The Ultimate Guide For Slimline Cards

Top 20 things you need to know to create the best slimline cards

Although not entirely a new concept, slimline cards have exploded in popularity and I've got to be honest, I'm not sure I want to go back to making them the 'standard' way now that I've begun making slimline cards.

Their size and shape are still a novelty to receive, there is plenty of usable canvas on the front for creative card making ideas, and they fit into a standard size 10 business envelope. If that wasn't enough, you don't need any new equipment to make this format!

Rather than talk about how to make slimline cards, I'm going to list the top 20 things you need to know that will make creating slimline cards just that little bit easier.

#1 - Get the size right

Slimline cards are long narrow cards that fit into a #10 business-sized envelopes. Although there is a little bit of variance in the exact size when it comes to slimline cards, they are usually 8.5 x 3.5 inches.

This means that you will cut your cardstock to 7 inches x 8.5 inches and score down the center of the 7-inch side at 3.5 inches to make the standard card fold.

#2 - You don't need a special envelope

Slimline cards fit into standard #10 sized envelopes. That's right, your beautiful long and narrow or tall and skinny card doesn't require that you spend time trying to make an envelope to fit ... unless you want to of course!

#3 - If you DO want to make your matching envelope, there are heaps of online tutorials

Although you can use standard #10 sized envelopes, sometimes you might like to custom make a special envelope that ties in with the theme of your card. They are surprisingly easy to make and there are quite a few tutorials out there for slimline card envelopes.

#4 - The long narrow design of a slimline card allows you to create a bigger scene

I love that slimline cards allow me to fit more into the scene in a pleasing way. This many butterflies on a standard-size card can mean they all get bunched up in the middle. The longer, narrow design opens up the possibility for a lot more creativity.

A beautiful slimline card layout using butterfly embellishments.

#5 - You can buy die cut sets specific to slimline cards for your die cutting machine

Although you don't need specific equipment to make slimline cards, it is available should you wish to get it. There are plenty of slimline dies for sale for your die-cutting machine to make creating slimline cards just that little bit quicker and easier.

The slimline die set below can be found on Amazon here.

#6 - Pre-made blank slimline cards are available

For those of us short on time, pre-made blank slimline cards are available to buy in a bulk pack. I often start with a white cardstock base so I find these really useful when I just want to get in there and do the fun creating stuff but not the boring stuff, like cutting out the card base.

Slimline card sets can be purchased from Scrapbook.com here.

#7 - OMG slimline paper pads!

To say that paper stacks excite me is an understatement. It totally makes my day, my week even, when I find mini paper stacks on special at my local department store. To discover that paper stacks are now made in slimline size is just amazing.

Slimline paper pads can be purchased from Scrapbook.com here.

#8 - Don't feel like you have to fold slimline cards the usual way

Slimline cards can be folded in all sorts of ways, much like standard-sized cards. In the image below, I kept the card 31/2 inch on the short side but made the longer side an inch or two longer and folded both ends in to meet in the middle. The result is a card that has a kind of door to open!

A wonderful card layout using an owl cut-out.

#9 - As that space is not an issue, you can really get your message across with large words

Feel free to write a longer message on the front in larger and bolder letters than you have ever used before. Now, longer words such as congratulations or thank-you don't have to be squished up to fit on the card.

#10 - You can utilize more of your stamp sets in the one scene due to the extra space

I have a floral stamp set that I've only been able to use one or two stamps at a time on the same card. In the slimline card below, I was able to use four separate stamps, multiple times to create the floral scene, which I then added some color to with pencils.

Get creative with with your stamp set!

#11 - You don't need to buy new products to make slimline cards (unless you want to)

Buying new card making supplies is fun of course however, you don't need to buy anything new to make slimline cards. All of your old supplies will work just fine. Nothing is changing except the size and shape of the card.

#12 - All that length makes them perfect for spinner cards

All that length makes slimline cards perfect for novelty cards, in particular, spinner cards. I'll let the little video clip below do the explaining for this one.

#13 - The creativity never ends with slimline cards

The very same reason that slimline cards make great spinner cards also makes them great sliding cards. Again, I'll let the little video clip below do the explaining...

#14 - The shape of a slimline card is ideal for using up scraps

All those little pieces that you don't quite know what to do with but have kept anyway, well, here's your chance to use them for some pretty layering effects. As slimline cards are only 3.5 inches at the widest, you're sure to have a bunch of scraps that will suit.

#15 - You can even make mini-slimline cards

Mini slimline cards measure 6 in x 3.5 in and are cute as a button. They have all the slenderness of the standard size slimline with a little less height or width, depending on whether you are looking at it vertically or horizontally.

A great mini slimline layout that makes your embellishment pop!

#16 - They make great canvases for mini paintings

All that card space makes a great canvas to create something special and give to your family and friends. Create little mini watercolor masterpieces or crack out the Copic Markers for a manga-style piece.

Make a slimline card that showcase your painting skills!

#17 - Floral stamps and dies look amazing on these cards!

Floral stamps and dies look amazing on these cards as you have a lot of extra room to make a beautiful bouquet or flower scene.

#18 - All that space makes it easy to achieve a beautiful minimalist look

Giving your card design room to breathe with some white space is a beautiful technique and the slimline card size is just perfect for those times when you are going for a minimalistic look.

A simple yet eye catching layout!

#19 - Don't feel like you always need to create a scene - a patterned background can look fabulous

When it comes to slimline cards, sometimes you can get caught up feeling like you should always use the space to create a scene. However, often a card looks quite effective with just a simple piece of patterned cardstock for the background and one or two main elements in the foreground.

Patterned background brings simplicity and elegance to your layout!

#20 - The length of a slimline card is ideal for window cards

The generous length of slimline cards makes them ideal for ''window'' cards ... like the one below.

Add narrative to your design with a window style card layout!

So there we have it, the top 20 things you need to know to make a slimline card. Are you a fan of slimline cards? Do you have any great designs to share with us? We'd love to see them!

Happy card making!

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