Card Making Sentiments

Hey there! Let's chat about card making sentiments.

One of the best parts of creating handmade cards is adding a personal touch with a sentiment.

Whether it's a birthday, anniversary, or just a note to say hello. By taking the time to choose the right words you can make someone's day.

From funny puns to sweet messages, there are endless possibilities to make your card extra special.

So, what are sentiments?

Sentiments are words, phrases or expressions that you add to handmade cards.

Typically, people place them on the outside of the card with maybe a longer message on the inside.

Whatever, the occasion, you'll find there's a sentiment to match.

How to Make Card Making Sentiments

Start by thinking about the recipient and the occasion. What's the feeling or message you want to send?

Once you have that in mind, consider the different ways to make your sentiments.

Creating your own sentiment

One way is to write the sentiment onto the card.

The beauty of this method is that it adds a personal, handmade touch to your cards.

Practice your card making sentiment on scrap paper first.

If you lack confidence in your handwriting, print the sentiment using a computer. 

You can play around with different fonts and font sizes,  This will add a professional look to your cards.  

You can then cut out the printed sentiment and stick it onto your card.

Use pre printed sentiments

Many card makers use sentiment packs that have been pre printed or sentiment stickers.

These feature a range of occasions and are usually available as black text on a white background and white text on a black background.

The cost is low and they will save time when you're creating.

Another option is to use the sentiments in paper packs.  Either as a page in paper pack or sold as a separate add on to the pack.

Stamp It!

Stamps are a great resource for creating card making sentiments.

With a wide variety of phrases and fonts available, a quick stamp, ink, and paper is all you need.

The great thing about sentiment stamps is that they can used over and again.

However, it can be expensive especially if you buy separate stamp sets for every occasion.

Invest in stamps that you can use for more than one occasion. Such as "Sending Lots of Love" or "Thinking of You".

When you are just starting out with card making it it's best to find a few stamp set that covers a range of occasions and events.

Die Cut It!

If you have a die cutting machine, you've a greater choice of sentiments and they will give a more professional finish. 

A die-cutting machine can also handle intricate designs. These designs are challenging to achieve by hand.

However, there is a price to be paid.  Die cutting machines are expensive to purchase and the dies will also increase the cost.

How to Use Sentiments

There are plenty of ideas for using card making sentiments on your cards.

Experiment with the placement and review my guidance on the Rule of Thirds.  A large circular sentiment will look stunning in the centre of the card.  While a small strip sentiment might look best in the lower third of the card.

As you gain experience in card making you will instinctively start to feel more confident in making placement decisions.  Though sometimes the decision is made for you! As sentiments are useful for covering up the odd mistake 😉.

You can make the sentiment the focus of your card.

Use your sentiment as focal point by placing your sentiment in the most prominent part of your card. You can do this by using large, colourful letters or by positioning it in the center of the card.

This works well with large stamped sentiments or large die cut sentiments.

Another option is to stamp the sentiment repetitively on the card front.  This is often seen on Christmas cards.

If the recipient is bilingual or is learning a new language, you can incorporate a sentiment in that language in the card. It can add a personal touch and show how much thought you've put into the card.

And what about the inside of the card?

The inside of your card is an opportunity to add a more personal message.  Perhaps including a short poem, an uplifting quote or song lyrics that has a special meaning for both you and the recipient.

And if you are short of ideas there are wonderful stamp sets specially made for the inside of handmade cards.  This will help you chose the right message to complement the sentiment on the front of the card.

Just type "Inside of card sentiment stamps" into Google and a range of stamp options will pop up.

And Finally....

A few well chosen words can be more effective than a long rambling sentence.  Sometimes a simple phase is all you need to deliver your message.

So, don't over complicate it! 

Keep it authentic and remember that card making is about sharing joy and love with our handmade creations.