Tammy’s First Handmade Card Adventure: It’s Fine, It’s Abstract
Tammy stared at her finished card like it had secrets.
Was it Pinterest-worthy? Not quite.
Did the sentiment line up? Close-ish.
Was ink on her elbow? Absolutely.
But it was done. It was hers. And honestly? She kind of loved it.
Her mission: one card, one stamp set, and one solid image that looked “easy.”
Keyword: looked.
Tammy’s First Handmade Card is ready to be created!
Tammy inked it up, gave it a confident stamp, and—bam!—a bold flower appeared. Next, she needed to line up the stem to the flower- bam!-
Next came the sentiment. She lined it up, breathed in, pressed gently, and somehow managed to stamp the first part pretty straight. “dear friend”, not so straight.
Tammy thought to herself,” Wonder how I’m going to get the second flower to match the second.” She inked up the stamp- bam! – well it’s a little lower but that’s ok. Now for the stem, bam!- not too bad, just a bonus halo shadow at the bottom edge.
“Cool,” she muttered. “It’s giving abstract expressionism.”
(That’s rebel-speak for I forgot to use an embossing buddy, and I’m pretending it’s on purpose.)
Tammy then removed the stamp from the block and smooshed the bock (with ink still on it) right below the first stem. Walla! Now they match. It’s not perfect. . .
She added a few more smudges at the edges of the card, but she remembered her demonstrator say you can just rub the pad along the edges for a fun look. Boy- did that cover all those “opportunities”.
But it’s finished.
So yes, the original card is a little smudged. A little crooked.
But it’s 100% hers.
And that? That’s a win.
She tucked it proudly into her growing stash—right next to the glue-covered scissors and that one ink pad that requires a death grip to open.
But here’s the twist.
Tammy’s First Handmade Card Adventure wasn’t quite over just yet.
Tammy wasn’t done.
She was feeling herself now inked up elbow and all. Next Tammy pulled out one of those notecards she bought “just in case.” Then, grabbing the outline stamp from the same set, she made a sweet little Thinking of You notecard. Then, because she’s a full-on rebel now, she even stamped the envelope to match!
Somewhere between the haloed stem and the coordinated stationery, Tammy crossed a line.
She wasn’t just making a card.
She was becoming a cardmaker.
And just when she was feeling unstoppable, she heard about a new online class that caught her eye—Simple Stamping: Creative Coloring. It’s designed for stampers at every level (yes, even those who still can’t open an ink pad without a wrestling match). She’s already planning to sign up —and just added Watercolor Pencils and a Memento ink pad to her next order.
Click here to join the Class & SAVE over 20%
(This savings ends at midnight, April 11th)
Inked, Caffeinated, and Slightly Crooked: Tammy’s Card Journey Continues
Next Friday, she’s back at it—this time with a twist. She’s using the same stamp but adding two ink colors to really level up her look. Because if Tammy can’t be stopped with one ink pad… just imagine what she’ll do with two.
Until then—
Do you remember your first stamping adventure?
Was it bold, beautiful, or just plain bonkers? Share it in the comments! Let’s celebrate those gloriously messy first cards together.
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