Greetings cards are big business in the UK. In fact, Britain spend more each year sending cards than any other nation. There is something about a card that seems so much more personal, so much lovelier, than an email or even a phone call could ever be.
How much more personal, lovelier, then, would a hand made card be? But how can you make a card that’s as cute as the ones you find in a store? Easily, that’s how.
Below, we show you five cute greetings cards you can make.
One of the cutest, easiest cards you can make simply involves some cute paper, some card stock, some glue and a good pair of scissors. Find two contrasting kinds of paper. Cut geometric shapes out of one and more organic shapes, like the birds in this example, out of the other. Play around with the shapes, layering them and moving them the card around until you have a collage you like. Paste the pieces down, and hand write a simple greeting in the white space.
Viola! You have a gorgeous greetings card, perfect for any situation.
The amazing card below is the result of some creative folding and a selective use of scrapbooking materials. The fold is called the napkin fold, and it looks even better unfolded. A tutorial, including all the materials you’ll need to use, is here.
Though it looks stunning, it actually just requires a steady hand for folding and a good eye for contrasting materials.
Still, can you imagine the look on your friend or family member’s face when you give them this – and tell them you made it yourself?
This card is great because it looks fantastic, but it really isn’t very hard to do yourself. Start with the frame – sketch a square frame using pencil on a heavy card stock. You can use a stencil or just freehand it, whichever you prefer. Then get a sponge and some watercolours or some food dye if you don’t feel like buying a whole load of new paints. Dampen the sponge, then dip it in the paints and dab it lightly on the card. Take care not to get too close to the frame you’ve drawn.
Let the paint dry, and sketch a heart onto the card wherever you like. You should be able to erase it a bit, if you’ve messed up. Once you’re happy with how it looks, grab two gel pens, one in black and one in gold. Using the black one, trace the border and the heart. Then use the gold one to make lovely accents.
And don’t worry about getting everything perfect. As this card shows, a lot of the charm is in the squiggly lines and the colour going outside the lines.
If you’re really talented at drawing, you can draw little elements, then paste them onto coloured card stock. In this example, the panda, cupcakes and words are drawn on a paper for watercolours, giving the whole thing a soft, washed out feel. The card maker, Mirrelley, then added bits of lace and contrasting card colours to tie it all together.
If you’re not so great at drawing, search the internet for illustrations that fit the feel of your card. Just make sure your card is just for giving: if you sell it using an image you didn’t get permission to use, you could find yourself in all kinds of trouble for copyright infringement.
Of course, if you’re not the artistic type, you can always just print off a cute printable card on some nice card stock. This card is available to download for free here, but sites like Greetings Island and Blue Mountain have loads of great options, too.
These are just some of the cute greetings cards you can make. For even more, try looking around online. Or just combine a whole bunch of the ideas here. After all, when you hand make a card, it’s all about your style, the occasion you’re commemorating and what you think your loved one will like. Otherwise, there are no rules. So just experiment and have fun!
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