Scratch-Off Car Card (with Free Printable!)

This cute car card contains fun secret messages that can be scratched off with a coin, and it even comes with a free car template that you can use to speed things up! Perfect for Father’s Day or for the car lover in your life!

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DIY scratch-off cards are so fun, so easy to make, and you probably already have a lot of the materials you need just lying around the house!

It’s not the first time I’ve talked about them, so if you follow my blog, you may have already seen my post on Scratch-Off Ladybug Cards. But since we made one for Mom, it’s only fair that we make one for Dad, right?

We’re making this card for Father’s Day since it’s coming up in a couple of weeks, but it would also make a perfect birthday card for a car-loving child at any time of the year. And the scratch-off messages make it way more fun than a regular card!

Required Materials

Here’s what you’ll need to make your very own DIY car card with fun scratch-off messages:

• 3 sheets of coloured cardstock (I used two blue and one black—you can replace the blue with any colour you like as long as it’s light enough to show your handwritten messages)
• My free car printable, which you can download using the form at the bottom of this article
• Scissors
• White school glue
• Clear adhesive tape
• Pen or pencil (for writing your secret messages)
• Clear packing tape (I’ve found it to be cheapest at the dollar store)
• Coin of your choice (to scratch off the paint and reveal the secret messages)
• Dish soap (I’ve linked to the one I used, but whatever brand you use to do your dishes should work just fine)
• Black acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Small container (for mixing the paint)

How to Make a Scratch-Off Car Card (Step-by-Step)

1. Print Template

Start by printing the template on cardstock. You’ll need to print the first two pages on blue cardstock (or whichever colour you’re using for the body of the car) and the last page on black cardstock.

If you print them all at once, make sure you place the sheets of cardstock in the correct order—a lot of printers print documents in reverse page order!

The black lines will be a little harder to see on black cardstock, but they should be visible under adequate lighting. The items on the last page of the template were placed close together intentionally to allow you to reuse the remainder of the sheet of cardstock for other projects!

2. Cut Template

Cut out the patterns with scissors as pictured below. Once you finish cutting, you should be left with two entire cars, two windows and two wheels.

3. Glue Template

Next, glue the black cutouts onto the corresponding blue shapes on one of the car bodies, as pictured below. This car will become the front page of the card.

4. Assemble Card

The next step is to stick the two pieces of the card together. Both of the printed designs should be facing up, and the car with the glued cutouts should be on top.

To assemble the card, just use a few pieces of adhesive tape on both the outside and the inside of the card, as pictured below. Be sure to place the pieces of adhesive tape lengthwise along the seam of the card or they’ll end up under the packing tape used to create the scratch-off messages!

5. Write Messages

Now is the time to write your scratch-off messages! You can write whatever you like as long as you keep the writing inside the printed windows and wheels.

6. Cover Messages with Tape

Once you’re happy with your messages, cover them with packing tape.

This step is actually a little bit trickier for this project than it was for the ladybug card due to the shape of the car. The windows shouldn’t be too difficult to cover, but the wheels might be a little trickier since they partially stick out.

I recommend that you place the tape vertically, starting at the top of each wheel, and cut it when you reach the bottom of the wheel. Then, use scissors to cut off the excess tape.

Note: You’ll have to be pretty precise about where you place the tape since the wheels have about the same diameter as the width of the tape, and you want them to be completely covered!

7. Write Reveal Message

Keeping the card open, write a sentence on the top half of the card inviting its recipient to reveal the scratch-off messages.

8. Add Coin Pouch (Optional)

This next step is optional, but I decided to add a little pouch containing a coin to the front hood of the car. I thought this would make it easier for the recipient of the card to read the secret messages if they don’t happen to be carrying a coin.

I didn’t include this in the template because I figured you might be using a different currency and your coins might not be the same size as mine. But even without a template, it’s pretty simple to do.

Just use the scraps of blue cardstock to cut a small square a little larger than your coin, then tape it to the inside of the card using three pieces of adhesive tape. Insert the coin into the pouch, leaving a little bit sticking out so it won’t be too difficult to pull out.

9. Paint Scratch-Offs

Now is the time to create the scratch-off shapes! Just mix equal parts dish soap and black acrylic paint in a small container, then use the mixture to paint over your secret messages, staying within the printed lines.

I had stored the leftover paint from our Scratch-Off Ladybug Card in an airtight container, so I was able to reuse it instead of making more!

I found that one layer of paint provided sufficient coverage, but if that’s not the case for you, just wait until the first layer dries and add another layer on top. You can repeat this as many times as you need in order for the windows and wheels to be properly covered.

Make sure not to close the card at any point during this process or you’ll end up with black paint on the top half of the card, and since that part of it isn’t covered in clear packing tape, you won’t be able to scratch any of it off!

10. Let Dry

Once the paint has dried completely, the card is ready! Fold it up and give it to the recipient. When they open the card, they’ll be able to remove the coin from the pouch and scratch off the paint to reveal the secret messages you’ve written!

Related Homemade Cards

Looking for more fun ideas of DIY cards you can make at home? Check out these articles:

• Scratch-Off Ladybug Card (with Free Printable!)
• Marbled Shaving Cream Shirt & Tie Card (with Free Printable!)
• Button Rainbow Card (with Free Printable!)

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