What do you think of when you need a thank you card? Do you want to thank someone with a soft, pastel under-saturated whisper? Or do you want to go up to them, throw your arms around them and squeal “WOW, THANK YOU!” Because that’s how I wanted to thank someone recently.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with soft thank-you’s – I said one recently with this card which features a sweet little pastel-colored bird. But there are times when you want to straight up rattle the windows with appreciation. Color will certainly do it, and lots of it. Big, bold and bright color will make anyone sit up and take notice!
No shrinking violets here
I created this thank you card for Mr. Right’s daughter-in-law. She gave me bags of crafting supplies recently, including a huge bag of old costume jewelry – SCORE! Many of these pieces will make their way onto mixed media projects which I will share in future posts.
The card is a standard A2 size with a wee bit of overage on either side. I find it hard to contain my pieces within boundaries at times. I wanted to try my hand at coloring an image with Copics, for which I’m certified. It’s been a few years since I last picked these alcohol markers up, but guess what – it’s like riding a bike! My fingers took on a life of their own after a few brief strokes, and this simple flower image was born.
Now before you say, “But the flower colors don’t really match the card colors,” I know. The flower colors don’t really match the card colors. But artists know they can take liberties with their own creations, as I did here. Matchy matchy just isn’t my style, especially with the double-sided designer paper I used. (Yes, the orange was the other side of the purple-y pink paper.)
Let’s let the images do the talking.
I used tiny alphabet stamps on the banner. Leaving things “plain” isn’t my style. Simple black stitching around the edge of the patterned layer adds texture. It’s a favorite technique.
Even something this tiny needs embellishment. I used a dot of Stickles and traced the bow with Gelly Roll glitter pen.
More Gelly Roll pen detail. And I inked the edges of the patterned paper. Another favorite technique.
I inked the edges of all but the purple and black papers, including the inside white layer where the message was written. I dislike seeing the white interior of patterned papers, so I make it a practice to ink the edges, even if you can’t really tell. It’s not the ink that makes the difference, it’s the lack of it. Inking edges is one of those things you don’t pay attention to. Until it’s not there.
The flower was colored with Copics. And a bit more Stickles was added to the doily die cut. The center of the flower contains Art Glitter, the finest glitter available.More colorful thank you cards
If you’re still in doubt, here are a few examples from my previous blog:
- A purple-licious card which featured a colored image, lots of bling and a fat luscious bow. It even featured one of my handmade stick pins!
- A fresh, spring-like card featuring custom-stamped background paper, a colored image, machine stitching and another luscious bow.
- A shabby vintage card using bright color and a yummy seam binding bow.
And that, lovely readers, is today’s card.
Now it’s your turn. If you need to send a thank you card, try using brilliant color instead of keeping it understated. Then come back and share your cards here – we’d love to see them.
Hugs!