Making a birthday card special

I used to make all my cards which my mum was so appreciative of - when we cleared the house out I found them all as she'd kept them along with all other special event cards. Since she died I have lost interest in doing them as no one else seems to take an interest. Sending photos of the person is a lovely idea - I do that on FB but obviously they disappear after the day.

It would be lovely if they kept them as you say, to look at in later life.I keep many boxes [pretty hatboxes] of all the things our children made or sent us and ditto the grandchildren and will suggest that to the AC to do the same.
Good old GN for giving us great ideas.

Lemongrove I am so glad you like the idea - one of the things I like about the photo idea, is that the family loves it and keeps the cards afterwards, some times on display for many years.

that's a nice idea Applegran
for children I usually add glittery stickers, but I shall use the photo idea now as well.

bikergran what a great idea.

Few week ago myself and friend went on train with our cycles and went to Lytham-St-Anns..we took selfies and photos with phone.

I put them on laptop, its her birthday next week so have made a card by printing a collage of about 5 photos from our little trip, printed "Happy Birthday" across the top and wrote inside. Im sure she will be chuffed with it

when I have time I produce hand painted cards often of Russian or Japanese Dolls, or a painting of the recipent’s favourite place. We always produce our own Christmas Cards. I have an 8inch teddy bear and we dress him appropriately and take his photograph in a suitable pose. One year we built a roof and chimney out of Lego so he was Fatther Christmas delivering presents, last year he was sat in the snow on our front door steps. Another year we purchased an artist bear and posed him painting a portrait of my bear dressed as Father Christmas. This year the photograph is already prepared as we posed him in last year’s Christmas tree. Sometimes we think we’d like to call a halt but people now expect these cards from us.

I began making a cross stitch or embroidered birthday and Christmas card for my granddaughters. I choose an object/toy which has had special significance over the year. The Christmas one also has a Christmas tree as well as the embroidered toy. However, I now have four granddaughters in quick succession and their birthdays are all in the latter part of the year as is Christmas! I am going to stop the Christmas cards when they turn 5 and then concentrate on just a special birthday card for each. As fun as it is researching the patterns and sewing the cards I am finding very little time to do my own embroidery projects. I will be very sorry though to stop the Christmas cards. I know my DD and DIL look forward to the girls' cards and keep them as it provides a record of their little lives.

For the GC I buy what I think is a suitable card for the age and then stick on the appropriate number[s]. I'm not very imaginative!
Funnily enough I came across my own first birthday cards which were a revelation and in complete contrast to today's fancy offerings. Well done to my parents for keeping them
I'm looking for a new craft idea to try and calligraphy is one I quite fancy though I imagine it takes a LOT of practice.

my best friend is an amazing calligrapher and makes gorgeous cards.i pay her to make personal cards for family.
she goes above and beyond for me.
my sil law has a card company so is hard to impress.

I made a rod for my own back when I took up cardmaking ! All of my relations expect a work of art now , here is one

I do wish I had kept cards from my childhood. I think cards will phase out within a few years as younger people seem to use social media or text to convey greetings, easier to keep but I am of an age where I prefer the real thing.