Card Making for Beginners – Start With a SIP

So you are ready to start stamping and making your own hand-made greeting cards.  But where do you start?  What do you need?  I know it can be confusing and overwhelming with so much information and so many ideas out there. It doesn’t have to be confusing and overwhelming, I want to make it easy and fun! Yes, you can make cards like these!

Creating your own greeting cards is not only a fun and relaxing hobby, it brings so much joy to those who receive them.  There is nothing better than opening the mailbox and finding a hand-made card with a special message written inside.  I am not sure who experiences more joy, the creator or the receiver.  (I love being on both sides of that equation!)  

On this page, I break it all down into 3 simple and easy steps to help you get started the smart way.  When you purchase the right “starter” products and learn to use them correctly, you will be making cards and enjoying your new hobby in no time.  So let’s eliminate all the overwhelm and get started…..

3 Easy Steps to Getting Started

There are 3 basics to card making for beginners – stamps, ink, and paper.  That really is all you need to make your first card. However, you have to select these items correctly.  

DON’T START AS I STARTED! When I first started making cards, I purchased a lot of random products….  A balloon stamp, a tree stamp, this greeting, and that greeting.  I bought several ink pads in colors I liked, and some pretty paper that matched nothing.  And there I was – I had a box full of supplies but nothing worked together and I could not create one single finished card!

To help you select the right products to get started with, I have broken it down to a concept I call SIP STAMPING. STAMPS, INK, & PAPER.  That’s what you need to begin.  But, you need to make sure that these 3 things go together and work together so that you can start making cards. You don’t want to just make random picks!  So let’s walk through selecting great products that you can use to start creating handmade cards.

Step 1 – Select Your Stamps

To begin you will want to select a stamp set or 2 that you like.

Depending on your “likes” and what type of cards you want to start making, look for something versatile that includes “greetings.”

I recommend starting with stamps that are “bold” and do not require coloring. Here are just a few of my favorites for getting started.

But don’t let these suggestions limit you, pick something YOU like! Keep reading for more information to help you select your stamps.

These stamp sets, plus some others, are ones I have featured in card making for beginners videos and blog posts.

Step 2 – Select Your Ink Pads

Next, you need ink.

Depending on the stamps that you select, you will want at least 3-5 different colors + Black. Just like stamps, the colors you pick are really up to you. What do YOU like?

You can also refer to the samples I have created with several stamp sets for my suggestions (keep scrolling)

Again, don’t limit yourself, pick colors YOU like, but make sure you have enough colors that work together for the stamp set you select.

Step 3 – Select Your Paper (Card Stock)

One of my favorite recommendations for starting out is a package of Note Cards & Envelopes. These cards are 3 1/2″ x 5″ and perfect for getting started. You get 20 in a package and they include the envelopes. These are perfect for the beginner as you do not have to cut anything.

They come all ready to create a card!

Or, start with a few basics: Basic White card stock, Basic Black card stock, envelopes, and an assorted pack of colored card stock.

Remember – we are keeping it simple to start so that you are not overwhelmed. Again, I recommend checking out some of my card ideas below, finding something you like, then purchasing your first products based on that.

A Few Other Card-Making Basics You Will Need

Besides stamps, ink, and paper, you will need a few basic tools and supplies to get started. Remember, you don’t need it all! Start with just the basics and you will be able to add to your crafting collection of supplies later on as you become more familiar with everything. Having the right tools will ensure you love your new hobby!

You will at least the recommended size blocks for the stamp sets you select. The best value is to purchase the block bundle–then you will always have everything you need!

Simply Shammy makes cleaning your stamps easy.

A good paper cutter and scissors are a must, as well as an adhesive. My favorite “go-to” adhesives are the Multipurpose Glue & Dimensionals.

FOR MORE INFORMATION on the basic things you need for card making, check out my TOP CARD MAKING TOOLS post/video. It includes what is shown above plus a few other items you may want to grab once you have started.

Not Sure How to Select the Products You Like?

Again, I am here to help. My best recommendation is to find some cards that I have made that you like, then purchase the products I used, and copy my ideas! Yes, in card making it is OK to copy. I encourage you to do that. It will help you be successful and learn to make beautiful cards that you will love to send to your family and friends.

Below are some of my favorite stamp sets and easy card making for beginners recommendations. Each of these blog posts and videos will give you a list of products you will need to create the cards. There is also a video to teach you step-by-step!

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Want to Learn More about Stamps, Ink, and Paper?

My website is filled with information to help you. But I don’t want to overwhelm you with too much information at once. So, as you begin your journey on your card-making hobby, come back to this page to continue to learn more about stamps, paper, and ink.

Remember – JUST A SIP – let’s take it easy and start with a SIP, and then… you can learn more and venture out into the entire world of card making!

Let’s Talk More About Stamps

As you begin looking at stamps there are a couple of things to consider, or to think about, that will help you pick great stamps to get started with.  I love to teach card making for beginners and help people realize that what you pick to start matters. Don’t just start grabbing stamps you like, because you will end up like me and not be able to make any cards with the random selection you have. 

• Coordinating Stamps – One reason why I love Stampin’ Up! Stamps is that most of them will come in a set.  It will have several images that all work together, and many even come with “greeting” stamps included in the sets.  

• Pick 2 Stamp Sets – Another great way to start is to pick 2 stamp sets.  One set that has “pictures” that you like and the other set that has all occasion greetings.  That way when you combine the 2 stamp sets you will be able to create cards for all occasions. 

• Line Image vs Bold Stamps – Do you want to color your images or stamp them with colored ink pads?  Some stamps are called line images which are typically stamped in a black ink and then colored – kinda like coloring in a coloring book.  Other stamps are bold images where all the color to the image comes from the ink pad that you use. (my above recommendation is to start with bold images so you can easily just stamp with colored ink pads)

Once you pick out your first stamps, you will also need to make sure you have the correct sized CLEAR BLOCKS to put them on, as well as know how to put the labels on the Cling Mount Stamps and how to clean them.

As you use your stamps it is important to get into a good habit of always cleaning them as you go.  There is nothing worse than using a stamp in blue ink, not cleaning it, then using it in yellow ink (this is experience talking!)  Now you will have a nice stamped image on your yellow pad – YOU DO NOT WANT THAT.  There are several methods of cleaning your stamps, my favorite is using the Stampin’ Shammy. Just wipe the stamps off with a damp Stampin’ Shammy.

Want to learn more about selecting stamps, learn how to clean them, and everything else you need to know? Check out my COMPLETE GUIDE TO STAMPS

And that my friends is step one to think about when we talk about card making for beginners! You first need to pick the right stamp set!

Let’s Talk Ink

So you’ve picked out your first stamps and you are ready to start making cards.  But now you need some ink.  Just like with stamps, there are many choices and you want to ensure you are selecting the right ones.  Different inks serve different purposes, so know what you are getting before you just start grabbing colors.

As you look at card making ink pads, you will find that there are 3 basic types of inks:

• Water-based Inks
• Permanent Inks
• Pigment Inks

Water-based inks are the ones you will use the most.  They come in all the fun colors and are available in color collections or individually.  Stampin’ Up! is known for the their color coordination – coordinating the inks to the card stocks, papers, ribbons, and embellishments.

As a new stamper many many years ago, this is what drew me to Stampin’ Up! products.  At first I tried to match “this” ink with “that” paper – and it looked horrible.  I soon learned that not all reds were the same and not all greens were the same.  If I used “red” ink and wanted to put my stamped layer onto “red” card stock, it often looked awful.  The “reds” clashed.  

But with Stampin’ Up! coordinating products, you know that if you use REAL RED INK it will look great with REAL RED CARD STOCK!  Genius!

Above we talked about BOLD image stamps, and LINE image stamps.  If the stamps you select are bold images, you will need colored ink pads to stamp in.  The color comes from the ink pad.

If you want to color your images, you will most likely want to stamp your image in BLACK then color it.  The type of black ink pad that you will need depends on the method you will be coloring.  Again, this can be confusing, but I promise to make it easy for you to decide exactly what type of ink pad you need.  If you’re using a water-based method to color, you will need a Permanent Ink to stamp in.  

When it comes to selecting the right stamping ink pads, you will need to consider all of the above….

• What type of image you are stamping?
• If you are going to color your image, what method will you use?
• Any special card making techniques you maybe be doing?

There is a right ink for everything, and if you select them correctly you will enjoy your new hobby of card making to it’s fullest. 

Ink can be confusing, so we are going to start with the 3 BASIC INKS that you will want to start with. Once you become an experienced stamper, you can then venture out to some of the others available.

When starting, you will want these basics: 

• MEMENTO BLACK – my GO TO all purpose black ink
  • Use for all general stamping
  • Use when coloring with alcohol markers like Stampin’ Blends
• STAZON BLACK – permanet ink
  • Use for any type of watercoloring
• VERSAMARK – used for Heat Embossing

Card making ink can be confusing…… so let’s make it easy and help you figure out the basic inks you need to get started! Check out my COMPLETE GUIDE TO CARD MAKING INKS for everything you need to know, plus a simple CHART you can download to help remind you what ink to use when!

More Information About Paper (Card Stock)

So now that we have our stamps and our ink, we need to have something to stamp on. There are as many options for paper and card stock as there are for stamps and ink. Again, it can be confusing or overwhelming, so we want to start simple!

Card stock is the heavier “paper” that is most commonly used, especially for your card base.  If you look around, you will find about as many options of card stock as you do ink pads.  So, what do you REALLY NEED to get started making cards and to get the best results?

As with stamps and ink, Stampin’ Up! carries the absolute best card stock on the market.  The BASIC WHITE cardstock is amazing and will help you make gorgeous cards.  Not all white card stock is the same, and depending on the quality it will determine the quality of your stamped card.  Cheap paper gives cheap results.  (just sayin’)

You want your images to look amazing, and when you use Stampin’ Up! high quality inks and paper, you will get great results!

When we talk “PAPER” there are 4 main categories:

• WHITE (or VANILLA) – this is your must have.  This is what you will do the majority of your stamping on.  

• COLORED CARD STOCK – this is used for card bases and/or layers.

• DESIGNER SERIES PAPER – the pretty paper!  Often referred to as DSP.  Stampin’ Up! is known for their gorgeous coordinating Designer Series Paper.  I love the pretty papers and use them often as the focal point of my cards.

• PRE-MADE NOTE CARDS & ENVELOPES – no cutting needed!  I love these and use them often in my own card making.  They are perfect for the new card maker because they are all ready to stamp on!  Just grab your stamps & inks, and in no time you will have a completed card!

Once you have your stamps, ink and paper – you are ready to start making cards!  

But wait…. How do you cut the card stock? What size do you cut it?

Once again, I’ve got you covered and will teach you everything you need to know and make it simple!  No need to stress, this new hobby of yours is fun and relaxing….  With just a couple great tools, you will be on your way to making beautiful cards to send to family and friends.

Learn to cut card stock and the different sizes needed in my CARDSTOCK CUTTING GUIDE

Now What?

If you made it all the way to the end of this pretty long card making for beginners guide, you might be wondering, what is next?

The short easy answer – MAKE SOME CARDS!!!

Probably, the better answer is to look through the STAMPIN’ UP CATALOG and select the items you want to start with. Remember, use the SIP method and follow the guidelines I shared to select the best products to get started.

As you enjoy your card making and paper crafting hobby, you will soon find your style and what you like. The ideas and possibilities are endless. My style is quick and easy cards, so if you like that make sure to follow me! I love to share ideas and help you enjoy creating. You will love the joy you feel when you bless others with your handmade cards.

You are not alone in your new hobby – I am here to help. Make sure to CONTACT me if you have questions. No question is ever silly, stupid, or a bother. I love to help you learn to enjoy card making as much as I do! Don’t be a stranger – come hang out with me, get inspired, and make lots of cards to mail to friends and family.