Homemade Greeting Cards & Announcements

Making your own greeting cards, birth announcements or special occasion announcements is not only far more personal than using store-bought cards, but it is often less expensive, as well. You only need basic craft supplies to put together your own greeting cards or announcements, and you can design them to fit your desired look. In addition, you can choose exactly what you want the card or announcement to say, which can be difficult with templates or store-bought cards.

• 1

  Measure your envelopes to determine the size of card to make. Subtract 1/4 inch from the length of the envelope and write this number down. Subtract 1/4 inch from the height of the envelope, then multiply that figure by 2 and write the number down. These numbers will be the dimensions of the card stock you will use to make your cards.

• 2

  Cut card stock to the dimensions you determined. Fold each card in half so it will fit in the specified envelope. Your card now has a front, an inside and a back.

• 3

  Cut pieces of decorative paper to dimensions 1 inch smaller on each side than the front of your folded card. The paper should have a pattern that matches the card occasion. For example, a birth announcement for a girl could have a white decorative paper with pink dots or pictures of pink baby clothes on it. For holiday greeting cards, choose paper with holiday images.

• 4

  Glue the decorative paper to the center of the front of each greeting card.

• 5

  Create greeting card headings on small pieces of paper that will fit well within the boundaries of the decorative paper, and glue a heading onto the front of each card. The heading could say something like "Happy Holidays," "It's a Girl," "Thank You," or whatever fits the occasion. You can use rubber stamps and ink for this, write the letters freehand; or type the headings on a computer, print many copies and cut out and glue the printed headings onto your cards.

• 6

  Write the details inside the card with pen. If you have to make many cards, you could also type the details, print them, cut them out and glue them inside each card, paying attention to size so they will fit easily inside your cards. A greeting card could include a short poem or other kind of verse and space for you to write a personalized note. An announcement should include the content you would like to announce, such as the name, height and weight of your new baby.

• 7

  Embellish the inside and outside of each card with additional decorative elements, as desired. One idea for an announcement is to select a photograph -- such as a baby photo for a birth announcement or an engagement photo for a wedding announcement -- and punch two holes in the top of the photo; cut two corresponding slits in the front of the card, slip a piece of ribbon through and tie the photo to the card, securing the ribbon with a decorative bow on the front. For a holiday card, you could select three white buttons of different sizes and glue them to the card to look like a snowman. Decorate the edges of the card by gluing thin strips of ribbon. Glitter, sequins and other adornments can also be used to embellish your cards.