Handmade Birthday Card Ideas!

I really liked the hues in the patterned paper and I wanted to create something that would complement its' style.

I imagine this card to be for a guy because of the neutral colors, but then again the neutral colors allow the greeting card to work for just about anyone's birthday!

I thought about using brads to "bind" this card together, but instead I used a thick strip of brown to create a paper binding that gave the card a different type of feel to it.

By gluing the pieces together and then into the brown binding strip, it gave the card a type of book-ish feel and I really liked how it turned out.

• Cardstock, I used brown and cream colored cardstock.

• Scrap cardstock for binding/gluing all the pages (the brown strip holding the card together) and for a border for your "Happy Birthday" message and for actually printing the message

• Patterned paper, for the cover

• Printer or rubber stamps, for your message - I just printed out "Happy Birthday" on the cream cardstock

• Paper trimmer or scissors

• Glue runner, it was the easiest adhesive to use for gluing all the pages together

• Decorative edged scissors, for creating that layered effect

• Steel ruler

• Bone folder

1. Measure and cut the cardstock for the last layer of the card.

   Note: I measured the last layer of the card to fit into a regular sized envelope.

2. Measure and cut the next piece of cardstock to match the size of the last layer of cardstock, except about 1/2 inch shorter.

3. Measure and cut your patterned paper to match the size of the last layer of cardstock, except about 1 inch shorter.

4. Use your decorative scissors to cut scalloped edges along the ends of the patterned paper and the middle piece of cardstock.

5. Cut about an inch thick strip of cardstock to match the height of your card (this will be the used to bind all the paper together, I used brown for this card).

6. Use your steel ruler and bone folder to make a crease vertically along the middle of the strip of cardboard. This should create a sort of "tent" where all of the pieces of paper will be glued into.

7. Use your steel ruler and bone folder to make creases along the patterned paper and the two pieces of cardstock where the card layers will fold open once the pieces are altogether (likely this will be about 1/2 inch into the layers of the card if the strip is 1 inch thick). This will make the card easier to open once all the layers are glued together.

   
   

8. Use your glue runner to run a strip of glue along the far left edge of the last layer of the card, then glue your second layer of the card to that edge.

9. Use your glue runner to run a strip of glue along the far left edge of the second layer of the card, then glue your patterned paper to that edge.

10. Use your glue runner to run a strip of glue along the "tent" binding on the right edge, carefully take your card and press firmly so that it adheres to that side of the "tent."

11. use your glue runner to run a strip of glue along the other side of the "tent" binding then carefully fold over and press firmly. Now your card should be completed bound together!

12. Print or rubber stamp your "Happy Birthday" message onto a scrap piece of cardstock.

13. Cut out your message with some space around it.

14. Cut out another piece of cardstock a little bigger than your message to create a border around it.

15. Glue your message onto the other pieces of cardstock.

16. Glue that piece to your card.

17. Presto, You're Done!

Here's what the card looks like flat. Notice the cool staggered edges that were so easy to make!

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