Easy Handmade Birthday Cards

Though I really enjoy being creative, I’m not all that skilled when it comes to most crafts. I always picture great results in my mind, but I can only execute my ideas successfully about half of the time! In order to save a few dollars, I try to make greeting cards whenever my husband and I need them. Despite my history of inconsistent results, I managed to create a couple of nice ones that were truly easy to make! Moreover, these simple cards can be made without a lot of specialized supplies or equipment.

I didn’t have any blank cards, but I had assorted scrapbooking materials and envelopes. I gathered these, as well as a paper cutter and a glue runner (scissors and liquid glue will also work just fine).

For both birthday cards

Trim pieces of cardstock so they will fit in your envelopes when folded as cards. In my case, the envelopes were 5.25 x 7.25 inches in size. I trimmed my cardstock pieces down to 7 x 10 inches. When folded, these formed cards that were 5 x 7 inches and a perfect fit for the envelopes. (Of course, you can skip this step entirely if you have blank cards with matching envelopes.)

For the lollipop birthday card

Cut three circles (approximately 1.25 inches in diameter) out of colored paper. It’s up to you whether to have all three in one color or to have three different colors. I traced the lid to a medication bottle to get precise circles.

Draw swirls on the circles.

Cut three strips (approximately 0.25 x 2.5 inches) out of colored paper. Again, it’s up to you whether to have all three in one color or to have three different colors.

Tie knots in a piece of ribbon or a strip of fabric to create three “bows.”

Cut a strip (approximately 1 x 5 inches) out of colored paper and write “Have a sweet birthday!” or a similar greeting on it. I rounded the corners on mine because I preferred how it looked.

Use glue to assemble the components so you have something like this:

Write a personalized message inside.

For the birthday candle card

Cut four strips (1 inch in width) in varying lengths. I used paper with diagonal stripes to mimic the stripes on birthday candles.

Cut four flame-shaped pieces out of yellow paper.

Use glue to assemble the components so you have something like this:

Write a personalized message inside. I will probably write something that includes a reference to making a wish or blowing out birthday candles.

While these cards can’t compare to some of the intricate ones I’ve seen crafted by individuals who have great skill and fancy tools, they were just what I needed because they didn’t take much time to create and were assembled out of basic supplies I already had on hand.

Do you make cards? What tips can you share to help novices (like me) grow in their skills?