Surprising someone with a personal, handmade card is a beautiful way to brighten their day and to spread joy, happiness and make connections (i.e., #addhappy) to the world. And the best part about making handmade greeting cards is that you can be truly original with your creation and let your imagination run wild!
But with so much creative potential, we know it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. Don't worry! Here are 6 handmade card ideas that will help get your creative juices flowing.
Know someone who's feeling down? We all need a boost of happiness now and then. Or maybe you know someone to who you'd like to say, "thank you for being in my life."
You could even share an encouraging message with a stranger! Leave a quick and colorful note card on a park bench or their car windshield. Add flair with stickers, glitter, and rainbows.
Happiness, like art and creativity, knows no bounds and loves company, so spread it far and wide!
Do you know someone whose birthday is coming up? Birthdays are all about the birthday boy or girl! Once you have a lucky recipient in mind, think about what colors they like the most, and use those for their one-of-a-kind handmade birthday card.
Some people like bright primary colors, so Perfectly Permanent Double Ended Markers would be a great idea. Some people may love neon, so you can experiment with the Chroma Blends Watercolor Paint Set-Neon and do some creative color blending to create the perfect handmade card for them!
Think beyond their favorite color. What does your friend like to do in their spare time? Do they have a favorite book or movie? What foods, animals, words do they love? Are they silly or serious? Handmade greetings are always the most treasured! Keep an ear out for clues from the person you'll be giving your beautiful handmade card to. Making your handmade greeting card to match their favorite theme makes you a next level friend, and they'll appreciate it for years to come.
They could be into anything from nature to cats to cars to outer space. You don't have to pick just one. Mix and match themes for some extra flair. Cats in cars? Go for it! The world is full of unique and wonderful people so try to make your handmade card as unique as they are.
Beautiful handmade greeting cards start with color schemes! Thinking of drawing and coloring a picture or adding a photo to your card? Establish a color scheme and then find cardstock, markers, and paints in complementary colors. You could even start with a page from your favorite coloring book and turn it into a handmade card.
Matching colors is a fun way to explore new combinations that you can use for other projects too.
Flat cards can be beautiful, but why not try a unique folding technique to add another dimension to your special card? There are thousands of Pinterest ideas to get you started making your DIY 3D cards and pop-up cards. This 3D Unicorn Card is one of our favorites. You can also go beyond the greeting cards and make handmade bookmarks or a folded paper fortune teller.
Most of these 3D paper crafts start with scrap paper and cardstock. But you can add your creativity to all of them with some of our fave craft supplies along with glitter glue, gel pens, and markers. Give it a shot! We recommend you practice on some scrap paper before you start folding the card you want to use.
Did you ever make your own handmade Valentines as a kid? All you needed were your materials--doilies, paint, and glue--to occupy yourself for hours!
Craft Supplies List:
Heart to Heart Stacking Crayons
Fountain Pens (Red)
Assorted OOLY Stickers
The Ink Works Markers
Neon Highlighters
The Paper Works Sketch Paper or other Craft paper (white, pink, and red)
Heart or plain circle paper doilies
A glue stick
Scissors
The best way to start any Valentine's card is by cutting out some heart shapes. Fold a piece of craft paper in half and draw a 'half heart' on the fold. Cut around the line you have drawn and open your heart! A square piece of folded paper will produce a long skinny heart, and a regular rectangle piece will make more of a rounded heart shape.
We love using doilies for a more decorative, traditional look. Start with a large white or light-colored doily. Add a drawing or message to your handmade Valentine with markers or gel pens. Highlighters are great for this idea because you can add accent colors all over the front of the doily. Try to keep your art nice and simple for maximum impact. Funny Valentine’s Day puns and cute sayings are always a hit too--like “you bake me crazy!”
Tip: Glue a paper circle to the back of the doily before you write your message; that way, the images from both sides will not bleed through!
6 Creative Handmade Card Ideas
1. Make quick and colorful note cards any time!
Know someone who's feeling down? We all need a boost of happiness now and then. Or maybe you know someone to who you'd like to say, "thank you for being in my life."
You could even share an encouraging message with a stranger! Leave a quick and colorful note card on a park bench or their car windshield. Add flair with stickers, glitter, and rainbows.
Happiness, like art and creativity, knows no bounds and loves company, so spread it far and wide!
2. Say ‘Happy Birthday!’ with handmade cards!
Do you know someone whose birthday is coming up? Birthdays are all about the birthday boy or girl! Once you have a lucky recipient in mind, think about what colors they like the most, and use those for their one-of-a-kind handmade birthday card.
Some people like bright primary colors, so Perfectly Permanent Double Ended Markers would be a great idea. Some people may love neon, so you can experiment with the Chroma Blends Watercolor Paint Set-Neon and do some creative color blending to create the perfect handmade card for them!
3. Handmade cards with a theme!
Think beyond their favorite color. What does your friend like to do in their spare time? Do they have a favorite book or movie? What foods, animals, words do they love? Are they silly or serious? Handmade greetings are always the most treasured! Keep an ear out for clues from the person you'll be giving your beautiful handmade card to. Making your handmade greeting card to match their favorite theme makes you a next level friend, and they'll appreciate it for years to come.
They could be into anything from nature to cats to cars to outer space. You don't have to pick just one. Mix and match themes for some extra flair. Cats in cars? Go for it! The world is full of unique and wonderful people so try to make your handmade card as unique as they are.
4. Think about your color scheme!
Beautiful handmade greeting cards start with color schemes! Thinking of drawing and coloring a picture or adding a photo to your card? Establish a color scheme and then find cardstock, markers, and paints in complementary colors. You could even start with a page from your favorite coloring book and turn it into a handmade card.
Matching colors is a fun way to explore new combinations that you can use for other projects too.
5. Make 3D cards!
Flat cards can be beautiful, but why not try a unique folding technique to add another dimension to your special card? There are thousands of Pinterest ideas to get you started making your DIY 3D cards and pop-up cards. This 3D Unicorn Card is one of our favorites. You can also go beyond the greeting cards and make handmade bookmarks or a folded paper fortune teller.
Most of these 3D paper crafts start with scrap paper and cardstock. But you can add your creativity to all of them with some of our fave craft supplies along with glitter glue, gel pens, and markers. Give it a shot! We recommend you practice on some scrap paper before you start folding the card you want to use.
6. Just add hearts! Plus, a handmade Valentine cards craft!
Did you ever make your own handmade Valentines as a kid? All you needed were your materials--doilies, paint, and glue--to occupy yourself for hours!
Craft Supplies List:
Heart to Heart Stacking Crayons
Fountain Pens (Red)
Assorted OOLY Stickers
The Ink Works Markers
Neon Highlighters
The Paper Works Sketch Paper or other Craft paper (white, pink, and red)
Heart or plain circle paper doilies
A glue stick
Scissors
The best way to start any Valentine's card is by cutting out some heart shapes. Fold a piece of craft paper in half and draw a 'half heart' on the fold. Cut around the line you have drawn and open your heart! A square piece of folded paper will produce a long skinny heart, and a regular rectangle piece will make more of a rounded heart shape.
We love using doilies for a more decorative, traditional look. Start with a large white or light-colored doily. Add a drawing or message to your handmade Valentine with markers or gel pens. Highlighters are great for this idea because you can add accent colors all over the front of the doily. Try to keep your art nice and simple for maximum impact. Funny Valentine’s Day puns and cute sayings are always a hit too--like “you bake me crazy!”
Tip: Glue a paper circle to the back of the doily before you write your message; that way, the images from both sides will not bleed through!
Create a collage
Layer your hearts and shapes to create a collage. Start by folding your piece of white paper or cardstock in half to create a greeting card. Using a glue stick, apply a paper doily on top of the card. Then glue a smaller paper heart on top of that as shown. Get creative with some OOLY stickers to create a loving message! You can also cut scraps of a doily out and add them to paper hearts. Select stickers that look 'Victorian' – meaning floral and fancy. Use the OOLY Splendid Pen in red to add some extra details to the front. This pen also works wonderfully for writing a secret greeting inside! Use stickers to create a story or image for your valentines using stickers. Make a simple bouquet of candies just by drawing a few black lines. The possibilities are endless--adding stems to flowers, hearts around people, or loving words using individual letters from the stickers.
