FREE information Make Cards Introduction Equipment needed If you’re interested in getting into crafts, Basic materials card making is an ideal activity to start with. Paper – available in handmade, patterned, This leaflet will give you an introduction to a vellum, metallic and more. Perfect for variety of card making techniques. Individual building up layers on cards, invitations, projects and step-by-step instructions can wedding stationery, scrapbook pages etc. be found in our range of books and free You Special papers can also be used as card Can Make leaflets. inserts and for stylish gift wrapping. Card making is fun, easy and a great way Card – is an ideal surface for making cards. of expressing your creativity. With only a It comes in a huge range of colours and few basic tools and craft supplies plus finishes and can be bought in a variety of some simple tips and techniques, you can sizes as a single sheet or in packs. make unique handcrafted cards for a wide range of occasions including Birthday, Card blanks – pre-folded card that has no Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s design on it comes in a variety of shapes, Day, Valentine’s Day, Wedding, Anniversary, colours and finishes and is available with New Baby, Christening, New home, Get well, matching envelopes. An aperture card is a Bon voyage, Congratulations, Good luck… two-fold card with a pre-cut shape in the the list is endless. front of the card. Card designs can be as simple or as complicated as you want and you don’t Optional extras need huge amounts of spare time or money. Outline stickers, embellishments, card Often the most effective designs can be toppers, pens & markers, handmade paper, created in less than half an hour, with just a cellophane bags, craft box, craft punches, few basic components. rubber stamps, ink pads, embossing powders Once you’ve started you could soon be and heat tool, light box, dry embossing using a range of techniques to make templates and tools. handcrafted cards and much more, from gift wrap and decorative gift boxes to scrapbook Basic tools pages and memory albums. Metal ruler & craft knife, scissors, paper trimmer, self healing cutting mat, glues / adhesive tapes. All Materials available from your nearest HobbyCraft Superstore For more ideas visit www.hobbycraft.co.uk Preparation Glass painting The following section will give you a brief This involves the use of specialist water or description of a wide range of card making solvent based glass paints and glass paint techniques. outliner or peel off stickers to create designs on glass or acetate. Pick up a HobbyCraft Card toppers ‘How to Glass Paint’ leaflet for further These are pre-made decorations, often information on this craft. with a self adhesive backing. They give an interesting 3-D effect and are a good option Iris folding for beginners. No glue is required and a This simple technique involves folded strips simple card need only consist of a card of coloured or patterned paper, that are topper placed on a card blank. layered, according to a template, into a spiral pattern behind an aperture in a card blank. Embellishments The name originates from the folded paper These can be used to add that special designs resembling the iris of a camera. finishing touch to your card making projects. Embellishments are basically anything you 3D Decoupage can stick onto your cards to compliment the 3D Decoupage is about creating 3D pictures design and include stickers, card toppers, from multiple copies of one image. Individual wooden shapes, skeleton leaves, wire, elements are cut out and glued into layers to beads, ribbons, eyelets, brads, foam shapes, ‘build out’ the picture, using foam pads or pom poms, faceted stones, petite flowers, Glue Dots, curved tipped scissors or a craft mirror tiles and much much more. knife and a cutting mat. Embossing Outline stickers Dry embossing – this technique uses either These are self adhesive coloured greetings, a light source, for example a light box, letters and shapes that offer an easy and metal templates and an embossing tool stylish way to personalise your cards. or specialist embossing systems to create They can be used on a variety of surfaces raised designs and textures on card, vellum including card, gift boxes, wedding paper and metal foil. For added effect, the stationery and photo albums. A wide range raised surface can be coloured with a pen or of messages from Good Luck and Best pencil. Wishes to Congratulations and Happy Heat embossing – this technique uses Birthday are available in a variety of colours. embossing powder, pigment or specialist clear embossing ink and a heat tool to create Parchment craft raised designs on card, paper and craft This technique involves the embossing and foam. This technique is most often used to piercing of vellum paper with a needle to give add an extra dimension to rubber stamped it a raised appearance that often looks like images. lace. All Materials available from your nearest HobbyCraft Superstore For more ideas visit www.hobbycraft.co.uk Punching and cutting Others Hole punches and decorative scissors Silk painting, decoupage, cross stitch, can be used to create a variety of different calligraphy and more. patterned edges and shaped holes on paper and light weight card. The ‘punched’ shapes Tips for using Papercraft tools can also be used to add layers and interest to your cards. Always practice on a piece of Border punches scrap paper first. Create a continuous border on paper or light weight card by using the white pattern Quilling printed onto the border punch, begin by This is the ancient art of rolling thin strips of punching once anywhere along the border. paper into different shapes and using the Slide the punched section over to the left or shapes to form designs on cards, boxes and right until it lines up directly with the white pictures. printed section on the tool. Continue in both directions until the entire border is punched. Rubber stamping Use markings on the punch as a guide to This is a quick and effective method of centre or turn corners. producing repeat patterns. Stamps are used with an ink pad and can be embellished Decorative hole punches with embossing powder to create a raised If your punch won’t press, the material finish. Once dry, stamps can be coloured in you’re punching could be too thick so use a with felt pen or watercolour pencils. Pick up lighter weight paper or card. To resharpen our How to Rubber Stamp leaflet for further your punch, punch through aluminium foil or information on this craft. sandpaper. Shaker cards Paper edgers or decorative Shaker cards are made using an aperture edged scissors card blank and confetti which can be made To cut a straight line with your paper edgers, from sequins or beads or shapes produced use a ruler and pencil to draw a straight line from punching. The aperture is sealed with on the backside of the paper to be cut. As acetate by surrounding it with self-adhesive you cut with the paper edger, make sure the foam strips, making a cavity which is filled edge of a pattern touches the line exactly the with the ‘confetti.’ same each time the pattern is cut. Teabag folding Die Cutting Machines This folding technique originated in Holland Several die cutting systems are available that and was first created by folding the paper allow you to cut out images or alphabets envelopes that t-bags were packaged in – from your own card stock, paper etc. This hence its name. It is a paper art form used to enables you to cut out items for pages create 3-D greetings cards and invitations by in specific colours and papers which folding paper. Designs can be created using co-ordinate with your layout and other any paper, although a range of specialist embellishments. It’s a quick and easy way papers are also available. of producing multiple copies of the same All Materials available from your nearest HobbyCraft Superstore For more ideas visit www.hobbycraft.co.uk shape, a task that is very difficult to do with • When making wedding invitations use an scissors. Choose from a manual machine, inexpensive technique and a design that such as Cuttlebug, Sizzix Big Shot and is quick to replicate and relatively light Sidekick, or electronic software based and flat for posting. machines, such as eclips or Slice. • Using an outline sticker the same colour Texture plates as your card will give an embossed Place card or paper over your texture plate, effect. secure with low tack tape and rub with a • Outline stickers can be coloured in with stylus, coloured pencil or crayon. This gives felt pens or glass paints. a great effect for die cuts and backgrounds. • Use the same card making techniques Useful Hints & tips for gift wrapping, scrapbook pages and • When tearing mulberry paper, use a ruler, photo albums. paintbrush and water. Lightly score the paper along the line you want to tear Project ideas then brush water onto the line. Use your For a wide selection of card making projects, fingers to tear along the wet line. This will see our range of free ‘You can make’ leaflets give a fluffy, feathered effect edge. or visit our Ideas Library on www.hobbycraft.co.uk. • Use sticky fixers or glue dots to give a raised image to embellishments. HobbyCraft sells an excellent range of books on card making and papercrafts. • To avoid unsightly glue when using vellum, use spray adhesive or glue intermittently and cover the glue areas with embellishments.