Make a simple greeting card organizer using easy-to-find supplies to give as a gift for any occasion. It’s a gift that is not only useful, but is also a personalized and a helpful organizing tool. This is a great example of handmade gifts that are easy to create, useful, and thoughtful.
Some links in this article are affiliate links and if you click on them I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
One year my sister gave us this clever greeting card organizer complete with cards and even the birthday lists already filled out with birthdays and anniversaries! This was such a good idea – something really helpful all wrapped up in a nice presentation. I couldn’t wait to start using it, and I knew I’d want to share it with you, too.
So of course I grilled my sister about all the details first (this is what happens when you have a sister who blogs…), what she used and how she created them.
Gifts like this elevate handmade gifts to a whole other level Why?
- It uses easy-to-get supplies in a new and unique way.
- It’s super personal.
- It’s useful and helps you get organized.
- And it looks good at the same time.
While there’s nothing wrong with handmade gifts that are purely pretty or decorative, making something that helps solve a problem is like double the icing on a cake!
Now that I’ve convinced you, let’s make one!
MY LATEST VIDEOSDIY Greeting Card Organizer
Supplies:
- CD or DVD box holders. The box pictured isn’t available anymore, but here are similar boxes: Walmart and Target. Smaller CD boxes (like the photos) will hold note cards while larger DVD boxes can hold larger birthday sized cards.
- Dividers: Made with heavy cardstock or uncut picture matboard.
- Quality printer paper like 24 lb. weight.
- Blank note cards or all occasion cards. Or create note cards from kid’s artwork and photos at sites like here and here.
Directions
1. Print out a personal message, if you’d like, followed by instructions for using the box in the font of your choice sized to fit the inside lid of the box.
Here are the instructions my sister came up with you can copy:
Here’s how it works:
Each month has a list of birthdays
in our family to get you started. You
can add more birthdays and other
special occasions as you wish. We
started you off with some cards and
hope you find this useful.
Um, useful? Oh yes!
2. Create Monthly Tabs.
When you open the box, you can see how it has been modified with monthly dividers. They were hand-cut from picture matting to front the note cards. Cut the cardstock or matboard sized to fit the width of your box with alternating tabs 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches to hold the month labels.
Print out months, cut out to fit into tab sizes and glue onto tabs. Create lined notes to fit the front of the tabs labeled with “birthdays” like pictured or “events” (or whatever you’d like) and glue those to the divider fronts.
Make it even more thoughtful by adding your family birthdays already – what a great jump-start!
3. Add two to three blank note cards for each month.
My sister used her own photographs to make blank note cards (my other sister makes notecards, too, but she uses her kid’s artwork, which is totally unique). Typically custom note card places can reduce any size artwork or photos to fit standard-sized note cards. Or you can take pictures of them and just upload them to a website.
Any blank note cards could be added, however, and still make a pretty cool gift. And I love that they’re blank cards – I actually prefer blank cards, so I can use them for whatever I need, a birthday, thank you, or just to say hi (remember the days of keeping in touch through letters?).
Not only will this greeting card organizer help keep anyone on top of the birthday game, just think how nice it will look on a desk or shelf – it’s an added bonus that it doesn’t need to be hidden away!
Disclosure: affiliate links in this article will earn commission based on sales, but it doesn’t change your price. Click here to read my full disclaimer and advertising disclosure.
Subscribe to Organize, Plan, Cook & Beautify Your Home with Free Printables
Subscribe to AOC's popular weekly Newsletter full of useful information, behind-the-scenes updates, and occasional offers AND get access to this printable in the VIP Subscriber Library that also includes eBooks, checklists, organizing helps, and recipes - with more added regularly. We'll never send spam - read our Privacy Policy here.
What a great box. I’m always looking for boxes or places to store cards I make. I’ll have to check for boxes like these.
What a fab idea. Despite making cards myself, I often forget birthdays. It would also make a great gift filled with my handmade cards
great idea. i can never remember all the birthdays…