Mrs Lighty is a little bit old fashioned in many ways, but particularly when it comes to snail mail. I still send paper invites for parties, because I always feel that you get a better response back, and I always try to send thank you cards for Baby Lighty’s birthday and Christmas presents.
Having said that, that’s not to say that I don’t find sending thank you cards one of those tasks that feels never ending. And just to make my life harder still, I always like to do something a little different.
For Baby Lighty’s presents at birth I went down the ‘traditional’ printed postcard route. After his first Christmas, I printed postcards at home myself. And after his first birthday, I sent a photo of Baby Lighty at his cake smash within each thank you card.
And last Christmas? Well I was pretty sure that most of our friends and family were getting sick of all of the photos of Baby Lighty they’d received over the past 18 months, but I still wanted to do something a bit different for my thank you cards. But what? And that’s when I received a piece of artwork from the daughter of my very talented friend, Mrs Withy of Baby-Led Weaning for Busy Parents. And I totally pinched the idea for myself (sorry about that, Mrs Withy!!).
So if you’re after easy thank you cards this New Year, plus you’re looking for something to do with the kids while it’s wet and grey outside, here’s what you need to do:
You will need:
- Blank card
- Envelopes
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Stamps or other paint effect tools (optional)
- A willing child
Step 1:
Cut your card to size. A5 or A6 is ideal, as you can fold an A4 piece of card to size. Mrs Lighty is a very thrifty crafter, and I had some pieces of coloured card left over from Baby Lighty’s first birthday party. They were meant for the guest book on the day, but as the weather turned his party into a disaster, these went to waste. They were, however perfect to use for this project. Alternatively, you could buy pre-scored and pre-cut blank greetings cards which can be purchased at craft stores.
Step 2:
Get your willing child, and ask them to create masterpieces on the pieces of card. This was actually Baby Lighty’s first ever go at painting at home; previously we’ve only ever nervously attempted it at messy play sessions. We used the paintbrush, his hands and some stamps from a craft set that we were given by the aforementioned Mrs Withy for Christmas.
Step 3:
Once dry, fold the pieces of card in half. You then have your very easy thank you cards made!
Step 4:
Simply write and send!
I was really pleased with how the cards turned out. Remember that they don’t have to be completely perfect, and that really young toddlers can get involved. Part of the fun is that your little one can be their very own Picasso. All of our cards were each a little bit different, and I think a then-18-month-old Baby Lighty was pleased with his handy work too. Evidenced by the fact that as he decided that he was done with his composition on each piece of card, he would say to me “Mummy, bye bye!” and slide the card away from him!!
And I think all of our recipients were pleased with them too, judging by the lovely comments we received. So why not have a go yourself? I was really surprised by how super-easy these thank you cards were to make, and by how much fun it was.
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Nicola, sweet! And I can see you are one of those rare and wonderful mums who is going to see that the little one(s) grow up writing thank-you notes. It’s so important and yet so often overlooked.
PS I’m sure no one is sick of pictures of Baby Lighty!
My kids are teens and still doing versions of this for thank you cards, though making them do them and fill them in gets harder! #DreamTeam
Very cute! My daughter made a few cards like these for me at nursery around that age and I love them – they get displayed proudly every year! #dreamteam
What a fab idea Nic! The playgroup used to do something like this, but the designs would all be the same. A print from the original. I love that with yours, each person would get something unique. #Dresmteam xxx
There is something very sweet about getting some homemade artwork from a little one! My big girl was never that interesting in painting but my littlest loves it. #dreamteam
It is lovely making hand made cards,have so much more meaning to them X #dreamteam
I used to be so disciplined with thank you cards but I haven’t sent our Christmas ones yet! These look fab and I love homemade things like this, they’re so nice to receive x #dreamteam
Handmade cards are the best – my kids still make birthday and Christmas cards for family members. It is just so personal and crafty.#Dreamteam
I did something similar (and I need to do it again and very soon!). I needed to send A LOT and there was no way he’d paint or draw that many pictures, so I got him to do just one and write his name on it and then I took a photo of it and had my hubby (who conveniently work with photocopiers) print them out onto card for me. Such an easy but personal way to say thank you. #DreamTeam
We still send paper thank you cards and birthday invites as we prefer to feel something in our hands and have something hand written. Theses look great! #DreamTeam
You cant’t beat receiving a handmade card especially from a little one, no doubt many will be kept as keepsakes #DreamTeam
Love making homemade cards with the kids, we did some at Christmas. It’s a lovely way to get your child involved in crafts too xx #dreamteam
These are so cute! My sister-in-law loves thank you cards so I’m passing this idea to her for my nieces! #DreamTeam
Such a great idea, I’m all for getting little ones involved as young as possible and this is a great way for them to show their appreciation. I’m sure this would be a nice surprise for those who receive it too. #DreamTeam
Great idea. I love letting my daughter make her own thank you notes now! It’s so great that the more ‘made by a two-year-old’ they look, the better. And as I have no skill in the art department, I now have a reason for my very basic craft… Also it’s great you still send thank you notes, rather than email/text. I was always brought up to write and say thank you and I think it’s so important to ensure children appreciate all the new toys that suddenly appear in their lives, and really appreciated by older relatives #DreamTeam
A lovely idea. Nice and easy with precut cards. I remember doing paint blowing and those pictures were up in the house for ages. Might be a nice one for a child who has mastered a straw. If you end up with a couple met mess you can always cut out shapes from the painted card and stick them on the cards for a bit of contrast #dreamteam
A lovely idea. Nice and easy with precut cards. I remember doing paint blowing and those pictures were up in the house for ages. Might be a nice one for a child who has mastered a straw. If you end up with a couple met mess you can always cut out shapes from the painted card and stick them on the cards for a bit of contrast on the card #dreamteam
In our house, we love the handmade cards! They get better and better as they grow and mature. These little masterpieces add type and shapes to their drawings and paintings. They are always well received and make the refrigerator doors of most homes who get one… at least for a little while. Brilliant and fun to do too! Bravo momma! #dreamteam xoxo
I love sending thank you cards and this is such a lovely personalised way of making them! Lots of fun too for little painters! I might need to pinch this idea too! ? x #DreamTeam
I love these! They’re such a good idea, and look so easy to do. I did easy shop bought ones this year but think I’ll use this idea for his birthday presents! #dreamteam
Such a lovely idea!! I am a big fan of the thank you note and cards in general,this is such a great way to personalise it!! #DreamTeam