Welcome to My Cardmaking Gallery
If there’s one thing about me as a crafter, it’s this: I rarely stay in a single lane. I began my creative life with yarn in my hands — learning to crochet at the age of 12 — and by adulthood I’d happily wandered into knitting, loom knitting, arm knitting, and eventually the whole “let’s try making garments” adventure. Fiber was my first love, and I thought it would always be the only love.
But life loves a plot twist.
When the Path Detours (but still moves forward)
A few years back, an injury pressed pause on my needles and hooks. My hands couldn’t keep up… but my heart certainly wasn’t finished creating. And wouldn’t you know it, the Lord nudged me straight into paper crafting. I dove in headfirst — learning from YouTube channels, following makers, experimenting with inks, dies, stamps, paints, stencils — you name it. That’s how “Kim’s Handcrafted Cards” was born, and oh my, did I fall in love.
Even so, yarn kept whispering to me. Thankfully, my husband found a special tool that lets me crochet without pain (bless that man 🙌). Knitting still has to stay in the background for now, but when I created BellaArt Creatives, it was with my fiber roots in mind. I wanted all of my stitches — past, present, and future — to have a home.
When Seasons Shift
Every crafter goes through chapters, and eventually my cardmaking chapter shifted. The industry moves fast — new releases, subscription boxes, tools, machines, so many tempting supplies — and on a fixed budget, the pace just wasn’t sustainable. Emotionally, too, I reached a point where I needed to step back. So after nine beautiful, joy-filled years, I made the bittersweet decision to close Kim’s Handcrafted Cards.
I still make cards occasionally (especially since I have… let’s say… a generous stash 😄), and I love donating to The Create Kindness Foundation. But keeping the blog active no longer aligned with where I needed to be.
Why This Gallery Exists
Before shutting the site down, I backed up everything — every photo, every project, all those tiny paper details I poured my heart into. And I knew I didn’t want those years of creativity to vanish into a digital black hole.
So this page is my way of honoring that season.
I’ve gathered hundreds of my favorite projects and organized them into easy-to-browse categories. Click any of the right arrows on the galleries below, explore at your own pace, and enjoy walking through nine years of handmade joy. Thank you for being here — I hope this gallery inspires you as much as creating it inspired me.
Christmas Cards
Birthday Cards
Autumn/Thanksgiving Cards
Friendship & Encouragement Cards
Seasons, Other Holidays & Occasion Cards
Many of these cards and paper projects you’ll see I made from a multitude of supplies, machines and tools! My most purchases came from Scrapbook.com because they offer a wide variety of crafty goodies from many companies and they run daily sales, weekly free gifts and they’re close to where I live so shipping is very fast! I also have bought supplies from other brands that sell through Scrapbook.com like: Paper Rose Studio, Pink Fresh Studio, Sizzix, Ranger and Crafter’s Companion.
Other companies I’ve bought from include: Simon Says Stamp, Spellbinders, Honey Bee Stamps, Mama Elephant, Lawn Fawn, Taylored Expressions, Gina K. Designs, Vicki Boutin, Colorado Craft Company, Hello Bluebird, Ellen Hutson (now sells on AZ), KS Craft, WPlus9 (no longer in business), Crafter’s Edge (no longer in business) and Amazon.
I purchased 99% of all my paper crafting supplies, the 1% were items I won on Instagram giveaways. A few years ago, I subscribed to several monthly kits from Simon Says Stamp and Spellbinders.
If you’re interested in purchasing your paper crafting goodies from Scrapbook.com, you can use my affiliate link here. Shopping through my affiliate link means that when place an order, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps me run my small crafty business. Thank you so much!