How to Make a Card: Step by Step Guide

If you've ever wondered how to make a card, you're not alone! Whether it's for a birthday, a holiday, or just because, card making is a beautiful way to express creativity and spread joy. In this quick guide, we'll show you how to make a card step by step, from picking the right card making supplies to learning basic techniques and discovering ideas on how to make a birthday card, how to make a pop up card, and even how to make an envelope for a card. Let's dive in!

Patterned Petals Stencil Set (4 in 1)

Table of Contents

How to Make a Card Step-by-Step

Essential Card Making Supplies

Choosing the Right Paper for Cards

How to Make a Birthday Card

BONUS! Simple Birthday Card Ideas with Stencils and Dies

How to Make a Pop-Up Card

Bonus! How to make a pop-up card - with a twist!

How to Make a Christmas Card

BONUS! How to make a Christmas card in under 20 minutes!

How to Make an Envelope for a Card

What is the envelope size for an A2 card?

FAQs

What Is Cardmaking and How to Make a Card?

How to Make a Card Step-by-Step

Making a handmade card is easier than you might think! You’ll need some cardmaking supplies, basic instructions, some card inspiration, and A LOT of creativity! It might seem daunting at first, but with this quick guide, you’ll be on your way to creating your first handmade card. Here's a simple 5-step process:

1. Gather Your Supplies
   Collect your cardstock, adhesives, stamps, inks, embellishments, and your favorite card making kits. As a beginner in card making, it’s important to have the basic card making tools to help you create. We’ll discuss more about the essential card making supplies for beginners in the next section.   

2. Choose a Card Size
   The first thing you need to know about how to make a card is the card size. The most common sizes include A2 (4.25" x 5.5"), 5" x 7", and 3.5” x 8.5” (slimline cards). When choosing your cardstock, it’s important to go for heavyweight and sturdy ones. Right now, 110 lb is the most popular cardstock weight.  

1. Design Your Layout
   Sketch a quick plan of your handmade card’s design – where the focal point, sentiment, and embellishments will go. As a cardmaking beginner, you can definitely CASE other cardmakers’ designs and layouts. There’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from them. But, as you go on, you’ll develop your unique layout and design, making your handmade cards your own.

2. Create the Card Front
   The most important part of your handmade card is the card front! As the name suggests, this is the front of your card - your blank canvas - the first thing that the recipient will see when they receive it. Stamp, stencil, emboss, or layer as desired!

3. Assemble and Finish
   Most cardmakers attach their card front to a card base, but some also use the card base as their card front. This depends on the design, layout, and overall vibe of your handmade card. Add any final touches and don’t forget to write a heartfelt message inside your card!

Essential Card Making Supplies

If you're serious about learning how to make a card, having the right cardmaking supplies is crucial. While these are must-haves, you can always find replacements or opt out if you think you still don’t need one or two of these. Here's a checklist of our recommended card making supplies and tools for beginners like you! 

• Cardstock or specialty paper - A plain white cardstock is a must in your crafting stash. However, it wouldn’t hurt to try other types of paper as you embark on your beginner cardmaking journey. Grab some watercolor paper, colored cardstock paper, glitter paper, and even vellum! You’ll learn so many fun card making techniques along the way using different types of cardstock and paper. 

• Stamps and dies - These two card making supplies go hand-in-hand. Of course, as a beginner cardmaker, you can always opt for stamps first and build your collection of dies as you go on. However, learning stamping and die-cutting from the get-go will help you upgrade your card making techniques and have fun along the way. 

• Stencils - If stamping and die-cutting are not your cup of tea, you might want to try stencils. These are game-changers in the card making world and will definitely help you learn how to make a card.

• Ink pads and blending brushes - Dye inks and pigment inks are must-have card making tools, especially for beginners. If you’re up for it, try to include a few ink blending brushes to enhance your card making journey. Ink blending is one of the easiest and most basic card making techniques that will help you as a beginner cardmaker. 

• Craft cutting mat - Beginners often overlook the importance of a good craft cutting mat or craft mat. Go for a self-healing craft mat to protect your crafting desk and other tools.

• Adhesives (tape runner, foam tape, liquid glue) - If you can only choose one type of adhesives for card making, we highly recommend Glue Tape or tape runner. These are perfect for various card making techniques and beginner-friendly since they are removable and repositionable. 

• Coloring mediums (alcohol markers, watercolors, embossing powders) - For beginner cardmaking, having dye inks is enough to help you create. But consider adding one or two coloring mediums to your crafting stash to help you explore other cardmaking techniques and styles. 

• Embellishments (sequins, ribbons, gems, enamel dots) - Without embellishments, your handmade card might look like a cake with no icing! We don’t want that! Try investing in a few types of card making embellishments to add sparkle, shine, and interest to your projects.

• Scoring board and paper trimmer - If a scoring board and paper trimmer are out of your budget at the moment, opt for at least a good scoring tool or bone folder and high-quality scissors. 
  

Choosing the Right Paper for Cards

One of the most asked questions when it comes to beginner card making is, what paper is used for cards? Lucky for you, we have discussed this in our article below: 

The Ultimate Guide to Cardstock Paper and Craft Paper

We’ve also prepared a quick guide on all things cardstock paper to help you understand how to make a card and choose the right paper.

Dynamic Duo: Crescent Flowers

BONUS! Simple Birthday Card Ideas with Stencils and Dies

If you want to learn how to make a birthday card that’s simpler and easier, we’ve got you! In Aga’s handmade birthday card above, she only used a floral layering stencil to create the background, popped up a couple of sentiment strips, and voila! Quick, birthday card in under 5 minutes!

Zero-Waste: Autumn Leaves Die

Jaycee shows you how to make a birthday card that looks like a professional made it! He used one of our Zero-Waste Dies and tried a fun, beginner-friendly technique called inlaid die cutting. All you do is cut out your design, then glue the pieces back into the empty spaces—like putting together a puzzle! It’s an easy way to make your handmade birthday card look extra special, especially if you play with different colors for the die-cut pieces and the background.

He took it to the next level by blending inks in the background and using gold cardstock for the die-cuts, but you can always go for plain white cardstock and add colors with your favorite dye inks. Make it your own and use any of the available card making supplies in your stash.  

How to Make a Pop-Up Card

If you want to impress someone, you’re going to want to learn how to make a pop-up card! If you’ve ever seen a handmade pop-up card and thought, “That looks way too hard!”—you’re not alone. Pop-up cards might seem advanced but don’t worry, we’re here to break it down into simple, easy steps so you can try it too, even if you're just starting out! Here’s how to make a pop up card easily:

1. Create a top-folding A2 card panel.

2. Cut two parallel slits in the fold and push the section inward to create a pop-up.

3. Reinforce the fold using a bone folder.

4. Attach a fun element (cake, heart, flower) to the popped section. You can make this by stamping an image and die-cutting or fussy cutting it. 

5. Decorate the background and the card front. You can keep it simple since the pop-up element would be the main focal point.

6. Ensure it folds flat but opens to a 3D surprise!

Pop-up cards are perfect for birthdays, congratulations, and holiday greetings, but you can also use them for thank you and just because cards. 

Bonus! How to make a pop-up card - with a twist!

Now that you know how to make a pop-up card, why not take it to the next level? Let’s make a pop-up card but with the “pop-up” element on the outside. Here’s a step-by-step on how Hannelie made her handmade birthday pop-up card above.

How to Make a Christmas Card

A Christmas card is one of the best crafting projects you can create every winter. It’s fun, festive, colorful, and allows you to be as creative as you want! If you want to know how to make a Christmas card, you’re in the right place. Here’s a beginner-friendly step-by-step guide: 

1. Start with a plain white card base or ink blend with some festive colors (red, green, gold, and white) on the card front.

2. Stamp images like Christmas trees, snowflakes, bells, lights, or wreaths.

3. Add a bit of shine and sparkle to your images by heat embossing them.

4. Stamp festive holiday sentiments like "Merry & Bright” or “Peace & Joy.”

5. Use embellishments like sequins or enamel dots for that extra wow!

BONUS! How to make a Christmas card in under 20 minutes!

We’ve got a couple more easy card making ideas that you can totally make in under 20 minutes. In Aga’s card above, she used a couple of pine branches from different stamp sets to create her holiday wreath. If you’re a bit worried about creating the “perfect wreath,” you might want to invest in a handy stamping tool like the Stampwheel. She elevated her Christmas card design by stamping some pine branches with embossing ink and heat-embossing them using white embossing powder—adding a magical, snow-kissed effect that instantly evoked the cozy charm of the holiday season.

Looking for ideas on how to make a Christmas card when you’re in a time crunch? Laurie’s “Merry and Bright” Christmas card idea above doesn’t take too long to make! She simply stamped a string of lights on a card panel, cut smaller than A2, adhered it to a bright red card base, stamped a sentiment, and it’s done! You can make different variations of this handmade Christmas card by stamping the image in various orientations, stamping just a part of it, or making the sentiment the focal point.

Discover the Best Card Making Tips and Tricks for Beginners

How to Make an Envelope for a Card

No card is complete without a beautiful envelope! While it’s easier to just buy a ready-to-use envelope for your handmade card, creating your own will make your recipient feel even more special. Here’s how to make an envelope for a card:

1. Measure your card's size.

2. Cut a piece of white cardstock paper or patterned paper. 8 ½” x 8 ½” works well for A2 cards. 

3. Draw a diagonal line using a pencil across the paper.

4. Draw a vertical line from one corner to the middle of the diagonal line from step 3.

5. Use an A2 template panel to score lines on where your actual card will be placed inside the envelope. Make sure the template is right in the middle of the paper.

6. Fold the corners toward the center to form an envelope shape. 

7. Make sure you’re reinforcing the folds using a bone folder. If you don’t have a bone folder, you can use an old ID or credit card or a ruler.

8. Cut out the small triangles in each corner using scissors.

9. Use strong liquid glue to seal the side flaps. Tip: Use just enough glue! Too much glue might cause it to warp or seep out from the sides.

10. Decorate with washi tape, stamps, die-cuts, enamel dots, or address labels.

11. Tip: For extra polish, use specialty cardstock like vellum or woodgrain for your envelopes.

What is the envelope size for an A2 card?

Your A2 card will fit into a 4.375” x 5.75” envelope. If your card has some dimension and is a bit bulky, you might want to size up your envelope a bit. 

From Birthday Cards to Pop-Ups: Learn How to Make a Card Step by Step!

Card making is a joyful, creative, and endlessly rewarding hobby. Whether you’re exploring how to make a birthday card, how to make a pop-up card, or how to make a Christmas card, the right supplies and a little inspiration can turn simple ideas into stunning keepsakes. Ready to start your card making journey? Browse Altenew’s fan favorite card making supplies and card making kits to fuel your next handmade project!

FAQs

Irick Arbuso

Irick balances her life between the pages of gripping mystery-thriller novels and the beats of her favorite tunes. Her obsession with true crime has her glued to documentaries and podcasts, often leading to late-night “whodunit” marathons. When she’s not crafting with Altenew goodies, you’ll catch her practicing yoga or re-watching her fave "Friends" episodes—because some classics never get old!