Guide to Making Cards

From holiday cards to birthday and thank you cards, sending cards in the mail is a beautiful way to celebrate loved ones. Send greetings to your mom, grandma, or sister with personalized Mother’s Day cards, and make dads of all kinds feel loved with custom Father’s Day cards. Receiving cards in the mail is a fun surprise that makes occasions even more special. You can make cards all the more lovely and surprising with sweet inscriptions, funny messages, and love quotes—or step up your game completely by adding photos, text, and designs to your custom cards. Learn more about cards by occasion, and get all of your questions answered with our guide to making personalized cards.

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No matter what kind of card you choose to create, Shutterfly will have a wide range of different custom card templates that will match any special occasion. Explore the vast variety of cards offered and start creating your personalized cards today.

Birthday Cards

No birthday is complete without cards for the birthday boy or girl. Peruse birthday cards by theme such as animals, balloons, age, surprise party, invitations, and more. Birthday honorees will feel loved when they receive birthday cards in the mail, and the personalized details will mark their day as the special occasion it is. Make custom birthday cards for your best friend, who’s always been by your side. Send out birthday card invitations for your sister’s surprise party. Make your boyfriend’s day with birthday cards for him that feature your favorite photos and memories. Browse personalized birthday cards for all.

Shutterfly custom birthday card

Thank You Cards

Looking for the best ways to say thank you? Thank you cards never go out of style. Sending DIY thank you cards can be a beautiful way to express your gratitude, as well as a kind and polite gesture to say thanks for wedding gifts, birthday parties, or any other generous gift. Make loved ones feel appreciated with custom thank you cards with photos, your name, and any other messages you wish to share. Browse thank you cards you can personalize here.

family birthday thank you card

Easter Cards

Whether you’re able to join family and friends for your annual egg hunt traditions or you’re celebrating from afar, send Easter cards to loved ones this spring. From bunnies hopping to eggs hatching to religious Easter cards, customize Easter cards with your family’s photos and a personalized Easter message. As you open Easter baskets filled with marshmallow bunnies, wish loved ones “Happy Easter!” with custom Easter cards. Browse personalized stationery with springtime details like greenery and florals, sunshine and beautiful spring designs. Get started making Easter cards now.

Floral Embellishments Easter Card with new baby

Mother’s Day Cards

Mother’s Day is just around the corner. It’s time to celebrate the various moms in your life: coaches, teachers, mentors, grandmas, aunts, sisters, friends. Make the special moms—in whatever form they take—feel loved with Mother’s Day cards. Send your sisters custom Mother’s Day cards with photos of the family. Customize Mother’s Day cards for the fellow mothers helping you raise your tribe. If you have a mother-in-law, chances are she’ll never let it go if you forget her on this day—so go ahead and make a special Mother’s Day card for her too. Get started making personalized Mother’s Day cards here.

spanish mothers day cards

Father’s Day Cards

While you’re making Mother’s Day cards, better not forget Father’s Day cards for Dad, Grandpa, your partner, and any other special father figures you know. Celebrate the fathers, biological or not, who taught you how to ride a bike, who coached your little league team, who walked you down the aisle at your wedding. Make personalized Father’s Day cards with your favorite photo memories—a childhood photo, your wedding day, his retirement party—and a custom “Happy Father’s Day!” message. Make dads feel loved with custom Father’s Day cards here.

father's day card from shutterfly

How To Make Cards

Giving cards starts with learning how to make the best cards for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or whichever special occasion you want to celebrate.  Make Mom, Dad, or best friend feel special on their special day when you learn how to make cards online. Get started with making cards in just a few steps.

      1. Choose the occasion of your cards: Celebrating the season with holiday cards? Looking for the perfect birthday cards? Mother’s Day cards, Father’s Day cards? Narrow down your choices in cards by picking the occasion you wish to celebrate. You can browse top holidays and occasions by going to Shutterfly.com, selecting Cards & Stationery, and deciding on the occasion of your cards.
      2. Select the style of your cards: Holiday cards, birthday cards, Mother’s Day cards, and every other type of cards, come in a variety of styles, sizes, and number of photos available. Choose a card style that’s right for your greetings and get ready for the fun part: personalizing your cards.
      3. Add photos to cards: Upload your photos to Shutterfly and add them to the cards you’re creating. Organize and arrange your favorite memories to make photo cards for a variety of occasions, holidays, or even just a way to say “I love you,” “Thinking of you,” or “Thank you.”
      4. Embellish your cards with details: Make your cards stand out with custom designs, stickers, text, and other embellishments that accent your special card.
      5. Send cards: Making cards online means ordering cards in minutes and having them delivered directly to loved ones’ mailboxes. Gone are the days of driving to the store, picking out cards, taking them home, writing messages in cards, and mailing them out. Simply make cards online and send them out immediately. No waiting or extra steps involved.

Once you’re comfortable with how to make cards online, you can confidently step into what to write in cards for husband’s birthday, for grandma’s get-well card, and any other custom cards you want to personalize.

Variety of Shutterfly custom greeting cards

What To Write In Cards

Looking for just the right words and inspiration for what to write in cards? Learn what to write in cards with this template for writing personalized messages in cards. Add as much embellishment and details as suit your needs, or keep your custom cards simple and let the beautiful designs speak for themselves. Use these steps to get started with what to write in cards:

      1. Address the recipient: Dear ____________,
      2. Recognize the occasion, and include an appropriate greeting, such as:
        1. Happy Birthday!
        2. Happy Mother’s Day!
        3. Happy Father’s Day!
        4. Happy Holidays!
      3. Include a personal note specific to the recipient and your relationship.
      4. Conclude your greeting card with a sign-off. Take a pick of these standbys or get creative with one of your own:
        1. With love,
        2. Sincerely,
        3. Thanks again,
        4. Best wishes,
        5. Kind regards,

Signed, Sealed, & Delivered on Making Cards

Making personalized cards is a time-honored tradition and beautiful gesture that’s always welcomed by the recipients, whether you’re sending personalized Father’s Day cards to dads and grandpas, custom Mother’s Day cards to special moms, or birthday cards to best friends. For more inspiration on making cards, check out these personalized stationery resources:

Graduation cards

Wedding cards

Baby cards

Thank you cards