If you’re a DIY kind of soul, gathering a bunch of bits and bobs and making your own greeting cards may already be old hat for you…
Whether you’ve done this a million times or you’re just dipping your tippy toes into the waters of handmade cards, creating your own greeting cards is a great way to save money, get super creative and make a different kind of impression – personal OR business.
If yo’re lucky enough to have a crafty friend or two who throws you a handmade card or envelope, you know that awesome “artist-crafted card” feeling when you receive one of these little gems.
People love receiving something with a human touch, and there are so many ways to bring that into your card crafting. If you’re an artist or maker and you already find yourself immersed in creativity, this will be so “on brand” for you!
The variation and surprises that happen when making your own greeting cards are the real special sauce. Here are a few ways that artists and those who consider themselves less artsy can create awesome, graphic, impactful greeting cards.
How to make a greeting card step by step:
- Choose your card size (decide whether you want it to fit in a standard envelope or whether that doesn’t matter).
- Decide whether you want to have a greeting card that opens in portrait orientation or landscape orientation.
- Choose a paper that can handle your creative medium – or one where you can adhere a separate piece of art. For example, you may draw directly onto a nice piece of folded and trimmed card stock or you may adhere a small watercolor sheet or a laser cut paper art piece.
- Pre-sketch your design on a separate piece of paper. Does your card have words inside or is it blank? Drawing out a mock-up will help you more easily put your card – or card collection – together.
- Make or assemble your art + card, and celebrate your card crafting success!
Now that we’ve done the step by step, here are a few different styles and greeting card examples to get you inspired to get out there and fold some message making magic.
Fine Art Greeting Cards
Greeting cards are a great way to display small pieces of your fine art, whether you make original art greeting cards (where each art piece is an original) or you create copies from your original artwork and print many as greeting cards.
Both display your own original designs, but if you are creating a unique piece of artwork for each card, that is significantly more work than duplicating your art. Depending on whether you are creating card collections for sale in galleries or shops, or you just want to make something special for your bestie, take some time to decide which of these methods fits your project best.
Fine art greeting cards can be so many things – watercolor, oil paint, hand lettering cards.. Just pop into any fine art gallery to see how artists make mini masterpieces and sell them for birthday and Mother’s Day celebrations 🙂
Mixed Media Collage Greeting Cards
Mixed media cards may be the most fun of all the fun – especially when you’re creating special artistic greeting cards for someone in particular. Collecting the little bits you’ll glue and paste into your mini masterpiece is like being back in kindergarten, but hopefully with slightly higher grade art supplies.
Think gritty graphics, collaged photos, personalized pizzazz, and room for some special sparkle. All you need is some glue or glue sticks, and anything you can think of to stick together in a super special way.
You can use fabrics, strings, buttons, ephemera, stamps – you get it – and create a little visual adventure of color and texture.
Rather than hand lettering cards, graphic printed paper from magazines or art pieces can bring a more graphic element in as you craft your message.
Creating messages from the cut out letters of printed magazine pages is appealing to ransom letter writers and celebrators of graphic paper crafters alike. And friends.. Only you know which side of that pendulum you swing 😉
Here is a fun little “paper and bits” collage greeting card I put together with they joy of my inner child’s heart –
As you can see, I didn’t even add a message. But no need – I already know who is getting this and they’re gonna love it anyway! Have some fun when pulling out the paste and scissors – it really does feel like being a kid again. You can even make a night of it and craft a vision board..
Digital Art and Printing Your Own Greeting Cards
Making your own greeting cards really is the most fun when you’re making individualized little gifts for friends. But digital art counts too, and is a really great way to scale your art efforts if you’re planning on making greeting cards to sell. Digital art by its nature allows you to duplicate and print as many as you want.
This is ideal if you’re selling in physical locations or if you run an online shop. As much as I love crafting and making my own greeting cards from snips and snaps from around the house, I also love printing a stack of these and sending them out to sell in a gallery.
Here is a display of some of my cards on display at an art gallery:
Greeting cards will likely always be around. People will keep having birthdays. And cards will likely continue to go up in price. So take advantage of your inner crafty McCrafter, save your self a little cash, and who knows – maybe you’ll come out on the other side of that cash flow if you decide you want to be the one selling greeting cards.
The possibilities are endless.. And now it’s time for us to part. May the card crafting force be ever with you.✨
Other posts you may enjoy:
Make Your Own Magic: Handmade Envelopes for Your Intentions and Goals
Solstice and Equinox: Nature Inspired Art to Celebrate the Seasons
