Note Cards | Everyday States

Sending Love From...

For those that find themselves moving around the United States, sending an update of address is always a good idea.  For those that are absolutely in love with their state, and want to spread some love, why not send it in a card? 

To make the card:

1. Purchase or cut a white card.

2. Select the state you want to use and create a pattern by printing the state outline from online or copy from another source.

"Sending Love from Maryland"

TIP: For the states like Colorado, Utah, Arizona, using a thicker line (more strands of embroidery floss) can be used.  For the states that are far more complex like Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, punching more holes and using a thinner line (one or two strands of embroidery floss) make those finer details a little easier to manage when hand stitching. 

"Sending Love from Colorado"

3. Using a paper hole maker (awk, skewer, sewing needle), put your state on top of the card and punch holes following the pattern lines. 

4. Hand stitch the paper using embroidery thread or other string of your choice.  

5. Find a heart or draw your own and create your paper patter.  Repeat steps 3-5 for your heart.

6. Write your sweet message inside, put in an envelope, slap a stamp in the corner and send some state love to your loved one.  

Thought to Live By

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."

-Sir Winston Churchill

Note Cards | Everyday Travels

Travel Wishes

For the frequent travelers, a trip to someplace new or old may seem like routine.  For those that rarely have the chance to get away, a trip can be a big deal.  Nevertheless, sending someone a card to wish them a wonderful trip can start the trip off on the right foot.

"Ay Bay Bay"

To make the card: 

1. Either cut your own blank white card, or purchase blank white cards from your local craft store.

2. If you know where your traveler is going, try and find a scene from their destination. 

3. Print or copy the scene and create a pattern to punch on the card.

4. Using a paper hole maker (awl, skewer, sewing needle), put your image on top of  the card and punch holes following the lines.

5. Hand stitch the patter using embroidery thread or other string of your choice.

6. Write your message inside, put into an envelope, attach your stamp and put in the mail. 

There are so many ways to make these simple cards.  Simple colors look great, but if the destination requires more color, go for it!  Just remember, if you are using embroidery thread, make sure to separate the strands so that you do not end up thicker than desired lines.  

Note Cards | Everyday Animals

 The Hand Stitched Animal Notes

It doesn't take a special occasion to be an excuse to send a note to someone.  Even a simple message to say hello can put the biggest smile on someone's face that makes it completely worth your time.

The Horse

How to make the card:

1. Purchase blank white cards from your local craft store or cut out your own from white card stock.

2. Find an animal, scene, character, you would like to put on a blank card.

3. Print the image onto a white paper.

4. Using a paper hole maker (awl, skewer, sewing needle), put your image on top of  the card and punch holes following the lines.

5. Hand stitch the patter using embroidery thread or other string of your choice.

6. Write your message inside, put into an envelope, attach your stamp and put in the mail. 

The Otter (could also be a tiger if
you use orange thread)

The Goat

The Pig

The Cow

Valentine's Day | February 14th

For almost every kid it seems, there is nothing better on February 14th than decorating your school Valentine's day box, and await all of the Valentines your friends, teachers and your crush (you hope) left you.  Even as adults, getting a card from someone you love gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling inside just like all of that chocolate you ate on the day of love did. 

Valentine's Day Love

To make the card:

1. Purchase, from your local craft store, a Valentine's day themed paper pack in addition to blank, pastel pink cards.

2. With a steady hand, trace your letters onto different papers and cut accordingly. Or use a paper cutting machine to make the process go by quicker. 

3. Using a darker shade of pink, cut a square and glue to the blank card.

4. Cut a 3/4 inch strip from the Valentine's Day themed paper pack, and glue to the bottom of the card.

5. Glue your letters to the card.

6. Either purchase pre-made hearts, or cut out your own and attach to the card. 

7. Write your sweet message on the inside, put into a pink envelope, attach a love themed stamp and send it off.  

Envelope Options

 Note: Every year, Loveland, CO will put their own post mark of love on your love letter or Valentine's Day card.   The city has been stamping the letters since 1947.  Every year, over 200,000 cards are stamped and re-mailed to all fifty states and over 110 countries.  Click here to get more information on how to get the stamp of love: Loveland Stamp

St. Patrick's Day | March 17

For those that are Irish, and those that are not, corned beef, cabbage, red potatoes and green beer are a great way to start celebrating.  But even sending some luck in the mail can bring good fortune just like the gold at the end of the rainbow.  

A bit of Irish Luck 

To make the card:

1. Using a piece of green card stock, cut your card according to the size of your envelope used.

TIP: Using velum envelopes is a great way to send your cards: it is unique, it is fun and it makes you want to open your card that much faster.

2. With a steady hand, trace and cut your lettering, or use a paper cutting machine.

3. Purchase green fasteners and clover/shamrock foam stickers.

4. Using various shades of green and gold, cut strips of paper to fit vertically on the card.  Layer thinner strips on top of larger strips for the layered affect. Glue to card. 

5. Using a push pin, paper puncher or other device good to poke hole through paper, position your letting and punch a whole where you would like to place your fasteners to secure your letters.

6. Attach the fasteners to each letter.

7. On the inside of the card, cut a square of card stock lighter than the shade used for the card body, write your St. Patty's Day message, and attach clover/shamrock stickers as you see if.

8. Put in your envelope, attach your love themed stamp and send off. 

Hand Stitching

Hand stitching or hand sewing your cards add a special touch that cannot be replicated by stickers.  If you have the extra time and patience, it truly shows the amount of thought you put into the card to make it extra special. 

Find and Make Your Pattern

Find a font (if doing lettering) or image (character, scene, animal, etc.) on the computer that you like and print off on a sheet of white paper. If you do not have access to a printer, or are using an image from a book, take a piece of paper of little weight (thinner paper), and trace over.  

TIP: If you like the image or text and plan on using over, trace the pattern onto template plastic you can purchase from your local craft store. Once copying your image, pre-punch your holes onto the template for future ease. 

Punching the Holes

A simple sewing needle works well as a hole punching tool.  However, if using a thicker needle, it may be more helpful to use something that will make a bigger hole (thicker swing needles, awl, skewer, paper puncher, etc.).  Make sure to punch holes over the lettering or lines or image. 

TIP: When punching your holes into the card, put the card on top of styrofoam, card board, or cork (from old cork board, pot trivet). It allows for the holes to go all the way through the paper and doesn’t leave damage to your table surface. To make sure that your pattern doesn’t slip while punching your holes, tape to the card or surface you are using as the backing to your hole punches. 

Stitching

Embroidery thread works great as the thread.  You can also use string, quilting thread (if small lines are desired), embroidery thread, ribbon, anything of your choosing that can be used as thread.  Use a sewing needle, cross-stitch needle, or paper sewing needle from your local craft store. There are various stitches you can use to create your patter but be sure to stitch over all of the holes so that you don’t have lingering holes all over your card when finished. 

TIP: If using embroidery thread, make sure to separate your strand so that you do not end up with a very thick line if your pattern requires smaller detailing. 

If you do not have experience with any sewing, there are great tutorials on line that you can use as an aid.  If those don’t work, check to see if there is a local quilt guild that could help show you the ways of sewing. 

Have fun with it.  You can be super creative and pair the technique with many other techniques of card making to create spectacular cards.  

Note Cards | Everyday Owls

The Owl Notes 

Simple note cards to say, "Hello," "I miss you," "Have a great week," are easy to put into a text message and send.  But by taking a few extra minutes to write them on owl cards means a lot too.  It may take the message a few days to get there, but who doesn't like getting the good kind of mail?  When making these cute little cards, it took me longer to wait for the machine to cut out the owls than it did for me to put them together.

The Owl Note Cards

To make the card:

1. Purchase blank note cards of various colors from local craft store or home goods sore with a stationary section of good size and variety.  Most of these card packs will come with coordinating envelopes. 

2. Using your card cutting machine, cut out owls (or animal of your choice).

NOTE: If you do not have a card cutting machine, there are pre-cut die cut kits of animals that you can use, some scrabooking stores carry “pre-cut” animal kits.  If you have the patience, you can always cut the animal of your choice yourself.  

3. Glue (or use other adhesive) to assemble the owls.

4. Attach the owls to the cards.

5. Write your notes, put into a coordinating colored envelope, add a stamp, put it in the mail.  

Birthdays | Year Round

Greeting cards from the store are great, especially the ones that stole the words out of your mouth.  But a hand made Birthday card? The only thing better is being in person to tell your loved one, “Happy Birthday!” If you time it right, you can get the card in the mailbox the day of their birthday, which makes it even more special.

To make the card:

Embellishments

1. Creativity!  Where to get the ideas? Look at card ideas online, at the store,scrapbooking magazines, online blogs, your dream of the perfect birthday card.

2. Buy special embellishments from your craft store and add to the card to make it that more special. If you can find ones that fit the person you are making the card for, all the better. 

3. Hand stitch over the lettering and any other place on the card that you wish.

   Various Fonts and Scripts

TIP: When punching your holes into the card, put on top of styrofoam, card board, or cork (from old cork board, pot trivet). It allows for the holes to go all the way through the paper and doesn’t leave damage to your table surface. 

4. The post office has really great stamps that you can use to make the card a little more special. 

Even if you missed the day, sending a belated card means just as much.  Just showing someone you thought of them on their special day puts a smile on their face, and hopefully makes for a memorable birthday.