A sweet customer recently said to me ” Your hand stamped cards look so professional. I wish mine looked like that.” I shared with her, and now you too, the top 3 reasons why my hand stamped cards look “professional”.
(1) Experience. I’ve been designing and making handstamped greeting cards for many years. The decision to become a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator 15 years ago, next to my husband, is the BEST decision I’ve ever made. What a blessing it is that I was able to turn my hobby into a successful, flexible home-based business.
Maybe you’re new to cardmaking and don’t have much experience yet. The next two reasons are something you can do immediately and as important!
(2) Neatness Counts. Your grade school teachers told you neatness counts. It absolutely counts when making handmade cards.
- Make sure your layers have the same size border on all sides. Loop-sided layers stand out like a sore thumb.
- Well stamped images. If your stamped image is smudged, get a partial image, caught the edge of the stamp for a halo or otherwise looks unattractive – start over. I know, I know but it’s just cardstock. I’ve often laughed that I have the prettiest trash in town. Colorful, anyway. Poorly stamped images hit the trash.
- Keep your tools in good shape. For instance, once your paper trimmer looks like you gnawed the paper off instead of cutting it, replace the blade. Keep your ink pads well inked for well stamped images.
(3) Quality and Color Coordinated Products. I use almost exclusively Stampin’ Up! products because, in my opinion, they are the best out there.
Often times what works well goes unnoticed. You may look at my cards and think they look nice or pretty. That, in part, is because the colors coordinate for an eye-pleasing finished look. Stampin’ Up! makes it so easy to do. If you use Real Red Classic Stampin’ Pad ink, it’s going to coordinate with Real Red Cardstock, ribbon, buttons and any other Stampin’ Up! products use Real Red.
Exclusive Stampin’ Up! colors are also designed to coordinate with each other. The colors on your cards will compliment and coordinate and not clash for attractive handmade cards.
With Stampin’ Up! products you absolutely get the beauty of color coordination in quality products. It’s quite difficult to get a “professional” looking handstamped card if the materials look cheap.
Starting with quality products and taking the time to be neat are steps anyone can take to having “professional” looking hand stamped greeting cards. Part pf experience comes from learning stamping tips, techniques and product tips. That’s easy too! Click here to subscribe to The Stamper’s Insider. It’s your FREE stamping source for inspiration, information and ideas!
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Those are my top 3 reasons why my hand stamped cards look “professional”. The tips keep coming when you subscribe to The Stamper’s Insider!