• Find inspiration for handmade greeting cards in nature.The artist image by Galaiko Sergey from Fotolia.com
  
  A handmade greeting card says so much more than a store-bought one. When you take the time to create and design a personalized card, the card itself becomes a gift instead of a dime-store item that will be thrown away. A handmade greeting card is a keepsake.
  
  

Pressed Flowers

• Arrange dried leaves, grasses and flowers on greeting card paper to design a lovely card.
  
  Place leaves, grasses and flowers between sheets of newspaper. Place between heavy books or use a flower press. Leave the foliage to dry flat for at least 48 hours and up to a week before use.
  
  Use greeting card stock that is already folded; do not use stationery paper for this project. Create different arrangements on the front of the greeting card until you find the one you like best. Attach leaves, grasses and petals to the greeting card with a small dab of white craft glue. Allow to dry.
  
  Cut a piece of clear contact paper large enough to cover the front of the greeting card. Lay the glue side down on the dried flowers, being careful to avoid trapping air bubbles. Press with your hand.
  
  Open the greeting card and write your personal message inside.
  
  

Watercolor and Stamps

• Achieve professional watercolor results with watercolor pencils and greeting card stock designed for use with watercolor paints. This greeting card stock is available in stationery and craft stores.
  
  Watercolor pencils are versatile and may be used in different ways. Draw freehand with them. Then, take a clean paintbrush, dip in water, and paint over your drawn lines.
  
  Unless you are planning on selling your handmade greeting cards, you may choose to decorate them with stamps. (Purchased stamps are copyright protected.) After the ink has completely dried, color in the design with watercolor pencils. Experiment with the different results achieved by finishing the design with dry watercolor pencils, painting over the penciled-in design with a wet paintbrush, or smudging the watercolor marks with a rubber eraser.
  
  

Pop-Ups

• Create a handmade pop-up card with two pieces of card stock or construction paper and a craft knife. The basic technique for building a pop-up card is the same regardless of the design. Fold both pieces of paper in half. Cut the pop-up out of one piece of paper, and glue it inside the other piece.
  
  To make a simple vase pop-up card, fold the paper in half. Cut a short, diagonal line near the middle of the fold. The diagonal cut should be no longer than an inch, and point down at a 45-degree angle.
  
  Take the paper under the diagonal cut and fold it back against the paper, then unfold. It should not be creased. Unfold the paper. Pull gently up on the flap to form the vase. With the pop-up vase sticking out, fold the paper shut again to crease the vase in place.
  
  Glue this paper with vase onto the other piece of paper so the vase is inside the greeting card.
  
  Cut and paste green strips of paper so that they are sticking out of the vase. Glue flower shapes on the green stems. When your friend opens the card, a pop-up flower vase will greet her.