A birthday only happens once a year, so why not make it special. Give your friends and loved ones a homemade birthday card. Since you know your loved ones better than the writers of sold greeting cards, you can customize your card to convey an appropriate birthday message. The card’s recipient will certainly feel appreciated after receiving the written greeting.

Your Sentiments are Better than Anyone Else’s

Ready-made birthday cards are available in every bookstore. Purchasing those items is your easy way out, but would you really want to give the special people in your life sentiments echoed from strangers. Besides, you’ll feel good making a homemade card since you will put your passion in its creation, especially if it is for a lover. It’s just like creating a love letter or a friendly letter with an illustrated cover.

Components of a Birthday Card

The birthday card has three main components.

• The cover
• The message
• The envelope

Ideally, the cover and the message work hand-in-hand to convey your sentiments. The envelope, on the other hand, can just be a plain card carrier or it could be styled to work in congruence with the other two components.

The Cover

You can design the cover in any which way you want, as long as it is related to the message. You can illustrate images, create collages, manipulate photos or download designs on the Internet. The number of options is limitless. Just be sure that the cover is done in good taste, otherwise the birthday celebrant may get offended or it may overpower your message.

Options for Making the Cover

• Draw and illustrate an image.
• Paint images or use watercolor to create the cover design.
• Cut images and letters from magazines to form a striking collage.
• Download images on the Internet, then manipulate them using Adobe Photoshop.
• Take cool photos and manipulate them using Adobe Photoshop, if necessary.
• Use a pair of scissors and coloring materials to create a neat pop-up cover.
• Scan two dozen pictures of the celebrant. Make sure that the pictures demonstrate the various stages of his/her life. Use your computer to form a montage out of those pictures. Place a striking one liner at the center of the montage.
• Create a touching video presentation, showing the celebrant during select portions of his/her life. Stick the unreadable side of the CD in front of the card.
• Sketch a treasure map in front of the card, then place an ‘X’ mark. That mark represents the location of your birthday present. You can also place several x marks, that will lead the celebrant to several clues, before he/she finally reaches your birthday present.
• Sketch or print an image. At the center of the cover, stick two tickets to the concert of the celebrant’s favorite band. You can also use tickets to a play or if you are feeling a little generous, you can stick a plane ticket to the celebrant’s favorite city.

These are only a few options. If you have even better ideas, feel free to follow them as long as they follow the cover’s basic rule, which is to blend with the birthday message.

The Message

Your birthday message is the most important part of the birthday card. It is the basis for your card’s overall design. It also sets the theme for your entire card. In the process of creating a birthday card, the message is the very first thing that you should think of.

The message is just as versatile as the designs for the cover. You can write a quirky one-liner, a lengthy tale or even a poem. Contemplate on how you really feel towards the celebrant. Now, apply a little wordplay and you’ll have an excellent birthday message.

You can also follow the format of standard birthday cards. A striking one-liner is found at right page, while the empty space on the left page is reserved for a poem or a personal letter.

The Envelope

The envelope, simple as it may seem, can influence the overall effect of your card. You can place tiny details on the envelope that will act as teasers to the card’s message and appearance. Spray the envelope with perfume to create an endearing romantic impression. You can also add stickers if the birthday celebrant is pretty young. Of course, if the card is already riddles with patterns and pictures, you might as well make the envelope plain to prevent a design overkill.

Making the Birthday Card

Creating the birthday card is fun. Think of the finished product as an artwork or a poem. Every detail should be carefully prepared and thought of. If you come up with several creative ideas, do not hesitate to pursue them, as long as they are not offensive to the celebrant.

Materials Used:

• cardboard
• 2 pcs bond paper
• pencil
• ruler
• scissors
• glue
• coloring materials
• computer (optional)
• printer (optional)
• perfume (optional)
• camera (optional)

Procedure:

The birthday card is now ready to be delivered. You can assure yourself that your card will be appreciated, if you made it with passion. If that card is for your lover, do not forget to seal it with a kiss before delivery.

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