A birthday card for your boyfriend that's actually about him

The shop cards for boyfriends are all the same: a beer, a football, a joke about being old. If none of that is him, the fix is to make the card from him instead. Describe what he's actually into — the motorcycle he's forever fixing, the trail he runs on Sundays, the dog that follows him around the house — and the cover is painted from that. Then the inside says what you'd actually say.

What to describe for the cover

• His thing, specifically: not 'likes sport' but 'Sunday long runs by the river'.
• A shared scene: the campsite from your first trip, the kitchen where he burns the pancakes.
• The tone: funny, warm, deadpan. 'A little bit silly' is a legitimate instruction.

What to write inside

One line about this year with him, one thing you admire, one plan. "You made this the easiest year of my life. Nobody makes me laugh like you do. Same time next year — I'll still be stealing your fries." If the words won't come, let the draft write a first version and rewrite the bits that don't sound like you.

A digital card is $1.99 and arrives in seconds — handy if the birthday snuck up. The same card, printed and posted to him, is $9.99.

For a milestone year

An 18th, 21st, 30th or 40th usually deserves the letterbox, not just the inbox: choose 'Post a real card' and we print it on proper card stock and mail it for you. Send the digital one on the day itself so he has something to open while the printed one travels.