DIY Shaker Cards

These shaker cards are super easy to make and even more fun to gift. I’ve included 3 shaker card templates for free along with this tutorial.

You can buy shaker card kits or you can just assemble your own. The materials for this project are pretty straight forward.

I made these shaker cards with my Cricut cutting machines but they can also be done by hand (with some adjustments).

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Materials for DIY Shaker Cards and Tips

Cardstock – I like to at medium weight cardstock with colored cores for cards. Here are some of my favorite brands:

Recollection Assorted Starter Pack – Basic assorted colors, great starter pack, perfect weight for most papercraft projects
Metallic Shimmer Assorted Set from Amazon – This set is a little lighter in weight but the colors are beautiful in 3D
Cardstock Warehouse Brand on Amazon – I love the quality of all the matte colored cardstock with Cardstock Warehouse. It is my go-to brand for individual matte colors that I might need
Stardream Metallics Line – For paper crafts, the Stardream line is the go to for a metallic shimmer finish. It is the perfect sheen to make any project pop. The core is also colored is which hard to find for metallic paper.
Assorted Pink Set from Paper Paper – This is a must-have for paper flower makers. The variety is perfect to create a bouquet.
Assorted Purple Set from Paper Paper – This is another must-have for paper flower makers. I love the variety of finishes in this pack.
Metallic Variety Set from Paper Paper – I don’t know any avid paper crafter that doesn’t use Stardream metallics line of shimmer paper. It is the only metallic cardstock line that I know of that has such variety and has colored cores.

Glue – You will need to use some glue for the layers. If you are making this by hand and would prefer to use double-sided foam tape, you could also use that between the layers. I like this Scotch brand of mounting tape which has the perfect thickness.

Foam Sheets – I like using foam sheets instead of the tape because it creates better aligned layers. I like this assorted set which has with plenty of colors to choose from.

Plastic Sheet – I like to use thinner Mylar sheets or transparencies.

Cutting Machine – I use a Cricut. Check out my recommendations for Cricut machines and accessories for beginners for more info.

Templates – The floral, birthday and thank you shaker card templates are available in SVG and printable PDF formats for free in my resource library.

Shaker cards tutorial

Step 1: Cut all the piece layers of the shaker card from the template

I used a fresh light grip mat for all the cardstock and transparency film.

You will need a deep point blade for the foam sheet. If you don’t have the blade, you can always cut this by hand. It does not have to be super precise, it just needs to outline the opening on the top layer.

Step 2: Apply a ring of glue on the backside of the foam lining.

You can use different types of glue for this. I normally recommend a non-polymer glue that doesn’t warp the cardstock but if the glue is not touching a layer that will be visible, it won’t matter.

Step 3: Add the back layer to the foam cut out and flip it over.

At this point, you can fill the cutout with your confetti or sequence.

Step 4: Apply another ring of glue or adhesive to the top of the foam cutout.

It is important to seal in the sequence. If your foam paper is thin and your sequence or confetti is thick, you might want to do a double layer on the foam so the sequence has room to move around.