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Handmade Greeting Card Ideas

Medha Godbole
A beautiful greeting card can express a lot. Ready-made cards are convenient, but good old handmade cards are just so much more special. There is a lot of room for innovation while making handmade cards. Here are some ideas for you to try.
It is your friend's birthday, you have planned a great surprise, and you are totally charged about the whole idea. You ponder over the arrangements and realize that the right card is missing.
Your first impulse is to get a ready-made card, after reconsideration you decide to make one yourself instead. Here are some great ideas for nice easy-to-make greeting cards.

Rubber Stamping

Using rubber stamps requires a very little amount of time and is extremely easy. You just have to choose the right stamp, you could try a birthday cake or balloons. A good ink pad is essential for a good stamp impression.
Have some crayons, markers/ colored pencils handy to color the design. The stamp can be used to decorate the envelope as well. You can play with the stamp and experiment on a separate sheet of paper to see which impression will look the best. You can even take a nice cut of the stamp and glue it on the card.

Crayons and Watercolors

These are the most primary tools to make cards. Crayons are the simplest to use, they are hassle-free, and easily available. Decide the size and shape of the card. Draw a border if you want, and then you can draw anything from flowers to cakes and cartoons.
Write some funny text inside the card using the crayons. Watercolors could be a bit messy, and you need to be a little artistic to paint with them. If you can paint with watercolors, you can come up with such great innovative designs. Even if you can't, anything which is drawn with passion and love for the person concerned is great.

Pencil Shavings

This is an interesting and creative option for a card. Pencil shavings are what you get when a pencil is sharpened. Make sure that you get a minimum 2 or 3 unbroken shavings.
Glue the shavings on the card where you feel they would look good. Now, keeping the shavings as the base, you can draw or write around the shavings. Popular ideas involve making the pencil shavings look like flowers.

Vegetable Prints

Vegetable prints can give a special and cute look to the card. Okra, potatoes, cauliflower etc. can be used to make interesting prints. To use okra, cut it at the tip and a bit at the bottom.
Dip the top end of the cut okra in paint, and then press it down on the card like a stamp. Similarly, potato slices and cauliflower can be used. The potatoes can be cut to make any shape you like.

Thumb Impressions

Thumb impressions are easy to do and will make your card very unique. Just dip your thumb in the paint and create an impression. These thumb impressions can be used as the background for a drawing, or could be a part of it.
4 impressions at 4 corners is a cool option to give a special touch.

Spray Paint

Spraying the card using a toothbrush is another option for a different look.
Dip an old toothbrush in paint, and flick the bristles with your thumb to spray the paint. It's a low-cost alternative to real spray paint cans.
Get going and you are sure to come up with such great ideas. Impress the person by making an extraordinary card. Moreover, the fact that it's your own creation provides an immense satisfaction which a ready-made card can never provide.