Mention birthday cards to most people, and they immediately think of the glossy, pre-printed cards that you find in a store. Card departments exist in grocery stores, discount stores, and drugstores everywhere. You can spend hours sorting through racks of cards trying to find a card with the perfect message and image for the message you hope to convey. Why bother, though? What people often forget is that free birthday cards aren’t just for elementary school children. Anyone can make their own greeting cards, and there are a variety of easy-to use methods.

One way to make cards is with your own artwork or photographs. You can buy blank greeting cards in most craft and discount stores, and can use any craft supplies to create your own design on the front of the birthday card. After buying a package of fifty or one hundred blank cards, you can use your own creativity, and at only five or ten cents each, you’re making virtually free birthday cards. With your own designs and a personalized message inside, you’ve made personalized birthday cards that friends and family will treasure.

A growing cardmaking hobby means that specialized supplies are available in craft and hobby stores. It’s possible to spend hundreds of dollars just on supplies to make greeting cards. However, what seems at first like a source of free birthday cards can quickly grow even more expensive than buying cards at the store for a few dollars each. Rubber stamps, pre-printed messages, and fancy paper can cost hundreds of dollars. Some homemade birthday cards can be beautiful and creative, but expensive.

Computers are a new source of inexpensive birthday cards. In addition to sending e-mail greetings, there are many Web sites and pieces of software that provide free birthday cards, as well as cards for nearly every other occasion. These cards allow you to choose your own images and messages, but also they have a professional and polished look.

Which method is right for your birthday? Only you know what is right for you, but weigh your options carefully, and you will always choose the perfect birthday cards.