Speed Crafting, is there such a Thing?

Projects and original photos by BellaArt Creates; collage enhanced with AI using ChatGPT.

Hey my friends! What’s happening in your world today? I hope it’s shaping up nicely.

Today, I want to start off by asking you a question as a crafter. What do you do when an occasion suddenly pops up, you look through your stash for a card or gift, and there’s nothing quite right for the occasion—but you need something quickly?

I’ll share this with you: some occasions are harder to create for than others, especially sympathy and get-well cards. For me, these are the cards I’m least likely to have ready-made. Sympathy cards can be especially difficult because you may be grieving alongside the recipient, even if you only know them as a co-worker or neighbor. And when you need to create a card for a loved one who has experienced a loss, it can be even harder.

Of course, the occasion could also be a happy one that pops up unexpectedly. Maybe someone passed the bar exam, a loved one received their college acceptance letter, or a couple you know just announced their engagement. Those occasions deserve cards too, right? But do you usually make bunches of cards ahead of time for those kinds of moments? I admit I don’t have many of them sitting in my stash ready to mail.

This is where what I call speed crafting comes in. In my crafty world, I quickly look through my supplies and pull out patterned papers that fit the occasion, along with appropriate sentiments. I might stamp the sentiments or trim sentiment strips that I can easily glue onto the cards. Then I form a little assembly line.

I gather several card bases and do all my paper trimming for the card panels at once. I might stamp several sentiments onto one piece of cardstock to trim apart later, or stamp them directly onto the card panels. If I’m adding embellishments, such as die-cut flowers, I prepare those ahead of time too. Then all I have to do is arrange everything where I want it and glue it down. Before I know it, I have a small stack of cards ready to go!

Speed crafting doesn’t mean every card has to look exactly the same. I actually love making each one a little different. During the prep stage, I can pull patterned papers with different color schemes, use different colors of cardstock for my die-cut flowers, or change the sentiments from card to card. A few sympathy cards might say “We’re So Sorry” or “I’m Sorry for Your Loss,” while celebration cards could say “Congrats!” or “Hey, You Did It!” You get where I’m going. Those little changes keep speed crafting creative and fun instead of making it feel monotonous.

Below are good examples of what I mean by changing things up while speed crafting. For the get-well cards, I used the same floral design but stamped it in different directions. For the sympathy cards, I kept the same tulip design but changed the colors. I could make several cards in one crafting session without every card looking exactly alike.





I also have one recommendation when it comes to speed crafting sympathy and get-well cards. Personally, I would make them during a good creative day when I’m simply in my craft room enjoying the process—not necessarily when I’m sad or grieving myself. Having a few already prepared means that when someone needs one, I can choose a card thoughtfully without having to sit down and create it while I’m dealing with those emotions too.

For me, that’s really what speed crafting is about. It isn’t rushing through the creative process or trying to see how fast I can make something. It’s preparing several cards efficiently while I’m already in a creative mood, so they’re there when I need them.

Do you keep cards ready for different occasions in your craft space, or do you usually make them as you need them? Let me know with a comment!