Cute DIY Birthday Card Ideas That Are Fun and Easy to Make (2023)

Buying your friends and family funny, thoughtful, or sentimental birthday cards is always a nice gesture. If you’re an avid DIY enthusiast like us, however, then you know that it’s sometimes more meaningful for both people if what you give someone for their birthday is something that you made yourself.

Homemade birthday cards are not that hard to make, but they’ll definitely show how much you care.

Birthday Card Ideas to Make Yourself

Check out these 25 adorable DIY birthday card ideas and designs for people of all ages. We hope you feel inspired to try recreating one or invent one of your own!

1. Kissing buttons: homemade birthday cards

Adding a bit of a 3D element to a card is always fun, and it’s totally visually appealing too. We love the way the buttons contrast with the thin, simple lines of the stick drawing in this kissing love note card by Paolo Jacopo Medda!

2. Hiding bear homemade card

Do you love novelty cards that open and unfold? Then you might like this adorable cartoon bear who’s clearly prepared for a surprise party! Check out how he’s made on Shouldn’t You be Studying.

3. Paper doily cupcake card

If you’ve ever browsed our site before, you probably already know how much we love DIY projects that upcycle or use unconventional materials. That’s why we like this cute little cupcake card made with a paper doily so much! Find out how it’s made from Kitchen Table Stamper.

4.Birthday candle card

Terao Design guides you through the process of making a very simple yet completely adorable birthday candle design. You could use this one as a birthday card for a friend or as an invite to your own party!

5.String balloon card

Designing a card that’s cute on the outside is definitely a good idea, but we also like cards that are cute on the inside too! The Thrifty Ginger suggests cutting out paper balloons and banner flags and then using pieces of coloured string to actually make a little pop up party scene when the card opens.

6.Sharpie whale card

When it comes to customizing things with bold colours, Shaprie markers are an awesome tool. You could technically use this idea to make any image you like, but in case you’re having trouble thinking of what to do, check out this adorable birthday whale design from Img Kid!

7.Paper cutout age card

Sometimes upcycling can be shabby chic in a way that’s surprisingly beautiful. That’s how we feel about this cute age cutout birthday card from Sally Etc.! You could use any type of scrap or reclaimed paper you can find that you enjoy the pattern, colour, or texture of.

8.Washi tape candle card

If you love bright colours and patterns but you’re not very confident in your drawing and painting skills just yet, then try using washi tape to make pictures with nice straight lines and clean edges! It comes in so many patterns and colour combinations that we doubt you’ll have trouble making a fun birthday candle design like this one by Omiyage.

9.Washi tape tiered cake

Do you love the idea of making a birthday card with washi tape but the birthday candle design is a little too simple to you? Try making a tiered cake design like this one from Omiyage instead! It’s nearly as easy, but it’s always nice to have options when it comes to making nice things.

10.Crimped paper card

Are you the kind of person who just can’t get enough of cards with raised elements and textures? Then you’ll probably love this crimped banner card idea from Tuningpp! It’s easier than you’d think to create an ombre raised paper effect, but the final product is great.

11.Washi tape and string birthday banner card

Are you still into the idea of using washi tape but you’d rather have a 3D style card than one where the tape sticks flat to make a picture? Decorator’s Notebook shows you how to combine the two techniques to make an adorable Happy Birthday banner card with a bit of string!

12.Cupcake wrapper card

Birthday cupcakes are always an adorable look, but nothing makes a cuter cupcake wrapper than an actual cupcake wrapped. Check out how Blog Lovin’ made this card design by layering pieces of a rainbow wrapper to look like a doubly wrapped 3D cupcake.

13.Unfolding circles card

If your friend or family member loves nothing more than getting gift cards for their birthday, then making an unfolding birthday card like this doubles as your gift wrap! We love that this design by DIY Crafts Mom is made from four separate circles strategically overlapped and folded.

14.Pop-out birthday banner and balloon card

If you liked the previous birthday banner and balloon pop out card that we listed but your taste is a little more outrageous than what you saw there, check out this variation of a similar idea from Random Creative. There’s no such thing as too many balloons, right?

15.3D gifts card

Pop out birthday cards don’t have to include a bundle of balloons. Switch things up by making cuts in the spine of the card, popping them inside out, and decorating the resulting raised strips like birthday gifts! Popular DIY Crafts guides you through the process step by step.

16. Paper scroll

While regular birthday cards are awesome, making your own paper scroll and writing out your thoughts and wishes to the one you’re celebrating, will make things that much more interesting and personal. We found this great idea on the Paper & Stich blog.

17. Pressed flowers

If you have any pressed flowers at home, then it may be a great idea to use them to make some really beautiful birthday cards for your loved ones. Of course, you can also plan ahead and set flowers for pressing, especially as it takes a while to get them done. Check out the tutorial for this on BLDG/25.

18. Marbling paper

With just a bit of shaving cream and food coloring you can make some pretty paper that you won’t find to purchase. It can serve as a beautiful base for your birthday card! Check out the tutorial on HonestlyWTF.

19. Rainbow cake

Rainbow cakes are absolutely fabulous, but birthday cards featuring said rainbow cakes are pretty cool too. With just a bit of glitter paper and imagination, you can make one of these yourself. Check out the tutorial for it by I’m In Heaven.

20. Watercolor Balloons

If you think the birthday cards we saw so far are adorable, wait until you see this one! All you have to do is paint some ballons and make use of a bit of wax. Yes, wax! Get all the instructions from Lime Doodle Design.

21. Kitty

Another adorable design is this one – a kitty and a ball of yarn. Of course, this one is best suited for folks who love cats, but we’re sure at least someone in your family or friend group falls into this category so you can make this one for them! Get the details from Makezine.

22. Harry Potter birthday card

If the birthday person is a massive Harry Potter fan, then perhaps a themed birthday card will work best. After all, all Potterheads love anything to do with the story. So, if you’ll follow the instructions laid down by Country Scrap, you’ll manage just fine. It’s just so lovely!

23. Balloon and Needle

A fun birthday card idea that even kids can make features two things – a ballon and a needle. As you can see, you first have to inflate the balloon and then to pop it with the needle that came with the card. Get all the details from Buckets and Spades.

24. Hama beads birthday card

Do you have any hama beads around you home? If you do, you can create a pretty flower with them, iron them out and then glue them to the card. In this way, you’ll end up with a beautiful and original birthday card to hand out. Plus, kids can join in on the fun, too! Get the instructions from Red Ted Art.

25. Constellation birthday card

One of the cutest ideas we’ve seen is to make a constellation birthday card. Of course, you’ll need to do a bit of research so you know if they have favorites or what zodiac sign they’re under, but you’ll manage. Check out the tutorial from Love Crafts.

More Cute Birthday Cards

Have you found other projects that would look unique and fun to make? Or have you tried the ones we’re proposing here? We’d love to hear from you — leave us a message in the comments below.