How to Create a Handmade Card in Less than 10 Minutes

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Crafting and DIY expert Kathleen Ballos explains how to quickly make a handmade card that's still beautiful

Co-authored by Kathleen Ballos and Marcus Pruitt, BS

Last Updated: February 3, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Preparation
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• Gathering Materials
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• Making The Card
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• Personalizing The Card
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• Completing The Card
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• Expert Interview
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• Expert Q&A

|Show more |Show less

Making a handmade card that’s great to look at in as little as ten minutes is easy! Plus, handmade cards are always lovely to receive, and much more personal than a store bought card. So if you want to surprise a friend or loved one with a personalized card, read on! In this article, we work with various arts and crafts professionals to teach you how to make a beautiful handmade card quickly. We go step by step, too, so you aren’t going to miss anything! Read on to learn how to prepare your card, make it, personalize it, and more!

How to Quickly Make a Handmade Card

Crafting and DIY Expert Kathleen Ballos recommends using alphabet stamps, paper punches, and washi tape. To create the card, follow these steps:

1. Choose a base card and fold the paper horizontally or vertically.
2. Grab your favorite writing utensil(s).
3. Write a phrase like “Wishing You Well” or “Missing You” on the front.
4. Write out your greeting on the inside of the card.
5. Embellish the card with ribbons, stickers, or sequins to make it pop.

Steps

Section 1 of 5:

Prepping Your Base Card

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1. 
   1
   Choose a base card. This is the card that will be the foundation of your project. The color you choose will be featured prominently in your finished product, so keep that in mind when choosing your base card.

   • Craft stores sell blank, plain cards for this purpose. They’re already folded and creased, making them easy and quick to use.
   • You can use any kind of paper you want, but the most popular choice is cardstock, which is a nice heavy paper made specifically for card making. All craft stores carry cardstock and the variety is usually vast.
   • Your base card choice can be as simple as plain white paper! Paper that is any color of the rainbow and patterned paper are both great options as well.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Kathleen Ballos is a Crafting and DIY Expert with over 12 years of experience creating original DIY content and leading in-person craft workshops.

   Renee Day is a Crafting Expert who specializes in paper crafts, brush lettering, journaling, embossing, stamping, stencilling, doodling, and crocheting.

   Amy Guerrero is an Arts & Crafts Specialist and the Owner of the crafting studio Sunshine Craft Co. She has over 15 years of design experience.

   Katharina Tarta is a Paper Crafting Expert who has been building a community of over 500,000 engaged crafting enthusiasts online since 2022.
2. 
   2
   Prep the paper for folding by marking the center with a pencil. If you’re using a full piece of paper rather than a pre-folded card, go ahead and fold the paper so that it’s in card form. The best looking cards have a nice, crisp crease., which you can easily make with items you already have at home.

   • With your paper laid horizontally in front of you, take a ruler and measure the horizontal center of the card in two places – near the top and near the bottom.
   • Mark the center lightly with a pencil dot in both places, and then use the ruler to connect those dots with a straight line, from the bottom to the top of the page. Use the pencil with a very light touch.
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3. 
   3
   Fold the card. Do this by carefully folding the paper along the drawn line. Once folded, use the bone folder or a similar flat tool to flatten the fold. You should now have a crisply folded piece of paper that looks almost exactly like a store bought card!

   • Use the spine of a book or an old credit card if you don’t have a bone folder.
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Section 2 of 5:

Gathering Your Materials

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1. 
   1
   Choose a writing utensil. A calligraphy pen or nice writing utensil are the best choices. However, any tool you have that will look official and special when written with will do.

   • Calligraphy pens work best for this, but in a pinch you could use a Sharpie or a regular marker.
   • If you do decide to use a Sharpie or marker, make light strokes to avoid unnecessary smearing.
2. 
   2
   Choose a ribbon. You need less than a yard of ribbon for this. Any ribbon will do, but if you are working with a particular color palette in mind, choose according to that. For example, if your base card is pink, choose a white ribbon to complement it.

   • If you’d prefer to use another embellishment, go for tiny seashells, fabric, twine, or pearls instead of ribbons.
   • Fine-tipped reverse tweezers are great for getting proper positioning on your embellishments, so consider grabbing one if you plan on adding them to your card.
3. 
   3
   Grab a glue stick or strong adhesive. Glue sticks are widely available in any school supply aisle at practically every grocery or craft store. If you’d prefer another adhesive over a glue stick, try hot glue, adhesive paper, or foam dots.

   • Crafting expert Renee Day says you could also use double sided tape, but a glue stick is much more preferable.
4. 
   4
   Choose additional embellishments. If there are any additional embellishments you want to use, pick those out now. Some fun choices are glitter, stamps, cut out paper shapes, stickers, stick-on rhinestones, additional ribbon and fake flowers. Get creative!
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Section 3 of 5:

Making The Card

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1. 
   1
   Plan out what you want to write and sketch it in pencil. Once you know what you want to write, lightly pencil the words onto the card so that you can trace the lines with your pen. You can write on the inside only, or on the inside and outside front cover, it’s entirely up to you.

   • Relax so that your hands won’t shake while lettering the card. Imagine you’re writing a note to yourself if you feel yourself starting to get nervous (just make sure it’s legible).
   • Cut letters out and glue them to the card for a more unique look. If you do, arts & crafts specialist Amy Guerrero suggests using a cutting mat and Exacto knife to get detailed, precise cuts without damaging your surfaces.
   • If you prefer not to cut or write with a pencil, use a stamp of letters or names to get clean, appealing lettering.
   EXPERT TIP

   

   Kathleen Ballos

   Crafting and DIY Expert

   Kathleen Ballos is a crafting and DIY expert based in Ontario, Canada. With over 12 years of experience, Kathleen is a maker and craft stylist with a focus on creating original DIY content. She leads in-person craft workshops and develops take-home craft kits. Kathleen has appeared on The Good Stuff with Mary Berg and was the winner of Scotch Brand's Canada's Ultimate Gift Wrapper contest. She has contributed DIY crafts for Martha Stewart, Best Ideas for Kids, Design*Sponge, Oh Happy Day, Brit + Co, The House That Lars Built, and Canadian Living. She has also created content for brands including Disney, Target, Universal Pictures, LEGO, Kleenex, Party City, Nestle, Sculpey, and more.

   

   Kathleen Ballos
   Crafting and DIY Expert

   Alphabet stamps are a great investment for card-making. You can use clear silicone stamps that you place onto clear blocks. That way, you can see exactly where everything is when you’re stamping it instead of guessing and checking, like with a traditional stamp.
2. 
   2
   Write over the penciled lines with a calligraphy pen and let the ink dry. Do this slowly and carefully, taking care not to smear the ink. You’ll want to make sure the ink has dried completely before moving on.

   • Blow lightly on the ink to help speed up the drying process.
   • Most inks take 60 seconds or less to dry.
   • If you’re lettering on both the front and inside of the card, letter the front first and allow it to dry completely before moving on to the inside lettering.
   EXPERT TIP

   

   Katharina Tarta

   Paper Crafting Expert

   Katharina Tarta is a paper crafting expert based in Munich, Germany. After developing a lifelong passion for crafting, Katharina launched her crafting social media pages and paper crafting business in 2022. Katharina has built an engaged community of crafting enthusiasts online, where she regularly shares tutorials on popular paper crafts, showcases elaborate cards and other paper arts, and shares crafting recommendations for her audience via curated storefronts. Her Instagram page, katharina_tarta_crafts, has 500K followers on Instagram. She received a Master's degree in Biochemistry.

   

   Katharina Tarta
   Paper Crafting Expert

   Faux calligraphy can help make your cards beautiful. Faux calligraphy is when you write something as beautifully as you can, then go back and outline the letters to make them thicker. This technique looks very beautiful when executed correctly.
3. 
   3
   Decide on ribbon placement, then secure it. Experiment with horizontal and vertical placements, as well as using multiple pieces of ribbon. Be as creative as you like! Once you decide on the position and placement of your ribbon, affix it permanently by lightly spreading glue on the underside of the ribbon and pressing it down into place firmly.

   • The same applies if you used other embellishments instead of ribbons.
   • Make sure your final ribbon placement won't conceal any of your writing before gluing it down.
   • Cut your ribbon (if necessary) to fit the dimensions of your card before gluing it down.
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Section 4 of 5:

Personalizing The Card

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1. 
   1
   Write personal messages that let the receiver know you’re thinking of them. Therapist Ebony Eubanks says to write your feelings on the card and include shared memories or relevant things that resonate with the person you’re giving it to. You can make poems, picture collages, whatever you want! As long as the message is personal to the receiver and shows them your love, it’s okay to include.
2. 
   2
   Add elements that are unique to the receiver. When you’re making your card, try to add some things that the person you’re giving it to would enjoy, like their favorite animal, a funny joke that they constantly repeat, or a ribbon in their favorite color. By personalizing the elements to the receiver, you’ll send the message that you were thinking deeply about them when making the card.
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Section 5 of 5:

Completing The Card

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1. 
   1
   Allow the glue to dry completely. This should only take about 60 seconds or so. You can check by lightly nudging an element, such as the ribbon, to see if it moves at all. Be careful doing this, however, as you don’t want to dislodge it.
2. 
   2
   Add any additional elements you’d like. This is optional, but if you have other elements that you want to add alongside your ribbon, like cut out paper shapes, stickers, or fake flowers, this is the time to add them. It's best to add them last, so that you can truly size up what your card looks like and choose the best embellishment possible!

   • Decide on placement and glue them down carefully. Allow these elements to dry completely, as well.
3. 
   3
   Choose an envelope. This is also optional, but it can be a nice touch. Many craft stores will sell envelopes in a variety of colors and sizes for this purpose. These are generally located right next to the cardstock items in the store.

   • Carefully slip the card into the envelope and seal it as you normally would. Write the recipient’s name on the front of the envelope, if desired.
   • Guerrero says that “adding stickers, washi tape, or hand lettering their name onto the envelope is a way to make the card look great!”
4. 
   4
   Deliver the card! Your card is now complete and ready to be given to the recipient. Handmade cards are always lovely to receive, and much more personal than a store bought card. It will be a hit!
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Expert Q&A

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Add New Question

• Question

  What else can I use to decorate the card?

  

  Renee Day
  Crafting Expert

  Renee Day is a Crafting Expert and Content Creator based in Michigan. She is a master of paper crafts, and also specializes in brush lettering, journaling, embossing, stamping, stenciling, doodling, and crocheting. Her Instagram account, thediyday, has over 300K followers. She published a book called Creative Journaling: A Guide to Over 100 Techniques and Ideas for Amazing Dot Grid, Junk, Mixed-Media, and Travel Pages. The book contains 52 projects, from crafting colorful pages to creating dot grid, junk, mixed-media, and travel journals. She also created Chunky Letter Calligraphy, a 30+ page (PDF) all about lettering. She runs a thriving Amazon Storefront, where she curates craft supply collections for her followers. She previously worked as a photographer, capturing engagement sessions, weddings, boudoir, and landscapes. She received a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.

  

  Renee Day

  Crafting Expert

  Expert Answer

  If you want a more artsy vibe, try the watercolor trick where you add color to a plastic bag with markers, spritz it with water, and press the card into it for a cool, splotchy effect. If you’re feeling fancy, sprinkle some glitter between laminating sheets, laminate them, and cut out shapes to glue onto your card. Even items from the crafts or dollar store, like stickers or alphabet letters, can help you personalize it.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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• Question

  How do you embellish a card?

  

  Amy Guerrero
  Arts & Crafts Specialist

  Amy Guerrero is an Arts and Crafts Specialist and the Owner of Sunshine Craft Co., a crafting studio based in Phoenix, Arizona. Amy specializes in macrame, DIY crafting, and teaching fiber arts. She offers monthly in-person and online workshops along with having developed a range of DIY craft kits for at-home projects. Amy holds a BS in Industrial Design from Philadelphia University. She worked as a graphic designer before starting her own business. Sunshine Craft Co. is a creative hub that offers a wide range of workshops, tools, and resources for any craft project to inspire creativity and community engagement.

  

  Amy Guerrero

  Arts & Crafts Specialist

  Expert Answer

  If you have a store-bought card, make sure to fill it out with a thoughtful message or personal doodle, and don’t forget to decorate the envelope! Adding stickers, washi tape, or hand lettering the name of the person onto the envelope is a way to make the card look great!

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

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• Question

  How can I try different fonts?

  

  Community Answer

  The best way to try writing in different fonts is to just do it. Go on to Pinterest or another similar platform and find some fonts you would like to try. Start with the alphabet in both capitals and lower case and then move on to sentences. "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" is a good sentence because it will allow you to practice every letter. If you need different writing utensils, then try it without them until YOU think you are ready to progress.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 21 Helpful 40

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