How to Make A Handmade Thank You Card
Have you ever gotten stuck on the initial step of a DIY project? You know you have the supplies and the general know-how, but that first step is a doozy? Believe it or not, I often feel this way. I get all the supplies out (because I excel at mess making), I get a groovy tune going, have a Dr. Pepper at the ready and then I sit there. Often waiting for either divine intervention or something that kicks me in the right direction. But what happens when it doesn't, and you just sit and sit and sit?
Last week I shared a very personal story on my blog and you have all amazed me with your feedback on that. Some feedback has been in the comments here, some on my FB page, some in my inbox, and three people picked up the phone to comment to me in person. I had no idea how touched so many of you were by that. And trust me, I have thought a LOT about it since then.
I tried to repeat the creation process, and trust me, no one was more surprised than I that it worked! The process had a twist, but I will share that in a bit.
Thinking about who this card was about was the driving force. She is an amazing woman in my life that has taught me more than a thing or two. She is full of energy and spunk, some would refer to her as “quite a character”. She is witty, always on the go, always laughing – even at inappropriate times – and could even drop a bad word in every once in a while for shock value alone.
Our biggest difference is age (and love of ducks – her, not me!). But man, never a dull moment around her.
So I started creating a card that screamed her – her personality, her strengths, her whimsy. The use of bold with a touch of dainty. Color and texture mixed together in a way you might not think of. Here is the card:
Do you see all the differences in it? I hope so!
What else about her? She died 7 years ago. I say that she still ‘is' all of those things, because to me, when you have a memory of someone, they are still here with us. She is in this card, for all the reasons that I mentioned above.
You might be wondering why I made this card and used the Thank You sentiment with it and how am I going to send it to her. Was I thanking her? No. Not at all. But thinking of her is what pushed me out of the chair, off the computer, and to the card stock.
That is the twist – even though I wasn't thinking of who I was sending the card to, it sparked my creativity, it made the card come together and allowed me even more time with her. The reason I did it this way was because of a nagging thought I had over the weekend – how do you use this method of creating when you don't really know the person you are sending the card to? Because you might not always know them that well, right?
Just because I don't know them well, doesn't mean that the card can't be filled with love! For many of us paper crafters, this is more than a hobby, this is something that we are passionate about.
We often get lost in the “looking for ideas” part of crafting – and Pinterest so feeds that need, right? Seriously, disconnect with the computer and connect with a person. Is it always going to be a slam dunk? Nope! I threw out a bit of card stock this weekend, but the end result was worth it.
I am so excited to see what the members in Stamping Family do with this challenge. One already wrote to me and said how once she started this yesterday afternoon the floodgates to creativity burst and she was on a roll! Want to join in on the challenge and the fun? I encourage you to check it out. Learn more about it and be connecting with others today!
When you start thinking about how to make a handmade thank you card, and you get stuck, let others in your life be your inspiration!
