One of the things I get asked alot is how to know how to cut your cardstock when you are first starting out. There are lots of ways to go about ndoing this, but this is what I do:

 

     A standard size card is 4 1/4" X 5 1/2", which is exactly half a sheet of regular 8 1/2 X 11 cardstock. So, turn your paper "landscape" (as opposed to portrait), and cut it right down the middle at 5 1/2". With each of those two pieces, score them directly in half at 4 1/4". Then you have two card bases to work with!

 

     For the stamping and focal point, I stamp my main image onto a large scrap piece, and then cut around it afterward. When it comes to matting it, you can do as many layers as you like, but I prefer 1 or 2 colors behind the white (or focal) piece. All you do if figure out what size you have, and add 1/4" to each measwurement (ie: if you have a 2X2 piece, your next mat will be 2 1/4" X 2 1/4", and so on.  The other option that some people use is just to cut around the piece as you go, making each layer bigger than the first. (But, sometimes this can lead to uneven borders!) Try it yourself, and let me know how you like my tip!