1. Your handmade card begins with a blank card to decorate. You can either buy blank cards that are pre-scored so they fold easily, or make your own from cardstock. Pre-scored blank cards typically measure 5” x 6½”, which is a perfect size for mailing.
2. Add paper. Patterned paper makes a great background on cards. You can either cover the card front entirely with paper or cut the paper slightly smaller than the card and glue it on the center. Papers patterned with small, all-over prints are easy to use—but don’t dismiss papers with larger designs. You can use papers made for card making, or cut up a 12” x 12” sheet of scrapbook paper . . . one sheet will cover 4 cards!
3. Accent with embellishments. Your card might feature a single stamped message or image, a cluster of silk flowers, stickers, rubber stamps, or metal and paper embellishments—just about anything! Lay out your card embellishments, then experiment with the placement until you’re happy. If attaching elements with brads, you might secure the brad to the paper before attaching the paper to the card front in order to conceal the brad prongs.
4. Don’t forget the envelope. You can decorate the outside of your envelope to match your card—stamp it, or add stickers, for example. If you’re planning to mail the card, you’ll want to make sure the accents won’t get caught in the postal machines, but if you’re handing the card over, then you can embellish to your heart’s content!