A couple of years ago while browsing through the isles of my local art supplies store, I came across some cute miniature blank greeting cards. They were made of craft paper, came with a mini envelope, and were the perfectly sized item I was looking for to create personalized greeting cards for the upcoming holiday. I decided to make a fun project out of them by designing my very own handmade miniature Christmas cards for my friends and family. Each card included a personalized message and was the perfect keepsake for my loved ones. Everyone who received a card loved them and since I enjoyed making them so much, I decided to bring these cards back and make a new rendition of them.
These hand-lettered mini cards are simple to make and are a perfect addition to your gift-giving during this holiday season or any special occasion. If you’re looking for the perfect DIY project to try this weekend, then look no further. This tutorial is beginner-friendly and can be made with materials you might already have. FYI – If you want to support the shop and purchase our very own mini greeting cards, then hop over to the Etsy Shop and see what we have in stock. These cards are 100% hand-lettered and come in a set of 3 but are only in limited quantities.
If you want to practice your hand-lettering skills and make your own miniature greeting cards, then follow the steps below to get started!
Here is what you need to get started on making your own mini-holiday greeting cards.
SUPPLIES
A piece of paper
Pencil
Mini blank greeting cards
Tracing paper
Ruler
Tape (optional)
Gel pens, markers, colored pencils (any design tools you desire)
STEP 1
Using a pencil, draw the outline of your greeting card onto the paper. This will serve as your template for your design.
STEP 2
Draw guidelines for your lettering. The top line will be for the top of capital letters and the bottom line for the baseline of where your letters will sit. You can skip this step if you want to freeform your letters.
STEP 3
Next, draw or write the text you want your greeting card to say. Since my cards are holiday-themed, I went with
Happy Holidays for this design.
STEP 4
Using the tracing paper, trace over your template to make a copy of your design onto the tracing paper.
STEP 5
Flipover the tracing paper to the backside and retrace over your drawing. Your design should look backward as shown below. If your place the tracing paper over your blank sheet of paper, you should see a reversed copy of your drawing transferred onto the piece of paper as you redraw your design.
STEP 6
Now that you’ve created your template onto the tracing paper, you’re ready to make your cards. With the tracing paper facing the front side, take a small piece of tape and secure the tracing paper onto your drawing surface or piece of paper. Place your mini greeting card underneath the tracing paper and align it to where you want your drawing to be. If you aren’t using tape then make sure you hold the tracing paper and greeting card securely in place so it does not slide around. Once you’ve decided when your want your lettering to go, take your pencil and trace over your drawing once again. When you are done, remove the tracing paper. You should see a light tracing of your design on your greeting card. (pretty neat huh!).
NOTE: If you are using a dark-colored greeting card, your template may be hard to see. Lightly go over your design again with a 2H pencil (or any pencil you have on hand) OR retrace the backside of your tracing paper template with darker lines and create another template. Tracing over the back once again will improve the visibility of the transfer.
STEP 7
This is where things start getting fun! Using your gel pens, markers, or any other tools you have on hand, draw over your lettering and bring your artwork to life. I turned my lettering into faux calligraphy added some outline and a few decorative elements. I think they turned out great!
If you did this tutorial I would love to see your designs. Share your mini greeting cards with me using #ftmminicards on Instagram. If you enjoyed this tutorial and want to learn faux calligraphy lettering and design your own greeting cards, we have the perfect kit to help you do just that! Stop by the
Etsy Shop and grab a
greeting card kit. It includes everything you need to learn faux calligraphy and design your own beautiful handmade greeting cards for your loved ones.
Till Next time!
