Homemade Card Tutorial: Accordion Fold Birthday Card

A handmade card you put thought and time into will always mean more to the recipient than any store-bought card. Even a novice can make an impressive fold-out card in less than an hour using some inexpensive supplies from the craft store.

Materials:
20-by-7-inch strip of card stock
Paper trimmer with scoring blade
Bone folder
3 pieces of decorative paper
Double-sided tape
Card stock in a solid color
Stamp with birthday image
Stamp with birthday greeting
Stamp pad
Foam dots
Embellishments

Step 1

Score the 20-by-7-inch piece of card stock width-wise at 5 inches, 10 inches and 15 inches. Fold the card stock toward the front of the paper on the first score line, the back on the second and the front on the last score line. Crease these folds with a bone folder.

Step 2

Cut a 4-by-6-inch rectangle from each of the three coordinating birthday-themed decorative papers. Adhere one rectangle to the first section of the card, another to the second section and a final one to the fourth section. The rectangle in the first section goes on the side of the section that shows when the piece is folded up. The other two rectangles go on opposite sides of the paper. Adhere the rectangles of paper so they are centered in their respective sections.

Step 3

Measure the area of the birthday-image stamp you chose for the card. Cut a piece of card stock that is an inch wider and taller than that stamp. Ink the stamp with the stamp pad and stamp it in the center of the piece of card stock you cut. Adhere that stamped card stock in the center of the front of your card with foam dots so it is popped out.

Step 4

Ink the birthday-greeting stamp you chose. Stamp this stamp on the middle section of the card. Leave the third section of the card unstamped so you can write your message in this section of the card.

Step 5

Embellish the card with items such as ribbon, chipboard shapes, self-adhesive rhinestones or paper flowers to suit its recipient. Adhere these items with double-sided tape or foam dots, depending on if you want them popped up off the card or flush with the card.

Tips:

Envelopes to fit a 5-by-7-inch card are sold at most office-supply stores and craft stores.

You will need 12-by-24-inch card stock to cut the necessary 20-by-7-inch piece of card stock that serves as the card's base. You can find card stock in various sizes at most craft stores.

Keep in mind the card's recipient when choosing decorative paper, stamps and embellishments.