by Tirzah Hawkins

Created on: June 26, 2008   Last Updated: June 27, 2008

There are many reasons why you may want to make a birthday card at home rather than go out and search the rows and rows of cards for the right one. You may be strapped for cash, have gotten tired of all the Hallmark cards-do they really say it better than you?or just looking for something more personal. It is also a good idea to know how to make a good birthday card if you straight up forgot it was the person's birthday until the day of the party.

The next thing to consider is what to make the card out of. Look around your house, bedroom or kitchen. There are things everywhere that you can make a personalized card out of if you just use your imagination.

Lets start our search in the bedroom or office. If you have a computer that burns CD's and have a few extra blank ones lying around, you could burn a mix of songs that you think the recipient would like or that have special meaning for the two of you. Then decorate, draw or write on the CD itself or print a CD cover with a "Happy Birthday" greeting.

Maybe you find a postcard or picture that has a special meaning, has a picture of you and the birthday person together or is a place where they may have always desired to go. With a quick message and best wishes it is a custom birthday card.

Something that requires a little more craftiness and time is a clipping from a magazine or newspaper. First you must find something meaningful to the recipient to use. Maybe you thought ahead and had a birthday wish printed in the local newspaper. Clip this out and glue it to a cardboard backing or frame it.

A simple idea for a magazine clipping to use is finding a picture of a celebrity the recipient likes or admires. If the person thinks Drew Barrymore is cute, find a Covergirl advertisement and cut out her face. Write beneath it "A Birthday Wish from Drew and myself" or some other line. You can make it more sturdy and poster like by gluing it to a piece of cardboard or scrapbooking paper.

The more crafty you are, the more items you have at your disposal. Someone with an artistic touch could make a beautiful card out of a paper plate or a piece of construction paper. You could draw a picture of the person on the paper plate and decorate it or write a poem or extensive message on a piece of construction paper. Just use your imagination.

With more looking and an open eye you are sure to find many more things that you could use to make a personal birthday card for almost anyone. Even a piece of fabric over cardboard could become a meaningful and beautiful birthday card for someone.

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