I figured y'all would get a good laugh from this, so I'm going to share it.

I'm working on finishing up some cards. My background paper is pretty thin so I'm gluing some cardstock to the back of the paper. At some point, I managed to glue two of the cards together and didn't notice until I tried figuring out why I was suddenly short one card.

dp

Sorry about your card, but thanks for the laugh!! :-)

Don't worry, I'm laughing at myself. :D

Oh man. By the time I'm gluing backs to my cards I don't want to get out all the stuff to make another one!! Glad you can laugh about it. I think I would have pulled out my hair :-)

Fortunately, it's a simple card, so redoing it isn't a problem, plus it's only one card. Years ago, I was making a tarot card for a large swap, lots of cards, all hand colored and either one of my kids, or my cat, knocked over a cup of coffee which spilled over the all cards. I'm pretty sure I cried a little that day.

I am pretty sure I would have looked, thought and repeated............how can that coffee become part of my design...........

I give my students pencils without erasers and tell them to make it work in their design..............

it can be done

hugs

ok, as a fairly newbie on LTCs, I normally glue a back to my front paper before I start anything else. I then make my card. Followed by putting all the back info on the cards.

What do most of you do?

We were making an actual Tarot deck. We all had to use the exact same paper with no markings on the back side. The coffee soaked through. There was no way to use them for that set. I think I used them in individual trades with the caveat that they smelled like a coffee shop. lol

We were making an actual Tarot deck. We all had to use the exact same paper with no markings on the back side. The coffee soaked through.

Your card didn't happen to be "The Barista of Cups", did it?

LOL No, but I wish I had thought of that as a name for the cards, because that's awesome.

What do most of you do?

I've been making cards for a while now, off and on. At the beginning, I was learning by doing, so I approached the assembly with the easiest parts first.
I always use two layers of paper - card stock and patterned layer, or tissue, or something else. Those sheets of paper are laminated to each other before they are cut into cards so the edges are all even (rubber cement and pressure). Then I can cut cards so the pattern goes the "right" direction.

Next I print card labels, or sign the backs of all the cards and stamp my LTC sig stamp (I have several, and sometimes make a new one that fits the stamp image, like an owl feather for an owl image). Attach labels.

The fronts are last, and often I stamp on yet another paper, then trim it, or fussy cut, or emboss the edges or image or both. Finally, the best ones are attached to the best of the backs and numbered according to how many I am willing to share. There are usually some leftovers that have small problems, and I may swap those individually, or trash them, depending on what's wrong with them. I tend to drop inky stamps in all the wrong places ;~(

Yes, it's a lot of steps and a lot of layers of paper, but I like the feel of a layered card. I also like the ability to make too many parts and use only the best ones.

I do the back last, which I often regret because the cards are lumpy.

What do most of you do?

I always do the front first. Some stamps have spots that make it difficult to get an acceptable image. Then I can finish the backs on the acceptable ones.

ok, as a fairly newbie on LTCs, I normally glue a back to my front paper before I start anything else. I then make my card. Followed by putting all the back info on the cards.

What do most of you do?

We futz with our cards quite a bit. We usually do them assembly line style - all the fronts at a time, all the backs at a time and so on. Because of this we usually make several more than we actually need for the tracker. An extra for our 'archive' and several more for host gifts, swaps, presents, etc. Also if we have some that come out not up to our hoped for standards, we still have plenty of good ones to mail away.

We do the fronts first. We always make layered cards - we think they have a nicer "feel" to them. By doing the fronts first we have a better idea what color our 'matting' card stock should be.

We pick a font for the back info we feel compliments the theme of the card/tracker. More often than not I'll carve a special sig stamp just for that card. It gives it a personal touch.

And finally after we have a good amount of fronts and backs that we are happy we then glue them together - usually with spray glue. Absolutely won't ever fail and will not make the cards lumpy.

More often than not I'll carve a special sig stamp just for that card. It gives it a personal touch.

You have that many signature stamps? You must like to carve a lot!

And finally after we have a good amount of fronts and backs that we are happy we then glue them together - usually with spray glue. Absolutely won't ever fail and will not make the cards lumpy.

Do you have a brand that you prefer? What do you place them on when you spray them?

I HATE it when my cat tries to "help". It's almost impossible to keep her away from my projects once she decides she needs to be in the middle of it. I've taken to storing components parts in sealed baggies inside a chest so she does not walk on them with her wet feet or any other number of ways she's creatively ruined projects of mine. Right now I'm letting her wear the yellow paint she stuck her nose in while I was painting rocks.

Dark Zen and Evil Cow Pie are a two person show...at least that's what I tell myself when I compare my cards to their amazing creations. It's kind of like they are cheating(lol) so they can do all that extra carving...but either way we all benefit from their work!! ;-) <3

But to answer the question, I make my cards different each time. Sometimes I do assembly line and sometimes I create one card at a time. It just depends on the card and the mood I'm in. I hate monotony. Instead of carving a new stamp for the back, I just like to reuse coordinating stamps that I previously used for the fronts of ltcs. It gives them a new purpose and shows them off again. 😊 I truly love when the backs are just as creative as the fronts...but sometimes that's just not something I'm going to devote my time to. But a lot of times I will work on the backs of cards to take a break from working on the fronts of the cards. And then when I have all of the pieces done I glue them together.

You have that many signature stamps? You must like to carve a lot!

We have a few. When we are box hunting in the wild, we only use our standard two, one tiny and one larger, depending on the logbook. These are mostly just for fun... and yes I love carving!

Do you have a brand that you prefer? What do you place them on when you spray them?

There was another thread where I mentioned spray adhesive and some posters expressed distain, ha ha. That almost caused me to film a tutorial because with proper technique its not bad at all. Especially if you are doing a relatively large number of cards, say 10-15.

Anyway, the brand I use is 3M™ Super 77™ Spray Adhesive:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/3M-16-7-fl-oz-Bonding-Multipurpose-Adhesive/1000223737

Its pretty cheap at Lowes (considering a can will probably last you an couple of years!) and it's usually in stock.

What I do is take a scrap piece of cardboard (usually a soda box opened up, or something similar, or even a paper bag opened up) and spray a very light coating of glue on it. Then give it some time to dry, maybe 10-15 mins? Then lightly place the cards on it and spray the backs. Hold the can a good bit of distance away and spray downward as much as possible to keep the propellant from 'blowing' the cards. When finished turn the can upside down and spray until the nozzle is clear, maybe 2-3 seconds. The can I'm using now has lasted me for a couple of years.

You have a bit of time to get your cards together - the glue doesn't set up too fast. It doesn't stain the cards like a water based glue can. I usually let them 'dry' in a book. Obviously, you need to do the actual spraying outside.
I've used it on very thin papers and it never buckles.

after reading all of your comments...........yikes I am sub par at the whole thing. Practice, practice...........I might get there.

thanks, I appreciate all of the tips!!!

Practice yes!! For sure! Also look at the cards that you really like. Examine them and see why it is you like them. You can also ask questions about those cards. If there is a specific letterboxer who makes cards that you like you can ask them to help you with ideas. If you're on Facebook we have some LTC pages. It's always fun to post a photo of your card to those pages and have people give ideas on how you can change your card or embellishment more. Those pages and members can be a wealth of information :-)

Thanks. I will check it out on my hubbies fb.

Ltc fanatics and letterbox trading cards :-)