High Five Thank You Notes Tutorial

Posted by papernstitch on December 31, 2008 · 4 Comments 

I am official back from vacation and am so excited to be back. I had a wonderful time and it was nice to unplug for a while, but I am ready to get back in the swing of things. And I wanted to kick things off today with a bang. So I have an awesome guest post from Jenny Fowler, who makes gorgeous silhouettes for her shop JennyLeeFowler (which I will be posting about tomorrow).

When Jenny contacted me, I was thrilled and so excited to see what she would come up with for a tutorial. And this thank you note is just perfect for sending out to all the wonderful people who may have sent you a present over the holidays this year. 

I will let Jenny take it away, but before I do, please make sure you check out Jenny’s seriously incredible shop right here and her blog as well. And check back tomorrow for my post about her silhouettes.

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Here’s a print that will last long after holiday fingerprints have been wiped from Grandma’s picture windows. I love sending handmade cards, but since my littles were born I’ve often simplified a bit with editions. This card can be scanned, formatted, and copied to create multiples, but don’t skip on the “hand-signing”—even if it’s just a scribble! 

 

Trace the outline of your little’s hand with a pencil on a piece of scrap paper. Gently hold the fingers down as you make your way around. Smooth out any extra wrigglesome lines.  

Cut carefully around the inside of the outline to make a template. 

Select two contrasting papers for your card. In my sample, I’ve used origami papers from a local Asian Grocer, but this can also be a nice opportunity to recycle some of your favorite holiday cards or wrappings. These will be mounted on a side-fold card so make sure that they fit the dimensions you want for your finished card and envelope sizes. I’ve used 4.25”x 5.5” or quarter letter size and equivalent envelopes for my two-year-old. 

Place your hand template with pencil side down on the reverse side of the paper you want to use for the hand. Trace and cut along the inside of your line. 

Cut background to size. For the size shown here, I cut 4”x 5.25” to create a fine white border. Position finished hand cutting on background and glue in place, then glue background to card. Use a bone folder to create your own cards or purchase card blanks from a craft supply shop. I use Studio-Tac archival dry adhesive for super-quick and relatively mess-free sticking. Once glue is dry, you can scan the image to make as many cards as you need. Be sure to keep hand size and proportions. Or if you’re really snowed in, you can use your template to hand-cut some more! 

–Jenny Lee Fowler 

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