How to Find Materials for Making Greeting and Birthday Cards

Creating your own greeting cards for birthdays, holidays and anniversaries helps you save money, express your creativity and customize each message for the recipient. Find card-making materials from a variety of sources to add color, detail and meaning to your projects.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Buy basic supplies like blank cards, patterned paper, tools, stamps, pens, inks, fasteners, adhesives and embellishments at local scrapbooking or rubber stamp stores, crafts shops like Michaels or in the crafts department of stores like Target and Wal-Mart. Scrapbooking websites like Scrapbook.com and TwoPeasInABucket.com (see Resources) also offer a selection of materials to use on your cards.

2. Consider crafts items you already own like sewing notions (such as fabric, eyelets, embroidery floss and buttons), tole painting tools (like patterns, acrylic paints and glazes) or kids' art supplies (like markers, stickers, beads, glitter and foam shapes).

3. Recycle store-bought cards. Trim pretty designs, vibrant backgrounds or inside-the-card sentiments to become part of your latest project. Also, repurpose wrapping paper, magazine advertisements, product packaging, gift bags and tags.

4. Save your child's school artwork. Scan and print or cut snippets from old projects to adorn your cards. Their handwritten notes also make meaningful accents.

5. Search your computer files for fonts and clip art you can use to generate text or print and color to serve as embellishments.

Tips & Warnings

• For keepsake cards, use only archival-safe materials such as acid-free card stock, paper, pens and adhesives to create cards that won't degrade or fade.
• Check with your local post office to determine current mailing requirements and pricing guidelines. You don't want a card returned for insufficient postage because it's too large or bulky.

Resources

• Scrapbooking materials
• Scrapbooking materials