Earlier this month, I needed to make nine thank-you cards for a volunteer group I’m part of—the American Women’s Club of Hamburg. Each year we say a special thank-you to volunteers for their work on lots of projects and I always think a handmade card goes a long way to show appreciation.
My best go-to for this kind of thing is layered dies. They allow for some variation, so you can play with different designs and color schemes—and they’re perfect for making in batches. This set is the Bunch of Blossoms collection from Concord & 9th. Because you have a variety of flower possibilities, it means you can easily create a card (or nine!) going vertically or horizontally, matted or simply glued to the card front.
Here’s a sampler I made with the flowers.
I wanted all of the cards to be fairly consistent in terms of color and style, but add in some variation. I first designed one basic card to use as a template of sorts, then die cut the flowers and leaves from different cardstock colors. Then I die-cut the flowers and leaves and arranged them in piles on my desk.
For glue, I recommend using a white craft glue but putting it into a bottle with a precision tip. I like the Fine Tip Glue Applicator from Crafter’s Companion because it makes it so easy to add just a tiny bit of glue to each of these little die-cut pieces!
(As I’m working with tiny, easy-to-lose dies, I keep them all on a magnetic sheet.)
Here are some of the cards—
As you can see, I kept the overall design quite simple—only a rectangle or oval matted piece as a background. The “thank you” sentiment is popped up on foam tape for dimension but I didn’t want to get too bulky since some of the cards will be mailed, while most are handed over.
Another tip? I handwrite a personal thank-you message inside each card, but I write them on a separate piece of cardstock that I glue inside the card base. This saves me anxiety about messing up on a decorated card!
And there you have it—simple and fun, easy to personalize and even easier to batch-make, if you’re on a big project!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed the cards and got some inspiration for your next card-making session!
