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Tools and materials

Making greeting cards can be as quick and easy or as intricate as you choose to make it. You can start with a simple set of tools and materials such as a pair of good quality scissors and a selection of interesting coloured papers. As you become more involved, you may like to invest in a large carry case or box to store all your craft products so that they are close to hand. Below are a selection of tools and materials that are useful for card making.

Cards and glues, rulers and scissors

1 card stock there is a wide range of different cards and papers on the market. Commercially made papers come in sizes ranging from A1 to A4. Most of the cards in this book use a weight of approximately 280 to 330 gsm (grams per square meter) for the main card stock.

2 glue stick multipurpose glue used mainly for layering backing cards.

3 adhesive paste used to stick down 3-D embellishments or as a sticky layer to sprinkle with glitter.

4 glue dots come in a selection of sizes. Simply take the card or embellishment to the glue dot, remove the dot from the backing sheet and position in place.

5 3-D foam glue pads used for 3-D decoupage and to raise card and paper from the surface it is mounted on. The pads are usually about 4 mm (¼ in) thick with adhesive on both sides.

6 micro glue dots usually come on an A6 sheet. Simply press the surface you want to stick down to the glue dots and peel back: the dots will stick to the surface. Ideal for use on vellum as these small dots are almost invisible.

7 spray adhesive available in repositionable or permanent varieties. The former is useful when you are planning a card and are not ready to secure everything permanently in place. Sprays are usually solvent-based so you will need to work in a well-ventilated area.

8 low tack masking tape always a handy craft material to have in your box. Great for holding down stencils and especially useful when securing a design before cutting with a craft knife.

9 metal ruler invest in a metal ruler for cutting and scoring cards.

10 plastic ruler a clear plastic ruler is good for lining up and measuring at the same time.

11 decorative edge scissors great for creating border effects. Draw a line with a pencil and ruler and use it as a guide when cutting with the scissors.

Decorative papers and stickers

1 outline stickers commonly referred to as peel-offs, they are inexpensive and available in a number of designs. They are easy to use and make quick and colourful cards.

2 mulberry paper semi-opaque hand-made paper made from mulberry leaves and silk strands. It can be expensive so use in small quantities.

3 talcum powder applied to the back of pre-made stickers to prevent unwanted areas of glue from sticking to card stock.

4 vellum sheer paper with a subtle translucent finish, available in a wide range of colours.

5 printed vellum sheer paper printed with a wide range of designs and colours. Look out for co-ordinating plain and patterned paper ranges.

6 metallic and holographic decorative cards these cards give a striking look to hand-made cards. Available in a good range of colours and a variety of eye-catching patterns.

7 rubdown stickers rub over the sticker with a lolly stick through the protective film onto your chosen surface. Suitable for use on paper and wooden and glass surfaces.

8 holographic outline stickers second generation of outline stickers or peels-offs designed to create simple but effective greeting cards.

9 micro bead stickers pre-made stickers coated with micro beads to create a textured finish.

10 pre-finished stickers designed to make card making simple, just peel and stick.

Pens, pencils and paints

1 stencil paints a good painting medium to add colour to your cards. Watercolour paints are also subtle so use them when you want to achieve a more delicate finish.

2 glitter glue comes in different colours and applicator sizes to control the flow of the glue.

3 felt tip pens available in a huge array of colours and inexpensive to buy.

4 gel pens come in a rainbow of colours to include sparkles and metallic. The ink is opaque and works beautifully on dark-coloured cards.

5 brush markers double-ended felt pens with a narrow point for intricate work and a wider one for covering larger areas.

6 colouring pencils and watercolour pencils choose the best quality you can afford. Colours can be blended together to create other shades.

7 kneadable eraser a good quality eraser is essential if you want to remove pencil lines completely. Kneadable erasers are very versatile as they can be moulded to a point.

8 pencil use an HB pencil for guidelines to cut and a 2B pencil or softer for lines you know you will want to rub out.

9 pencil sharpener safer to use than a craft knife for sharpening pencils.

10 round paintbrush good for general painting. A good quality brush will have a smooth tip for detail work. Synthetic brushes are ideal for card colouring.

11 angle paintbrush good for double-loading paint (putting two colours on a brush at a time), to allow you to colour shade and highlight in one go.

12 decorating chalks available in a large range of colours and designed to give a soft finish. Apply with cotton wool buds or stencil brushes. To avoid smudging, fix with a spray of fixative.

Card-making tools and materials

1 light box used for tracing designs and for dry stencil embossing.

2 embossing stencil metal stencil used in conjunction with a light box and an embossing tool for a technique referred to as dry embossing.

3 cutting mat always choose a self-healing cutting mat, as the surface will close back over the cuts you have made and will remain smooth. Never use the cutting mat when embossing with a heat tool, as this will cause the mat to buckle.

4 guillotine it is now possible to buy small lightweight guillotines that are very useful for cutting paper and card and are easier to use than rolling blade cutters.

5 sticker maker converts small embellishments into stickers by applying an even surface of glue to the reverse of the embellishment.

6 ribbler this hand-held machine simply and quickly corrugates card as it is fed through the rollers. If you like working with corrugated card then invest in one of these as it will soon cover the cost of purchasing finished corrugated card.

7 craft knife a good quality sharp craft knife is a must. An interchangeable blade is far better than a snap-off blade. If your budget allows, invest in a swivel blade for cutting curves.

8 scissors you will need a good pair of decoupage scissors especially when you are cutting out intricate designs. Invest in both a small pair and a larger one for use on larger designs.

9 hammer a small hammer that is not too heavy to hold is ideal for using with an eyelet setter. A pin hammer or tacking hammer are both suitable.

10 eyelet mat designed to provided a clean, hard-wearing surface to create eyelet holes without damaging your cutting mat or work surface.

11 hole punch and setter a combination set designed to punch holes into card stock and set the eyelets.

12 eyelets available in a variety of colors and different shapes and sizes.

13 heat gun manufactured for working with paper. Keep your hands off the vents and hold the gun about 15 cm (6 in) from your project to avoid the paper from scorching.

Stencils and stamping

1 wooden stamps made of a wooden block, a piece of mounting foam and a detail rubber image.

2 metallic stencil cream paints metallic cream colour that is great for stencilling. Apply the cream with a stencil brush or cotton wool bud. Clean the brushes with soap and water after use.

3 stencil brush available in a variety of sizes. Use the appropriate size for the design you are working with.

4 metal stencil template metal templates are extremely durable and mostly used for outlining, cutting or dry stencil embossing.

5 embossing tool used for scoring paper and card and for stencil embossing.

6 decorative punch available in all shapes and designs, decorative punches are used to repeat a design by punching silhouette paper shapes as decoration.

7 sticky stencil a plastic repositionable, self-adhesive stencil. Wash with warm soapy water and replace onto the carrier sheet after use.

8 embossing stencil lightweight brass stencil used for dry stencil embossing.

9 pricking tool long, sharp spike on a wooden or plastic handle. A useful tool for making fine, even holes in paper, vellum or card stock and for lifting off very small stickers.

10 embossing powder sprinkle over wet ink, tap off the excess and heat with a heat gun to melt the powder and give your design a raised finish.

11 pastel embossing powder soft and subtle colour used in the same way as traditional metallic powders. Used to create embossed effects with a heat tool.

12 glitter look out for ultra fine glitter as it is particularly effective for card making.

13 pigment-based ink pad available in clear or tinted, it stays wet for about 10 minutes to allow a longer application time. Used with embossing powder, it creates raised images when rubber stamping.

14 3-D gloss a thick, viscous fluid that is opaque when wet and dries clear. It leaves the surface ‘glass-like’ and raised. Ideal for use on any porous surface.

15 dye-based ink pad water-based and very fast drying, it can be used not only for stamping but also to create watercolour effects using a paintbrush and water.

16 embossing ink pad available in clear or tinted. The ink is slow drying on the card so stays moist while you apply embossing powders to create raised images when stamping.