Creative Card Templates: Simplify Handmade Cards and Tags
Card templates or sketches are such a brilliant hack for creating beautiful cards and other paper crafts with ease and efficiency without sacrificing uniqueness and creativity! Whether you snag some from the pros or come up with a few of your own, card templates can be your ticket to gorgeous designs, even as a beginner, and put a stop to crafters’ block for more experienced card-makers. And, if you know the right supplies to keep on hand, you can spread paper-crafted joy and love in seconds!
Why Card Templates and Sketches Instantly Boost Creativity
Using card templates for DIY greeting cards can help your creative process in several ways. First, if you’re a beginner crafter, simply getting started can be the hardest part. This means that if you’ve got some sort of structure or guide to follow, you’re much more likely to not only create something you’re proud of in the end but also enjoy the process as well. Card templates are designed by professionals who understand layout design. By following a template, you have a head start with a layout that you already know works. Just think of a card template as your entry-level, user-friendly instruction manual!
Believe it or not, customization is also a key benefit of using a template. Because it provides guidelines for general shapes and placement, it is super easy to swap out themes, colors, stamped sentiments, die cuts, and other ephemera, effectively tailoring each card to the occasion and celebrant!
For the seasoned crafter, a card design sketch can be useful for efficiency. That same guide allows for customization and can make repeating similar designs a breeze. So, if you’re looking to create a set of handmade holiday cards or party invitations, simply follow the design layout with your favorite papers and ready-to-use die cuts, and you’re good to go!
One last way using a card layout boosts creativity is that it can ignite a spark of personal inspiration for improving the design or making it more your own. It enables you to play with what you know already works, and, bit by bit, you’ll arrive at your own creative genius!
How to Use Card Templates and Sketches for Crafting
A template helps provide the basic structure for your card and other paper crafting designs. But by their nature, template sketches often contain an unspoken yet step-by-step instruction set.
These simple card templates from Stampin’ Up! easily show the layering order within each design, so you never have to question when to do which step. That said, because most sketches are so very simple, we do have a few tips for how to make the most of your template-using experiences.
Don’t get too caught up in shapes.
By this, we just mean that if the design is drawn with a circle cutout somewhere, what you put on your card doesn’t necessarily need to be a circle! More interesting die shapes abound, and limiting yourself to exactly what’s drawn can lead to squashed creativity.
Stamp before applying.
If you’re using stamped images or sayings on your card, gift tag, scrapbook page, etc., it’s wise to stamp and color them before adhering that layer to the paper craft. This makes it much easier to get cleanly inked lines, and you won’t have to worry about dimensional adhesives creating an uneven coloring surface as you use a marker or pencil to fill them in.
Make the entire process easy on yourself.
Maybe this is a given, but let us explain—you usually don’t need a ton of supplies or tools to follow a card template. However, storing things like blank cards, a sheet of Mix & Match ephemera, a basic adhesive, and a few bits of ribbon or twine in one easy-to-grab spot will have you creating beautiful handmade cards and tags in no time.
BONUS TIP! Reverse engineer your favorite cards into a template.
Have a favorite card you’ve made? Sketch out the basics and keep it at your crafting station for future reference! And remember, there is no need to be a professional artist—basic lines leave space for added inspiration for the next card! Want to know more about sketching out a card? Our CEO Sara did a video all about it!
Creative Ideas with Card Templates
Taking a card template and turning it into a lovely token of care for another person is an absolute gift for the giver and receiver. And it couldn’t be easier to do! Try these creative ideas using a simple design sketch, a few pieces of pre-cut ephemera, and a whole lot of love!
When in doubt, keep things simple. A sweet sentiment and a touch of nice imagery is all it takes! Can you imagine the number of possibilities you could come up with using this sketch with one focal point and two supporting elements? It would work perfectly for birthday wishes and balloons, condolences, and clouds, congratulations and florals…the list could go on and on, with every edition as eye-catching as the last!
You see how the exact shapes laid out in the sketch don’t translate exactly to the finished gift tag, but you can tell it was created with that design in mind? That’s the beauty of transforming a tag or card template into your custom creation. Using basic aesthetic principles as shown in the sketch—like ensuring a hierarchy of visual interest—will help you produce unique and artistic paper crafts every time.
That said, don’t be afraid to get a little bit extra with your creations sometimes! Sure, you can follow the basic idea outlined in the card layout you’re working from, but adding depth and flair will go a long way in expressing your distinctive take on the design. See how much the lattice cutouts in the background add to this card? They aren’t in the original layout but make the perfect addition, bringing in a layer of textural interest and refinement.
Want to get started with more easy card and tag templates to inspire your imagination? Check out the free card, scrapbook, and tag template set download from Stampin’ Up! below!
More Ideas for Getting Inspired by Card Templates
Card templates have a singular way of allowing you to be in your comfort zone—inspiring confidence and increasing speed and production—and at the same time pushing you beyond the bounds of your current creative mindset—opening up a world of possibilities and encouraging unique tweaks here and there to make something that feels completely new.
Looking for a few more ways to up your card template game? Follow us on Instagram or Pinterest for fresh ideas, or contact a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator to learn more about Stampin’ Up! and the perfect products for your next paper crafting project!