An envelope themed thank you card for my mail carrier.
Since I like crafting so much, I often make greeting cards for friends and family opposed to buying cards from a store. I'd watch YouTube videos and imitate their finished cards, often with my own tweaks. I believe it's a great way to learn and try different techniques.
Considering recent events, I wanted to let my mail carrier know how much I appreciate them. After all, they're still out and about when many are advised to shelter-at-home, self-quarantine, and self-isolate. Not only that, but my mail carrier always leaves treats for my dogs every week, and I'm grateful for all they do.
Continue reading to see the steps I took to create a handmade thank you card.
Supplies and Stuff
These are the items I used to create my card:
*Paper trimmer. I used a paper trimmer to measure, cut, and score the paper. A simple pair of scissors and a ruler will do the same if you want to try this at home. You also don't need a score tool. A simple fold of the cut paper in half will do the job. Then use your finger or some other tool, like the scissors' handle, to flatten the fold if preferred.
Watercolor paper. I used Canson Watercolor Paper because I decided to use watercolor paint for a background design. I'd recommend using watercolor paper if you're using a wet medium for your cards.
Watercolor paint markers. I used Watercolor Dual Tip Markers by Artist's Loft, sold at Michaels. I used blue, pink, green, and gray for this card design.
Paintbrush. I don't like using the watercolor paint markers directly on paper, so I apply the paint markers onto another surface, dilute it with water, and use a round paintbrush to the paint colors onto the paper.
Water. Using a wet-on-wet technique for my card face allowed for a more pastel look when I used enough water.
Markers. I used Spectrum Noir Metallic Markers for a little shine to write the greeting on the card front, but any marker would do.
Foam tape. I used foam tape to elevate some envelope designs on the card front, but it's not necessary for creating the card.
Glue. I used glue to temporarily hold some pieces onto the card while I painted around it. The glue wasn't necessary for creating the card.
Envelope. I used an envelope from a box of The Paper Studio's white, A2, 100 pc set I bought a couple years back from Hobby Lobby.
Ink and ink blending tool. I used stamp ink to add a little design on the envelope. I didn't use watercolor because I didn't think it would work well on the thinner envelope paper.
NOTE: If you choose to try this at home, you don't have to use the same supplies I used. These are items I already owned, but they can easily be substituted with something else. For example, you may choose to use regular markers, crayons, or pastels opposed to watercolor paints or ink.
Measure, Cut, and Score the Card Base
A cut a sheet of my watercolor paper down to 8-1/2" x 5-1/2", then scored it at 4-1/4" to create a 'hamburger' fold. (Sorry. I don't know how to better describe where to score/fold the sheet at.)
Decorating the Card Front
I don't like using watercolor paint markers directly on paper. I tried and didn't like to result. Maybe I wasn't doing it right at the time. Yet I find it's easier for me to 'scribble' the paint marker onto a palette of sorts. In this case, I used an old plastic food lid as my palette.
I scribbled blue, pink, and green watercolor paint markers onto my palette. I added a few drops of water to each color scribble using my round brush. This diluted the paint enough for me to easily lift the colors off the palette with the brush.
I used a wet-in-wet technique to apply the diluted watercolor paint onto the card front. In this technique, I dampened the paper with a brush. I then used the same brush to begin applying one of my 3 colors onto the paper. Because the paper is damp and the watercolor paint is diluted, I was able to get softer edges as the colors spread over the wet area. It created a pale, pastel look that I liked for this card.
Making Little Embellishments
I used 4 pieces of watercolor paper measuring 2" x 1" each, but I cut extra pieces as backup. I tend to mess up often. The 4 pieces served as my embellishments for this card project.
I used a gray watercolor paint marker to draw onto the pieces, attempting to make an envelope outline. I'm not sure the best way to describe this step, so please refer to the image below, assuming it displays onscreen for you.
I tried to be fancy-like and add shadows to the little envelope designs. It didn't look good in my opinion. The little envelopes looked sloppy. It was just wasted time and effort considering how little I liked faux effect. But at least I tried and now know not to do that again.
Adding a Little Design Inside the Card
I wanted to continue the theme on the inside of the card. I cut a small scrap piece of watercolor paper, probably about 1" x 0.5" in size. Size didn't matter to me, so I didn't measure before I cut the piece.
I applied a little glue and stuck the piece onto the paper. This time I applied the wet watercolor paint onto the dry paper. I was curious to see how it differed from the wet-in-wet technique, and I liked this technique also.
I painted quickly because I wanted to remove the scrap piece before the glue dried. Fortunately, it came off easily. I rubbed my finger over the little white space to remove any lingering glue residue.
I finished the inside of the card by drawing an envelope outline in the white space within the watercolor background.
Decorating the Envelope
I love watching K Werner Design's YouTube videos! I specifically love watching her envelope design videos. It wasn't something I did before last year, but now I can't see myself not continuing my card design onto the envelope it'll be housed in.
Usually I add a simple design towards the bottom-left of the envelope. Since I didn't plan to add a mailing address or stamp to this envelope (again, it was for my mail carrier), I decided to cover more of the envelope with a design.
I knew I wanted to do something very similar, if not identical, to the design I just finished on the inside of the card. However, I wasn't convinced the watercolor paint would work well on the thin envelope. Instead, I used stamp ink in place of watercolor paints.
I used the fourth 2" x 1" little embellishment piece I cut earlier and glued it onto the envelope. I used a blending tool to apply ink around the piece to created that soft, pastel look I achieved on the card itself. Once I finished applying the ink, I removed the paper piece and drew an envelope outline in the white space within the inked color background.
The fourth little piece didn't go to waste. I also drew an envelope outline on it. After I placed my greeting card with my personal message into the envelope, I glued the fourth little embellishment piece over the envelope flap to seal it closed.
My Thoughts
Overall, I think the card is OK. There are a few, minor things I didn't see the point in, like attempting to add shading to the mini envelopes on the card front. Personally, I liked how it looked without that little step. However, I wouldn't have realized I didn't care for it had I not tried it.
I got the card in the mailbox. I hope my mail carrier likes it.
Dumb fact: there's a mouse cursor hovered over my fingers on the cover image for this blog post. Shame on me for taking a screenshot while I was editing my video for YouTube!
What's Next?
There are several events soon to happen in my family and friends' lives that I likely won't be a part of due to self-isolation, so I'll certainly be making more greeting cards soon.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam