Fun and Easy Stick-It Design Ideas for Cardmaking Projects

You may wonder what the title is about - what are stick-it ideas for cardmaking? The phrase is exactly what it is - beautiful and fun ideas for card designs that require you to cut, color, and stick with adhesives!

The Best Adhesives for Paper Crafting Projects

Let's face it - adhesives are the number one tool we can't live without as crafters. From adhering delicate die cuts to applying glitter and embellishments, most of the best paper crafting projects were built and put together with adhesives! Stamps and dies may steal the spotlight on our cards, but the ones holding them in place and propping them up (literally, with foam!) are craft adhesives. 

In this blog post, we'll pay homage to the importance of craft adhesive products and give you some project inspirations that heavily rely on these sticky essentials. So stick around, and get ready for some gorgeous paper crafting designs! 

Wow-Worthy Cardmaking Projects Enhanced by Adhesives

Adhesives can make cardmaking a lot easier. With the right adhesive, you can attach paper, fabric, ribbon, and other embellishments to your card base and front quickly and easily.

There are a variety of adhesives specifically designed for paper crafting and cardmaking, making the process a lot more convenient for crafters. They come in different forms, such as glue pens, double-sided tape, and adhesive sheets, and you can use them to attach paper to paper or other surfaces. Using adhesives greatly reduces the amount of time and effort required to make cards, and it also allows for more creative freedom. Here are some of our favorite card designs featuring these handy adhesives for crafting: 

1. Two-Toned Card Base and Card Front

Whether you use adhesive sheets or glue, you can achieve gorgeous two-toned card projects. Simply put, two-toned designs entail using two different shades of one color to create a beautiful contrast. To do this technique with adhesives, you can use a different colored cardstock for your card front and attach it to your card base, or vice versa. 

Blobby Roses Die Set

2. Lovely and Intricate Outline Die Cards

If you make cards, you know that outline die-cuts can be tricky. They are often intricate and delicate, and it can be hard to get them to stick to your paper without the tape showing. One way to solve this problem is to use adhesive sheets. Adhesive sheets are paper-thin sheets of double-sided adhesive that can be easily die-cut. They are strong enough to hold even the most delicate die cuts in place. Plus, they come in various sizes and colors so that you can find the perfect one for your project. 

Wavy Outlines Die Set

Just stick them to your paper before you proceed with die-cutting, and peel away the backing sheet once you’re ready to stick the die cuts on your card. If you want to know more techniques you can do with double-sided adhesive sheets, watch this engaging video:

So next time you're having trouble with sticking die cuts and other embellishments, reach for an adhesive sheet and see how easy it is to use them. You'll be glad you did!

3. Layered Cards With Different Patterns and Textures

Using a cover die, you can mix and match different cardstock patterns and textures. For example, you can die-cut two copies of a cover die like the Candy Cane Strip Cover Die with different-colored cardstock and layer them on top of each other using craft glue.

Another example is to color or paint white cardstock first, die cut it, and attach the die-cut to another layer of glitter cardstock, like Virginia's design below:

Wave Form Cover Die

To do this technique with watercolors, simply follow these steps:

1. Cut an A2 sized-watercolor paper and start painting. You can use a wet-on-wet technique and wet the paper first for a softer color wash or directly apply the watercolor paint on the paper. You can choose how intense your pigment will be by adding more water. 
2. After your watercolors have dried, cut the watercolor paper with a cover-die. Make sure to remove some parts of the die, so your second cardstock layer will be seen. 
3. Next, adhere your colorful cover die on some glitter cardstock or plain-colored cardstock to contrast your watercolor painting. You can use double-sided tape or craft glue to stick the two layers together. 
4. Stamp a sentiment that would go along your card's theme, and voila! You have a unique card with different layers! 

Red Cosmos Enamel Dots

4. Adorned Textured Cards With Embellishments

Using embellishments for your card designs is a quick and easy way to add texture to your project. These embellishments can be anything - from sequins and paper flowers to stickers and enamel dots. You can use them to add interest to cards, and they provide endless possibilities for customization.

Cherry Blossom Enamel Dots

 Some embellishments come as self-adhesives, like enamel dots, stickers, and washi tapes. However, you still need to use craft adhesives for sequins, glitter, and string, for example. Since most of these embellishments are miniature, a precise glue pen is the best craft adhesive for these intricate accents. 

5. Larger-Than-Life Cards With Pop-up Elements

Pop-up die cuts are a fun and easy way to add dimension to paper crafts such as cardmaking and scrapbooking. Unlike traditional die cuts, which lie flat against the paper, elements of pop-up die cuts stand up by themselves, creating a three-dimensional effect. This can result in stunning 3D cards with designs that just come to life! 

Star Flower Pop-up Die Set

However, you can achieve the same popped-up results with regular dies by using Instant Dimension Foam Tape. True to its name, just stick this handy foam tape to give your dies a lift instantly. This effect is best used with layering dies, especially ones with floral designs.  

Level up Your Crafting With These Sticky Essentials!

3 Paper Crafting Problems Solved by Adhesives

If you're looking for some fantastic adhesive projects to get your creative juices flowing, be sure to check out the ones we shared today. From adhering dies to adding dimension and interest, adhesives can take your cardmaking projects up a notch. 

Hopefully, this post encourages you to try something new with craft adhesives in your next cardmaking project. As always, we are happy to support your crafting journey by giving you fresh, unique cardmaking ideas! If you want to learn more about the activities, projects, and goodies we work on for you, visit our Altenew Newsroom. We'd love for you to see how we stick to our goal of inspiring crafters like you around the globe! 

That's it for today. Stick around for the next blog!