Follow this tutorial, and you’ll be rewarded with a sophisticated, interactive birthday card that is perfect for anyone! It’s a truly versatile piece with a few cool components that come together to ensure a creative birthday wish.
I love coming up with new handmade birthday card concepts, and this stately piece is one of my favorites! The outside features a plain card stock body that is held together by an elegant monogrammed sash. When you open the flaps of the card, hand-lettering ensures that the inside is anything but plain!
To make a card like this one, you’ll want to start by cutting a piece of thick colored card stock into a 10″ x 7″ (254 mm x 179 mm) rectangle.
Make a mark in the center of the rectangle.
Fold the right side of the card in such that the edge of the fold is touching the mark.
Then, do the same with the left side of the rectangle.
Next, cut out three pieces of white drawing paper (70-80 lb.) or card stock. Two of the pieces should be 2.25″ wide by 6.75″ tall (57 mm x 172 mm), and the third piece should be 4.75″ wide by 6.75″ tall (121 mm x 172 mm).
Use your favorite calligraphy or lettering style to write “HAPPY” and “BIRTHDAY” on the two smaller strips of paper, then write your recipient’s name at the top of the largest piece of paper. Any lettering style will work wonderfully here, but I particularly like the look of George Style lettering! Once the ink has dried, use an adhesive to center “HAPPY” on the left inside flap of the card, “BIRTHDAY” on the right inside flap of the card, and the large piece of paper with the recipient’s name on the center portion of the card.
At this point, you’ll want to write a birthday message in the blank space under the recipient’s name. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to move on to making the tag and sash!
To create the tag and sash for your handmade birthday card, start by cutting out the following:
Use the writing utensil of your choice to write the first initial of your recipient’s name on the smallest square of paper. Try to center the letter as best you can! The style of the letter should match the style you used inside the card; in this case, that means the letter needs to be written in George Style lettering.
Once you have created the initial, glue the smallest square of paper onto the medium-sized square of paper.
Next, glue the medium-sized square of paper to the large square of paper.
To finish up, fold the long strip of card stock around the card. Then, glue its flaps together in the back.
Flip the card around, and use an adhesive to affix the monogrammed tag to the center of the strip of card stock.
Once you’re finished gluing down the tag, the card is complete!
When the birthday boy or girl receives the card, they need but slide the sash off and open the flaps to reveal a birthday surprise! Don’t forget to write a nice message under his or her name; when I took the photos for this post, I hadn’t written a message yet.
Pair the card with a coordinating envelope, and it’s ready to send!
I hope that you enjoyed this simple tutorial! I know there is a fair amount of measuring involved, but the end result is completely worth it. There’s a lot to love about this handmade birthday card: it’s interactive, tasteful, and non-gender-specific! It’s also versatile: you can create it using whatever color scheme and lettering style that appeals to you. I encourage you to make it your own; feel free to make modifications and experiment! Thanks so much for reading TPK — I really appreciate you being here!
Warmly,
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