[tatsu_section padding= "90px 0% 90px 0%"][tatsu_row layout= "1/1"][tatsu_column layout= "1/1"][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]I recently discovered that nice greeting cards can cost up to $10 or more while scrambling to find a last minute gift for a friend's bridal shower (the gift I ordered didn't ship on time), something that made me resolve to make more cards and buy less! When you can make cards just as nice, why pay for that crazy upcharge, right? So our third (and my favorite) card this week is this confetti shaker card. It's fairly simple to make and fun to shake around! I can see this working well as a snowglobe in the winter, or a beach ball in the summer, or even with a family photo behind it.[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]You will need:

• Cardstock
• Paper CD envelopes (They sometimes come in colors, but unfortunately my store only had white. If you don't want a white card, feel free to paint/color/decorate yours.)
• Confetti/Sequins/Glitter
• Pens
• Scissors/X-acto knife
• Glue
• Foam brush

[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]First, trim your paper to the size of your CD envelopes, typically around 5".

Take your X-acto knife and carefully slice open the CD envelope to unfold it. You can also just tear it open, but I'm not skilled enough to do that without tearing the whole thing! Once you've unfolded it, trim the edges off so you're left with just the square with the cellophane.[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]Take another one of your CD envelopes (these usually come in packs of 100 or so, so you should be fine on extras) and lay it over your card, tracing the circle with a pencil or the unclicked edge of a pen, something that won't get ink on your paper, making a slight indentation.

Using this circle as a guide, write or draw your greeting within the circle to make sure it's visible. This is where you could also trim a photo or colored cardstock to fit, or anything else you want to be seen.[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]Put a small amount of glue on three of the sides and use your brush to spread it between the circle's edge and the edge of the square. Press it gently on the front of your card. Don't press too hard or you'll squish the glue out into the middle of the circle!

Let it dry and be patient! I was a little too eager to see the sequins in the card and ended up getting some of them stuck in the still-wet edges of the circle. I don't mind it, but it'll be more satisfying to see all of your pieces floating around in the card.

After it's dry, if the card and the envelope are different sizes, you can trim the card to make sure it's even.[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]Using the side left unglued, add in your confetti/sequins/glitter. I found that tissue paper confetti didn't work very well, because the static just made it stick to the cellophane. Sequins and other plastic confetti pieces work best, and glitter can add some nice dimension if you add it in.[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]Once you've added the pieces to the inside, squeeze in a little more glue along the top edge and seal it closed, again letting it dry. You can add some extra pieces of confetti to the outside edges, or decorate it further. Then have fun shaking the card to see all the confetti move![/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][/tatsu_column][/tatsu_row][/tatsu_section]

[tatsu_section padding= "90px 0% 90px 0%"][tatsu_row layout= "1/1"][tatsu_column layout= "1/1"][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]I've always loved making greeting cards for my friends and family (ask my mom—she's been the recipient of quite a few), because I love the personal touch a handmade card can have. But not all of us are impeccable handletterers or incredible illustrators, and sometimes making a card seems unnecessarily difficult. So this week, I'm going to show you three different greeting cards you can make yourself, without the need for any extravagant skills. I've left the cards relatively simple so you can add your own spin on things and give it even more of a personal touch.

Today's card is a dimensional banner birthday card, inspired by the bunting and banners that seem to rule over Pinterest these days.[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]You will need:

• Cardstock
• String
• Pens and/or Markers
• An X-acto knife and ruler (scissors would probably work just as well)
• A bone folder (not necessary, but nice to have)
• Some kind of adhesive–I used both a glue stick and double sided tape for this card
• Colored construction paper

[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]The first thing you'll want to do is trim your cardstock to the size you want your card to be, and use the bone folder to make sure the crease is nice and crisp.

Open the card, and approximately measure two pieces of string to the length it will stretch when the card is opened—be sure to leave enough slack for the banner to hang without being stretched straight across. Your two strings might be slightly different sizes, depending on the word length.

Cut a piece of construction paper the same length as the string and as wide as you want the banners to hang down. Mark with a pencil the width of each pennant, measuring to make sure you have room for all of the letters to fit across, then go back and measure the halfway point between each one. Do the same on the other side.

Using your X-acto and ruler, make diagonal cuts back and forth between the lines to cut triangular shaped pennants from the construction paper.[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]Repeat the steps for cutting the pennants with a different color, making them slightly larger than the ones you just cut. Cut twice as many triangles as you need for the letters.

Go ahead and just use a gluestick to attach the two sets together and write out Happy Birthday on the pennants (or whatever your greeting might be).[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]Flip over the lettered pennants, and use a small piece of double sided tape on the back. Try and keep it as close to the top as you can.

Use the other half of your pennants to lay out what the banner will look like, and stretch the string across them. This will be the back of your banner.[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]Attach the letter pennants to their matching backs, using the double sided tape to trap the string in between the layers of construction paper. Adding a back layer makes the banner more sturdy and ensures the string won't fall.[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]Tape the strings to the inside of your card.[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]You can hide the tape holding the strings by adding additional decorative elements. I cut out some petal shapes and used them as balloons for my birthday card, using the same construction paper I used for the banners.[/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"]Use your pens to add additional designs, like strings for the balloons.

I left the front of this card blank so the options are endless, whether you want to write the recipient's name really large, hint at the banner within, use some extra construction paper to just put a few balloons in the corner, or anything else you like. Don't forget to add a personal note on the inside![/tatsu_text][tatsu_text max_width= "" wrap_alignment= "center" animation_type= "none"][/tatsu_text][/tatsu_column][/tatsu_row][/tatsu_section]