We’ve discussed cardstock and inks, so now you’re on your way to start putting some cards together! To create a focal point or a sentiment on your card, you will need stamps of various designs.
Historically, stamps were either made from rubber, wood, or acrylic, nowadays the most popular material for stamps is photopolymer. These are transparent stamps that are available on plastic sheets. You can use them with acrylic blocks or stamp positioning tools to stamp your desired image onto your surface. Photopolymer stamps are popular not only because they are cost effective, but also because they are higher quality, giving a clean and crisp impression every time, and their sticky quality makes them much easier to use with acrylic blocks or stamp positioning tools.
Stamps are available in a variety of themes, ranging from floral, nature & animals, geometric and sentiment and occasion-specific stamps. Most crafting companies have a distinct style to the stamps they design, and YouTube can be a great resource when you are first starting out to help you decide which types of stamps fit your card making style.
You may want to stick to floral or nature-themed cards and would therefore explore stamps that offer a variety of floral options and includes layering stamps to create depth and interest or stamps that offer the opportunity to create backgrounds with clouds, mountains or snowfall.
Sentiment stamps are an essential component of the card makers’ toolbox, as a sentiment is what let’s your recipient know the purpose of the card, such as a birthday wish, offering sympathy, encouragement or gratitude. Sentiment stamps are available in a variety of fonts and sizes, to suit your theme and focal point.
There are also alphabet stamps available, enabling you to create your own bespoke sentiments.
Background stamps are very popular and used to create backgrounds in a variety of ways. You can heat emboss a background stamp, or use embossing ink alone to create a watermark effect. You can use a white pigment ink on kraft cardstock for a different look, or just a subtle ink colour that corresponds to your theme. Bright bold colours can create a focal point, meaning you only need to add a sentiment, a great option if you must mass produce cards.
