One of our most frequently asked question is “What do I need to start card making?” and the answer is, despite what others try to tell you (or should that be want to sell you) – very little.

Here’s a checklist:

Creased card and envelopes
Backing papers
Card for cutting for matting and layering (you’ll find the Over 80 mounts and A6 Stardream Card Packs – both in the Paper Packs Section of Craftsite an absolute boon for creating mounts and matting an layering)
Toppers
Die cut decoupage
Glue

You’ll also need scissors, a ruler and a pencil.

Start with ready creased card of a good quality, i.e. not less than 225 gsm (gsm stands for grams per square metre – the higher the number the heavier the weight of card). You can get lightweight cheap card but it will bend and buckle once mounts and embellishments have been added to the card and the card will be spoilt so it’s false economy. Once you’ve decided that card making is for you then you can buy sheet card and the tools to cut it and crease it yourself.

What type of glue you’ll need depends on what you are doing as there are different glues for different jobs – the Section on Glues gives you a list of all the different types and when to use them.

Once you have decided that you like card making as a hobby, then this is the time to start cutting and creasing your own card and start gathering together the tools you will need such as a craft knife and cutting mat, decorative scissors (I suggest you start with the deckle edge scissors as you don’t need to line them up for the repeat pattern) etc. You’ll also find a paper trimmer useful.

Here I should give the health warning – Card Making Can Be Addictive.

Start by looking for easy projects that produce stunning results. Craftsite has over 40 card making step by step projects that include a full list of the materials used and you can download and print the instructions so you have them to hand whilst making your card. There’s loads of free projects on the Internet so you are sure to find one suitable for the occasion.

Here’s just a few examples of really easy make cards suitable for beginners that you can find in the Craftsite gallery.