creative tip of the day | four birthday cards in 20 minutes

Have 20 minutes? Make four birthday cards. While my machines were busy cutting stencils for a customer order, I decided to put those 20 minutes to good use instead of waiting around.

I grabbed four Wish Big A2 Card Fronts and four Birthday Word Art Clear Stickers and challenged myself to create four finished birthday cards before my machines were done. Twenty minutes later, I had four completed cards -- each paired with an envelope, ready for me to write in and send to their recipients.

The best part? No stamping, coloring, or die cutting required.

How to Get the Look

For these cards, I used:

• Wish Big A2 Card Fronts
• Birthday Word Art Clear Stickers
• White cardstock
• Coordinating cardstock (optional)
• Corner rounder
• Coordinating inks
• A2 card bases and envelopes

Here's exactly what I did:

1. Applied each clear sticker to white cardstock.
2. Trimmed the panels to size.
3. Rounded the corners.
4. Matted two of the panels onto coordinating cardstock for added contrast and adhered them onto the card fronts.
5. Inked the edges of each card front with a coordinating ink.
6. Adhered everything to an A2 card base.
7. Stamped the back with my handmade stamp, added matching envelopes, and packaged each card in a cello bag.

Why We (I) Love It

• You can create several finished cards in a surprisingly short amount of time.
• Card fronts and clear stickers coordinate beautifully, so the design work is already done for you.
• Small finishing touches like inked edges and rounded corners give the cards a polished look.
• It's a great way to use those little pockets of creative time while another project is running.
• These quick cards are perfect for gifts, your personal card stash, or even selling at craft fairs and maker's markets.

Creative Takeaway

Sometimes we convince ourselves we don't have enough time to create because we're thinking in hours instead of minutes. I'm very much guilty of this! These four cards reminded me that creativity doesn't always have to be complicated. Twenty focused minutes was enough to turn supplies I already had into four finished handmade cards that are ready to brighten someone's birthday.

Looking for Fresh Supplies Every Month?

If you enjoy making quick cards like these, our subscriptions make it easy to keep your creative stash stocked with coordinating products.

Card Fronts VIP Subscription - Choose one Card Fronts pack every month and enjoy free worldwide shipping. It's a great way to build a collection of ready-to-use backgrounds for quick cards like these.

Clear Stickers VIP Subscription - Choose any three Clear Stickers packs every month with free worldwide shipping. They're perfect for adding focal images, sentiments, and finishing touches without stamping.

Paper Goods VIP Subscription - Want even more variety? The Paper Goods VIP Subscription lets you choose any four paper goods products each month with free US shipping. Mix and match card fronts, ATCs, collage paper, ephemera, and more to keep your projects fresh all year long. (Currently available to U.S. customers only.)

Create More in Less Time

Whether you have twenty minutes or two hours, every creative session counts. Sometimes all it takes is combining a beautiful background with a coordinating focal image to create a handmade card you'll be proud to send—or sell.

Create boldly. Create creatively. Create with STAMPlorations.