Simple Cardmaking

Been looking for the perfect card and can’t find it? I’m going to give you the tools to make it!

Let’s break it down so it seems even simpler. (As simple as it really is!)

You need a pen, scissors or some sort of cutting device and some cardstock paper. That’s IT! A ruler is OPTIONAL, but handy :)

Getting down to Brass tacks:

I recommend a nice pen: an ultra-micro uniball signo is my favorite. Other people like sharpies’ small point pens. If you’re not a pen snob, something with a very fine point should do for you. I prefer black. But if you want to get fancy, shiny gold, silver or green are also fun options.

I recommend heavier cardstock paper, but not too heavy that it gets hard to make the centerfold crease. Depending on your pen color, you may want something other than white, but white is my personal favorite. Then Kraft. Then black with a white or silver pen. You can get it for cheap at Michael’s or Joann Fabrics in individual pages. OR you can get a ream from Staples. I like something around 110lb.

PREP: Cut your 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper in half. I’ll do the math for you. The shorter side gets cut at 4.25 or if you’re cutting the longer side, cut at 5.5. Contrary to popular opinion there is NO wrong direction to cut this. Most people cut the longer side. But I like the shape and fold of cutting the shorter way. You get a normal sized card with a unique fold. The only way to cut it wrong is to do it too quickly or with too many snips of your scissors. Go slow, and if you need it, make a VERY faint pencil line with a ruler to guide you to get a straight line.

Once you’ve cut, go back to your Kindergarten skills for folding: Line up your corners. Press down those ends tight with one hand and press firmly down with the other in the CENTER of the fold. I do this with a clean, closed pen or pen cap. (I know, elementary, but…. it really helps to get this step right!) Remember, you put the fold on the top or the left side like a book typically, no matter how you cut your paper.

Now for the front!

Do you have an idea? I love PUNS. So like… a snail on a card with an inside flap that says “Thought you might need some snail mail!” Or a brain with “You were on my mind!” on the inside. Or a little bunch of flowers “Thank you bunches!” But you know your recipient best! What do they like? What’s something they’re into? Can you turn it into a pun?

Make the sketch small, but not so small that it’s too detailed for your pen to be of any use. It can be ANYWHERE on the page. If you’re aiming for the middle and miss, can you decorate with confetti? Add a trail of slime to that snail to balance him out? Make an offset geometric shape to make it feel purposeful? If it’s too far off center, embrace it. Let it be off-center. OR cut your paper, VERY carefully—if doing this, make sure you’re holding very tight to your front and back pages or open the card and cut along another faint pencil line. If you can’t tell, I don’t recommend this option. I like embracing mistakes. :)

Then write in your own handwriting on the inside fold. Make your inside handwriting several layers of pen thick so it’s noticeably darker than your handwritten note on the inside.

Sign the back with a date and VOILA. You’re done!