52 Birthday Card Ideas

If your loved one has a fun hobby or even a unique career, get a card that references that will guarantee a soft smile and a gracious thanks on their special day. Whether you use puns, symbols, or iconography of the hobby or even try it yourself – see our handmade ideas for more! – this card idea is a classic!

This card is available on Thortful.

Sports lovers are loyal and passionate about their sports and team. It shows your attention and care for your loved one’s life. Getting a card that references their favorite sport – even better if it’s personalized with their favorite player or their name – will put a smile on their face. 

This card is available on Etsy

If you want to go further than a favorite sport, you could offer a card celebrating their favorite team! With an established color scheme, logos, chants, and more, you are never far from inspiration when you dive into the sports team rabbit hole. 

This card is available at moonpig.com

If your loved one’s passion for sport is common knowledge, you may wish to take the card a step further and demonstrate their affection for a specific player! Once you know your loved one’s favorite sport and sport, take it a step further and narrow it down to their favorite. A top player is close to any fanatic’s heart, and their face will glow when they come across their visage. Therefore, sticking the player’s image on their birthday card will lighten up their big day. 

This card is available from Thortful

Travel is tough. Between taking time off work and gathering the funds for a ticket, you can either utterly pamper your loved one with a genuine vacation plan to a dream destination or make the card the illusion of a travel pass, passport, or even a suitcase! Sometimes the promise of taking a holiday one day is enough.

This card is available from finalflourishes.com

The world of birthday cards is vast and broad. There is a card for everything, so even if your loved one has a niche favorite animal or loves a classic kitty cat, you can use the adorable face or paws to liven up a card.

This card is available at moonpig.com

Fandom is a very popular fanbase for any media, be it pledging their allegiance to musicians, actors, authors, or more. If your loved one has a favorite or inspiring celeb, stick their image on a birthday card with a heartfelt or amusing quote.

Design inspired by moonpig.com

Zodiac fans are incredibly proud when discussing their sign and its meaning. This idea opens you up to a range of designs from the star constellation to the subsequent image – bull for Taurus, scales for Libra – but it also makes the card specific to that specific day and period of the year. You will make your loved one feel understood and respected by adding a few characteristics of the sign’s type.

This card is available on Etsy

Food puns are top-tier and super easy to make! Whether your loved one is a health nut and wants puns of healthy snacks, or if you’re celebrating a sugar glutton with a birthday cake joke, food is the way to everyone’s heart and stomach, and will put a smile on their face!

This card is available at Thortful

Does your loved one have an appetite for workouts? Are they always found breaking a sweat at the gym? If so, why not play on this trait for their card? This idea from Thortful is sweet and shows your affection for the gym rat in your life!

This card is available on Thortful

If your loved one speaks multiple languages or is starting to learn a new language, you can translate and celebrate this by having birthday congratulations in many languages! Show your care for your friends by relaying the message in this fun and international way.

This card is available at Redbubble

A true classic of personalized cards involves the name of your loved one directly! Whether building their name into the card, written uniquely, or stamped by a card-making company, this makes for an unforgettable gift.

This card is available on NotOnTheHighStreet

This creative media form is perfect for card-making if your loved one has a favorite genre, franchise, or movie character. Use quotes, puns, and photos, or make it into a guessing game like this, to get the enthusiasm going on their special day.

This card is available on Thortful, with similar designs on Etsy. 

Whether your loved one has a favorite song, band, or lyric, there is no shortage of inspiration for amusing or heartfelt quotes and associated images for musicians.

This card is available on Etsy 

Appreciative workplaces are sometimes hard to come by. Remind a coworker how much you appreciate their patience, help, and personality on their special day with a card like this!

This card is available on Etsy

We all know the classic song from The Sound of Music, where Julie Andrews’ character lists her favorite things. Why not do the same for your loved one by giving them a card scattered with what they love? It’ll show your attention and care on their special day!

This card is available at Papier

Adding embroidery on a card is a beautiful and unique way to show your dedication to your loved one. Whether you stitch a message or flowers, this idea is a great way to try your hand at something new and make a memorable card that they’ll keep for years.

This card is available on Etsy

A mosaic, whether used to create an image or simply fill the space with color, is a creative way to show your love and make an unforgettable card. You can use any color and shape, making it unique and personal.

This card is available on PencilJoy

 Gifting someone flowers is a classic, timeless gift. However, real flowers eventually die, so why not save them the upset and give them forever flowers? Whether you use creative 3D flowers like this example or preserved pressed flowers, this floral card promises pride of place in the memory box.

This card is available at LoveKates.com

The love heart is an international symbol of genuine emotion. Whether you give them a card like our example to show your affection and celebration or have several little cutouts to represent their age, this idea is simple and sweet and sure to put a smile on your loved one’s face.

This card is available on MessyLittleMonster

Whether this card is for a friend, a family member, or a partner, why not show your love by using your favorite photo of the two of you? You can print out the image and decorate it with stickers and stamps, or use online card-making websites to give that professional shine to your card!

This card is available on Printster 

Whether you take the idea of making a card in your loved one’s favorite color, decorating it with stickers and stamps in that color, or simply letting them know that they are the shining light in your life, this card idea is sweet and surprisingly effective. It shows how much you pay attention to the little things in your loved one’s life and associate their color with the love you have.

This card is available at HummingPea  

This card sports all kinds of creative elements! From the fun angles, pop-out style, and colorful card to add the spots, stripes, and candles, this card brings the birthday vibes together uniquely and memorably.

This card was made by Tina Kistinger

This card is surprisingly simple, despite its professional and unique design. It adds a cute addition to any birthday by mimicking the decor to celebrate someone’s big day. Why not try your hand at this idea to show your loved one the lengths you’ll go to to make them feel special?

This card’s tutorial is accessible at CreaBeaCards

Every dad has an outfit or a jacket they don whenever DIY jobs need doing. Show your acknowledgment and joy at your father’s ‘business’ garb with an amusing card like our example! It’s guaranteed to get a chuckle out of everyone.

This card is available on PheasantPlucker

You can use a previous birthday or a childhood image. You will get a nostalgic smile on your parent’s face when they open this card. Bring back beautiful memories of the good old days and reminisce about how much has changed!

This card idea is inspired by Flickr

Find a meaningful quote from whichever scripture your parent reads that will win you a loving smile. Not only does it reference their faith, but it also shows your care and respect by celebrating it with them on their special day.

This card is available on Etsy

Whether you use a photo of your parent’s own parents, children, or celebrity, a familiar and loveable face promises to get a good hearty laugh or smile when they open the card. Print and decorate the card yourself or get a card like our example to show they are your favorite person!

This card is available at HunterPaper

Whether your parent has a favorite quote or always dishes out the same tidbit of wisdom, celebrate this by having it front and center on their card! This little strength can help someone through tough times and show how you use your parent’s advice to get you through each day.

This card is available on Etsy

The love people have for their pets is unparalleled. Nothing would melt their heart more than an image of your lovable friend on their birthday card. Personalize it to get as close to yours as possible, and you’ll have a card to keep forever!

This card is available at FunkyPigeon

If you have a certain humorous rapport with your parents, a teasing joke about their age can often crack several smirks during a party. By following this card up with a meaningful gift, and a sweet little message inside, you can ensure your loved one knows you’ll always care for them, no matter what!

This card is available on Amazon

This idea has so much potential. You can get a personalized card to show off your loved one’s age, decorate yourself with things they like, or mimic their own card-making style! This idea is a great way to give an unforgettable card, especially for a young child.

This design is available at Moon Pig   

If your loved one is a superhero fan or is maybe the superhero in your life, let them know with an appropriately brave card! This card can boost the mood on their special day and make them feel on top of the world. 

Design inspired by Etsy 

School can be daunting for anyone, especially the young ones. Get their favorite teacher involved and offer a sweet message from them to celebrate their big day. You can make this card even more meaningful by getting a photo of the two of them together!

Design inspired on Pinterest

Whether you use images of your child and their best friend or ask the best friend to draw or write a sweet little message, this card idea promises to be the best card of the day! Kids are loyal and adore their friends, especially those they consider best friends.

This card is available on eBay

Regardless of how many toys a child has, they always have a favorite. This favorite tends to be a cuddly teddy! Make their card and birthday message be from the lovable fluffball, or use a photo of your child embracing the bear. It’s sure to crack some sweet smiles on the day and many years to come.

This card is available on Amazon.com

Whether your child has won an event and you want to use a photo of their success or simply wish to dramatize the big day, this fake newspaper card design promises to get a proud giggle out of your successful little one.

This card is available at MoonPig.com

Every child wishes to be someone when they grow up. Whether you use their dream career as inspiration for what to draw on their card or simply use this great quote to inspire them to achieve their dreams, this card will stick with them throughout their life!

This card is available on Redbubble

Sibling dynamics are as hectic as they are sweet. Crack some jokes about your children and their siblings, or move some hearts by having photos of your kids playing peacefully together. Either way, this card shows your loved one surrounded by their family on their special day.

This card is available on Thortful. 

Cards like this one from Minted.com allow you to highlight your child’s best qualities without resorting to their academic achievements. Remind them to focus on their education while showing they have worth and strength outside of school too!

This card is available on Minted

Children have favorite costumes. Whether it’s a Disney character, an animal, or any fun design, you can incorporate it into a card, especially on Moonpig.com. You can even make it more meaningful, like our example, by having your child’s favorite animal be the one in the costume!

This card is available at Moon Pig

Kids, through reading or playing video games, create super imaginations and can get lost in these imaginations, so it is a fantastic idea to give them a card that fits them into their world. Cards like this allow you to personalize the card to make your child see themselves in the given style!

This card is available on eBay 

This card idea is brilliant as you can make it yourself super easily. All you need is a pen and five colorful buttons. From there, you can reference ‘Leveling Up’ each year and make it a game-based tradition.

This card is available on Amazon

As we’ve mentioned in previous ideas for favorite foods, food-based puns are ripe with inspiration and humor! Kids always have a favorite snack or food, so celebrate that with them on their special day.

This card is available on Etsy

Take the time to confess your sweetest feeling. Let your partner know how grateful you are for their presence in your life on their special day.  

This card is available at CardsDirect

Whether your loved one is saving up for their dream car, currently drives a standout vehicle, or has a passion for cars, show your love and appreciation by having said vehicle on their card! It will be even more special should you personalize it with their name or any notable decor.

This card is available on Etsy. 

 Similar to our last one, having an artistic recreation of your loved one’s dream or childhood home can tug at the heartstrings. Another house-themed idea is to celebrate your lives together, not unlike a housewarming card, and let them know how grateful you are to share your days with them.

This card is available on AliExpress

Whether you prefer the less suggestive design and have a photo of them in their favorite activity – be it a sport, gaming, or hiking! – or if you go for this wink-wink style card, your partner guarantees to get a chuckle on their special day.

This card is available at VictorianPrint

This card idea is very versatile, as you can personalize the map to be a future trip location, where you currently live together, or where your partner grew up. However, we find that the place you met will have the most impact and make for an unforgettable card design. It will bring back all the sweet memories and show that you love them just as you did on that blessed day.

This card is available at NotOnTheHighStreet

Gather photos of your previous adventures and vacations and create a colorful and meaningful collage of all the smiles and good times you two have had. By looking back fondly on the past, the two of you can look forward to many more memories in the future!

This card is available at MoonPig.

This entertaining and intriguing design shows the details and comparisons of how the world was when your loved one was born. It’s always fun to see what we have lived through and how much has changed since our lives began.

This card is available on Amazon.

Everyone knows that the sweet penguin species mate for life. They find love, and they’ll keep it, no matter what. Share this adorable sentiment with your partner, and let them know that you’re in this for the long run. It’s heartfelt, meaningful, and sure to win you a few kisses!

This card is available on Amazon.