15 Incredible Cute Handmade Birthday Card Ideas

Most of us are constantly searching for what card to make for birthdays (and other occasions) and often you do not want to send the same card over and over again. The dilemma is always coming up with ideas that you can adjust and make with your own personal touch. I have often struggled with the fact that I don't want my family sharing what I made with them just to find out those cards are identical - well almost identical. You likely want every card to be unique and very personal.

Coming up with ideas does take time if you have to continuously search for patterns. Often you can find other people's projects or ideas right at Cricut.com. They have a multitude of designs you can make.

I wanted to make it easier for you. I have gathered together the 15 most popular birthday card ideas for this post. Each idea has a step-by-step tutorial with images and a video to help you along the way.

Here’s what you need to make all 15 Birthday Cards! This post does contain some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full disclosure policy.

This is just a general list of materials you will need for making birthday cards. Each card type may require something in addition to what we have listed here.

Not long ago I was helping a friend (we used to run marathons together) celebrate her 89th birthday! Wow, it was only a short 30 years ago when I met her at the YMCA Marathon Clinic – she was one of the leaders of a group with lots of experience behind her, and I was just a long-distance running beginner! I never knew how old she was but I admired the fact that I, too, could still be running when I reached retirement some decades in the future. Birthdays are a time of celebration and accomplishment and my friend has many!

I decided that I wanted to make a handmade birthday card just for her. Something special and something she could relate to at a glance. I often find when going to buy a card, there is never the perfect one in sight! So on to finding a design that I know she would like.

Make this card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/handmade-birthday-card/  

This card can be adapted for any Birthday or other occasion!

You can change the cut in this card to make it your own. I just love the design and when you make the changes, it is so gorgeous!

As you know, Mother’s Day always sneaks up on people and the rush to get a last minute card is amazing. I used to be like that as well, the problem was that my card needed to be sent from the West Coast to the East Coast and last minute working with the Post Office was not good, to say the least.  

Make this card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/best-ever-mothers-day-card/  

Floating Die-Cut handmade cards are nothing new and I have seen it featured in several articles as of late but I must be honest, I have never really tried it before. The technique sounds so very complicated, yet when broken down into small steps, it is actually very easy to make it work for any card project.

I find it so fascinating to see how many real ideas can make a difference in how a card comes to life. The floating die-cut technique is certainly something that is worth mastering.

Make this card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/floating-die-cut-handmade-cards/  

Handmade cards are always so special! Today we are making a Cube Card, a little twist on pop-up cards that will make you smile. I came across the Cube Card while reading one of my favorite card-making magazines. At first, it was a little confusing as to what I was supposed to cut. I took that experience and made the directions much easier to understand. I even made a video on how to do this card in under one hour!

I recently made another card and wrote a post about it. This card was a teapot and was quite gorgeous when it was done. You can read about it here: Handmade Birthday Card – this one I absolutely loved!

Make this card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/handmade-cards-making-a-cube-card-with-ease/  

Using my Cricut to make a birthday card is always fun! My Mother-in-Law is soon to turn 90 and making her a card was at the top of my list. She is a very active person who still drives, plays golf, does aqua fit and generally runs circles around the rest of the family. The creative juices had to flow for this one as she is an accomplished artist and has a critical eye! So far my mother-in-law has loved each card I have made for the family and I want to make sure the love continues!  

Make this card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/cricut-how-to-make-a-birthday-card/  

Getting into card-making is such a wonderful feeling! Take a look at the cards on the racks of most stores (yes, including the dollar store). It is often very difficult to find just the right sentiment and when you do, the image is not always what you are looking for! Card shops are there to inspire you - look around to get your ideas and how to personalize your own makes!

With handmade cards, you are able to make them using a Cricut cutting machine or using your scissors! Cricut provides you with the ability to make more in a shorter period of time! I often do both, depending on the complexity of the card I am making.

Make this card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/handmade-card-simple-shapes/  

You are a card-maker  who understands that there so many more techniques to learn that are easy to implement. Every card you make is so personalized that they are unique and one of a kind, just like the paper choices you make. Adding pleat to your card making activities can add one more skill to your skill set. All this without having to measure the score lines and the cut lines. Everything is provided for you, except the folding and gluing!

 This pleated card is just a start, you will be able to use the same template and change up how you apply it to your make.

Make this card here:  

https://www.bettesmakes.com/pleated-card/

Slider cards look more complicated than they actually are. If you have ever wanted to make slider cards with different designs without having to find a whole series of templates and then try to figure out how to make them on your own, then take the worry out of making these incredible gorgeous and easy to make cards.

I love  a challenge but when I saw this card, I fell in love with the design. I decided there and then to make sense out the directions and make one of my own. I must admit I struggled a bit with making it work but once I understood the mechanism, I was elated!

Make this card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/pull-tab-slider-card/  

Shadow box cards always look so complicated, would you not agree? I can imagine how you would put off making one of these incredible cute and easy to make cards without knowing the simple steps to get started.

I read many different blog articles to see what would work best, I even bought a magazine or two to see if the directions would be easy to follow. The truth is, most tutorials leave out one or two directions and leave you hanging! I knew I had to make this work so you could easily make your own with little effort.

Make this card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/shadow-box-card/  

I love making cards as I imagine you do as well. This time I wanted to make my own stencil and start making a simple card with the idea I could make multiple designs with the one stencil. I ended up cutting a few different sizes of stencils and making a huge mess on my crafting table. From one free card making idea I ended up with 4 different cards. 

In this step-by-step tutorial, we will look at different ideas you can use to decorate your greeting cards. The stencil template is provided for you and I also included the basic card SVG so you can do everything right on your Cricut.

Make this card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/simple-card-making-idea-using-a-handmade-stencil/  

This cute handmade card has lots of cut outs and stickers to make your heart sing. This card was designed based on some cards I viewed over the past few weeks. I always design my own and this one is no exception. I used some double-sided cardstock for the outside to keep the card sturdy but other than that, you can use any type of material you want or have on hand. This card is easy to make and absolutely perfect for beginners! 

The project includes an envelope template - so when you are finished, you can mail out the card!

Make this card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/cute-diy-birthday-card-with-hearts/  

Creative and fun to make. This handmade birthday card has a lot to offer the recipient and also for the maker! You can add your own color palette to the outlined flowers on the inside of the card. This card has a standard fold, but what you do with the design will really make you stand out when you make it for your friends or family.

This project works on all Cricut cutting machines: Explore Air 2 (or earlier version), Maker, and Joy.

You do not need a ton of fancy materials here, just cardstock, a pen that fits into your Cricut, and a set of pencil crayons (or markers, or even paints). Most of the work is already done for you so this makes it a perfect project for beginners.

Make this card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/creative-handmade-birthday-card-idea/  

Note Card and Envelope with Personalization.

I am the last person to claim they can draw, yet I flourish as an artist in a different way. Are you the same? Just think of all the crafts you make without the need to draw.

Recently, I posted a project where I was required to draw. I practices the strokes and how to color in the results long before recording the video. Don't laugh, I am not impressed by my results but at least I tried. If you are in the same boat, then you will want to know how to get around the main issue of being a crafter who's paint brush has not been well trained.

Make this card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/note-card/  

Foil Quilling and using your Cricut is the perfect way to embellish paper crafts. I just want to caution anyone who wants to use the foil quill pens with their Cricut machine. This is a 3rd party add-on and it will void your warranty on your machine if anything goes wrong. Having said that, I used my Explore Air 2 which has passed the warranty period, and I had no issues as long as I followed the procedures shown in this blog article.

To start, you may wonder what the Foil Quilling pens are all about. You have probably seen them in action but may not have much experience with them. There are some cautions that you will need to aware of but after that, let your creative minds flow!

Make this Card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/foil-quilling/  

Flower Pounding is nothing new, it has been used for centuries for dying clothing, making paints, and adding color to everyday life. I came across flower pounding many years ago when studying art and art forms. I felt it was a very natural way to bring nature into the world long after the flower blooms had faded. Some of the vivid colors of nature can easily be replicated using very simple techniques with a hammer or even a rock. I prefer to use a hammer with a very large end (the peen) – as a matter of fact, I use a rubber mallet and it seems to work the best for this project.  

Make this card:

https://www.bettesmakes.com/handmade-cards-using-flower-pounding/  

I hope that you found at least 1 card you wanted to make! This list has so many options that you could use these designs for a full year just by combining different design features. I love the fact that many of these designs also had envelopes attached so you did not have to figure out exactly what sizes to make or buy.

If you made a card, please share it on our Facebook group. https://Facebook.com/groups/BettesMakes

Until next time,

Happy Crafting!

Please join me on Pinterest: https://Pinterest.ca/BetteMakerCreations

Join my Facebook group: https://facebook.com/BettesMakes

Follow me on Instagram: https://Instagram.com/BettesMakes

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BettesMakes