MAKE YOUR OWN PERSONALIZED BIRTHDAY CARDS
I'm a real believer in making things a little more special by making them yourself when you can. Cards are one of those things. They can be easy, economical and fun to do. And, they are so appreciated by those you give them to because you spent the a little extra time in making something just for them.
I recently made birthday cards for three of my grandchildren. They are always thrilled when I make one, personalizing it with their name on it. These can give you some ideas for you to try this yourself. All words and text on my cards are handwritten. Don't be afraid to use your own handwriting, this can make the card all the more personal and special.
The first card shows a fun way to incorporate the person's age they are turning. Here, my grandson is turning 6. First, when making a card from scratch, find the envelope you want to use to get measurements for the card. [it's a real "bummer" to finish the card only to find that it doesn't fit in your envelope] These cards all fit into a regular business size envelope. I always use a nice heavy weight/card stock paper for the body of my cards. With this one, it was a lovely green "linen" paper. I work out a design idea in my head for my card and start gathering the supplies I need.
I folded the card in half and then cut and adhered a coordinating piece of scrapbook paper to the front, leaving a border of green showing around this piece. I measured the front to give me three small pieces, spaced equally apart, to complete the front design. I wrote the top text in the top square, then the "6", in the middle one. I cut the "eyes" out of a piece of scrapbook paper [you could draw some eyes or cut some out of a magazine], folded in half so it could be lifted up to reveal the words, "It's YOU", hidden underneath. [how fun is that!] The front is finished with making lines with a fine tip marker running along a ruler, going around the inside of each of the three squares. I did dots with a black marker around the outside edge of the scrapbook paper. This helped "frame" the whole card design.
On the inside, I applied two triangle pieces of paper I cut out of the same scrapbook paper I used on the front of the card. I glued a small green rectangle piece of paper in the middle of each triangle. I then applied a rectangle piece of solid colored paper on top, in the middle, overlapping the triangle tips. I wrote his name in the top piece, "Happy Birth-Day!" in the middle and "I Love You" in the last. I finished the inside with lines and dots, like the front. There was room for my signature at the bottom.
The middle card was made for one of my granddaughters who was turning 13.
I used a lavender card stock for the body of the card. I cut a rectangle piece of patterned scrapbook paper and adhered it to the front of the card then glued on two triangle pieces of coordinating plain colored papers.
I adhered a Dollar Store "flower" embellishment on top of the yellow triangle. Lastly I drew on some swirls with a fine tipped purple marker, added dots around outside edge of card and wrote "For Your Special Day" in the bottom right corner.
This and the third card are both "tri-fold" cards. You have to score, make two folds, so that there are three panels across the card when it lays open. On the inside panels of this card, I first adhered pieces of scrapbook paper [same as front of card] , leaving a edge of the card's lavender paper showing. Then, cut
out three pieces of white paper cutting scalloped bottom edges. Adhere these, one to the top of each of the
three panels. [I only applied glue along the top edge of the middle white piece so it could be lifted to reveal "13th".] Add the dots, with a marker, around the outside edge of card and finish by writing the the text: HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARIYAH [at top] and "To My Awesome Granddaughter" in the middle, ending with "I Love You!" at the bottom.
The third card was made for one of my grandson's lst birthday. I used a blue card stock paper for card's body. Make the three panel-two folds in the card. I adhered a piece of green scrapbook paper on the front panel, leaving a border of the blue paper showing. I adhered a strip of coordinating patterned paper, going across near the top of the card. [To cut the strip to fit the card, before adhering the green paper, cut a strip, longer than the width of the card, of the patterned scrapbook paper. Lay this strip underneath the green paper [in the diagonal direction it will go] and trace around the top right corner onto the scrapbook paper with a pencil and a line along the left side.] And arrow was sdrawn and cut out of the blue paper and outlined with a blue maker. It was adhered to the card as shown with a "flower" shape glued on top of the arrow's end. A button was glued on top of flower. Dots were added with a marker along inside edges of papemr designs and the words written at the bottom right of card.
The three inside panels have the same scrapbook paper as the front adhered [dotted paper on left and right panel and green in center one], leaving a border of blue card body showing around each panel piece. I cut three pieces of white paper to fetthe tops of each panel, scalloping the bottom edges and leaving room for a strip of scrapbook paper to be adhered to these bottom edges. I then glued these pieces to the tops of the panels. One word was written in each top panel piece: HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERETT! On the left and right panels, blue and white papers have been layered in the bottom centers of those panels. The center panel has a "hour-glass" shaped piece of cut paper glued in bottom center with a heart cut from the blue paper and glued in the middle of the hour glass. The birthday year "1" was written on the left panel, "I Love You" on the center one, and "smiley, happy, Adorable on the right. Dots were added around the borders with a marker as a finishing touch.
"Made especially for you by Grandma" was written on the back of each card.
These were a real joy to make. Cards can be made for any occasion and any age or gender will treasure one. Give it a try. You might be so please with the outcome, you may not even want to give them away. :)
