And of course, here’s also how to make that handmade card for every occasion!
By now, I know you know how much I love myself a handmade greeting card. I love to make them, I love to give them, I love to give sets of them, pre-stamped for the sender’s convenience, as graduation gifts… and sometimes, I even get one of those back with a thank-you note inside, lol!
Handmade cards can be a little tricky, because neatness counts a LOT in cardmaking–there are just too many pristine mass-market cards out there for a messy card with visible glue and uneven folds to pass muster coming from anyone over the age of 12, alas. However, the good news is that there are beautiful handmade cards that can be made using pretty much any technique. So whether you love decoupage the most, or quilting, or embroidery, or photography, or any other of the other infinite types of handicraft out there on the world, there is absolutely a handmade card for you.
And here are some of my favorites!
Decoupaged Pressed Flower Card
This project is a bit of a handful overall, with a few different steps, but the steps–collecting flowers, pressing them, decoupaging, etc.–all require a lot of lag time, so honestly it doesn’t feel like as big of a job. This project is actually a lot less finicky than many of the others here, too, since the decoupage is extremely forgiving, and the finished pieces look marvelous. These are great for when you want to take a little more time to make a much fancier piece–thank-you’s for after a wedding or graduation, perhaps.
Bunting
The original tutorial calls for fabric scraps, but you could also make this with paper scraps. I especially love the idea of using paper ephemera, like junk mail, envelopes, sales flyers, brochures, etc.
Button Art
This is a very kid-friendly project, because you can simply cut off the cutest, most charming piece of a kid’s larger creation, and frame it adorably on a card front.
Photo Card with No Tape or Glue
This project is one of my favorites, since it requires just two materials–cardstock and a photo! It does require some very precise measuring and cutting, but even then it comes together super quickly. This is a great project when you need lots and lots and LOTS of multiples, since you can make it assembly line-style.
Photo Card with Photo Corners
For this project, you do need photo corners, but they’re easy to buy–or make! Once you’ve got the photo corners, the rest of the project comes together with just some careful measuring and sticking. I really love this one because it’s obvious that the photo comes off, so the recipient has something cute to put on their fridge. For that reason, I love these as thank-you’s–who wouldn’t want a photo of the recipient enjoying the gift they were given?
Cross-Stitching
Tiny cross-stitch pieces are so fun and quick and satisfying, but it’s tricky to know what to do with them sometimes. This project solves that problem entirely! I especially love this idea for all the cute little holiday-specific cross-stitch designs that I always want to make each year. If you receive a Halloween card from me this year, this is why!
Embroidered Card
As you can see in the photo, even kid-made versions turn out absolutely adorable! This is probably the most time-intensive project on this list, and impossible to make assembly line-style, but if you love to embroider, you could really make something special here. Imagine a congratulations card for a newly-married couple, with their monograms hand-embroidered onto the front!
Quilted Greeting Card
These cards are a little time consuming, but you can do all the sewing in batches, and attaching the quilt blocks to the cardstock is a lot quicker. My favorite thing about this project is how great it is for scrapbusting–there’s a base fabric that’s completely hidden in the finished project, so I get to use up even the prints and colors I no longer like!
Watercolored
I’m not much of an artist by hand, but these flowers with colorful watercolor splashes are super easy–and super forgiving of less than professional art, lol!
With a Printed Template
Sometimes my best projects fall apart when it gets to the text. My handwriting is… not great, and letter stamps can look messy if you’re not absolutely perfect. The best trick so that you don’t have to look at my messy writing is to let the computer do it! This tutorial walks you through creating a printable template that also includes your greeting. It makes batch cardmaking SO much easier!
P.S. Do you have a favorite handmade cardmaking project? Share it with us in the Comments!
