This DIY Greeting Card Organizer Box has been sponsored by American Greetings. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Have you ever purchased a greeting card and then misplaced it before the big day or the event? Or have you ever had to stop at the store on the way to a party to grab a card and then you ended up being late to the party? Or even worse, just shown up empty-handed? I have done all of these things so, so, so many times lately, and it’s super embarrassing. Honestly, I blame a couple of cute toddlers and my tired mom brain for showing up empty-handed. But, I’ve decided to do something about this, so I made a DIY Greeting Card Organizer Box (well, boxes) stocked with an assortment of cards for birthdays, weddings, baby showers, new baby, new home, get well soon, etc. so that I am always prepared and never show up empty-handed again!
Now, I know there are dozens of other tutorials for Greeting Card Organizers on the internet—some are even pre-made. However, they are usually housed in an ugly plastic box and have homemade dividers. And I simply didn’t want to make one of those. Instead, I wanted nicely painted wooden boxes that would look great when displayed on a shelf in my office. The boxes that I chose aren’t big enough for dividers, but I don’t care. I’m willing to sacrifice function for beauty!
And how awesome are these greetings cards with which I’m stocking the boxes? You know I had to pick up all the food-related cards! S’mores, tacos, avocados, cupcakes, popsicles, yep, the gang’s all here! Ha! Aren’t they all fun, colorful, and cute? They’re all American Greetings cards, and I picked them up at Vons in the card aisle.
If someone you know could use a smile, be sure to pick up an American Greetings summer greeting card from Vons during your next grocery trip! It was super easy for me to grab an assortment of different cards and stock up for different events to have on hand in the future. And if you need help writing a message in the card, American Greetings has a super helpful “What to Write” page for some inspiration!
Ok, so for this super simple DIY, you’ll need a few supplies:
- Wooden Boxes
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Stencils
- Stencil Dauber
- Assortment of American Greetings cards
I went with some happy and bright rainbow-ish colors to reflect the happiness and brightness of the greeting cards, but you can choose whichever colors you like. Maybe even do an ombre effect using different shades of the same color!
First, I painted the boxes inside and out with two coats—letting them dry completely between the coats and before I began stenciling. This takes a little bit of time but honestly, I found it meditative and this mama needs some meditative me time!
While the boxes were drying, I brainstormed some words to stencil on the fronts of the boxes. This was the hardest part! I know that I’ll use one of the boxes for in-person event cards such as kids’ birthday parties, baby showers, etc., and I’ll use another box for some snail mail cards, including thank you cards, get well soon cards, and thinking of you cards. Then the last box will probably hold an assortment of different gift cards to include with a greeting card for birthdays, baby showers, new homes, etc. if I’m not working off a gift registry. Here are a few sets of ideas:
- Yay! Hooray! Woohoo!
- Hip! Hip! Hooray!
- Hi. Howdy. How are you?
- Send. Some. Sunshine.
- Send. A. Smile.
- Prized. Card. Collection.
- Secret. Card. Stash.
- Yay! Woo! Yes!
Pro tips on stenciling so you don’t get any bleeds under the stencil:
- 1. Use a stencil dauber (see photo below).
- 2. Use very little paint on your stencil dauber.
- 3. Go slow and have patience. You may need to do a few coats because you’re using so little paint on your stencil dauber.
And then once the boxes were completely dry, I stocked them with cards, envelopes, pens, and gift cards! Now I’m all set for the kid birthday party circuit! I did not realize that once you have kids, your weekends become jam-packed with kids’ birthday parties!
I am super happy with how these turned out and they look awesome on my shelf!
You can also use this tutorial to make a “Party in a Box” to send to a friend or family member a party-themed care package! Simply add balloons, a banner, confetti poppers, noisemakers, and optional fun little gifts to the box along with a card and pop it in the mail!
Or if you save greeting cards that you receive for birthdays or special occasions, you can make these boxes to serve as memory boxes for you or your children!
Again, all of the cards I used to stock my DIY Greeting Card Organizer Boxes are American Greetings cards that I picked up at Vons in the card aisle. And if you use the Vons app, be sure to look for any Just For U digital coupons on cards.
Have you ever shown up to a party empty-handed? Let me know in a comment! In the last year, we’ve gone to two birthday parties and one baby shower with no gift just because I either couldn’t find the card I had purchased or I didn’t have the time to make it out to the store with two babies in tow. Now, with my fully-stocked Greeting Card Organizer Boxes, I’m hoping we never show up empty-handed again!
DIY Greeting Card Organizer Box
Materials
- Wooden Boxes
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Alphabet Stencils
- Stencil Dauber
- Assortment of American Greetings cards
Instructions
1. Paint the boxes inside and out with two coats
2. Stencil words on front of boxes
Tips on stenciling so you don’t get any bleeds under the stencil:
Use a stencil dauber (see photo below).
Use very little paint on your stencil dauber.
Go slow and have patience. You may need to do a few coats because you’re using so little paint on your stencil dauber.
3. Fill with greeting cards and gift cards!
Kait
Monday 1st of July 2019
This is so cute and DEFINITELY a better option than the basket I use where every card is all mixed around and every time I want to send one, I have to dig and sort!
Andrea
Sunday 14th of July 2019
Thanks, Kait!