Let's face it, a card without a sentiment is well, just a card. The sentiment is the bride and groom on top of the cake, it let's the person you are sending your wonderful creation to, know why they have received it, the finale. Sometimes it's obvious like a birthday or anniversary but even then, having the sentiment is the final piece.
So as a crafter, what are your options for adding sentiments? We've picked 3 of our favourite and have listed them below, along with the pros and cons of each one.
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Peel offs are sheets of stickers that come with multiple sentiments on one page. If you are just starting out then these are inexpensive and you will get a wide variety for under £5.
Pros Inexpensive to buy Multiple sentiments on one sheet Can be purchased with a variety of sentiments on a sheet Alphabet & numbers are available for personalisation Easy to store Can be carefully lifted if not pressed down Come with glitter and other textures. | Cons Generally come in gold and silver, although silver can be coloured with permanent markers Once they've gone, they need replacing Can be fiddly to remove from the sheet
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Rubber stamps are a great way for adding sentiments. There will be more of an initial outlay as you will need a block if the stamps aren't mounted and you will need an ink pad.
Pros Can be stamped onto matching card to the base card Different coloured ink can be used Alphabet & numbers available to personalise Sentiments sometimes come with a design so your card will co-ordinate You can get rubber stamping systems to ensure perfect placement Embossing and other techniques can be used to enhance the surface of the stamped image | Cons Initial outlay is higher than for peel offs You may get bored with using the same design Once the stamp has been stamped, it is permanent More items to store, the stamp, block and ink pad
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Metal die systems are of great benefit to a crafter, however they are costly to purchase and the machines can be heavy. A die cutting machine is basically a mangle, which you feed a sandwich of boards through with the metal die and paper in the middle. The die will be cut out of the paper as it feeds through the machine.
Pros Can be moved around before finally gluing in place Alphabet & numbers available to personalise your cards Some dies come with a shadow which is a backing to the wording Different papers can be used to create different affects Smaller dies can be inexpensive There are a variety of different designs Most machines come with an embossing sandwich so the sentiment can be embossed | Cons Can be costly to purchase May get fed up with the same design Storage may be an issue The die cut machines can be heavy so make sure you can lift them
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These are just a few of our thoughts, let us know if we've missed anything or tell us how you like to make your sentiments.
Happy Crafting
Louise