Here is a really easy DIY greeting card idea that uses up some of those little bits and pieces that all crafters collect and can never quite throw away!

mixed media greeing card with pink tissue paper ribbons and sequins

This card making tutorial was originally published in 2015, it has been updated and republished.

I love making cards. It feels like a perfect excuse to play around with craft materials and be creative but with a purpose so it feels more productive and less time wasting. Not that I think making art is time wasting! …. Let me explain what I mean:

Hopefully it’s obvious to anyone visiting Sum of their Stories that I am a big believer that art and creativity feeds the soul and is good for our mental health. Not everything you try to make will work out amazingly and that’s perfectly ok. Sometimes the process is enough - I’m always saying to my friends and family that sometimes it’s all about the journey and not the destination.

An afternoon messing about with paints and paper, or needle and thread doesn’t need to be justified. Except sometimes it can feel like it should be. We live in the real world and in the real world we have people around us who say “what are you making?” and “what is it for?” I’m happy to breezily say that I’m experimenting with ideas or just making art for art’s sake a few times but even I like to be able to be more purposeful with my art experiments sometimes.

And this is when greeting cards come in, most of us like to send them to at least a few people each year. We would be buying them anyway so why not scratch that artistic itch AND generate a birthday card at the same time?

When I first published this card making tutorial back in 2015 I called it “Bits and Pieces Cards” because these cards are made with all those little bits and pieces that most crafters will acquire, keep and then maybe not know what to do with. Little items like sequins, gems, tiny scraps of ribbon, lace motifs, faux flowers or petals etc.

This is how I keep my little craft bits and pieces, in lidded divided trays

Because these cards are made from those little bits from your craft supply collection it’s hard to give a definitive tutorial, the cards you make will depend on what you have in your stash. What I can do is show you some examples and explain the process to put them together so you can be inspired to have a go and make something similar.

How to make a Mixed Media Collage Greeting Card

To make a mixed media collage card you will need:

a blank greeting card and envelope - The square cards I used are 15cm (6”) and the rectangular ones are 12.5cm x 17.5cm (5” x 7”) but any size or shape will work
Scraps of textured tissue paper
Scraps of ribbon
Other embellishments - sequins, gems, buttons, lace motifs, whatever you have in your craft stash
A sentiment - cut from an old greeting card, stamped and cut out or even written in your best writing
Glue - I used a Pritt Stick paper glue and a strong PVA like Anita’s Tacky Glue

Start by making a colourful base layer

Rip some squares or rectangles of tissue paper and glue them onto the card. I used Pritt Stick for this.

Adding embellishments

Add a little cut out sentiment if you’re using one.

Use your stronger pva glue to attach scraps of ribbon.

Now add other embellishments, again I used pva for this.

Use sequins, gems, lace, cut out card shapes, bits of broken jewellery - all sorts.

Put small items in rows or groups, maybe place larger items by themselves.

You can add additional texture and sparkle with glitter glue and puffy paint if you have some.

The base of tissue paper divides the card up and gives just a little simple structure to add all your embellishments too. It can be easier to build up your design this way. A blank card can feel overwhelming, but dividing it into zones makes it feel more manageable.

The hardest thing when making these mixed media greeting cards is knowing when to stop adding more embellishments.

On a rectangular shaped card you could either make the background tissue paper more rectangular or do what I’ve done here and add 6 smaller squares.

greeting card made with tissue paper squares in pinks and purples embellished with beads, ribbon and sequins

mixed media collage greeting card in shades of blue and purple

Where to find craft embellishments to use in your card making

Go through the cards that you’ve been given and pull of anything you can reuse before they go into the recycling bin. Sentiments, faux flowers, bows, flat backed gems etc can all be reused.

Those little ribbon loops that come on new clothes are perfect for card making. They don't tend to be great quality ribbon but they are idea for something like this.

Sequin table confetti at weddings and fancy parties can be swooshed into your handbag at the end of the night - no one is going to mind!
Broken costume jewellery can often have elements that can be glued to a card.

Have fun, play around with the craft supplies you have and make some unique greeting cards that cost next to nothing.

This is a fun art activity for all ages, the kids would really enjoy making unique cards for their friends and family too.

Julie

I'll be linking up this project at these link parties

More card making ideas for you to be inspired by: