Celebrate with handmade gifts! A perfect shikishi board and message card for a 100th birthday.
We all want the seniors who use our facilities to stay healthy and live long, don’t we?
I imagine many senior and welfare facilities hold birthday parties to celebrate.
Gifts are prepared for the birthday parties, too, and I’m sure the seniors are pleased.
Birthdays are wonderful at any age, but when a senior turns 100, you really want to express your heartfelt gratitude.
So this time, we’re introducing handmade message boards (shikishi) for seniors celebrating their 100th birthday.
We’ve also gathered ideas you can apply to the shikishi and recommended birthday message cards.
Please use this article to create and give a lovely shikishi.
Celebrate by hand! Appropriate shikishi boards and message cards for a 100th birthday (1–10)
Handmade card with a bouquet
Doesn’t receiving a bouquet lift your spirits no matter how old you are? Here’s a birthday card idea inspired by bouquets.
Prepare some colored cardstock and decorative paper.
Cut both into squares and fold them into triangles.
Cut the cardstock in half, sandwich it with the decorative paper, and fold it into thirds to form a bouquet.
You can use the leftover cardstock as a message card.
Make the petals by cutting origami or washi paper that’s been folded into triangles.
It would be lovely to design it with the recipient’s favorite flowers!
Three-dimensional! A shikishi decorated with seasonal flowers
Decorative shikishi boards featuring the birthday person’s birth-month flower or their favorite flowers would likely be appreciated as room decor.
They’re easy to make: first, leave space for the flowers on the shikishi board and write your message.
Then attach flowers made from tissue paper.
If making the flowers is difficult, you can glue on artificial flowers from a 100-yen shop with a hot glue gun.
You can also buy a glue gun at a 100-yen shop.
To hang the board on the wall, attach a string to the center of the back—and it’s done.
The finished piece looks very luxurious and makes a lovely decoration.
Hand-drawn illustration card
How about sending a handwritten message card that conveys warmth and kindness to an older adult? On a single sheet of construction paper, draw illustrations using colorful pens.
If you think about a rough layout in advance, the process will go smoothly.
Draw things like a birthday cake, a gift box, and candles.
In the center of the paper—or another prominent spot—write a message expressing your gratitude or congratulations.
It’s also a great idea to design the card using the recipient’s favorite colors and items.
Try making a handmade birthday card that lets your creativity shine.
Colored paper for a name poem
A name poem, which hides the person’s name within the text, is a gift many people appreciate.
It’s the idea of presenting a message on a decorative board, with each sentence starting from the letters of the person’s name.
If you weave in their personality and character into the lines, it can become an even more memorable present.
It also sounds fun to come up with an original piece for an older adult celebrating a birthday.
For the creator, it’s sure to be a rewarding gift to make.
If you’re able, writing it in brush calligraphy or with playful lettering will enhance its decorative appeal.
Pop-up card with balloons and presents
This is a pop-up card with balloons and a gift that you can not only open but also move and play with.
It’s recommended for anyone who wants to make a birthday card with simple decorations.
First, make the gift box using origami.
Attach colorful origami paper onto a belt-shaped strip of rectangular paper, checking that it moves as you go.
Next, make the ribbons to attach to the box and the belt, and finish by attaching the balloons.
Adding touches like garlands or hanging decorations will make it even more festive.
Try creating a card to celebrate an older adult by adding photos and messages.
Highly recommended for group messages! Pastel-colored shikishi boards from the 100-yen shop
Message boards filled with notes are a very memorable gift.
Try using pastels to create a lovely finish.
Pastels are handy materials you can pick up even at 100-yen shops.
If you rub a pastel against a tea strainer, it turns into powder that falls below; then spread it out with a tissue.
Using several pastel colors will give you a colorful, cute background sheet for your message board.
Since the pastels are so colorful, writing all the messages in black might still look beautiful.
It’s easy, so give it a try!
Pop-up cake made from washi (Japanese paper)
This is a birthday card that expresses a fluffy cake sponge using washi paper.
It has a distinctly Japanese feel, so it’s a great choice for gifting to seniors on their birthdays.
First, draw the cake layout on the base sheet and cut it while making folds.
When you open the card, a three-dimensional cake pops out to the front.
Next, attach pieces of washi paper to create the sponge, whipped cream, and fruit.
Tearing the paper into random sizes, like in a collage, helps convey the cake’s fluffy texture.
Finally, add candles and a message to finish.
Try choosing a theme—like matcha or strawberry—before you start crafting!