sheet looks like. I chose the flower in the bottom right corner.

Once I had the focal image chosen, I picked out the rest of the supplies:

I chose a piece of Kraft cardstock because the color was close to the brown tones on the sticker. However, I also wanted to draw attention to certain parts of the card (such as the sticker, for example), so I chose a darker navy color, too.

I have two tips that will help you choose colors. The first is to have a selection of neutrals - brown, vanilla/cream, white, grey, black, kraft. Neutral colors go with any other color, so they're a safe combination. They also help with contrast, by either toning it down (example: a soft pink on white) or by increasing it (example: pink on black). The second tip is to grab your favorite paper pack and use it as a palette. Even the bold and bright prints will give you an idea of what tones you can put together. And it's a great bonus if you also happen to use that paper pack and have it match the rest of the card.

Speaking of patterned paper, I chose to go with Pebbles Front Porch 6x6 paper for this card. There's two main reasons why. The first is that the sticker had a soft brown border - which is the same tone I used for choosing the kraft base. The second is that quite a few of the stickers had writing in it, and there was one Front Porch paper that had a dictionary-like print on it, along with a creamy brown tone. It also had a bit of the distressing/texture that the sticker had. So, since many of the small details were the same, I knew it was a good choice for background paper.

The next few things I chose were:
- Foam squares -- because I knew I wanted to use layers, and having that slight bit of elevation would make the card more interesting
- Off-white ribbon and pearls -- because they had a soft antique quality that went with the sticker.

Then I got to work on the card.

I started by creating my base. I cut the sheet of cardstock in half on the long side, so my base measured 4 1/4 by 11". Then I used my Martha Stewart Mini Scoring board to score at 5 1/2" for a standard A2 card.

Since the navy is a strong color, I knew I wanted to use it as an accent - which is easy to do with frames. I cut it to measure 4 by 5 1/4. Then I cut a piece of Front Porch paper to measure 3 3/4 by 5". When I glued them on top of each other, this created a navy border around the paper.

I measured the sticker, then cut another panel that was slightly larger. After placing the sticker on this new panel, however, I realized that the sticker was a bit see-through. I ended up with a result that was darker than how the sticker looked on the sheet. But, I actually liked the deeper color quite a bit. So, it was a happy accident - and those can happen in card-making.

The rest of the card came together very easily. I tied the ribbon around the first panel, then adhered the flower panel with foam squares. Lastly, I added the pearls - just randomly, where it looked good.

At this point, I knew I wanted to add a more customized/personal touch to the card. But it was already done... So, I decided to make a matching tag.

I cut a rectangle out of the craft paper measuring 2" by 3". I rounded the corners at the top with a corner rounder and punched a hole with a hole punch. I layered bits of blue cardstock, patterned paper and a sticker. To match the card, I also added a ribbon and a pearl.

And voila! A simple card and tag.

Hopefully this was useful to someone out there. If so, please let me know in comments. :)

Supplies:
Penny Black Petals and Poetry Sticker
Neenah Desert Storm Environmental Cardstock in 100#lbs
Avery Elle Sapphire Heavyweight Cardstock
Martha Stewart Mini Scoring Board
Pebbles Front Porch 6x6 patterned paper
Melissa Frances Cream Pearls
Schiff satin 1/4" ribbon in Antique White
Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Thin Foam Squares
Tombow Dot Adhesive Runner
EK Success Mini Corner Rounder duo punch
Paper hole punch

Avery Elle- Pink Thanks

This is the final card in my stamp trio challenge, using Avery Elle's Many Thanks stamp set.

With this card, I wanted to go in a more feminine direction, so I pulled out some pink ink and ribbon.

I started by creating a card base that measures 4 1/2 x 10", folding it in half to create a top-folding card that measures 4 1/2 by 5". This is slightly smaller than an A2 card.

For the center panel, I cut a piece of white cardstock to measure 4 by 4 1/2. I started by stamping the sentiment in black ink. I then pulled out Avery Elle's Brushed stamp set and stamped a small brushstroke stamp 3 times in the upper right corner. I used a pink color twice, and a brown in the middle to add just a touch of warmth.

I added a piece of pink ribbon to the bottom of the panel, then adhered the panel to a piece of patterned paper. I adhered the front to the card base.

Lastly, I added 3 small enamel dots by the sentiment to tie all the colors together.

Supplies:
Stamps: Avery Elle Many Thanks, Avery Elle Brushed
Ink: MFT Hybrid Ink in black licorice, Mama Elephant Pigment Ink in bubblegum and hazelnut
Neenah Desert Storm environmental cardstock in 100#lbs
Simple Stories Color Vibe 6x6
Pink ribbon
My Mind's Eye Reds enamel dots
My Mind's Eye Charmed enamel dots

Avery Elle - Simple Thank You

This is the second card in my stamp trio challenge, using Avery Elle's Many Thanks stamp set.

This card was very simple to create, and it uses only a few supplies. So it's perfect for beginners or for occasions when you just need a super quick card.

I started by creating a base from a piece of Avery Elle's Whipped Cream cardstock. I cut the cardstock in half to measure 5 1/2 by 8 1/2", and scored in the middle to create the standard A2 card (5 1/2 by 4 1/4").

For the paper, I wanted to continue with the sunset-like theme, so I chose a piece of paper from Authentique's Radiant 6x6 paper pad. I cut it to measure 3 3/4 by 5". I also cut a piece of Avery Elle's Fizz cardstock to measure 4 x 5 1/4". I adhered the patterned paper to fizz cardstock.

I cut a 3 1/2" by 5" strip of vellum. I stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink, and embossed it with Ranger's Platinum embossing powder. I adhered the strip to the front panel by wrapping it around the front and securing with a piece of tape.

I adhered the front panel to the card base. As a last touch, I added 3 shimmering gold sequins to the upper right of the card.

Supplies:
Stamp: Avery Elle Many Thanks
Ink: Tsukineko Versamark ink pad
Cardstock: Avery Elle Heavy cardstock in Whipped Cream and Fizz, Bazzill 40lbs Vellum
Authentique Radiant 6x6 paper pad
Ranger Embossing Powder in Platinum
Pretty Pink Posh 4mm sequins in Metallic Gold

Beginner-Friendly: Journal Card Trio

Most card-makers will tell you that card-making can be a pretty expensive hobby. There's always that new stamp, paper pad, trinket or tool that you just HAVE to have. Even those who are lucky enough to be able to afford the tons of new products that become available each month can get overwhelmed. And, if you do happen to purchase the lot of them, there's another new shiny coming out next month.

For beginners, it can be even more overwhelming. There's a million and one supplies, each more beautiful than the next. And when you're starting out, you're not really sure what kind of style you like for your cards, either - which means trying out all kinds of techniques. And until you get familiar with the right kind of supplies, it's also extremely easy to waste money on things you won't really use (I'm looking at you, 350-sheet 12x12 best-of-paper pad that is just sitting there, gathering dust).

So, I wanted to start a series on a few simple ways to make cards. All of the cards featured in this series will be easy to make, use very few supplies and give you a leg up in figuring out what kind of card style you like to make.

This time, I made a trio of cards using one simple and cheap supply: 3x4 journaling cards. These cards are normally used in scrapbooking (especially Project Life) and journals. But they make a pretty awesome and easy launching point for your cards.

Supplies: 

Melissa Frances The Sweet Life 6x6 Paper Pad
Melissa Frances The Sweet Life 3x4 Journaling Cards
Pink Ribbon
Bazzill Marshmallow Card Stock (base)
Paper Trimmer
Scissors 
Adhesive

This card only uses 3 extra supplies: patterned paper, journaling card and ribbon. Since the journaling card and the paper pad were from the same manufacturer and the same line, their colors match. The journaling card also has a sentiment on it already, which means it's not necessary to stamp.

The challenge of this card is going to be what the best way is to position and layer your different pieces. I decided to have the journaling card on the top layer, so it's easy to read the sentiment. At first, I only had the horizontal ribbon with the bow on the card, but I found that it's too covered up by the journaling card. So I added another straight strip of ribbon to the vertical panel. This brought an extra touch of color to the background and made the ribbon feel less out of place.

Supplies:
Pink Paislee Switchboard 6x6 Paper Pad
Pink Paislee Switchboard 6x6 Journaling Cards
Doodlebug Sprinkles Vellum in Coral
Ranger Glossy Accents
Hazel & Ruby Green With Envy Sequins
My Mind's Eye Charmed Enamel Dots
Simon Says Stamp Stripe Greetings
Flower Paper Punch

MFT Heavyweight Cardstock in Primitive Cream
Paper Trimmer
Scissors 
Adhesive

For the second card, I've stepped it up a bit and added a stamped message as well as several embellishments.

The challenge of this card was choosing which embellishments to go with. I didn't have any of the stickers or brads that this particular line comes with, so I had to look through my own supplies to find something that will work. I started with the Coral Vellum, because there's a touch of coral red color on the journaling card. I didn't like how plain the flowers looked just by themselves, so I added some enamel dots to each center. I used both white and black as both colors for the centers, as both colors are present in the card.

Lastly, I added a few green sequins, using glossy accents as glue. I didn't have any sequins in the sage green that's on the journaling card, but I did have some shiny and shimmery light green sequins. Even though the colors don't match exactly, the shimmer and shine makes the sequins blend in.

 To make the journaling card even more special, I also added a little bit of glossy accents to the heart on the telephone. This tied into the shimmer of the sequins.

Supplies:
Simon Says Stamp 100#lb Cardstock in Sunshine
Bazzill Heavyweight Cardstock in Marshmallow
Simple Stories Birthday Sn@p cards 
Simon Says Stamp Hello You stamp
My Mind's Eye Charmed Enamel Dots
Sharpie Thins black pen
Paper Trimmer
Scissors 
Adhesive 

For this card, I scaled back on the amount of embellishments and focused on adding a personal touch: a simple hand-drawn border and a small arrow.

Now, I didn't have a patterned paper that fit the journaling card, which meant that I needed to be very careful about choosing the color of the card's base. I ended up going with the Sunshine cardstock from Simon Says Stamp. This color falls between the yellow and the orange on the card, but it has a similar brightness and saturation. Since the journaling card had a bit of white inside the balloon, I used a white piece of cardstock as a background to make the journaling card stand out better.

This card also uses a little bit of stamping, and a little bit of creative cutting. I cut out the word "YOU" from another journaling card. I used the rest of the card strips to make a couple of fish-tail banners. Adding a simple black enamel dot created a "pinned" look and tied in the color of the border and stamp.

The balloon journaling card had a blank balloon in the middle, and I used that as the canvas to stamp. The stamp I used was laid out in one straight line, so it would not fit into the balloon as it was. I used a technique that masks off the parts of the stamp I didn't want to stamp (check out this blog entry and video to see how it's done).

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And there you have it! I hope this entry was helpful to some of you out there. :)