Tied Ribbon Birthday Card

There’s nothing quite as exciting as getting a birthday card in the mail! Sadly, snail mail is a dying art form, so I feel it’s my duty to keep it going! I love sending out and receiving greeting cards.

Today I’ll be showing you how ribbon can enhance a card for any occasion.
I made this card for my TEN year old daughter! I’m still a little bit in shock that my Daisey is ten already!

For this card you will need the following:

a 4×5 blank card (you can buy these at any craft store in packages with, envelopes included)
scissors
trusty old paper cutter
adhesive squares
paper scraps
ribbon scraps
a long strip of ribbon, at least 16″ in length
a sticker or stamped image of your choice (I used a birthday cake)
Happy Birthday stamp
black stamp pad
pens or markers

Start by measuring your card.
Mine is 4″ by just a little bit over 5″. So, I’m going to cut my black scrap paper down to 5 1/8″x 3 1/2″.

Next, cut the green paper (or whatever color you’ve chosen for your card) to 5 1/8″x 1 1/2″.
My Dad always says,”Measure twice, cut once.” He’s talking about carpentry, but that rule of thumb comes in handy for crafting, as well.

After measuring and cutting your paper scraps, adhere them to the card.
I used adhesive squares, but you could use glue dots or a glue stick if you’d like.

Place your sticker on the pink paper, then cut around it using your paper cutter, or scissors if you have a steady hand.

Adhere the pink square to your card.
Hold it in your hand and admire how pretty it looks (this step is optional.)

It still needs something…..

Take your 16″ ribbon and tie it all the way around the middle of the card, wrapping it around the inside of the card and then knotting it in the front of the card.

This is where it gets fun!
If you have a 5 year old who is dying to help you out with your project, this is the time!

Begin tying your assorted scraps of ribbon around the 16″ piece ribbon.
Let your little girl tie a few on too. She’ll be so proud that she helped!

You can add as little or as many ribbon scraps as you would like.
It just depends on when it looks “finished” to you.

The ribbons used are:
Solid Grosgrain Ribbon, Double Faced Satin Ribbon, Gingham Ribbon, Sheer-Satin Ribbon, and Ric Rac.

This might be a good time to add that the Post Office now charges extra for “bumpiness” because they have to sort “smooth” and “bumpy” mail in different bins.
This is so that the “bumpy” envelopes don’t get damaged in their machine.
If you’re worried about the right postage you can always go in and have your card weighed.
I think it’s worth the extra stamp to ensure that your hard work isn’t damaged.

When you feel like the look of your card is complete go ahead and trim the ribbon down to the length you’d like it. No measuring needed here, just eyeball it.

Now move on to your stamping.
Press your “Happy Birthday” stamp onto your black ink pad, then stamp it onto the pink paper.

Trim the “Happy Birthday” down and adhere it to the black paper with the adhesive squares.
Using a pen or marker write a sentiment to the birthday girl (or boy).
Sign it with love and voila, it’s ready for the mailbox!

I can tell you that my daughter was thrilled to receive her birthday card in the mail!
She also got one from Grandma. Thanks Grandma!

So, there you have it! You can easily customize this card for any occasion.
You’ll be glad you saved those extra ribbon and paper scraps
because this project is the perfect scrap buster!

Happy card making and have fun!