Handmade cards: a simple gesture with a big impact

Want to create heartfelt handmade cards that make your friends and family smile?

There’s something magical about receiving a handmade card. It’s not just the design—it’s the love and effort that goes into all the bits and pieces of every card. I remember the first time I tried making cards. I was excited to try something new and seeing the smiles they brought made all the effort worth it. Making handmade cards is easier (and more fun) than you think!

Why Sending Handmade Cards Matters:

1. Personal Touch – A text or email is nice, but a handmade card shows thought, effort, and love. It’s something tangible that people can hold onto.

2. Makes People Feel Special – When someone receives a personalized, handcrafted card, they feel valued and appreciated.

3. Creates Lasting Memories – Handmade cards often become cherished keepsakes.

4. Strengthens Connections – Sending a card, especially when it’s unexpected, keeps relationships strong

5. Shows Gratitude in a Meaningful Way – A card adds warmth and sincerity that words alone can’t always express.

6. Encourages Creativity and Mindfulness – Making cards allows you to slow down, get creative, and put your heart into something meaningful.

7. Brightens Someone’s Day – Happy mail can totally change someone’s mood.

8. Perfect for Any Occasion (or No Occasion at All!) – There’s always a reason to send a little love.

9. Promotes Handwritten Communication – In a digital world, a handwritten note feels extra special.

10. Makes a Difference During Tough Times – A thoughtful note can provide comfort, encouragement, and support.

Ready to make your own? Here’s a few things you'll need to get started:

1. Choose the type of card you want to make: Birthdays, holidays, or just because. You can stamp greetings or write them. 

2. Pick Your Supplies: Grab cardstock, patterned paper, stamps, inks, markers, and embellishments. You'll need some basic card making tools as well such as a trimmer, scissors, and adhesive.

3. Add Personal Touches: Stamp images and greetings. Add handwritten messages to your card. You can add wink of stella (glitter pen) or glitter to make it extra special. 

4. Seal with Love: Pop it in the mail and make someone smile.

Not ready to make them on your own? Try a class or all-inclusive kit. You can browse kits in my online store. I have free live videos each week on my Facebook page Stamp and Create with Beth as well as a collection of videos on my YouTube channel Stamp and Create with Beth. 

Want to know more card-making? Drop a question in the comments and I’ll share my favorite supplies.

Thanks for stopping by today. 

~ Beth 

Faux Tile technique with vintage flair

 I love vintage things. They have a feel of beautiful, warm memories filled with love. I can imagine the worn picture that's been held and looked at many times, maybe even carried in a wallet. I can imagine the fond memories of a favorite toy. I can imagine the happy times remembered when you touch a length of lace that was worn on a special day. When I give my cards a vintage flair, I think of all these things and try to convey this in my card. Have you tried a vintage themed card?

Today's cards pair the vintage theme with a fun technique- faux tile. I love this technique because it takes your simple stamped card (stamps, inks, papers) up a notch and doesn't require any extra tools. It's a simple scoring technique that has a WOW result. 

For a vintage look, I like to use Very Vanilla or Basic Beige cardstock for my stamping layer. Stampin' Up!® offers a range of browns or colors with a brown tone to help with the vintage feel. I suggest Basic Beige, Crumb Cake, Pecan Pie, Early Espresso and Gray Granite. You could also throw in Wild Wheat (it's going to retire May 6th since it's an in-color). For a fun pop of color add a muted blue, pink or green color like Petal Pink, Balmy Blue or Soft Sea Foam.

You can use your favorite images and add in ribbons that match a neutral color scheme. For my pear card, I used watercolor pencils in Old Olive, Crushed Curry and Coastal Cabana to add color to my stamped outline images. 

The faux tile technique is scored lines at equal intervals on your cardstock layer. I use a 1" interval for a 5" x 4" piece. You can change this up and experiment based on your card layer size. After you score your layer, you stamp your images over the lines. Make sure your stamping on the side that the scored lines are indented and not raised. This leaves a white or colored line (depending on your cardstock color) and makes the image look divided like it is tiled. This is a simple technique that changes the look and feel of your card without any extra tools. You can do the scoring on your trimmer with a scoring blade or use the Simply Scored Scoring Tool by Stampin' Up!®.  Check out the Simply Scored Scoring tool in my online store. 

After you stamp your layer, you can add a greeting on a separate strip of cardstock or stamp directly into one of your squares. I like to use the same colored cardstock as my layer and then pop it up with dimensionals.  Stamp your inside layer (5 1/4" x 4") with a few images or greeting to finish off your card. 

For the sand dollar card, I stamped the stand dollars in Crumb Cake Classic ink onto a Basic Beige cardstock layer (5 1/4" x 4"). The star fish are stamped in Pecan Pie Classic ink. The sea glass is stamped in Basic Beige Classic ink for a tone-on-tone look. I added some splatters with Early Espresso Classic ink and the greeting is stamped in Early Espresso. "hello" is from the Citrus Blooms stamp set by Stampin' Up!®. The card base is Early Espresso cardstock. 

For the Penciled Pears card, I used a Basic Beige piece of cardstock (5" x 4"). I scored at 1" increments in both directions. So the 5" side was scored at 1, 2, 3 and 4. The 4" side was scored at 1, 2 and 3. Then I stamped the large pear image in Crumb Cake Classic ink. I colored the images (careful not to go down into the indent) with watercolor pencils in Old Olive, Crushed Curry and Coastal Cabana. I stamped the inside layer ( 5 1/4" x 4") with the group of 4 pears in Crumb Cake Classic ink. Then I colored those with the same pencils. "hello" is from the Citrus Blooms stamp set by Stampin' Up!®. 

Watch the replay of the Facebook live for these two cards:

Here are some more cards I created using the faux tile technique. I love that you can use whatever images you want. 

Everyday You & Me stamp set

Under the Moon stamp set

Penciled Pear stamp set

Seaside Wishes stamp set

Enjoy this technique and take your simple stamped cards (one layer) to the next level. 

Up-close pic of the scored lines, stamping and coloring of my pears.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today. I hope you've enjoyed the faux tile technique and have some fresh inspiration to give it a try. Please leave any questions in the comments. 

Need Stampin' Up!® supplies or just want to browse what's new? Head on over to my online store. 

Enjoy!  ~ Beth 

Who loves coffee? Latte Art Coffee Card

 Where are my coffee lovers?

I'm a huge fan of coffee. I usually drink my coffee straight up, no cream or sugar. Recently, I've been seeing loads of lattes with beautiful cream art on top. And it's drawn me in. Stampin' Up!® has a few coffee sets that I've collected. The most recent one is the Latte Love. This may have been where my obsession with this art began. I decided to try my hand at designing my own using the supplies I have in my craft room. 

To make my extra large coffee mug, I traced a large circle die along the outside and inside of the circle on a piece of 5" x 3 3/4" white cardstock. Then I used the Latte Love coffee mug for inspiration to draw in my handle. Then I colored inside the circle with an Ivory stampin' blend marker to add my cream. I used Natural Tones 200 & 500 and Pecan Pie to draw in my coffee, leaving a design in the cream. *You can watch my video below to see how I did this. For the card above, I also used a white gel pen to add in some white details. To finish off my card layer, I stamped the coffee splatter in Pecan Pie classic ink (1st generation and 2nd generation or stamped off). The greeting is from Latte Love stamp set and is stamped in Early Espresso classic ink. My latte layer is adhered to a Pool Party cardstock base (5 1/2" x 8 1/2" folded in half). To finish off my card, I stamped a few splatters on another piece of 5" x 3 3/4" white cardstock and adhered it to the inside. 

Check out some of my other designs and finished cards: 

I love all the designs I've come up with so far. There are so many more to try. What kind of designs would you do in your latte cream? I'd love to know in the comments. I used all the same coffee colors for each card. Some I used colored pencils on top instead of a white gel pen. Have fun with it and explore the possibilities. For the coffee and the mugs I used Stampin' Blends markers. 

Here are some upclose pics of my designs. It has been so fun creating these latte art designs.

Steps to creating your coffee mug and latte art:

1. Draw a circle by tracing a large circle die on the outside and inside lightly with a pencil. You can adjust the size. Draw in a mug handle with pencil. Erase the line where the circle mets the handle.
2. Color in your cream color. I used Ivory Stampin' blend marker.
3. Draw in lines to create your design with the lightest brown marker you're using. I used Natural Tones 500 (medium combo). Color in the rest of your coffee. Swirl your colors. I used Pecan Pie and Natural Tones 200 (Deep combo) stampin' blends markers.
4. Color your cup a colorful color. I used Pretty Peacock, Lost Lagoon, Highland Heather, Blackberry Bliss and Azure Afternoon stampin' blends markers for all my mugs. 

step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Watch this Facebook live replay on my YouTube channel to see how I created the blue coffee card.

If you enjoyed this technique or have a question, leave me a comment. 

Need Stampin' Up!® supplies? Browse and shop in my online store.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy stampin'. 

~ Beth 

Oh no...Did I ruin my card layer?

 Ok so have you finished a project or made it close to the finish line and then had an oopsy? Isn't that every crafters' nightmare? Well, today I had an oopsy and decided to share it with you and how I fixed it. It isn't something we talk about very often. It's embarrassing! But if you do this, you're not alone. 

So here's my finished card. I love it. It's gorgeous. The snowman is a digital stamp image I received in a class with Alyce Keegan over at Kit and Clowder. I've been coloring it over and over and enjoying my "me" time. The trees in the background are from Stampin' Up!'s Peaceful Evergreens stamp set. 

So what went wrong you ask. Let me tell you. I just about cried. Have you been there before? 

So I was coloring along and I'm using alcohol markers and colored pencils. I had an area on my robin that bled. I grabbed my Stampin' Blend color lifter and went to touch up the area. Well, I accidentally touched the pencil and it picked up the color. When I went to touch up my marker again, it left a big orange line in between my snowman and robin. Oops! and Ugh! 

I tried to use the color lifter- 😞nope didn't work. I tried to erase it- 😞nope didn't work. I tried to color over it with white pencil- 😞nope didn't work. I don't have a sand eraser (that's now on my list!!) as I'm sure that would've fixed it. 

So then I had the bright idea to try a chalk marker- yep a big NOPE 😞- it pulled a layer off my paper and started to make a hole. I tried a copic light gray and quickly realized it was only going to highlight the area, so I used my color lifter to dilute the color and push it through my paper. I also though that the marker might make a great background and I added some dots with white gel pen. Yep- that was a nope too. 

At this point I texted my crafting buddies and was about to cry. I don't love fussy cutting and that was the only way I could save it. My friends encouraged me and so this layered card was born. Mistakes and mishaps are going to occur. Don't-Give-Up!! Check out my original below with some close-ups of my attempts to fix my mishap.

Ok so what else to do but cut around it and make a layered scene. There was no way I was trashing it! I worked hard on this layer. 

I used Stampin' Up!'s Perennial Postage dies and die cut my snowman. Then I used scissors to cut around the top of my images. Next, I die cut Basic White the same size. I stamped this beautiful tree image from Stampin' Up!'s Peaceful Evergreens in Lost Lagoon. Then I added some colored pencil line details on top,  colored the background with a C0 copic marker and added some snow with a white gel pen. It worked out perfectly. 😁

Don't forget to decorate the inside of your card too. This card is extra special. So I made the inside to match with a beautiful tree, a little bit of cool gray background and snow with a white gel pen. Just make sure you let your dots from the white gel pen dry before adhering in your card. (Ask me how I know! haha)

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my blog. I hope I've given you a little hope that we all make mistakes and your projects might be salvageable. Don't give up. Walk away, text. your crafting friends and then revisit your project. I'm cheering for you! 

Check out Alyce's classes at Kit and Clowder. 

The Peaceful Evergreens stamp set is currently in the Last Chance products in my online store. If you have any questions, please reach out. You can also find the Perennial Postage dies and other products used on this card there too. 

Take care and happy stampin' 

~ Beth

One Sheet Wonder with 6" x 12" patterned paper

 Do you have designer series paper (patterned paper) just sitting on your shelf? It's time to get it out and use it to make a set of cards! 

One sheet wonders are a great way to chop up your designer series paper (dsp) and make sets of cards. After all, we buy beautiful paper to use it. This template uses a piece of 6" x 12" piece of dsp. Pair your dsp layers with coordinating colored cardstock or Basic White cardstock.  This set of cards was made with a piece of Reindeer Days dsp. I used Basic White, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party and Real Red cardstock for bases. The layers for the dsp are Two-Toned cardstock in Garden Green, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party and Real Red. The two-toned cardstock is a new addition to Stampin' Up! cardstock line. The greetings are from Framed & Festive (retired) and the October 2020 paper pumpkin.  They're stamped in Pecan Pie, Real Red, Basic Gray and Garden Green classic inks. 

Measurements:

1. Cut 12” side at 4”, 2”, 2 ½”. You’ll have 4 pieces- 4” x 6”, 2” x 6”, 2 ½” x 6” and 3 ½” x 6”

2. Cut 4” x 6” piece in half. You’ll have 2 pieces- 4” x 3”  

3. Mat layer (optional): 4 ¼” x 3 ¼”

4. Cut 2” x 6” piece at 1”. You’ll have 2 pieces- 2” x 1” and 2” x 5”

5. Mat layer (optional): 2 ¼” x 5 ¼”

6. Cut 2 ½” x 6” piece at 1”. You’ll have 2 pieces- 2 ½” x 1” and 2 ½” x 5”

7. Mat layer (optional): 2 ¾” x 5 ¼”

8. Cut 3 ½” x 6” piece in half. You’ll have 2 pieces- 3 ½” x 3”

9. Mat layer (optional): 3 ¾” x 3 ¼”

10. Cut card bases 5 ½” x 8 ½” folded in half. I used a notecard ( 3 1/2" x 5") for my small strips/banner.

You can keep it simple with a few layers and a greeting or layer it up with die cuts and images. On the video I showed some variations to the measurements and adding in a few more layers to use up scraps. 

Here's another set I made with the measurements above.  You can grab a printable pdf here.

I love keeping it simple with just a few layers. We gather quite a few Basic White cardstock strips if you're cutting card layers, so use those up for the greeting. You can use any greetings you have. This set of cards was made with the Nests of Winter dsp. It works great for holiday cards or winter themed birthday, thank you, encouragement and thinking of you. 

Need some designer series paper? Browse my online store.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my one sheet wonder. I hope you're inspired to give it a try. 

~ Beth 

Small loaded envelope to hold a gift card and small treats

 I love giving gift cards and small treats. This loaded envelope is perfect. It was inspired by the Loaded Envelope by Bree Renwick (Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team member). 

You can use cardstock, two-toned paper or designer series paper (patterned) for your envelope. Then after folding to create your envelope you can decorate the front pocket any way you like. Keep it simple or layer it up with die cuts and add in ribbon and embellishments. This size could be mailed but would require extra postage. I'll be hand delivering mine. On this envelope, I used Pool Party two-toned cardstock, Basic White cardstock, Neutrals family designer series paper (Blackberry Bliss), Peaceful Evergreens and coordinating dies and Framed & Festive stamp set (retired). The trees are stamped in Pool Party classic ink. The greetings/phrases are stamped in Blackberry Bliss classic ink. 

Measurements/Instructions:

1. Envelope: Paper is 8 1/2" x 8 1/2". Score at 2 1/4" and 6 1/4" on one side. Turn 90 degrees and score at 2 3/4" on the other side. Fold and crease score lines.
2. Fold in the 2 1/4" and 6 1/4" score lines. Fold down the top corner to the outer edge to create a "collar". I added in some patterned paper so that it shows when I fold down the "collar". Cut patterned paper 2 1/4" x 2". Adhere to the back side of the flap on each end before you fold down the corner to create the collar. 
3. Add strong adhesive (tear & tape, snail plus) along one side (on the inside of the layer) from the collar score line down to the bottom on the outer edge. You can do either side. Then fold side with adhesive on top of the other flap. This seals your front together. I liked the collar adhered down so I added a little adhesive near the corner to tack it down. 
4. Add strong adhesive to the bottom below the score line along all three outer edges. I did the length of both sides and then a smaller piece along the top.  I used tear & tape adhesive. 
5. Patterned paper layer for front pocket 3 3/4" x 2 1/2". Adhere to front pocket and decorate with die cuts or images. Add ribbon on this layer if desired. 
6. Note card for front pocket 3 3/4" x 3 1/4"
7. Note card for back pocket 3 3/4" x 5". Stamp greeting or images as desired. 

Watch the video tutorial:

Here's a few others I've made so far. You can really have fun with different color combos, your favorite stamps and greetings. This would be great for other holidays too- birthdays, weddings, graduation- any holiday you give small gifts or gift cards. I used Pool Party two-toned cardstock and color family designer series paper (neutrals and regals) on these as well. For the one on the left, I used the retired Warm Hugs stamp set and Deckled Circles dies. For the one on the right, I used Yuletide Village stamp set, a retired paper pumpkin stamp, Deckled Rectangles dies, Stylish Shapes dies (in my online store), and some retired shimmery ribbon. 

You can use whatever papers, stamps and dies/punches you have on hand. What's in your stash that you need to use?

Thanks for stopping by! Give this cute treat holder or gift card holder a try. 

Shop Stampin' Up!® products in my online store. 

Happy Stampin'

~ Beth