Innholdsfortegnelse for Beginners Guide to Cardmaking i Beginner’s Guide to Cardmaking

Double-sided tape This handy tape gives a neat finish with no mess. It’s especially good if you want to stick larger pieces of card or paper together. Spray adhesive When you need to stick down a large piece of paper, especially a fine material such as tissue paper, a spray adhesive can work much better than tape or other types of glue. Glue roller Quick to apply, glue rollers can be useful when you want to position a small amount of adhesive very precisely with no risk of a glue smudge. They’re also handy if you’re making a batch of cards and want to save time. PVA glue This wet glue, which dries clear, is ideal for creating a strong bond on card and paper, and can be used with…

We all have our own crafting style, but even established cardmakers get stuck for ideas sometimes! If you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to let you in on some of the secrets to getting your card layouts right every time. When designing your own cards, you can make them as simple or as complicated as you like. This might depend on whether you want to make a really special card, or if it’s a last-minute make! Less is often more – simple designs can look very effective. To get you started, designer Angela Poole shares some of her own card sketches with you to help you plan your designs. Just use your own papers and embellishments to bring your own style to each card. Start by deciding who…

Expert card designers often use this simple technique, and it can really make a huge difference to the look of your finished cards. Rounding the corners of patterned paper background layers gives a cool contemporary feel, and also helps different colours and patterns work together – echoing the same curved corners for every layer creates design harmony. Read our step-by-step guide below to learn how to round paper corners using a corner rounder punch. There are lots of different corner rounder punches available to buy, but they all work in a similar way. If you’re using a punch for the first time, it’s a good idea to try it on scrap paper first as it might be a little stiff or oily to start with. And if you don’t have a…

SHOPPING LIST Basic card kit, plus Square white aperture card White card and patterned paper Hedgehog stamp Black and blue ink pads Aquamarkers Watercolour brush Red and white baker’s twine Blending foam From your local craft shop Stockists See page 146 1 Place the cloud template on white card and dab over ink with foam for the background. 2 Mount the stamps onto an acrylic block and brush over with a black ink pad. For best results, use watercolour paper. 3 When your images are dry, colour them in with soft-coloured Aquamarkers. Use a waterbrush to add shading. 4 Attach the clouds inside an aperture card. Add grass, the images and bunting made from paper and baker’s twine. SEE P113! For the cloud template for this project…

Découpage, the art of layering pieces of paper to get a 3D look, has been around for hundreds of years. In the 18th century, designs were cut from printed papers and used to decorate furniture, but now the method has been pinched by cardmakers! Découpage involves cutting out parts of the same image and layering them up, from the background to the foreground. The 3D effect is achieved by using foam pads or 3D glue gel (often called silicone glue) between the layers of paper. There are several variations on the technique – we’ll show you the basics of the technqiue, then move on to four step-by-step card projects that will extend your découpage skills. The projects feature adorable festive characters illustrated by Adam Pescott, including cats, dogs, penguins and…

1 Cut a 10x15cm piece of tree paper (ensuring the trees are the right way up!), and attach to the centre of a green 15cm square card base, as shown. 2 Carefully cut out the pieces of the ‘Building a Snowman’ découpage design, trimming the base layer to 13x10cm. Build up the design using lots of foam pads between the layers. 3 Attach the découpage panel to the centre of the card base using double-sided tape. Add three gold gems to the top-left corner, and add three more in the bottom-right. 4 Cut out the ‘Christmas Wishes’ sentiment, trim into a pennant shape and attach to the card base with foam pads. Highlight the snow detail with glitter glue, to finish. SHOPPING LIST Découpage scenes from p122 Toyshop collection from…

SPRAY INKS This is a fun way to apply colour to your projects! You can control the results by spraying through a cut-out stencil. Or spritz several shades for DIY backing papers. INK PADS The inks you use for stamping can also be applied directly onto your paper supplies. This means you can decorate your embellishments to match the colours in your cards. CHALKS Chalks are a really lovely way to add colour. The intensity of the shade can be built up, and there’s also fun to be had with blending and smudging to create your own unique effects. PENS & PENCILS Pens and pencils give clean and easy-to-control results. But that’s not to say you can’t have fun with them! For ideas to get you started, see ‘3 ways…

Love stamping? Then you’ve got to try colouring your designs with marker pens. These clever pens give smooth, intense colour and can be blended together to create incredible shadow and depth, or layered to give stunning textures. There are lots of marker pens available, but the two most popular brands for cardmaking are Copic Markers and ProMarkers. These both come in a huge range of colours and shades, and have a choice of thick or thin nibs for precision colouring. Marker pens all work in a similar way. You can start out with just a few colours and create strong, bold effects. However, once you’ve got a bigger range of shades, the fun really begins! To create a realistic depth to hair, for example, you can use three or four…

4-panel zig-zag cards TRY A NEW style of card base with our simple instructions from talented designer, Sarah Jackman-Read. Handily, this four-panel zig-zag card base will lie flat once finished. Once you’ve made the base, the world is your oyster! You can create wonderfully extravagant cards with sentiments, shakers, stickers, ribbons and so much more. You’ll find Sarah’s template measurements on page 119 and plenty of festive decoration advice in the following pages, but once you’ve got the hang of it you can adapt the shape to suit your own designs! SHOPPING LIST Plain A4 card Pencil Ruler Scoring board Scoring tool Craft knife Strong double-sided tape Cut the width of a piece of A4 card down to 14cm. Working from left to right mark lines down the card at…

Keep your spirits bright and the winter chills away with Vicky Sheridan’s enchanting rolled paper wreath. Complete with seasonal foliage, this stunning decoration will make a showstopping addition to your front door or mantelpiece, and is the ideal solution for all those leftover scraps of Christmas paper. Decorate the centre of this wintry wonder with die-cut paper flowers, pine cones and ribbons for maximum impact. SHOPPING LIST Festive papers Thick card Ribbon Baker’s twine Double-sided tape Artificial pine cone, fir branches and holly berries 1 Cut a 10cm circle of thick card. Draw a 2cm circle in the middle of the larger circle, then add a length of baker’s twine to the back, as shown. 2 Cut 16 10cm squares of different festive patterned papers. Roll each one into a…

Decorating the house at Christmas time is one of the highlights of the festive season, but it can also be costly, what with all that sparkly tinsel to buy. So, why not make the most of your leftover yuletide craft stash and create this easy-to-make Christmas stocking? It’s ideal for using up paper scraps and embellishments. Our stocking isn’t fillable, but you could easily attach a gift bag to the back of yours if you wanted to add a few little treats! SHOPPING LIST Festive papers Wooden snowflakes Kraft card Rosette die Burlap ribbon Ivory lace Ivory ricrac Gold twine Rustic bells 1 Sketch a Christmas stocking shape on a sheet of A4 paper. Lay onto a sheet of kraft card and cut around to make the base. Cut out…

Patterned paper This essential part of your craft kit is one of the biggest joys of papercrafting! It’s at the heart of everything you’ll make. You can use it for your card backgrounds, or you can cut out elements from the patterns to make your own card toppers. Whatever kind of prints or colours you want, and whatever kind of occasion you’d like to make a card for, you’ll find a patterned paper to suit. Most single patterned paper sheets come in either A4 or 12x12in size (based on the traditional size of scrapbooking pages), but you can easily cut them to fit your requirements. You can also get packs of smaller-sized papers, such as 6x6in, which are ideal for cardmaking. These tend to have smaller patterns on them, too.…

Sheets of fun Card is the single most important ingredient for cardmaking! You can buy it in a whole rainbow of colours, and also in different thicknesses. Good quality card is often called ‘cardstock’ in the papercrafting world and is worth the small extra cost because it folds and cuts beautifully. You can buy card in a variety of finishes – some is smooth, some slightly textured and some is ‘embossed’, which means it has a pattern all over it, such as dots. This gives lots of options for fun creativity. You can even get patterned or flocked card, too. Card blanks If you want to get your cardmaking off to a quick start, you can buy ready-made card blanks in all shapes, colours and sizes. These time-savers are also…

Every project starts with a folded card blank. You can buy plain card blanks and envelopes, but it’s quick and easy to make your own with a cardmaking scoring board and bone folder. These tools are usually sold together, and they’re a great investment for cardmakers – you can create cards in lots of sizes and styles, using any card you like. In this step-by-step guide you’ll see how to score and fold an A6 card blank, which is the most common size for cards, but you can use the same technique to make larger or smaller cards – just choose the appropriate scoring groove, and remember to start with a piece of card that’s twice as big as the card blank you want to end up with. Once you’ve mastered…

Handling card and paper is a skill that every crafter needs, and it only takes a little practice to get right. Here, we’ve got advice for how to trim, mat and layer papers. You can buy small paper guillotines to help you trim paper layers, but you’ll discover that cutting by hand is often neater and more accurate. It’s easy with a metal ruler and craft knife – just make sure you start with a sharp blade, and protect your craft desk with a mat. The term ‘matting and layering’ simply means sticking together panels of patterned paper and card, usually in order to make a background for your cards. You can add interest to your matting and layering with rounded corners and sticky foam pads – have fun trying…

Paper punches make it easy to cut shapes quickly and accurately. They come in lots of designs, but basic motifs are the most useful. Circles, squares and simple borders (like scalloped or lacy lines) are great for whipping up quick layered backgrounds or fancy edges. Flower, star, tag and heart shapes always come in useful, too. There are a few different styles of punch to choose from – lever, squeeze and push-button – but they all work in the same way. Insert your card or paper, then squeeze and release to punch out a shape. It’s so simple, yet guaranteed to produce neat, crisp shapes every time. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you a clever trick for basic lever punching. By turning a punch upside down, you can cut shapes…

You may already have everything you need to start making the découpage cards in your craft kit. To start, all you need is a small pair of scissors and a craft knife to cut out the paper shapes, plus a 3D adhesive to build up the layers – foam pads are easiest to begin with, but you could also try using 3D glue gel. You might want to buy a pair of special découpage scissors that are great for cutting tiny shapes, and a foam mat – use this with an embossing tool to give the shapes some curve and dimension.…

1 Die cut or trim a large circle from the centre of a 15cm piece of white card. Cover with star paper from the Winter Wonderland collection. 2 Carefully add a decorative silver peel-off sticker border around the inside edge of the aperture, as shown. Set the aperture aside for later. 3 Cut out all of the pieces from the snow globe découpage scene. First, stick the main image to the centre of a 15cm square white card base, then build up the layers of the découpage scene, using foam pads to add dimension. 4 Attach the aperture to the découpage panel using foam pads and wrap a length of ribbon around the left side. Attach the tag with foam pads and add a snowflake charm, tied with silver cord.…

The art of quilling is a centuries old technique that’s still hugely popular with cardmakers today. When you see what’s possible just by shaping a few coils of paper you’ll see why it’s still so widely used! Quilling needs very little specialist equipment. A tool to help you wind the paper strips is an inexpensive essential, while a workboard is also useful. Of course, the strips of paper are vital, too. These can be bought readymade or you can make your own. Perhaps you’ve ended up with lots of long offcuts from another papercraft project – now you can put them to good use! The trimmed edges of book pages were the original quilling strips all those centuries ago. THE RUNDOWN CHOOSING YOUR PAPER If you’re following a pattern it…

Think inks are just used for stamping? Well think again! With Distress Inks, you can do so much more with your projects. These brilliantly blendable inks will help you create all sorts of amazing backgrounds, watercolour looks and aged effects – whatver you need for your cards. We’ve asked ink expert Britta Swiderski (from www.brittaswiderski.com) to help you get started with 12 ideas for how to use the colouring technique that has taken the craft world by storm. Once you know how, you’ll never look back! The beauty of Distress Inks is they take longer to dry than regular ink pads. This means you can be more playful with colour blending, dabbing, edging or even embossing effects before the ink sets. As Britta’s fun ways to get started below show,…

1 Stamp flowers across a piece of card using pigment inks. This gives a wet base ready for step 2. 2 Sprinkle embossing powder over the inked flowers. Shake off any excess and melt with a heat tool. 3 Stamp a flower on a separate piece of card and fussy cut it to make a mask. Tape it over part of a leaf stamp and dab with ink. 4 Remove the mask and line up the un-inked part of the leaf stamp over a flower. Apply even pressure to stamp out. 5 Use Distress Inks and a blending pad to create an effect behind the flowers. Add the panel to a base covered with patterned papers.…

Window gatefold cards THERE’S NOTHING MORE festive than a Christmas window, and when you combine that with a shaped aperture cut into a gatefold card, then you’re looking at a seriously impressive make. The secret that you don’t need to tell your friends is that these designs are actually easy to master! Use your dies to cut shapes into the flaps of the gatefold card, then get creative with your embellishments to make interesting backdrops and frames. We’ve got four ideas to help you get the hang of cutting the apertures, then see what other shapes and frames you’re inspired to come up with! SHOPPING LIST A4 card Ruler Scoring tool Shaped die Die-cutting machine Bone folder Cut a 14x28cm piece of card and mark 7cm in on each long…

Tent-fold stepper THIS SIMPLE LITTLE card fold may only be small but it packs an impressive punch when it comes to creativity! Primed with lots of opportunities to add shapes, depth and play around with colour, this versatile card fold can be used to celebrate a whole host of special occasions! Add some foam pads and acetate and you could even create a Christmas shaker card. Sarah Jackman-Read has created five inspiring cards to get you in the festive mood, each one packed with festive charm. So, what are you waiting for? Give them a go! SHOPPING LIST A4 card Ruler Scoring tool 7.5cm circle die Die-cutting machine Bone folder Cut a piece of A4 card widthways, giving you two pieces measuring 29.7x10.5cm. From left to right score the long…

Whether you’re giving wine to a connoisseur, a gift voucher to a niece or nephew, or a box of chocolates to your dearest friend, you can be sure that with our DIY packaging ideas your gifts will take pride of place under the Christmas tree this year. These stylish ideas are easy to make in a hurry, too, so they’re perfect for all those last-minute festive buys. What are you waiting for? Get wrapping! SHOPPING LIST Festive papers and toppers Decorative star die Gold pearlescent card Black and cream checked ribbon Star ribbons Baker’s twine Grey card Sparkly gems Wrapping paper or brown paper Star punch Crystal gems Magnetic clasp Gift bag 1 Cut parcel wrap to 30x43cm. Score the long side at 14cm, 21cm, 35cm and 42cm and…

When you’re expecting guests for Christmas dinner it’s a thrill to be able to put on a fabulous festive show. Well, now you can with Vicky Sheridan’s trio of adorable table treats! From the cute tree name cards to the neat cutlery tidies, the quick and easy handmade look of your beautifully laid table is bound to draw admiring ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs’ come the big day. SHOPPING LIST Festive papers Mini pom-pom trim Christmas tree stamp Clear embossing ink pad White embossing powder Kraft and white card Baker’s twine Zigzag border punch Adhesive gems Name 1 Make a triangle template measuring 6cm wide and 8cm high. Use the template to cut out eight triangles from spotted paper. 2 Fold each triangle in half and glue back-to-back to make the three…

Acetate Acetate is completely transparent plastic, and it comes in sheets in a variety of thicknesses. It’s great for creating ‘windows’ for cards, or adding a protective layer over delicate materials. Vellum Vellum is a very smooth, thin, translucent type of parchment paper, which is nevertheless very strong and easy to use. Chipboard Chipboard for papercrafting is made up of compressed layers of card a few millimetres thick. You can buy it in sheets to punch or cut out your own shapes, or buy it in pre-cut shapes.…

Watercolour pencils Use watercolour pencils like ordinary pencils, but wet the colour on the paper and it takes on the appearance of watercolour paint. If you’re colouring in a stamped image, for example, you can colour along the edge of the image, then use a wet brush to move the colour into the image. Marker pens Instead of using ordinary felt-tip pens, it’s worth investing in some good-quality marker pens, which give much more even coverage – you’ll really notice the difference. Many brands of marker pens have a tip at each end of the pen – a thin one and a thick one. As well as being great for colouring in stamped images, marker pens can all be used to re-colour any plastic, acrylic or metal embellishments in your…

Have you got a computer, printer and an internet connection? If so, you’ve got everything you need to begin crafting with printable, digital supplies. These ‘digi’ downloads have taken the cardmaking world by storm in recent years. If you haven’t tried them yet, here are a few of the digi delights you can expect to find online for your cards. Let’s start with stamps – did you know they don’t just come in the traditional rubber or clear stamp forms? ‘Digi stamps’ are outline shapes and designs that you can print out again and again and then colour in as you would a regular image. They’re often cheaper than shop-bought alternatives and you download them to your computer in seconds, so you save on delivery costs, too! If colouring isn’t…

Many cardmaking projects online and in books use shape templates (you can find the templates for some of our projects on p112). Templates help you cut complicated designs from paper, ready to layer onto your card – this is a technique known as paper piecing. You’ll be amazed at what you can create with just a few simple templates! See how it’s done in the step-by-step guide below. You don’t need any special equipment – just a computer printer or photocopier for reproducing the template, plus a pencil and sharp scissors or a craft knife. If you find a template shape that you’d like to use often, it’s worth printing or copying it onto card so it’ll last longer and keep its shape. Remember to always draw around the template onto…

This nifty technique has always been very popular with cardmakers and it’s easy to see why. Stamping isn’t just a neat way to add greetings, it’s very versatile, too, with thousands of stamps out there to choose from. Stamping supplies are inexpensive, and as the results are so instant, this is a must-try technique if you want to make a batch of cards for Christmas, weddings or thank yous. Use stamps to whip up DIY patterned backgrounds for your cards, add characters and pictures to card fronts, or if you’re feeling adventurous try heat embossing (see p32). Stamps come in two main types – clear (or cling stamps) and the more traditional rubber stamps. We’ll talk you through how to use both below. Once you’ve mastered the basics, find more…

Give your handmade cards and projects a professional finish with amazing dimensional glossy greetings, patterns and motifs. Heat embossing creates a fantastic polished finish that’s sure to have your friends asking ‘How did you do that?’ every time! The good news is that despite the impressive end results, it’s actually really easy to start heat embossing – you can use any stamp from your stash, along with any pigment ink that stays wet long enough to hold the dry embossing powder. When the embossing powder is heated it melts to a smooth, shiny finish. If you’re not a stamping fan, you can still get the effect using embossing pens – use these to doodle freehand borders, designs and messages onto card or paper, then you can sprinkle the powder straight…

Place your chosen die onto a cutting pad, put your piece of paper or card on it and add another cutting pad on top. Slide this sandwich into the opening of the machine. Next, wind the handle until the sandwich has passed right through. Remove the sandwich from the machine and find your perfectly die-cut shape. Save the ‘negative’ card to create more designs!…

1 Score and fold a 29x21cm piece of card in half to make a base (fold at top). Add a 19x13cm piece of light blue snowflake paper to the centre of the card base using double-sided tape. 2 Wrap the base with aqua blue ribbon, 4cm up from the bottom and tie in a bow at the right side, near the edge of the snowflake paper. Add a small piece of tape to secure. 3 Cut out all of the sledging scene découpage pieces, trimming the main image to 15.5x9.5cm. Build layers using foam pads. Use smaller foam pads for layering up smaller sized pieces, like the cat’s scarf and treetops. Attach the image to the base. 4 Cut out the sentiment, and attach to the top-left of the base…

1 Cut an 11x90cm aperture from a 13.5cm square of white card, 1.5cm in from the top edge. Cut a 13.5x2cm strip of snowflake-patterned paper. Add a glitter glue border. Once dry, attach to the panel, as shown and wrap with red ribbon, securing the ends at the back. Draw faux stitching around the edges of the panel with a blue gel pen and create a border around the inside edges of the aperture with silver peel-off stickers. Set to one side. 2 Cover the front of a 15cm square white card base with heart design paper. Cut out all of the pieces from the igloo découpage scene. Add the main image to a 15cm square white base, 0.5cm in from the top edge. Working one layer at a time,…

You may think colouring is just about using pens or pencils on paper, but there’s so much more, as we will reveal! With just a few basic tools, you’ll find colouring plain craft supplies will give you so many opportunities to customise your papers and create unique cards. When choosing between colours in a range of embellishments, instead of buying one of each, have a think about whether you could re-colour any of them. This means you’ll only need to buy a single pack, and can then reach for your colouring kit. With a few simple tricks you can transform your stash into different styles and shades to suit several projects. This also means you can take advantage of bulk-buy deals on items such as brads, flowers, buttons and tags.…

Distress Inks Distress Inks are a water-based dye ink and take longer than other inks to dry, which allows you to achieve great blending effects. They come in a pad for easy application straight to your paper, or for you to ‘pick up’ the ink on a blending tool. There are so many colours to choose from. Vintage Photo is good for distressing, while Shabby Shutters and Broken China blend together well. Distress Inks are made by Ranger and are available from Joanna Sheen. See page 146 for stockist details. Blending tools and pads To apply the ink evenly, you will need an inking handle and foam applicator pads. If you can, it’s a good idea to collect extra foam pads so that you have one for each ink colour.…

Once you’ve mastered basic stamping, it’s time to try layering effects and using several colours on one stamp. In this step-by-step guide, designer Kay Carley shows you how to create a ‘barely there’ background topped with a flower and greeting. Try it yourself with any swirl and flower stamps! For the multicoloured inking, use a cat’s eye-shaped ink pad – the pointed tip is great for applying ink straight onto the stamp. 1 Stamp a flourish down the right side of a piece of card using pale pink ink. Stamp a border down the left side in darker pink. 2 Ink up your flower stamp – dab several colours onto the design, starting with the lightest shade at the top then darker at the bottom. 3 Stamp the flower centrally…

Metal embellishments and layers can make your cards look really luxurious and add a touch of eye-catching shine to their finished feel. The easiest way to get the look is to emboss craft metal, sometimes called craft foil, to create gorgeous textured effects. Embossing is simply the process of raising a 3D design on any surface – usually paper, card or metal. You can do this by hand with a ball-ended stylus tool or with a die-cutting machine and embossing folder. If you really love the effect, you can even buy a special embossing machine. When the pattern is pressed into the metal it’s called ‘debossing’ – this is simply upside-down embossing! To get started, you’ll need a few essential tools – some craft metal, a stylus and a textured…

Triangle panel cards A TRIANGLE PANEL card offers so many possibilities for your Christmas designs. Use the point of the triangle to showcase your favourite toppers and stamp scenes, and decorate the side panels with a selection of eye-catching and festive embellishments. What’s more, the toppers can be attached to the point of the triangle with some nifty tabs, meaning this ingenious design trick ensures that the card can be folded flat for safe posting. Experiment with the festive papers and toppers in your stash for endless possibilities! SHOPPING LIST Plain A4 card Pencil Ruler Bone folder Scoring tool Scoring board (optional) Cut card to 14.5x30cm. Mark the 10cm, 14cm, 18cm and 28cm points along both 30cm edges. Score between them and fold into valley and mountain folds. Cut your…

Centre swing cards THESE CLEVER CENTRE cards look so impressive but are surprisingly straightforward to make. All you need is a piece of A4 paper and some basic dies. The oversized central panel is a great way to showcase your Christmas stamps, and you can use coordinating papers to decorate the side panels. Découpage scenes also look great on the front – just change the shape to suit the design. The key is to carefully position your die-cutting plates before running the sandwich through your machine – line them up with the scorelines so you don’t cut through the centre panel. SHOPPING LIST A4 card Pencil Ruler Scoring tool and craft mat Circle die Low-tack tape Die-cutting machine Cut a 27x15.5cm piece of card. Working from left to right, score…