make a birthday present card

Whew! Today is over. My daughter is now officially four, her party was grand, and her monkey doll was finished in good time. And, more importantly, she loves it. She is currently sleeping with Molly Monkey, and I'll post pictures of her later. Her older sister made sure to remind me that her kitty cat doll (future Katy Kitty) would be made in time for her birthday in August, and she even generously offered for me to make it before her birthday, if that would help me not forget. So thoughtful. I'll be very glad to have 3 months to design and make a doll, instead of 3 days.

For now, here is how to make a card with a cute little birthday present on the front. This has become my signature card to send to my friends and family. Here is one I just made for my wonderful Mom-in-Law. It is so quick to make, the possibilities with paper and ribbon combos are endless, and everyone appreciates a handmade card. Unless they work for Hallmark.

You'll need:

• 8.5 x 11 sheet cardstock

• small sheet of decorative paper (You could go green here. I have recycled wrapping paper, cards, shopping bags, packaging, anything with a nice pattern, which I squirrel away in a drawer for future card making). Thicker works better, but if you adore a really thin piece you could always reinforce it by gluing it to card stock. The decorative paper I show here is actually from a recycled Talbots shopping bag.

• small amt of ribbon, enough to span about 3.5 inches and then another piece to tie a little bow. Thinner ribbon works best, like 1/4 or 3/8 inch wide.

• tiny paper price tag with string, I found mine in the office/school supply section at Wal-Mart.

• bone folder (optional)

• paper cutter or scissors

• glue (I love and recommend Fabritac - it has an instant bond and won't wrinkle your paper.)

1) Ok, first cut the card stock in half on the long side, so that you have two 5.5 x 8.5 inch pieces. Set one aside (use it for a second card later). Fold the other one in half so that you have a card that is 4.25 x 5.5 inches.

2) Cut a tall rectangle out of your decorative paper, about 2-ish x 3-ish inches.

3) Cut a piece of ribbon that is about 1/2 inch longer than your rectangle. Put a dab of glue on the back of the ribbon on either end, align it in the center of the rectangle and fold the sticky ends around the edges to the back, as shown. Make sure the ribbon is not too loose on the front. You want it to lay tight 'n smooth.

4) Put a dab of glue in each of the four corners of the back of the rectangle and adhere it to the front of the card. I like to leave more room at the top for the bow and the tag.

5) Write the birthday person's name on the tag and adhere the string to the top of the present and the tag to the card with little dabs of glue.

6) Fashion a little bow out of the remaining ribbon and glue it to the top of the present, covering the end of the tag. Trim the tag string ends if needed.

Done.

If you used Fabritac glue, you won't even have to wait for it to dry before mailing. This card will fit in a standard invitation envelope, which I also buy at Wally World (as my husband affectionately refers to Wal-Mart).