Card Making Essentials: Must Have vs. Nice to Have vs. Luxury Finds

Hello Craft Friends! Have you ever wanted to make your own cards? As a crafter with over 30 years of experience, I’ve seen, wanted, and almost bought it all. The many choices for card making can be a bit much for both new and experienced card makers.

So, now that you’re ready to dive into card making, what do you need next? I’ve put together a list of supplies you’ll need to create great cards, from the essential items to the nice extras and special tools that can help bring your creative ideas to life. There is a PDF version of the list at the end of this post.

This list isn’t complete, and not every item will suit everyone. That’s perfectly fine! Choose what works best for you and your crafting style. You can also find cardmaking tutorials (both handmade and Cricut) on my YouTube channel @Jennilynnhandcrafted.

Happy Crafting! Jenn

_{🛍️You can find many of these items in my Amazon Storefront. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. You’ll also find links to my favorite crafting companies like Altenew, Spellbinders, Hero Arts, and Scrapbook.com. My links are often affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you click through and shop using the provided links at no extra cost to you. If you use my affiliate links, I appreciate your support for my blog and YouTube videos. 💗All crafting supplies are generally purchased by me. Occasionally, I will share gifted items (marked with an asterisk) from the companies I personally love and shop from.}

⭐LEVEL 1: Absolute Must-Haves ⭐ Supplies every beginner should own.

• Paper
  • White cardstock (110 lb)– cover, heavyweight); use this for card bases
    • My YT Video: Card Bases Made Easy!
  • Black cardstock (65-80 lb)
  • A few colored cardstock packs (65 – 80lb) – buy only what you WILL use!
  • Patterned paper pad(s) – buy only what you WILL use!
    • _{Tips: Get the best quality paper you can afford; You don’t need ALL the colors or patterned paper}
• Adhesives
  • Liquid glue — Bearly Art Glue is the only one I use (my paper never warps)
  • Double-sided Tape runner or tape
  • Foam tape or dots; I like 1mm best
• Cutting Tools
  • Paper trimmer – I use a 6 x 8.5 guillotine trimmer for most things and a larger one that can cut 12×12 sheets
  • Scissors – Regular, Detail (small fussy images), Non-stick (for sticky foam/tape)
  • Craft knife (optional) – I love the Cricut True Control Knife
• Basic Stamps
  • Start with: Birthday, Thank You, Thinking of You, and Everyday sentiments
  • Stamp Cleaner — never use alcohol on stamps.
    • _{Tips: You don’t need ALL the stamps to start; As you grow, add in Sympathy, Love, Holidays, etc.}
• Ink
  • One quality black ink – Momento Tuxedo Black will be your best bet! When dry, doesn’t bleed when colored with Alcohol markers, etc.
  • Other Good beginner options:
    • Versafine Clair – Nocturn (good for detailed sentiments)
    • VersaMark (good for a watermark look)
• Acrylic Blocks
  • A few different sizes will be helpful for different sized stamps
• Reverse Tweezers – I never craft without them!
• Basic Dies (die cutting machine required)
  • Nested rectangles and/or circles
  • Nested arches
  • Banners (for using with sentiments)
  • Basic stitched shapes (star, hearts, hexagons, etc.)
• Die Cutting Machine
  • 3.5-in desk mini die cutting machine – I use the Spellbinders Platinum Scout and the Altenew Mini Blossom
  • Lager, mid-size machine – I use the Spellbinders Platinum 6
  • You can always use a Cricut to create & cut out your own shapes, words, etc.
• Basic Embellishments
  • Clear or prism Sequins
  • Enamel dots – basic colors
  • Bakers Twine – basic colors

---

⭐⭐LEVEL 2: ⭐⭐Worth Buying Next Once someone has made 20–50 cards.

• Blending Brushes for Ink Blending
  • Small & medium sets for dye inks
  • Small & medium for oxide inks
  • Dedicated brush for white pigment ink and each metallic ink if you use them
    • _{Tips: One for each color family (not per color); use different brushes for dye inks and oxide inks}
• Ink Pads
  • Dye Inks – basic rainbow or basic pastel rainbow collection
  • Distress Oxides (love these!) or Distress Inks
  • Metallic – Gold, Silver, Copper/Bronze
  • White Pigment
    • _{Tips: You don’t need ALL the colors all at once; Use one for each color family (not per color); use different brushes for dye inks and oxide inks}
• Stencils
  • Especially layering stencils.
  • You can buy stencils or make your own if you have a Cricut.
  • _{Tips: Stencils clean up easy with a spray of Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol}
• Better Paper
  • Premium cardstock
    • Here are two of my favorites at Scrapbook.com — _{look for coupon code at top of page!}
      • Spellbinders Color Wheel Cardstock
      • Concord & 9th Cardstock
• Watercolor cardstock
• Vellum
• Specialty papers
• Corner Rounder
• Bone Folder
• Scoring Board
• Stamp Positioner – A game changer! The MISTI (original or mini) are my go-to tools for stamping images. View my MISTI unboxing video of YouTube (it’s an older video)
  • Amazon
    • Mini MISTI or Original MISTI
  • Scrapbook.com Mini and Original MISTI
  • Spellbinders
    • Mini MISTI or original size MISTI Stamping Platform

---

⭐⭐⭐LEVEL 3: ⭐⭐⭐ Intermediate Crafter Take cards to the next level!

• Alcohol Markers – Great for coloring stamped images.
  • I use ALTENEW Alcohol Markers & have collected all sets over time. They are great!
  • Ohuhu is another great brand of alcohol markers. I recently picked up a set of these.
• Watercolors
• Embossing Powder
• Heat Tool
• Texture Paste
• Glitter Pastes
• Shimmer Sprays
• Wax Seals
• Hot Foil System
• Press Plate System
• Stitching Dies

---

⭐⭐⭐⭐LEVEL 4: Luxury Supplies ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Definitely not necessary but fun!!

• Storage systems
• Label maker
• Magnetic glass mat
• Mini vacuum
• Fancy scissors
• Premium embellishments
• Specialty tools
• Specialty glues

---

Supplies I Wish I’d Bought Sooner ❤️

• Stamp positioner
• Reverse tweezers
• Fine-tip liquid glue bottle
• Blending brushes
• Precision scissors
• Foam adhesive strips
• Quality paper trimmer
• Magnetic glass craft mat

🚨Supplies Beginners Usually Waste Money On

• Buying every ink color immediately
• Too many sentiment stamps
• Expensive specialty papers
• Huge embellishment collections
• Every new die release
• Specialty tools before learning the basics

---

🛍️Beginner Shopping Budget Ideas

💰Budget Starter (~$75–$100)

• White cardstock
• Black ink
• Tape runner
• Liquid glue
• Paper trimmer
• Acrylic block
• Sentiment stamp set
• Colored cardstock
• Foam tape

---

💰💰Hobby Starter (~$200–$300)

• Die cutting machine
• Nested dies
• Blending brushes
• A few ink colors
• Stencils
• Sequins
• Better cardstock

---

💰💰💰Serious Crafter (~$500+)

• Stamp positioner
• Alcohol markers
• BetterPress
• Hot foil machine
• Premium storage
• Specialty dies
• Embossing supplies
• Wax seals

🖨️Print your Card Making Essentials List

#JenniLynnHandcrafted #HandmadeJoy #CraftWithJenni #CreateWithJenni #CraftingMadeSimple

#CardMaking #HandmadeCards #CardMakingIdeas #CardMakingSupplies #BeginnerCardMaking #PaperCrafting #PaperCrafts #DIYCards #CardMaker #CraftSupplies #CraftRoom #CraftOrganization #DieCutting #RubberStamps #Stamping #InkBlending #HandmadeWithLove #GreetingCards #CraftTutorial #CraftBlog #DIYCrafts #CreativeHobby #CardMakingInspiration #PaperCrafters #CraftingCommunity #JenniLynnHandcrafted #HandmadeJoy #EasyCardMaking #CardMakingForBeginners #CraftingTips