I wish I had more time to make handmade cards – I think they make the message so much more special. Two years ago after the kids threw us a surprise 40th anniversary party, I decided I had to take the time to make handmade Thank You cards – to show our sincere appreciation for all the effort everyone put forth for the party.
I love the cute little Pure Innocence collection of stamps by Heather Ellis – the little girls remind me of Shreya. Although I wish there was one with a head full of curls like her. Anyway, I used digital stamps for my cards and printed them on watercolor paper. Or, you can always use actual rubber stamps and ink. I simply colored them with watercolor pencils and blended with a small paintbrush dipped in plain water to get the soft look I wanted.
I’ve always wanted to do watercolor painting and was afraid to try. But it couldn’t be easier using the pencils. If you can color, you can do watercolors. The key is to use good quality watercolor paper. This technique will not work on regular paper or cardstock. Watercolor paper has the right texture and absorbency – because that’s what it’s made for. You can make the colors as soft or vivid as you want – depending on the thickness of your coloring – and the amount of water you use.
I used my favorite 5×7″ brown craft paper blank cards, bits of scrap paper and ribbon to embellish. I did use a few of the smaller blank 4×6″ cards for some of them. I sewed most of the watercolor painted kids onto the cards. Some of them I created a pocket to slip in a little eye chart Thank You sign. I’ve included the file for that chart, along with a list of the supplies I used below. Oh, and some I cut out little triangles and used embroidery thread to create a banner for the little girl to hold.
I do hope you’ll try your hand at watercolor pencils. You won’t believe how easy it is – for the impact you get!
Supplies:
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- Pure Innocence Stamps (The ones I used don’t seem to be available now – but you can find something similar you like.)
- Acrylic Stamp Block (To stick your stamp to – it’s reusable.)
- Permanent Ink Stamp Pad
- Or Digital Stamps
- Watercolor Pencils (This is a very nice set – I like the tin to keep them organized.)
- Watercolor Paper
- 5×7 Blank Cards in Natural
- Small paintbrush and various scrap papers and embellishments to match.
Here you can download the little THANK YOU EYE CHART I created.
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