5 Cute DIYs to present a ‘Happy Birthday’ message

My favorite part about a friend’s birthday is making the card and the best part about that is that it doesn’t even have to be a card! The key to making a good card is personalizing it. Buying a birthday card from a store and signing your name on it is just not the same. After all, you want to make that person feel special on his or her birthday. The message is the most important because it should express how you feel towards that person, how you wish for them to have a nice birthday, and fill it with inside jokes and funny memories. (Okay, to be honest, in the last birthday card I made for my friend a week ago, I called her a peasant and said she was turning 12 rather than 16…It was out of love, I swear.) Anyway, here are 5 cute ways to present a birthday message that I made, plan to make, or have received personally that can inspire you to make your own for friends!

1. Let’s start with the basics, just a regular card . I say artwork is the most important and fun when making a card. However, if you aren’t a great artist, just do your best; It’s the thought that counts! You can use construction paper, card stock, markers, crayons, watercolor, paint, Sharpie, glitter, and just about anything for a card. I like to make my cards pretty large because I usually have a lot to write on the back so I use mini poster boards! In the one I made above, I simply took time to use pencil to draw and painted over it with my 16-color watercolor set (that I bought for only $1) and re-outlined with pencil. Block and bubble letters are my favorite and blending watercolors before the paint dries also add a great effect. Another option is to use construction paper and cut out certain shapes that create an image by layering them on instead of drawing and coloring. It takes patience and time, but results can turn out great!

2. Collaging is also a great option if you have a lot of pictures to use. However, they don’t always have to be just flat on a poster board. My friend took a frame and made a mini collage scrapbook-style, which turned out pretty cute. You just need pictures, scrapbook paper, fun stickers, a pair of scissors, and some glue! Insert a small blurbs and messages on it too. That way, your friend can hang it up in a room. Putting everything on a cork board can seem pretty neat too. I am planning to try that next!

3. Similar to the collage-ing technique above, scrapbooks and photo books specifically are fun to make and fun to look at. You can either print photos straight from your computer or take them to a local 1-Hour photo place. You don’t even need to spend about $20 for a nice actual scrapbook. All you need is poster board and cut out same-sized pages! I usually collaborate with a group of friends and everyone gets a page to decorate and write on. I play around with different scrapbook paper patterns and colors until it looks pleasing to the eye. I also add on ribbon, stickers, glitter, fake leaves, and anything fun! Don’t leave all photos in their original boring 4×6 inches form. Cut them out from their background and use different shapes to see what looks nice. Basically, experiment!

4. This one is for your fangirl/fanboy friend. It’s sort of like a scrapbook, but instead it’s a storybook or mini fan-fiction in book form. My friends and I actually made a silly mini picture book about Big Bang’s Taeyang and my friend. The point of the story is to make your friend laugh with a silly, nonsensical storyline that lets your friend feel like a princess from a fairytale for a day. We did it like how we would make a scrapbook, but instead of photos of friends, we used cutouts from KPOP magazines and put them in an order that made sense and crafted a storyline around them. For the cover, we just wrapped colored tissue paper around two cardboard flaps and bound pages with ribbon. Then, leave an author’s note page and write your message there. This doesn’t have to be just for KPOP. Any fandom would work!

5. Get a nice glass jar and do some origami! I used to have a small jar of folded stars and hearts where each one has a little wish written on it. That would be a bit tedious though for a birthday message, so I would recommend folding cranes and writing a small message on the wings. In a way, you’re hoping that friend’s wishes soar and come true! Or, you can buy little happy pill capsules and roll up a small message and put them in! They are so cute and if your friend is ever having a bad day, she can pop open a pill and smile at the message.

Even if you aren’t artistic in any way, it’s still fun and I’m sure your friends will love it either way! Have you tried any of these?