Need a Simple Hand Made Card Idea For A Friend?

Need a Simple Hand Made Card Idea for a Friend?

Sending a hand made card means sending love in the mail. (And maybe sometimes just ‘like' through the mail.) It means that you took time out of your busy life to create a work of art for someone.

But creating a work of art doesn't have to take you hours and hours to create. This simple hand made card is a very versatile one – you can change up the colors, change up the image, you can do a ton with this simple idea.

First, think about the recipient of the card – what are her/his favorite colors? If you don't know, then go with your favorite colors – remember that a part of you goes into this card, so your favorite colors are good to use too. For this card, I went with Melon Mambo card stock and Old Olive card stock. Then decide on your images. For me, this image was the flowers from Stampin' Up!'s Summer Silhouettes stamp set (wood mount or clear mount). I liked the flowers in here because they are a two-step stamp set. That means that you use two stamps to create one image. It's a way to add layers and depth in the most simple way possible. (So another win for the simple hand made card theme we are going with here.)

It's then time to add in your sentiment. I used the Sweet Essentials set from Stampin' Up! (wood mount or clear mount).

I kept the choices for the ink pads simple – I went with Stampin' Up!'s Melon Mambo and Old Olive ink. These, and all the other colors from Stampin' Up! can be found Coloring and Glitz section of the online store. Then came the fun part – the stamping, the accessorizing, and the assembling! Let's start with the stamping.

The flowers and the images were stamped on Whisper White card stock. That's it for the stamping.

The assembling and accessorizing:

For the base of the card, I used Crumb Cake card stock (5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″) and scored it at 4-1/4″. Then I took the bottom of the front of the card and used the Large Scallop Edgelit. I added a piece of Whisper White cards stock (4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″) into the inside cover to make up the section from the scallop cut. You can use less Whisper White card stock and just add a strip, but I like the inside of my cards to look clean and uniform.

That is all for the base. You can go even more simple and leave off the scalloped edge all together.

Now let's add our dry embossed layer. I started with two pieces of card stock: Melon Mambo and Old Olive (both 4-5/8″ x 3″) and I cut them both on an angle. (When you do this, you will have enough for two cards.)

What you don't see: Under the green and pink layers, there is an extra piece of paper that I stuck these to, to make it easier to run though the Big Shot and have the honeycomb pattern look uniform.

Then you run this layer through your Big Shot and using your Honeycomb embossing folder. Simply attach this layer to your card front.

Next comes the stamped layer, use dimensionals to attach it to your card front.

The finishing touch is Crumb Cake 2-1/4″ x 3/4″. Use your Hexagon punch to notch out the bottom and then for a little added touch that takes just a second, you can use the Needlepoint Borders embossing folders to create the xxxx's at the top. Attach this strip to you card front using your regular adhesive.

Finish your card off with a bow tied using the 1/8″ Old Olive Taffeta Ribbon and the 10 Second Bow Maker.

This card is a simple card idea, but it is deceiving, it looks much harder than it is.

Prefer to learn by video instruction?

A video tutorial of this project will be shared in Stamping Family this week. Over 60 videos listed for the members, and the site is still a baby – just barely 4 months old!

Here are what members are saying:

“Two months ago, when I joined Stamping Family, I thought I would be overwhelmed. But your videos are SOOOOO easy to follow. It's easy to be a paper crafter when you learn this way! Love Stamping Family!” – Yvonne

“It feels like home. I love the logo as it really represents what is inside. It is a fun little club house for paper crafters. There is a lot in there already, and new stuff all the time. Keep it up!” – Angie

Here is the list of supplies used to create this card and links to order any products you may need:

If you want to see this card being made, step by step, it will be listed in Stamping Family this week! I look forward to sharing that video with you and other family member.

While this card packs quite a bit of punch, it also is easier to make than it looks. But when you create this card for your special friend, you also get to spend time with her, which makes this a win-win. Of course, this card is simple and goes together quickly, so you don't have to think of her too much :).

My hope for you is that this card inspires you to create a simple handmade card for a friend – off to work on the Stamping Family video!

Need a Simple Hand Made Card Idea For A Friend?