Sometimes it is challenging to find the right birthday card so I like to make handmade birthday cards for all my friends and my family. It is great fun and an easy way to show someone that you love about them.
You can do it too:-
To make a handmade birthday card, simply follow these instructions:-
Take a piece of white card and cut it 250mm by 125mm – I use textured card to produce a nice finish.
You will also need an envelope 130mm square in which to send your birthday card. Both of these can be acquired sourced from Southfield Stationers.
Now comes the fun part:-
To beautify this birthday card I am using foil card, peel-offs and beads. These can be found in local handmade craft shops, but beware – handmade card making is such fun that you will ALWAYS leave the shop having purchased something new that you will want to try – I know I do!
First I cut a piece of card 5mm wide and just slightly longer than the handmade birthday card. For this card I chose a turquoise blue foil card but you can make it any colour you choose – perhaps the favourite colour of the recipient.
I glued this to the card using aerosol glue. This type of glue (3M Spray Mount) is good for finer papers and vellum as it doesn’t ruin the card or paper and goes on so finely that you don’t get lumps of glue destroying your card or scruffy edges. A useful tip here is to use a mat away from where you are working so that the spray of glue doesn’t go everywhere. Lakeland Plastic’s large “messy mat” does a great job for this.
Lastly attach your peel-off to your handmade card. Perhaps a flower spray from the Francois range, number 2237.
Lift it off the base sheet and lay it onto the coloured strip, centring it carefully. Tweezers are good for this then you don’t get the peel-off sticking to your fingers; then peel-off down with your fingers to make sure that it is evenly stuck down. You can lift and reposition at this point if you do it carefully.
Next glue two coloured pearls on to the centre of the flowers and, again using peel-offs, stick the words Happy Birthday onto the foil at the top and bottom of your recipient’s handmade birthday card.
Leave it to dry completely – I usually leave a handmade card overnight to make sure it is dries thoroughly. Your handmade birthday card is ready to be written and posted. – Have fun!
| Helen Porter makes contemporary, individually crafted Handmade Birthday Cards to order at local craft fairs and online. She also makes handmade greetings cards for other occasions, and handmade wedding stationery |