Stamping - The Basics
By Liz Fogt
Years ago I received a really pretty card in the mail. It wasn’t a Hallmark card or an American Greetings card. When I turned the card over, it said ‘Hand Stamped’. Several things went through my head: wow, what a beautiful card!, wow, I would never be creative enough to make something like that, and, wow, who the heck has the time to make homemade cards? What I have learned is that it is pretty easy to make beautiful cards (and some not so beautiful!), it isn’t necessary to be super creative, and making cards really doesn’t take that much time.
What you need is the desire to give card making a try. All it takes is a piece of paper, a rubber stamp and an ink pad. That’s it. One of the most special cards I have received was a thank you note for a birthday gift. It was so simple – white card stock, a black inked stamp in the image of a gift box that was colored in with a pastel marker. The stamp image was centered on the card front. Inside was a note from my friend. That’s all. And it meant more to me than words can say.
Of course cards can be simply made or they can be elaborately decorated. Two-step stamping is a really neat stamping technique in which you stamp an image in one color and then stamp it again in another color. For repetition stamping, ink a stamp, stamp the image and then restamp the image again without re-inking. This gives you the same image in different shades. Watercoloring is a beautiful technique which allows you so much leeway in the colors and presentation of your cards. Other techniques include heat embossing, dry embossing and masking. There are stamping wheels, spectrum pads, stamping backgrounds, heat powders and more. Accents are simple additions to cards which add so much. These include eyelets, tags, hemp twine, buttons, brads, ribbons and more. Some crafty and creative card makers are even sewing fabrics on their cards. It is really neat, but way too advanced for this card maker.
Card making is a neat way to spend time with your kids and your friends. My 2 ½-year-old daughter loves to take a stamp and cover an entire sheet of cardstock. Then she colors in the images and writes – well, scribbles, on the other side of the card stock, and we put it in the mail for her grandparents. In addition, I have gotten together with a group of friends during an evening, without the kids, and we have just spent time together hanging out and making cards. It was a fun and productive way to spend an evening. Not only that, we got a lot of great ideas and encouragement from one another.
Now, I haven’t abandoned Hallmark. I carry my frequent shopper card on my keyring, and I love to receive my cash back coupons. However, I have found that making my own cards is a really neat way to spend time and to personalize the cards I send to the people I care about. It takes just a few minutes to make a card and pop it in the mail… and with two kids, that’s often more appealing than standing at the card rack searching out just the right card then dealing with standing in line to pay. Making your own cards can be as simple or as detailed as you choose to make it. Why not give it a try?
About the author: Liz Fogt is a new demonstrator for Stampin’ Up! She is a stay-at-home mom of Meagan, 2 ½ , and Brady, 8 months. For more information, please email lizfogt@yahoo.com or call 832-233-4516!
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