With no idea what to expect when the big 50 birthday is here, will I feel sad, will I feel glad, will the day be like any other or will it be a day to remember? Well, to be honest, it was all of these and more, but the most amazing part of the entire celebration were the handmade gifts from around the world and close to home. The unexpected gifts were we so special, so personal and will be remembered for years to come. So what do you do to say Thank You? I decided to give a little handmade back, with handmade thank you cards. I decided to make them in a junk journal style with my favorite Canvas Corp Brands products, a junk journal card. Well, I was not sure what else to call them, so Junk Journal Cards seem to fit the bill. The cards were made using different journal page techniques, a bit of mixed media and a lot of fun.
I cannot say the day began, because it was more like a week of fun surprises, beginning with a visit by two of our Crew who were so sweet to gather up and deliver some very special handmade gifts that were sent in from a few friends around the world, such a special surprise and each gift meant something so special. I wish I could share them all, but this post would be a bit too long, so here are a few I just had to share…
I have a thing for old books and this altered book with photos of our family brought a tears to my eye. The layers of pages remind me of the layers of years to get to 50, wow 50, it still has not soaked in that 50 years have gone by. Thanks Lena.
Some have their favorite aprons they have worn for years with lots of battle scars from paint splotches, a bit of glue and remnants of crafts of the past. I however don’t have one, until now!! I opened up this little gem and loved that Lynne altered one of our aprons with beautiful laces and fabrics to create the perfect apron for me.
So you know when you get a gift that you didn’t even know you needed or wanted, but you open it up and it is love at first site, well that is the case with this fun and funky handmade bag. Not only is it soft, roomy and my kind of eclectic, but it is also the exact size to hold my computer with the case still on it. I am not sure if there is love at first sight when it comes to tote bags, but if there is I am pretty sure I experienced it. Thanks Mandy for putting all these pieces together to create the perfect bag for me.
I am so truly thankful for the creative friends I have made throughout the world. I love learning about new cultures, areas I would love to visit, traditions and a bit of my own history. Marie made this amazing necklace from her homeland of Sweden where I can claim as a bit of my own, as I have a grandmother who is 100% Swedish. As we get lost in our daily lives and American traditions, we can quickly overlook our history and I love memories of what was once. This perfect necklace is a great reminder of the past and the future.
The basket was filled with handmade home decor gifts, mixed media art and a special journal. I feel bad that I cannot share them all, but please know that each gift that I got has a special place in my heart and was a big part of making my “day” pretty special, but it did not end there.
I walked into what I thought was dinner and turned out to be an amazing surprise party. I am pretty sure handmade was not the plan for the party, but it as all around and I loved it. From this perfect sign that set the tone for the surprise wine themed party.
This this amazing wine themed cake that was even more amazing in person and tasted even better than it looked. We take cake decorating for granted sometimes as the artist work comes and goes with a few slices of the knife and a stack of plates, but many cakes are truly works of art.
Last but not least, the wine, a few came with custom made labels that were so funny, beautiful artwork and something new to try. What fun to have a collection of wine for the wine rack and a great way to remember such a fun surprise.
So a birthday filled with so much thoughtfulness and handmade items deserves a bit more than store bought thank you cards, so not being the card maker, I ventured out to try something new and had a ball making these thank you cards. Now mind you, it took me a bit of time, so the Thank Yous are going out later than planned, but sending them anytime is a good thing, right?!
Here is how I made them if you want to give it a try.
I started with painting a range of Mixed Media Origins Mini’s with Tattered Angels Mists, no rules, just fun colors, everywhere. I think that was the most fun of the entire project. I had a lot to do, so I just spent an entire day on making these mini works of art, well, I thought they were.
I went through my scraps of canvas, burlap, papers, ephemera and other goodies and began to outfit each one with like colors, shapes and designs, keeping in mind there were no rules, just have fun and nothing is truly junk. Each card started out as a piece of 12×12 7gypsies printed cardstock paper, cut to 9″ tall x 8″ wide (folded to make the cards 4″x9″ when done. The papers are printed on both sides, so I picked my favorite side, so I picked my favorite side and began to layer it with scraps, pieces of fabric and then stitched them all together with different fun stitches on my sewing machine. The opposite side is filled with thread and stitches, so I left it all there and glues the front and back together to make a panel card.
No two are alike and that made them fun to make and fun to give, choosing the perfect card to say thank you to the perfect person. To create a place to write, I tore pages from my 7gypsies Spiral Ledger Journal and stitched the paper onto the back before gluing the entire card together. This gave me lined paper that was perfect for saying THANK YOU!!!
The cards slip right into a #10 envelope, which is perfect for mailing anywhere. So next time you receive a handmade gift from a batch of cookies, homemade jam or piece of mixed media wall art, I hope you are inspired to make junk journal cards in your own style. Use up bits and pieces of journals and crafts you have made and the cards truly reflect a bit of you.
Thanks again to everyone who was part of making my birthday so special from the well wishes and messages to the handmade gifts and all in-between, they all made the “day” I mean week pretty special.
– Christine –
'Handmade Thank Yous For Handmade Gifts' have 3 comments
January 15, 2018 @ 9:05 am Lynne Forsythe
OH my WORD….I LOVE your handmade….junk journal style cards!! ….and the gift….WOWZEROOONIE! That is a WHOLE BUNCH OF LOVE right there!
January 15, 2018 @ 3:43 pm ccbrands
Thanks Lynne – so fun to make and you can give back a little of you with each one!!
January 19, 2018 @ 5:41 pm Julia Cotrim
Thanks Christine for sharing your work with us! Love it! 🙂