DIY Chocolate Frog Cards
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I make a commission if you purchase through my links (at no extra cost to you!). I will never promote any products I don’t genuinely use & love!
You asked & I answered! Here is your DIY chocolate frog card tutorial!! Before we get started, I wanted to just say this DIY would not be possible without the incredible art done by Jillian! She literally blew me away with the final results!! Make sure to check out her Etsy and find her at @JillianDainesIllustration on Instagram!
Supplies Needed
Custom chocolate frog card art - I got mine commissioned by Jillian (links above)!
Scissors
Mod Podge (optional)
Wide paint brush (optional)
Step 1: commission the art!
Your first step is to commission your custom artwork as this will take the longest time. I was making these as gifts for my friends, so I gathered all the info I’d need to send to the artist. I specified the Hogwarts houses I wanted for each person (for their tie and scarf!) and provided a reference picture, as well as their full name to be included!
Step 2: gather your supplies
While you are waiting for your art, gather the other items you will need - in particular, the replica chocolate frogs! You could just get regular chocolate frogs, but the replica version is much more sturdy (a hard plastic “box” vs. a cardboard one) and will last forever! This is optional, but you can also use Mod Podge to seal your cards. You will also need a strong pair of scissors that can cut through thick cardstock, and a wide, flat paintbrush (if using Mod Podge).
Step 3: create the “about” section & format the card
Next (this step is also optional) you can create a little “about” section for the back of the card - just like a real chocolate frog card!
I used the Dumbledore chocolate frog card as a reference for the font and writing style (if you buy a replica chocolate frog, you will get a Dumbledore card in it!)! You can see what I wrote for one as an example below. I did this in Canva - you can create an account for free! I created a 7in x 5in document and uploaded my commissioned art with a transparent background.
Next, I searched for a pentagon shape in the Canva elements section to use as the back of the card. You might have to try a few different shapes to find one that matches the proportions of your art! Color match this shape to the background color of your art by using the color dropper (this should be some variation of a periwinkle/blue color).
Next, add your text! I used the font “Taylor Gothic Regular” that is available on Canva. I made the text a beige color and added a darker shadow (find this under “effects" in Canva) to make it stand out more. To follow the format of a real chocolate frog card, start with the first and last name of the person on the card in a larger text size at the top middle. Use a comma and then start your description below in smaller text. Start with their house and then list some of their attributes, hobbies, etc! Have fun with it! Just make sure your text is centered and has space around it on each side because we will be trimming the edges a bit once it is printed.
Step 4: order prints
Once your art is ready, you will need to order prints. This took a few tries for me to get right because the pentagon needs to be the right size and it needs to be printed on a thick enough paper to really give it the “card” look.
I went with the Luxe Double-Thick Cardstock in the size 5x7 from Shutterfly! The trickiest part was lining up the back and front of the card when uploading the two images (the front and back design as pictured below have to be uploaded separately on Shutterfly) so I could cut out the pentagon and have the two sides match up perfectly. You can see I actually sized my design where a tiny bit gets cut off at the top, which is okay because we will be trimming the edges anyways. Make sure each image you are uploading is the same exact size, with the pentagon centered, so that when you center the design on Shutterfly, the pentagons will be in the exact same position on the front and back of the card.
Another challenge with Shutterfly is there is no way to remove the watermark on the back of the card (see my example below) so you have to move your design up as much as possible so when it prints, you can trim the watermark off! I ended up cutting a few millimeters off (I used the gold border on my design as a guide) each edge to accomplish this! If you get your cards printed with a different print service, you might be able to avoid this! However, I found Shutterfly was the only place I could find thick-enough cardstock!
Step 5: put it all together!
Now for the fun part: putting it all together! Once your printed card arrives, you only have a few more steps to pull together this magical gift! I started by cutting out the hexagonal shape right along the edge.
Then, as described above, I used sharp scissors to trim another few millimeters off each edge, following the gold border edge, so the Shutterfly watermark was not visible. You will lose a bit of your border, but as long as you cut the same amount off each side, it won’t be noticeable at all!
This is optional, but to help make the card more durable (& also give it a shiny, almost holographic look like a real chocolate frog card) I used some Mod Podge all around the card (both sides and edges). I found it was easiest to use a large, flat paintbrush. It is super important to use a SUPER THIN layer of Mod Podge so that your card doesn’t absorb it and smear the ink! You can always add more after the first layer is dry! My tips: less is more and GO SLOW!
Once your card has completely dried, all that’s left is to put it in the chocolate frog box! Since I was mailing these as a gift, I used the original packaging the chocolate frog replica came in but opened it up and replaced the Dumbledore card that came with it with my custom card! That way, each recipient could open it up & be surprised by seeing their own face on the card!
My dear friend Dede posted a video showing her whole card if you want to see what the back ended up looking like!! This is seriously such an easy and meaningful gift to give anyone in your life who is obsessed with Harry Potter - yourself included!! If you try this DIY, tag @stringandhoney in the results - I’d love to see!!
xoxo,
Maggie