Easy Handmade Happy Birthday Greeting Card Ideas

I’m one of those people who despises virtual greeting cards. I don’t like sending them and I sure don’t like receiving them. They’re impersonal and boring. While they’re quick to send and often times free…I dislike them with a passion.

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Over the years I’ve learned to make my own handmade greeting cards and everyone who receives one appreciates the time that I took to make it. I’ve made inexpensive and easy ones and I’ve made elaborate ones that are worthy of being framed. If you’ve never tried making your own…now is the time to start!

Basic Supplies Needed: Cardstock, Blank Greeting Cards with Envelopes, Scrapbooking Paper, Scissors, Ruler, Paper Glue Stick, Glue Dots (adhesive dots), Alphabet Stickers, Alphabet Rubber Stamps & Stamp Pads, etc.

Embellishments: Small Flowers, Ribbons, 3-Dimensional Stickers, Eyelets, Small Seashells, Small Pebbles, Wood Scrabble Tiles, Metal Bottle Caps, Metal Charms, Broken Jewelry Pieces, Beads, Rhinestones, Confetti, Fabric Scraps, Buttons, Washi Tape, etc.

Notes: You can make your own blank greeting cards by cutting and folding white cardstock to the size that you need if you don’t want to purchase blank pre-made cards with envelopes. You can use all kinds of things to decorate the front of each card (embellishments) so look through my list of ideas to see what you have.

Here are a few Easy Handmade Happy Birthday Greeting Card Ideas to help get you started.

1. Cover the entire front of the card with a patterned piece of paper. Cut a piece of ribbon and run it down the right side of the card. Tack the ends underneath with glue. Cut an additional piece of ribbon and tie it into a bow. Use glue dots to tack it into place. Use Alpha stickers to spell out your greeting or use rubber stamps with an ink pad in your desired color.

You can write whatever message that you want inside the card. I like to make it personal so that the receiver knows how I feel about them. I recommend doing that part in your own handwriting which is really nice to see.

2. You can make all kinds of designs just by following the simple outline with your first card. Just change up your embellishments to give it a different look. You can add small artificial flowers, hearts made from felt or fabric scraps, stickers, large charms, etc.  You can keep it simple or bling it up with some pretty jewels, studs and rhinestones.

3. I use river stones, seashells, snail shells, acorns, mini pine cones, smooth pebbles, dried leaves & pressed flowers, etc. in a lot of my craft projects. They’re a free resource that you can pick up while out on a nature walk. Look around you….There are a lot of things out in nature that you can use!

The artist above used 2 smooth rocks that resembled the shape of a person. Used a marker to draw on the legs (you can add arms too). To complete the scene she used 3-dimensional birthday stickers for the gifts, party hats, cake and balloons. How cute is that? Totally cute! You can use alpha stickers or rubber stamps to add your message on the front. Personalizing it would be fun!

4. Using wood Scrabble Tiles is a great way to add embellishment to any of your cards! At my local scrapbooking store they sell Scrabble Tile printed paper and blank wood tiles. With that said, I purchased my wooden Scrabble Tiles from Amazon because they were a better deal.

This card is really easy to make. Cut your Scrabble printed paper to fit the front of your card. Tack it down on all four sides with your glue stick. The wooden tiles are a little weighty so I recommend using large sized Glue Dots to tack them down into place. Make sure you use the permanent ones to give you a better hold.

All of these ideas are great for beginners. They’re quick and easy. You don’t need a lot of supplies and what you do need can be purchased inexpensively or obtained for free. Making your own handcrafted greeting cards is a great way to show someone that you care.

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