Posted on July 23, 2016 by Lynda Jeffs
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I started making my own cards 25+ years ago, and haven’t stopped since! I love to make one of a kind cards to give to my friends and family, either just because I want to – or for an event like their birthday! The next few month’s we are going to work on making a stash of cards for you to give out to your friends and family! I have an upcoming class with Stampin‘ Up that will help you get your stash started, more details to follow!!!
Along my journey making my own cards, I have learned a few things along the way – including:

- You don’t need to purchase everything you see – learn to refrain from buying everything, but get what you will use for sure!
- An 8.5 x 11 sheet of cardstock cut in half and then folded in half makes the perfect card bases for your cards! Simply add a pack of envelopes and you are done!
- As you make a layout for an event, and you have supplies left over – create a few cards that you can use later on! This way, when you are told about a birthday or event the night before, you don’t have to rush to make a card when you might not have the time.
- As you are starting to purchase your stamps – looks for themes you will use a lot, and stamps that can be used in different ways!
- Start with a couple of stamp pads – black and white to start with. Adding white and colored cardstock – with those stamp pads, you can truly start to create your own one of a kind cards!
- Make sure you organize your supplies with your other paper crafting supplies to make it easier! I use die cuts, stickers, stamps, eyelets, brads, ribbon, bakers twine – on all of my paper crafting ideas from layouts to cards to altered/gift items that you make.
- Don‘t be afraid to mix supplies, some of my favorite card ideas have been done using scraps from one project, a stamp, and die cuts left over from another project!

Each of the cards here – were done with scraps from other projects! A black stamp pad can go a long way – as well as a white stamp pad on any color of cardstock or paper! You can add colors of ink pads from there!!!! Start small, a theme or two that you will send or give out a lot of is great to start with, then adding other themes from there!
Challenges:
- Start to make a list of cards you send out most often for the next 6 months and the next year.
- Decide which 2 themes of cards from your list that you send out more often than the others, and make 5 cards from each of the 2 themes.
- Get sketches and ideas put together for all of your list of cards that you want to recreate, using the supplies you have available.
- Find a place to put all the cards when you are done! (I have a class coming up, watch here for details – that will be PERFECT for this area!)
Start small, and simply enjoy making cards! This is what I started out doing – making cards, then put aside when I found out what a scrapbook was! Now – I do all kinds of paper crafts!!! I hope you start to make your own cards – your own themes – your own style, and I hope you will join me while I am making some for myself!
Thanks for stopping by,
Lynda Jeffs
Memories in Tyme