[Popup] Handmade Ideas for Birthday Cards
A pop-up card is a card that opens to reveal a three-dimensional design.
The festive look when it’s opened is different from a flat card, and it’s delightful to receive.
In this article, we’ll introduce handmade pop-up card ideas that are perfect for birthdays.
There are many motifs—birthday cakes, candles, flowers, and more—so choose ideas while thinking about what kind of card the recipient would be happiest to receive.
Once your pop-up card is finished, add a message or photos and give it as a gift.
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[Popup] Handmade birthday card ideas (1–10)
A birthday card with blossoming heart-shaped flowers
How about a pop-up card where a heartfelt heart-shaped flower opens with a flourish? It’s a stylish card that will delight people of any generation.
To make the heart flower, fold a square piece of construction paper and cut it into a rounded shape.
Choose whatever colors you like—go colorful, or keep it monochrome for a cool vibe—then customize it to suit the recipient! Attach the flowers to the card base, add leaves, stems, and a message, and you’re done.
It’s also lovely to arrange it so the message appears when the flower opens!
A pop-up cake birthday card
How about making a birthday card with a big, luxurious pop-up birthday cake? Just like in comics, a two-tier cake pops up grandly in the center.
It might seem difficult, but the cake’s shape is simply layers of large and small rectangular papers, so it’s surprisingly easy to make.
Use light-colored paper for the sponge base, white construction paper for the cream, and red construction paper for the strawberries to decorate.
You can also add gift boxes and any decorations you like around the cake!
A birthday card with a candle
Speaking of birthdays, candles decorating the top of the cake are an essential image.
Here’s an idea for a pop-up card with candles.
The candles are very easy to make—just cut construction paper into rectangles.
The colorful candles look cute, and the flickering flames, attached above the candles in the same way, add a three-dimensional feel.
The number of candles you can stand up will vary depending on the size of the card.
If you want to include lots of candles, why not try making a larger card?
[Popup] Handmade Birthday Card Ideas (11–20)
Pop-up card full of flowers
For a loved one’s birthday, why not send a pop-up card filled with flowers from the heart? Floral motifs are something that people of all ages and genders would be delighted to receive.
A craft punch that cuts out flower shapes—available even at 100-yen shops—is super handy! First, take a sheet of construction paper cut slightly smaller than your card base, fold it in half, and make a cut a little above the center.
Next, crease it firmly on the diagonal, and the pop-up bouquet section is complete! After that, use the craft punch on various patterned and colored papers to make lots of flower shapes.
Glue all of these onto the base, then finish by adding color with pens and writing your message!
Easy! Birthday Card
Here’s a recommended way to make a simple yet heartfelt pop-up birthday card! If you have a photo of the birthday person, use it.
Make two slits in the center of the card base, fold along the cuts to create a 3D effect, and imagine placing the photo on that pop-up section.
To finish, craft decorations like cakes, hearts, or flowers out of construction paper.
You can freely write messages, the birthday date, age, and more on these motifs.
Fill the card with your feelings for the recipient!
A card with a pop-up piano
It’s a card with a three-dimensional piano that practically makes you want to play it! It’s a great gift for music lovers or anyone learning the piano.
It may look difficult, but it’s surprisingly easy to make.
You simply create the white and black keys separately and stick them onto the card base—no complicated mechanisms required.
For the finishing touch, you can add a sheet-music piece with a written message or decorate it with musical notes—both would look lovely! You could also adjust the color scheme to suit the recipient.
A card that pops out with presents and party poppers
When it comes to birthday essentials, it’s all about presents and party poppers.
Here’s a birthday card idea inspired by those two items! It looks poppy and festive—like it took a lot of effort—but it’s actually very simple.
Fold a rectangular sheet of cardstock in half and make two slits in the center.
Once you crease it well, the present part is done.
Next, fold two spots at both ends to create the party popper sections.
Open the card, tidy up the creases, and decorate the present and the poppers.
For the popper streamers, cut colored paper into thin strips and accordion-fold them to get the right look.
Try using stickers and other embellishments to finish it off as a fun card!