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Original poster

Anyone into card making-need some new ideas?

73 replies

layla · 08/06/2004 14:28

Hi have just got into making cards and have made some with wire.
Need some new ideas now.
Would love to talk ideas.Don't want to cheat too much by buying instant sticky things to stick on if you know what I mean.I want to buy basics and make something out of it.Like I make now by making pictures out of wire.
Have just made a load for the school fair and the kids enjoy making some with me too which is fun.
Would like to maybe make some to sell at some point.
Does anyone have any ideas about how much they should sell for and where to approach etc?
I'm reallly excited about it.
Anyone just want to chat about it?
Has anyone been on any courses?

OP posts:
lilibet · 08/06/2004 14:33

Where do you live layla? Near me (Wigan) there is a farm that has craft stalls and one of them does really good hand made cards - depending on size and how much is on them they cost from £2.50.

I knw that there is a site that sells things for making cards as I have been looking at it as I need to make my wedding invitations soon, but I'm not very talented in that direction! We also have a really good craft shop in Bolton so I'm going to compare prices when I find the site.

Original poster
layla · 08/06/2004 14:40

Hi Lilibet,it's very addictive.What are you going to put on your wedding invites?It sounds great doing your own,kind of makes it more special.
I have a very good craft shop near me in Wales that I have discovered.They mostly cater for card making so they have everything from the cards and paper to the cellophane envelopes to package them in.They even do courses on it which I'm thinking of doing.

OP posts:
sis · 08/06/2004 16:46

Layla, I have a 'Heat it' embossing tool (like a very powerful hairdryer), some embossing powders, embossing glue and a clear embossing stamp pad that I don't need, so if you like, you can have them. The 'heat it' tool was bought from Lakelands for about £19 and has only been used twice so I think I would like something for it but you can have the other stuff for the postage costs if you want. I am getting rid of it because I did not really enjoy embossing (but is get quick results if you want to make lots of cards for school fair etc).

If you are interested, contact me via CAT or, e-mail me directly if you've still got my details.

lilibet · 08/06/2004 16:49

going to quite plain, cream with a insert, on the front a red rose and a line from a poem, with the second line on the front of the insert.

does that sound ok, I'm not very arty but am very broke!

PotPourri · 08/06/2004 16:54

I have just got into cardmaking Layla, and I too have am struggloing for inspiration. I made my own wedding invitations last year and favours & loads more which got me back into arts & crafts. There's something so satisfying about making something from scratch, that no one else has!

Prima this month has an article about how to turn your hobby into a moneyspinner. Lakeland is quite good to see good ideas, as is QVC. I don't buy from them, just look at what they have and get some ideas that way. I have been doing bits with different paper most recently - layering and stuff. Some of the wedding sites I looked at (for favours and invitiations etc) also gave me some good ideas.

Embossing sounds lovely. I have been meaning to look into that for a while, so I'd be interested in how that goes if you give it a shot.

PotPourri · 08/06/2004 16:56

That sounds lovely Lillibet. And very romantic.

Are you having a theme (i.e. red, or roses, or poetry)?

Mum2Ela · 08/06/2004 16:56

I made all my wedding invitations last year - loved it and they looked fab! Saved a fortune too!

Let me know if anyone wants any info (btw, am not an arty person. They were very straightforward but looked lush!!)

x

lilibet · 08/06/2004 16:58

going to carry red roses and my daughter will be wearing dark red (unless she gets her way and then it will be barbie pink!!), I love poetry and we will probably have a couple read at the ceremony.

What were they like Mum2ela? Where did you get your stuff from?

Mum2Ela · 08/06/2004 17:04

I live in Cardiff and there is a fab shop called Inkspot. They sell everything you could want.

Mine were simple: bought the pre-folded white cards and matching envelopes. I bought corregated silver card (the bumpy stuff) and had a square (or rectangle?) of that on the front of the card (not too big) and I bought some red silk paper (the texture is nice and has 'veins' through it) and had a layer of that on top of the corregated stuff. (my theme was red - bridesmaids wore red, I had red gerberas and white calla lillies - named all the tables after types of lillies). I then bought a 'heart' hole punch and used it on almost mirror-type silver card. The heart was put on top of the red silk paper (which was cut using scissors that give a 'torn paper' effect).

Does that make sense?

For inside the card I bought some flimsy-white paper and printed the wording on it, and stuck it to the fold in the card. My friend who has lush writing wrote 'wedding invitation' on the front (also did some 'tahnkyou' carsd and 'menus' too).

HTH

Mum2Ela · 08/06/2004 17:05

Lilibet our readings were one from winnie the pooh ('whenever I am blue there is always Pooh, theres always pooh and me . . ' or something like that) and one from Captain Corellis Mandolin.

lilibet · 08/06/2004 17:07

oooh those sound so lovely. Make me feel that mine may be a bit boring!!

lilibet · 08/06/2004 17:08

the two lines from my poem are

The life that I have is all that I have (for the front)

And the life that I have is yours (for the middle)

I love Winnie the pooh!

Mum2Ela · 08/06/2004 17:09

No, I think your sound lovely too!

There are some craft places on the net. Do you have a craft shop near you?

Mum2Ela · 08/06/2004 17:10

Sorry, just seen you are sorted in that area!

fisil · 08/06/2004 17:11

Layla - my name's fisil and I'm a card making addict. I have made Xmas cards for some years now, and did birth announcements and birth party invites for ds. I have recently set up a company making cards - and I'm doing a web design course later this month so that I can sell them all online. I did a craft fair, which I really enjoyed, and may try to do a few each year.

I love browsing through the online craft stuff shops - www.madaboutcards.com is my favourite - I got loads of ideas there. Also, if you google homemade cards you see lots of sites where people are selling their own cards.

I am doing it as a hobby which pays a bit of the way for itself. I am enjoying the business side as much as the craft side! contact me through contact another member if you want to chat more. Got to go now as my embossing glue is drying!

lilibet · 08/06/2004 17:11

we have a large one in Bolton, do you think that people would see what was written on the front of the insert or just turn straight to the invite?

Mum2Ela · 08/06/2004 17:27

Lilibet i'm kinda thinking they would turn straight to the invite but its hard to know without seeing them. Could it go at the bottom of the wording in the invite, in a diff font and / or colour?

BTW, have you seen www.confetti.co.uk? They have a message board and people are always v helpful!

(its a wedding website)

Freddiecat · 08/06/2004 17:48

have just checked out madabout cards and i think i might just give it a go. Can anyone suggest a basic starter kit?

I would like to make birthday cards for all ages, a few wedding congrats cards and a few baby congrats cards. If all goes well I might branch out into Christmas cards.

I have seen various embellishments on the site which look good but it's the basics I need help with. Especially things like lettering as this could let them down.

katzguk · 08/06/2004 17:52

mum2ela where is cardiff is inkspot?

secur · 08/06/2004 17:57

Message withdrawn

Mum2Ela · 08/06/2004 17:57

katzguk, its on Newport Road, on the way into Cardiff, opposite the Texaco (I think) garage and by the pub YK (used to be the Yellow Kangaroo). Inkspot is in the church. They don't have a proper sign but one of the plastic blow-about-in-the-breeze-jobbies. Do you know where I mean?

sis · 08/06/2004 17:59

Freddiecat, it is worth checking out e-bay as they often have starter kits or a load of bits and pieces from people who no longer do card making.

fisil · 08/06/2004 17:59

Freddie, I did no lettering at first, as I was scared that it wouldn't look good (I'm not a very neat person - could've been a bit of a scrawl). I have since discovered that writing a message in an ordinary gel pen (or any good pen that you would normally write with) is one of the best methods. I have the tornetex foiling system which is OK, I'm glad I have it, not sure I'd go overboard in recommending it - you have to have a steady hand, and in which case you may as well write it yourself (unless you really want glittery or shiney). Finally I found that the sticker sheets are not nasty and tacky as they appear, but actually give a really nice professional finish.

As a starter I would suggest you get some basic card blanks, envelopes and plastic bags (it helps to feel good about how professional you are, seeing them in the bag). Buy a variety of the different speciality papers so that you can work out which ones you enjoy working with the most. Then buy any bits and pieces that appeal to you. You will very quickly work out some great designs once you have the bits and pieces.

Good luck, enjoy, don't get too carried away ...

Janh · 08/06/2004 18:17

lilibet, my niece got married last year and designed the invites herself (she is a graphic designer so has a head start on the rest of us) - anyway they were tall narrow cream ones with several pages inside, I forget now exactly how it went but there was a small b&w photo of her hand on one page, of his on another, and then their two hands holding on another, v romantic and sweet.

Anyway we noticed all the pages, if you have an image to go with the words on each page that would help make sure people will see them? They are lovely words.

(Another clever thing DN did was to get miniatures of Grant's whiskey - her DH is called Grant - and make doctored labels with her name and his on, that still looked like the proper ones.)

Original poster
layla · 08/06/2004 18:57

Hi folks

Sis hi so glad to see you here still.Thanks for your kind offer,can I think about it a bit-I'm a bit scared of embossing as I tried stamping and the effect was disastrous and I ruined a few cards trying.So I beleive embossing is the same is it not ,where you have to stamp first I think anyway.I'll do some research unless anyone here knows if the results are good.Haven't tried it before.Can I let you know.Your offer sounds like such a good one.

Lilibet your invitations sound lovely.

Mum2Ela hi,I'm in Cardiff too.Inkspot is fab isn't it.Also the place I go to is great.It's off Albany road.Been meaning to go to inkspot too for some inspiration.

Hi Potpourrai,thanks for your ideas,I can share mine too.I use some copper foil and emboss designs on using a ball point pen then turn it over and hey presto the design is on there.Mount them on bits of paper with torn edges and you have nice designs.Also got some wire from a craft shop for beading and have been bending it into designs and putting that on fancy paper.Hope those help to inspire you.

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