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Hand-Lettered Gatefold Birthday Card Tutorial
This tutorial will teach you how to create a delightful handmade gatefold birthday card with a monogrammed sash. It’s the perfect vehicle for fun inserts and a kind birthday message!
This sturdy gatefold birthday card features a sash with a reinforced paper monogram. 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.
1. Gather Your Supplies
Before you begin creating this card, you’ll need to gather a few supplies. Scroll down to see my supply list (and feel free to make substitutions to accommodate what you have on hand)!
This card includes ample room for inserts: think photos, bookmarks, flower confetti, and more. - Thick blue cardstock (for the card body)
- 70-80 lb. drawing paper (for the inner lettering and monogrammed tag)
- Ruler (for measuring and marking the card stock and paper)
- Pencil + eraser (for marking measurements)
- Bone folder or a similar tool (for making clean folds)
- Glue (for assembling the card and sash)
- Scissors or a paper cutter (for cutting the card stock and paper to size)
- Yellow cardstock (for the sash and monogram backing)
*The above list includes some affiliate links for Amazon.com.
2. Cut and Fold the Cardstock
Begin by cutting your piece of thick colored card stock into a 10″ x 7″ (~25.4 cm x 17.75 cm) rectangle.
Now, make a mark in the center of the rectangle.
If your cardstock is dark like mine, it will be easiest for you to use a white pencil for this step. Fold the right side of the card in such that the paper’s right edge touches the mark.
Then, do the same with the left side of the cardstock.
3. Prepare Paper for the Interior
Next, cut out three pieces of drawing paper. Two of the pieces should be 2.25″ wide by 6.75″ tall (~5.7 cm x 17.2 cm), and the third piece should be 4.75″ wide by 6.75″ tall (~12.1 cm x 17.2 cm).
This pieces of paper will be slightly smaller than each of the three surfaces on the inside of the card (the middle part and the two flaps). Use George Style lettering 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. Once the ink has dried, glue the paper that says “HAPPY” on the left inside flap of the card. Then, glue “BIRTHDAY” on the right inside flap of the card. Finish up by gluing the large piece of paper with the recipient’s name to the center portion of the card.
You can use a pointed pen or a regular pen to create the George Style lettering shown here. 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!
4. Make the Tag + Sash
To create the tag and sash for your handmade birthday card, start by cutting out the following:
- One 2″x2″ (~5 cm x 5 cm) square of cardstock – This cardstock should match the color of the cardstock that you used to make the body of your card; in my case, that color is blue.
- One 11″x1-1/2″ (~28 cm x 4 cm) strip of cardstock – This cardstock should be a color that contrasts well with the color of the cardstock used to make the body of the card; in this case, yellow works great.
- One 1-7/8″x1-7/8″ (~4.8 cm x 4.8 cm) square of cardstock – This cardstock should match the color used to make the strip.
- One 1-3/4″x1-3/4″ (4.5 cm x 4.5 cm) square of drawing paper – The same paper you used for the inside of the card.
Use the writing utensil of your choice to write the first initial of your recipient’s name on the smallest square of paper in George Style lettering.
Try your best to center this letter. Once you have created the initial, glue the smallest square of paper onto the medium-sized square of paper.
Then, glue the medium-sized square of paper to the large square of paper.
5. Assemble
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 the tag, the card is complete!
How This Gatefold Birthday Card Works
When the birthday boy or girl receives your card, they’ll slide off the sash and open the flaps to reveal a birthday surprise! Don’t forget to write a nice message under his or her name and consider including some fun extras inside, too.
When I took the photos for this tutorial, I hadn’t written a birthday message yet. Pair the card with a coordinating envelope, and it’s ready to send!
This envelope features George Style lettering with all-lowercase pointed pen letters (find a free exemplar here). 
I hope that you enjoyed this simple tutorial! There’s a lot to love about this handmade gatefold birthday card: it’s interactive, tasteful, and not overly feminine. 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,
*This post contains affiliate links to Amazon
