Cat Arts & Craft Ideas

Make a card craft for special days such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, Christmas, graduation or just when you want to say "Thanks".

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Make Your Own Handmade Cat Photo Greeting Cards

Share your cat photos with friends and family by making your own handmade greeting cards!

This card can be made easily within a day. In fact, this free craft will only take a few hours to make. Why not make your own card for Father's Day, Mother's Day, birthdays or just to say "Hi!"   This is a fun craft idea for kids or adults.

Materials Required:

• Favorite pet picture
• Construction paper to match your picture
• Ribbon or string (for bow)
• Hole punch (optional)
• Scissors
• Glue (preferably stick glue)
• Embroidery needle

Instructions:

Cut your construction paper to the desired size and fold in half, OR use the whole piece of paper and fold first lengthwise and then widthwise OR use a pre-made card (you can purchase at a craft store).  The card should be standing up as in the picture above.

Using a whole punch, punch two holes at the top of the card along the fold line.  The holes should be at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart.  (If you don't have a hole punch, just use the embroidery needle to pull the ribbon through).   Thread your embroidery needle with ribbon or string (whatever you'd like to use for the bow).   Ensure the ribbon is long enough to tie a pretty bow.   Thread the ribbon through each hole starting at the front of the card, and then bring the needle through the back.  You should have both ends of the ribbon hanging in the front of your card.  Tie a knot and then a bow.

Glue your picture onto the center of the card.  A glue stick works better than all-purpose glue because it does not dampen and wrinkle the paper.

Another Variation:

If you'd like to add more color and dimension to your card, add a 2nd layer to it.

This 2nd piece of paper should be a different color or shade.  Try to pick up one of the colors in your picture.  Cut this 2nd piece of paper a 1/4 inch (1 cm) smaller on all sides than your card.  Before you hole punch your card, fold this 2nd piece over the main piece.  Now hole punch both sheets of paper.

It should look like your card has a flap now.  This 2nd piece will be the piece you glue your pet picture onto.

If you enjoyed making this card, you should have a look at this wonderful greeting card craft book.  Not only does it have many greeting cards which I think are just beautiful, it also shows how to make envelopes!  This book has 45 fun filled projects of which some are suitable for children.

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Make Your Own 3-D Cat Greeting Card

I love to make cut out greeting cards.   It’s one of those crafts where you usually have all the necessary materials in the house, so you can get started right away.

This cat greeting card is so cute to make. It's not quite a pop up card, but it does have a nice 3-D effect.

If you don’t have the moveable plastic eyes or the pompom for the nose, just color them on, or cut out a bit of colored paper to glue on. If you don’t have ribbon, string will do nicely – or just leave that step out.   The card will still be beautiful.   I don’t always have colored paper in the house, so I've found that wrapping paper, or writing paper make great substitutes!

Materials Required:

Instructions:

Take one piece of the white paper and fold it in half lengthwise (will be 8 ½ inches long by 5 ½ inches wide – 21.25 cm by 13.75 cm).   Now fold the paper in the opposite direction (widthwise).   This will be your card.

Take the piece of pink paper, and cut a rectangle 4 ½ inches wide by 3 ¼ inches high (11.25 cm by 8.13 cm).   Using the glue stick, glue this onto the front of your card in the center.   There will be a ½ inch border of white showing.

Now let’s work on the cat.

Either print this page to use the above templates, or if you have the program "Adobe Acrobat Reader", click on this link to open the pdf of the cat's head and cheek templates.

Fold the gray paper in half.   Place the straight edge of the cat’s head stencil, where it says "fold line", onto the fold of the gray paper.   Trace and cut it out.   Place the straight edge of the "sm. cheek" stencil onto the fold of the gray paper.   Trace and cut it out.   Fold the second piece of white paper in half.   Place the straight edge of the "lg. cheek" stencil onto the fold of the white paper.   Trace and cut it out.   Unfold each piece slightly.

Trace the inside of the ear onto the pink paper and cut two out.   Using the stick glue, glue each ear onto the head.

Hold the cat’s head.   Place the large cat’s cheeks inside the fold of the head, and the small cheeks on top of the large.  Line up the cheeks and all the fold lines.

Thread the sewing needle with the thread.   You do not need to tie a knot in the end.   This will be used to secure the cat cut outs to the card.

Place the folded cat’s head and cheek grouping onto the center of your card.   Poke the sewing needle through the topmost sheet of the card, working from the back of the paper to the front.   Do not pull the thread all the way through -- leave a long end so you’ll be able to tie this in a minute.   Bring the needle up through the cat’s head and the center of the cheeks (on the fold line).   Poke the needle down through the cat’s head (on the fold line approximately where the eye’s would be), and down through the topmost layer of the card.   Inside the card, tie both ends of the thread together.   Cut the ends off.   A single stitch should be showing on the outside and the loose ends should be on the inside.   When you open the card, you should not see the thread.

Please ensure you have not stitched your card closed.   You should have only pierced one (the topmost) of the 4 folded pieces.   The string should be hidden between the 1^st and 2^nd piece, so you don’t see it when you open the card.   (The 1^st two pieces of paper will make up the front of the card, and the 3^rd and 4^th piece will make the back of the card.)

Glue the pompom onto the fold area just above the cheeks.   Glue on the eyes.

Using the hole punch, make two holes at the top of the card ensuring to punch through all layers.   Each hole will be a ¼ inch (2/3 cm) from the top, and 1 ¾ inch (4 1/3 cm) from the edge of the card.   Thread the embroidery needle with the ribbon.   Starting at the front of the card, thread the needle through the left hole to the back of the card.   Then from the back of the card, bring the needle through the second hole to the front of the card.   You should have both ends of the ribbon hanging in the front of the card.   Tie a bow and trim the ends.

If you enjoyed making this cat greeting card, you must look at this greeting card book.   Not only does it have fun patterns to create 3 dimensional cards and pop-up cards, it includes most of the supplies to make them so you’ll be able to get started right away. This book is easy to follow, has wonderful pictures, and is perfect for both kids and adults.   Your friends and family will love receiving these gorgeous cards!   Check it out now!

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