I love making personalised greetings cards for people but for a long time I held back as I believed it was only a pursuit done by super talented crafters. Sadly, that's not me - I have writing like a 10 year old and quite a limited imagination so I thought I had to hold back for fear of my cards looking like a toddler had made them.
However, I've found a formula that works for me and every person I give one of my home-made cards to always comments about how nice they are. I think people feel a little special is you take the time to make something you know they would like.
I wanted to share with you my card-making formula that can easily be copied by anyone and you always end up with a great looking card. Even my 9 year old's can make good looking cards for their friends.
1. First up, gather together the items you need.
I recommend a trip to The Works (or shop online) as they have a wonderful ever-changing supply of card making materials for really great prices.
You'll need -
Blank cards and envelopes
Patterned paper
Plain coloured card or paper
Double sided tape
Scissors
Washi tape
Card toppers
Stick on Gems
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibasZ0qNVfcCopFUNQ7nw8RFLxGMzYJJt4ISqrUAC01J7YhdPeLtl9yxic2K8o3_piEgM5BtE08OofoWbnpK6zrsBcNXDi7gUTWlzZJNlR5sV8XqPwQd0mO4u6lcMW4x2Bv8typb3cXt_7/s640/making+cards.png)
2. Choose your patterned paper that will act as a base on your blank card and stick it on with double-sided tape. I find this far less messy than glue and you don't have to wait for it to dry.
3. Add some Washi Tape. In this design I have put two stripes down the side of the patterned paper and this is good as it covers any uneven edges, on other cards, I might just use one vertical or horizontal stripe or do it across a couple of corners. See some of the designs below.
4. I used a stick on Happy Birthday Greeting that I had bought in a pack at £1.20 for 30 of them, so they work out at hardly any money each.
5. Choose your card topper. You can see from the picture below that I tried out the different bird toppers in different places before I choose which one to stick down and how the finished card should look. To keep costs low I normally just try to use one topper per card but I think the one with two does look lovely.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKiQwYuydEEk456-43tVGBQTOKJcWTNFuXir-tk3pWXATgkkVscE0nSiz9XA6hdefn84wYNbVRJmxb3lwrRNsgwvHs1whAmw08E8txT2CShXZSDV1ZI9YrzXcSe8C_zD4io19f3zEWc51/s640/3+cards.png)
I often use stick-on gems to glitz up the card too, as you can see in a couple of the examples below. These normally cost about 99p for over 100, so they are super cheap. All the card blanks and toppers in these cards I bought from The Works and I hope you'll agree they look effective.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaE9PwJ7Z4NYecmREXfKIx5AZYfETrcFDCbB46cZ0BlYdlCli-uaNPUfvNDx9AXblBVFv3JwnL5MhJb0BW26rBtQXafrDe0cYyGEz-7zL06f_aSSuYF_-umzeXp2xepWntNHp8dd0k1c2/s640/card+examples.jpg)
I mentioned earlier that even my little girls an make nice cards for their friends using my easy card making formula and here are a couple of cards Miss E has made recently ready for upcoming birthdays.
If you have any tips of easy card-making then do leave me a comment. Many thanks, Mich x
I love making my own cards and frequently do, so much better than shop-bought!
ReplyDeleteYep and it is an enjoyable activity too. x
DeleteI never thought of hand making my own Birthday cards since primary school. It is looking like a real fun project rigth now :)
ReplyDeleteI find it super relaxing on an evening.
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