Essential supplies for a beginner cardmaker

Ok…so you’ve looked at a bunch of YouTube videos, and/or you have friends who card craft, or you’ve bought some cardmaking magazines, and you’ve decided that you want to do this too but…what to start with?

Well, I’d like to start by saying, don’t buy cheap knock-off stamps and dies! I realise you may be on a budget (as am I) but I would rather buy a few good quality products and build up slowly, than a lot of cheap products that may not give you the result you want, and may even put you off cardmaking in the long run.

So, in no particular order, here is what I suggest you start with:

• White card stock 300gsm for card bases.

• A variety of different coloured card stock 170gsm for card panels. Just buy a few sheets of colours you like to begin with, but do include black.

• A general purpose sentiment stamp set; one that has a variety of greetings.

• A stamp set consisting of various images. Florals are always good to start with as you can do a lot of things with them. Just use the heck out of it!

• A stamp positioning tool. I would recommend a MISTI by My Sweet Petunia. Now, be aware, this is a big investment. Some people would say, just get a couple of acrylic blocks in different sizes and stamp with those. But, the beauty of a stamp positioning tool is that, if you don’t stamp the image correctly the first time, you can stamp it again in exactly the same spot. If you are really certain that this is a hobby for you, I would invest in this tool straight away.

• Glue and/or double-sided tape.

• Colouring medium. The best thing to begin with are colour pencils. You can buy an inexpensive set and upgrade later if it’s a colouring medium you enjoy working with.

• A black general purpose ink pad. I am currently using Memento Tuxedo Black by Tsukineko. You may also want to add a black pigment ink pad. I particularly like Versafine Onyx Black and Altenew Obsidian, but there are many more great options available.

This will be plenty to get you started without breaking the bank! As already said, the stamp positioning tool is the most expensive item on the list. Later, you can add the following, as and when you need them:

• Embossing ink pad.

• Embossing powder – gold and silver.

• Powder tool – to use before embossing.

• Heat tool.

• Dye inks – cubes are good if you want more colours as they are cheaper than full size ink pads.

• Die sets

• A die cutting machine

• More stamp sets

• Stencils

• Foam tape

• Embellishments

Honestly, the list can be endless, but I hope this helps you.