How to start at Card making?

Jennifer McGuire has great ideas on her YT channel. On Scrapbook.com there are free lessons which are a good place to start. Good luck x

There's a TON of inspiration out there! Maybe too much...
The way I see it there are a couple of places to start.

Do you have stamps and dies and like using techniques (ink blending, coloring, die cutting)? Jennifer McGuire, Simon Hurley, Jessica Frost-Ballas, and Ardyth Percy Robb do a lot of cards using plain cardstock that they turn into magnificent creations. Some are more mixed media style, some are clean and simple. Older videos by Justine Hovey might also be helpful.

Do you have cardstock and patterned papers that you enjoy, maybe die cuts leftover from scrapbooking, and you're not big into coloring or inks? Then I would start with Call Me Crafty Al's Sheetload cards on YT (it's just a plan for cutting a few sheets of paper a specific way to make a batch of matching cards, VERY good for beginners) or Kristie Marcotte's 6x6 paper pad tutorials. Her blog has lots of info about card sketches - again, just a plan to follow so you don't have to start with a blank card. Another person I really enjoy is Jess Crafts, and she's doing a similar back to basics/card sketch series on her YT.

If you search Instagram www.instagram.com/explore/tags/cardmaking/ you'll see there are lots of different styles, but most fall into one or other category. Probably more technique cards overall, especially Copic coloring cards. But you don't have to start there. I prefer not to do too much coloring at all so I mostly use purchased die cuts and patterned papers on my cards. I started by following Kristie's paper pad tutorials, and over time developed my own style. My cards are more like Scrapbena Creations cards (YT).

Hope that helps! Cardmaking is awesome. And if you want to practice and end up with a bunch of extra cards, no worries. We have a thread about charities that would love to have your cards to send out to lonely seniors, whether you think they're "good" or not.

Do you like working with "set" design or do you like making things your own? I really like Stampin' Up Paper Pumpkin kits (I am not an SU rep, but do have two, hahaha). They are monthly kits that usually for card making, but also can be calendars, mini gift bags, etc. The kits retail for around $22, but you can get them for less on ebay or FB buy/sell groups. Make sure you are buying a full kit that includes ink and a stamp (or at least the stamp), and not a refill kit (which doesn't include ink or stamp). The stamp is usually an integral part of the design. If you don't like the kit as is, Pinterest has a ton of alternative ideas.

If you already have paper, inks, and stamps, you already have everything you need to get started. Just add envelopes!

Kristie Marcotte is a fantastic cardmaker and she doesn't colour images, instead preferring to use designer papers & maybe stamping a sentiment or using a sentiment panel from the designer papers. Kristie has a You-Tube channel as well as a blog and I find her very inspiring & has taught me a different approach to cardmaking when I don't wish to stamp & colour an image. Kristie often uses sketches too. Check out Kristie's blog HERE---> kristiemarcotte.com/ and Kristie's You-Tube Channel here---> www.youtube.com/c/KristieMarcotte/featured Hope this helps

On YouTube:
Jennifer McGuire- Great techniques, some are advanced. She does a LOT of selling but you don't have to buy it all to learn.
Gina K- She was one of the first on YouTube and she has close to 1000 videos on her channel, her newer videos she does live and she's funny and relatable. She is also a technique guru and makes it really easy.
Laura Bassen- Easy colorful cards and a lot of fun. I honestly never saw a Laura card that I didn't love.
MayMay Made it- She also has been around for a long time. Easy cards, really great personality too!
Tim Holtz- If you love vintage, eclectic style and lots of techniques with ink, pastes, stencils, tags and a little bit of grunge, Tim is a master and he's really well known. He has a lot of great videos out there.

There are a lot of others. Some I don't like because they are dramatic. They use click bate titles like "I quit" and stuff like that. They seem a little unstable. One minute they love a company, the next minute they don't. So I am not a fan of those types of videos.

I love card making and scrapbooking. I have too many projects going. But card making is quicker and easier for me than scrapbooking. If I need a quick fix, I make a card. If I have lots of time, I'd rather scrapbook.