Make a Greeting Card

People always enjoy receiving a handmade greeting card for any occasion. So, why go out to the store and pay up to three dollars for a card that won't make the person receiving it as happy as they would be if the card was homemade? You can make a greeting card from scratch or on the computer easily enough, and you might have some fun doing it.

Steps

Making a Basic Greeting Card

  1. Gather your supplies. It’s always helpful to have all your supplies laid out in front of your before you begin your project. This way you can stay focused without the interruptions that would otherwise occur as you had to search for new materials.
    • Depending on what kind of greeting card you plan to make, you’ll need glue, scissors or a paper cutter, paper or blank cards, envelopes, small decorations to put on the card, and a pen or pencil.
    • Buy some materials at the store to start off with when making cards. You can also recycle things around the house. Items such as buttons, ribbon, and old belts, all look great when properly attached to cards.
  2. Take out a blank card, or fold a piece of paper in half. If you decide to use a piece of paper you have plenty of options. You can cut the paper down to a smaller size using a paper cutter, or even cut it into different shapes. Consider using construction paper if you want a tougher material or something more colorful.[1]
    • If you plan on cutting your paper with a paper cutter, use a ruler to define the lines before you start cutting. This will make it easier to keep everything straight and even.
  3. Add decorations to your card.[2] You can have a lot of fun here. You can draw something running throughout the card, like a sea monster or a landscape. You could draw a scene in the daytime on one side, and another scene in the nighttime on the other side. If you know the person you’re giving the card to, try to make something that would appeal to them. If you’re just trying to make a general card, try to decorate the card in such a way that would match the theme of the greeting.
    • For example, if you’re making a birthday card maybe you should include cakes and balloons.
    • Another option for decorating is to use scrap book materials[1] or other craft items. You can cut out pictures from magazines and glue these into your greeting card.
  4. Consider the text you want to include. Most greeting cards have generalized text before you get into the personal greeting. You can skip this part if you want, but if you’re trying to emulate a greeting card that you would find at a store, you might want to include some sort of greeting. Write something that matches the occasion. For example, you could write “Congratulations on your wedding and your many happy years ahead” for a newly married couple.
  5. Try decorating your card with letter patterns. Take letters from newspapers or magazines of varying sizes and fonts and paste them around your card in a mix-matched manner.[3] You could even choose to take your greeting from a line of text in a newspaper story.
  6. Use a distressed look. Buy some patterned paper and cut a piece about the size of your card. Now tear it in half diagonally so that you can see the tear running across the paper. Paste this torn piece of patterned paper on top of your greeting card to give it a unique distressed or vintage look.[4]
  7. Include personalized text.[5] The best part about a card is that it includes personalized writing. Generally this text wishes the person well and includes more detail. If you’re making a greeting card to give to someone else so that they can write in it and give it as a gift, skip this step. Consider putting your signature on the back of the card so that the person it is being given to knows who made it.
  8. Find an envelope. Place the card in an envelope that fits the size of the card. If you’re planning on giving the card away or writing in it immediately, you’ll need the envelope eventually.

Making a Window Greeting Card

  1. Cut a 4x5" rectangle out of thick double sided paper or cardstock. You can get double sided paper at any craft store. Don’t use regular paper, it won’t be strong enough to make this kind of greeting card.
  2. Make an opening. You can make an opening in your paper rectangle by folding the paper in half lengthwise. Now make another fold two inches from the top. Once you’ve done that, you need to draw a one-inch line from the corner of this fold at a 45 degree angle inward. Cut along that inch line.[6]
    • When you unfold the paper, you should be left with an ‘X’ cut in your original paper. The cut that you make will be going through multiple layers because of your folds to form this ‘X’.
  3. Smooth the fold lines. You should also erase the pencil mark at this time. You want to smooth the fold lines so that the card doesn’t look bunched up and unprofessional.
  4. Fold the pieces of the ‘X’ cut back. Place the paper on its front side and take each triangle of the ‘X’ cut and fold it back toward you. There should be four triangle folds that leave you with a square window once you fold them back.[7]
    • Once you have folded the flaps back, glue them down.
  5. Add decorations as you see fit. You can now design an image to put inside the window, put a stamp in there, or anything else. Draw patterns or other elements on the face of the card for added personality.
  6. Add your greeting. If you want it to be a greeting card, you need to write something on the card that indicates what the event is. Make the theme of the card appropriate for this event. Birthdays, anniversaries, and marriages are all appropriate events for a greeting card.

Making Shaker Cards

  1. Find a die cutting machine and other materials. Shaker cards are slightly more difficult to make than other cards because you’ll have to invest in a die cutting machine.[8] You could also try to cut the shapes out manually but it is much more difficult to make them all exactly the same shape and size.
    • Other materials include card stock, a paper cutter, a glue pen, craft glue, acetate, and filler material such as beads and sequins. All of these items can be purchased at a craft store.
  2. Cut your border shapes. Your shapes should have an empty space on the inside. For example, if you draw a circle, make the center hollow. Use your die cutting machine to cut the border shapes from the cardstock. Make sure they are all exactly the same size – you’ll be placing some of the shapes on top of each other.[8]
  3. Glue your shapes to each other. For example, if you made circles you should put glue on the backside of one circle and then glue another circle to it. Continue to glue pairs of circles together until you have paired all your shapes.
  4. Cut the front of your card. The front of your card can be as large or small as you’d like, but a standard size is 3.75” width x 5” height.[8] Remember to cut a hole in the card that fits your border shapes – the window should have the same diameter as your border shapes. Place glue around the edges of this window.
  5. Place clear acetate over the window. The glue will hold down the clear acetate but you should make sure you cut it in the same shape as your border shapes too. The border shapes will sit on top of the acetate while your beads and other accessories will be glued directly on top of it.
  6. Place your border shapes on the card. Use the craft glue to glue your border shapes over the acetate. They should cover up the edges of the clear acetate but leave the middle of the shape see through.[8]
  7. Fill in the shaker window and add text. The window is the opening in your border shapes. Use your craft glue to add your beads and sequins to the acetate as you see fit. It will look like they are floating in thin air. Once you’ve finished the design aspect of the card you can begin to write a greeting.

Making Your Greeting Card on the Computer

  1. Choose your software. This all depends on your skill level. There are some online card making sites available that you can use, but most of them are of lower quality than downloadable software.
    • If you already have some design skills, consider using a program like PageMaker or InDesign. If you’re new to making greeting cards, you can use user friendly program like Art Explosion Greeting Card Factory or Hallmark Card Studio.
  2. Develop a vision for your card. Do you want it to be large, small, serious, funny, neutral, colorful, or any other combination of characterizations? If you’re making your own card then you probably already have an idea in mind. If not, you can always start by using a template available in the software. These templates offer pre-made styles that may inspire you in the rest of your design.
    • When in doubt, try to make a card that matches your greeting or event. Anniversaries are different than birthdays, which are different than funerals. Try to thin of a way to express each of these holidays in card form.
  3. Choose your layout. You can choose a template or designate your layout based on the size you want your card to be. You can choose from different shapes and sizes. Once you choose your layout you will only be able to design on the space that you chose.
  4. Include graphics. The great thing about designing a greeting card on a computer is that you can include all sorts of graphics. These graphics can be as simple as clip art, or you can use a photo of you and the individual you are giving it to, or any other photo that you have on your computer.
    • You can even use photos from the internet as long as you don’t plan to sell your greeting card. There are a huge variety of options available to you
  5. Modify your images. Change the color and size of the image to fit into the scheme and layout of your greeting card. Don’t make your card too busy. Try to maintain a consistent look.
  6. Set up your text. Decide on the type of text that you want to include in the greeting card and choose a font that matches the theme of your design. Don’t use bubble font for a funeral. Try to make sure your text is complimentary with the graphics that you have included and the theme of your card. This means you have to consider both the style and the content of your text.
  7. Print your card. Once you have proof read your card, all you need to do is print your card out. It will print out onto whatever piece of paper you insert into the printer in the format that you desired. Now all you need to do is fold the piece of paper and you have your greeting card.


Make your own greeting card using stamped paper.

Tips

  • Take all the time you need! Try to make it look as good as possible.
  • Try to keep the colors appropriate for the occasion.
  • Make sure the message written on the inside is well-written and not copied out of a different card. Try to make it unique and personalized.
  • Use a paper cutter instead of scissors to keep the lines of your card straight and even.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqYR5F5koTQ
  2. ↑ http://www.americangreetings.com/ecards
  3. ↑ http://www.bhg.com/crafts/easy/1-hour-projects/easy-greeting-cards-to-make/#page=12
  4. ↑ http://www.bhg.com/crafts/easy/1-hour-projects/easy-greeting-cards-to-make/#page=13
  5. ↑ http://www.making-greeting-cards.com/
  6. ↑ http://www.auntannie.com/greetingcards/WindowCards/#sthash.eX5Vmgxe.dpuf
  7. ↑ http://www.auntannie.com/greetingcards/WindowCards/
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2015/03/how-to-make-shaker-cards/
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