Easy Ideas For Making Your Own Greeting Cards Part 1

Kids aren’t the only ones who will enjoy making personalized cards the old-fashioned way by cutting out pictures and pasting them onto cards! Cards made like this can be very simple (easy enough even for really little kids) or can be quite elaborate (for we “older kids”-at-heart).

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Although having a computer would be helpful, you really don’t need one for these cards. All you need are personal photos, magazines, newspapers, brochures—really anything that is paper-based—and construction paper or cardstock (even the pre-folded cards and envelopes that are packaged together, such as Avery Half-Fold Greeting Cards, Avery #3265) 20% Off Avery® Craft Products plus FREE SHIPPING on orders of $50 or more
. You can also use plain computer paper and accordion-fold the card so that it fits in a standard business (#10) envelope.

Be sure to have on hand craft items such as kid-friendly scissors, glue sticks, glitter, colored markers (colored pencils or crayons), curl ribbon, paper “lace” doilies—anything that will help you to craft your very special greeting card! You can get a little fancier and go with hot glue guns, ribbon, specialty papers, stamps with colored inkpads, etc. MisterArt.com Discount Art & Craft Supplies–Up to 75% off!

You are probably already getting the idea that “getting back to basics” and actually creating cards—rather than simply picking out a card at the store—can be fun. Everyone enjoys getting cards, especially when the cards are made personally for that person. And there’s always some occasion that calls for sending a card, so this is a great craft idea for summer days with nothing else to do, long rainy Saturdays, or days when school is canceled due to snow (or hurricanes!).

And since this craft doesn’t require the use of a computer, you can even do it when there’s no power.

For kids, just keep it simple! The younger the kids, the more basic the card. It is helpful for really young kids to have pre-folded card stock and envelopes handy. That way they don’t have to think too hard about which side is the “front” of the card, etc. Give them the card and the envelope at the same time so that the decorations will match. Kid-friendly scissors and glue sticks work best—very little “mess” to worry about. Most brands of glue sticks have water-based, washable glue and the tubes are easy to work with for those little fingers! Save on kid’s craft supplies at www.CreateForLess.com.

For kids who are a little older, and can “dream up” ways to decorate cards a little better, you can spread out old newspaper (or an old sheet) on the table, and set out glitter, stickers, colored markers, even fingerpaints or watercolor paints. Glue sticks work fine with glitter, and it dries much faster than liquid white glue.

Older kids can be trusted with hot glue guns, which are best if making fairly elaborate cards that have ribbon or cloth pasted onto them.

Anything that is paper-based, that has pictures on it (or sports logos, etc.,) is ideal for making cards. Is your son’s best friend a Yankees fan? Find some baseball-related pictures (even an old program from a game you attended) and let your son have fun making a birthday card that scores a homerun!

Be crafty! Were you surfing the web when you saw a great picture of the kind of rose bush that Grandma just loves? Print out the web page (you might want to change the settings on your printing preference so that you get a good quality printout) and cut out the picture for her birthday card! Decorate the card any way you desire, and then give it to Grandma with brand new gardening gloves! She’ll love it!