Everything You Need to Know to Become a Card Stamper

How often do you send greeting cards to people? We send cards on birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, graduations, and confirmations. We also send cards in sympathy, wishing people well, as a thank you, and just to say hello. The greeting card industry is enormous but it lacks the personal touch. Yes, there are cards for every occasion, and some are quite lovely. But, it does not take much effort to walk in to a store and pick up a card. Making a hand crafted card has a more personal touch and is often even more appreciated by the recipient.

Card stamping is an art form similar to scrap booking. Card stock, rubber stamps, ink pads, and different styles of embellishments are used to create unique designs. Card stamping can be time consuming and sometimes costly, but it can also be quite rewarding.

Creating cards is an excellent outlet for creativity with so many different ideas and designs to be created by the stamper. It can be quite overwhelming though when trying to figure out how to get started. Going to stamping and scrap booking parties by companies such as Stampin' Up and Creative Memories, is a good start, but with a few basic starter products, It might not be necessary to depend on these companies to get you started. Craft stores such as Michaels and Joanne's Fabrics are great places to go to get stamping products. There are also smaller independent stamping stores that will have more selection but will cost more money. The craft departments of stores like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Target are also good places to check out when getting started.

There are some basic tools that all stampers must have to start making cards.

*Card stock- You can buy card stock in most any craft store. They will have all different colors, sizes, and textures. You can buy the stock already pre-cut in to card form, but it's less expensive to buy the paper and then cut it yourself. The more durable the stock, the more expensive it will be.

*Ink pads- Start out with the basic colors; red, blue, black, green, orange, pink, purple, and yellow. Be sure the yellow you get is dark enough, because there are many yellows that are very light and don't show up well on some card stock. Each stamp pad can cost up to $5 but they don't have to. I have gotten stamp pads for as little as $3. Read the labels carefully, as there are a few different kinds of inks and you want to make sure you are getting the right one for your purposes.

*Glue stick or double sided tape- You will want to get something that is not going to cause the paper to buckle up or have bumps. Liquid glue like Elmer's is not good for making cards. I recommend double sided scotch tape or rubber cement. Both are smooth and can be peeled off if you make a mistake.

*Colored pencils- These are used for shading in stamps once put on paper. Some people prefer to use chalk, but for the beginning stamper, pencils are cheaper and easier to use than chalk.

*Rubber stamps- Obviously the most important part of the stamping adventure is the stamps themselves. You can buy stamps for as little as $1 and as expensive as $15 depending on the size and style. Some will come already cut and mounted, but if you buy a set in a case, they often will not be put together. Craft stores and stamping stores have rubber stamps for absolutely every occasion. I suggest getting some general sayings such as thank you, happy birthday, merry Christmas, good luck, get well soon, and thinking of you. These are the ones that you will most likely get the most use out of. Then buy maybe a border stamp and some designs that can be used on most anything. Hearts, stars, flowers, butterflies, and different geometric shapes are the most versatile stamps.

*Paper cutter- You can find relatively inexpensive paper cutters in craft stores and office supply stores. It's important to have one, because scissors don't often cut evenly and can leave jagged edges.

*Sharp scissors- These are necessary to cut smaller things such as shapes and edges. You might also want to get some design scissors that will make decorative edges. These will generally cost between $2 and $5 for decent ones.

*Stamp cleaner- You can improvise with this. There are products made specifically for cleaning stamps. But, baby wipes or just plain water work just as well and cost less money.

The above list are the necessities for getting started in card stamping. There are other optional items such as; an embossing gun, embossing powder, glitter, ribbons, and more decorative stick on embellishments to enhance the card designs. But, I do not recommend purchasing these things right away, especially if you are not sure you will enjoy stamping on a regular basis.

If it seems like too much work to get started on your own, Stampin' Up is a catalogue stamping company similar to Avon and Pampered Chef. You can find a Stampin' Up demonstrator in your area and arrange to have her come to speak with you about getting started. You can have a party in your home where the demonstrator will teach you and your friends how to make cards of all different levels of ease and difficulty. There will be a catalogue with an array of items to choose from. You order what you want with help from the demonstrator, and the items are delivered to you. It's more expensive, but it takes the guess work out of the process when you are first starting. Plus, if you host a party, you get free products based on how much the demonstrator sells at your party.

Card stamping, as I mentioned, can be quite pricey. I have had, at one time, well over $500 worth of stamping supplies and have spent as much as $75 at one time at stamping parties. It is not a hobby for someone who does not send cards somewhat regularly. But, even if you only send cards to people during the holidays, you will recoup your losses, because many of the items you purchase will only need to be purchased once or twice. And, you will never have to buy another greeting card, which is a bonus in itself.