How to Make Thank You Cards

While sending a text or email to thank someone shows gratitude, there is so much more value in sending a heartfelt handmade thank you card instead. It shows the recipient that you are going above and beyond to show appreciation to them, and it is such a kind way to spread joy to others. I have created the ultimate guide to making handmade thank you cards for friends, family, teachers or coworkers.  

In this article, you will learn: 

• How to select the right cardstock, envelopes, and embellishments for your handmade thank you cards 
• Options for designing your cards, including easy DIY ideas, ready-made templates, and printable styles 
• How to choose the right message or sentiment, fonts and colors to align with your design 
• Basics for addressing your envelopes and how to make the envelope just as exciting as the thank you card itself 

Steps to Card Making 

I have outlined the core steps that you will want to take when making a thank you card. Cards can be a simple 10-minute project or be as elaborate and creative as you want them to be. But one thing is for sure, the person that you are making the card for is sure to be appreciative of the gesture.  

Step 1: Choosing materials for a DIY card 

Step 2: Homemade card design ideas 

Step 3: How to create a thank you card 

Step 4: Addressing the envelope 

Step 1: Choosing materials for a DIY card 

Some items you may already own in your arsenal of craft supplies will work for basic card making. Here is a list of some basics that you may want to consider for your DIY card-making.  

• Cardstock 
• Patterned or specialty paper 
• Scissors or paper cutter 
• Adhesive or glue 
• Envelopes 

• Embellishments 

Cardstocks and specialty paper 

Crafters don’t have to have a ton of supplies to create a beautiful, one-of-a-kind sentiment for someone else to enjoy. When choosing materials for your handmade thank you card, I suggest selecting a cardstock that has a heavier weight for your main project (between 80-110 lbs) with a solid core.  This will give the structure of your card a strong base and will not be flimsy once you add embellishments to the card. I prefer to use lighter weight cardstocks and patterned papers for layering or accents to my base card.  

If you have plain cardstock, you can use scissors or a paper trimmer to cut the card to the desired size and fold in half using a bone folder or scraper to give your card a crisp fold. If you have a cutting machine, like Cricut or Silhouette, you can use the machine to cut your card out as well.  

If you would prefer to start with a pre-made card, there are many options available as well. Most craft stores and online merchants sell pre-made cards that are available in a variety of sizes and colors. My personal favorite pre-made cards to make homemade thank you cards are Cricut cutaway and insert cards. They come packaged with coordinating colors to make getting started a breeze. They are easy for beginners and are designed to be used with a Cricut machine and card mat, which is one of my favorite Cricut accessories!  

Envelopes 

Envelopes can be pre-made or handmade. There are many easy ways to make your own envelopes. If you prefer to design your envelope by hand, I suggest checking out this article with 3 ways to make an envelope. I especially love the origami envelope design. When you are making your own envelopes, make sure that you make one that is larger than the size of your card, so that your card fits inside well.  

If you go the premade route, most card kits come with envelopes. If you are using Cricut, there are many envelope templates on Cricut Design Space All Access you can search and cut as well. You can size these in your canvas to align with the size of your thank you card. If you don’t have Cricut All Access, you can find hundreds of envelope templates on Creative Fabrica.  

Embellishments 

Adding details to your card can really make it pop. You can use household items or items in your craft stockpile to add dimension and personality to a homemade thank you card. Some fun things to try are: 

• Washi tape 
• Buttons 
• Ribbon 
• Stickers 
• Beads 

• Craft sticks 
• Stamps and ink  
• Colored markers 
• Brads 
• Vinyl or HTV (yes, they work on cardstock!) 

• Paint 
• Pipe cleaners 
• Sequins 
• Glitter 

And so much more! You can really let your imagination go wild with ways to dress-up a DIY thank you card. The adhesives that you want to use can also vary depending on the embellishments that you are using. A glue stick isn’t going to work well for a button, so you may prefer a glue dot. Some “wet” glue dries and wrinkles the paper you are working with, so for this reason, I prefer to work with adhesive tape runners when making personalized thank you cards. 

Step 2: Homemade card design ideas 

A thank you card can be a simple “thanks” or something much more elaborate. How do you decide what type of thank you card to make with so many options available to you? Some things to think about are: 

• How much time you have 
• Paper crafting items available to you 
• Tools that you own (cutting machines, die cutters, punches) 

Cutaway Cards 

I always find that in a pinch, I use my Cricut Maker to make super quick and easy cards. Cutaway cards are my favorite. These are pre-folded cards in a variety of rectangular or square sizes, that have an adhesive backer that is pressed into the inside front of the card. When the design or words are cut with the Cricut, you peel away the cut sections to reveal the colored backer underneath. Since there are so many pre-made projects on Cricut Design Space available and you can complete a card in less than 15 minutes. 

Insert Cards 

If you don’t have any Cricut Cutaway cards, Cricut Insert cards are easier to find in craft stores and have a larger range of colors and insert options. They are also traditionally less expensive than cutaway cards. The difference with these cards is that there is no adhesive attaching the backer to the card front. Instead, the backer is fit into cuts in the front of the card on all 4 corners to secure the backer in place.  

The effect of these cards is similar to the cutaway cards with 2 layers that pop against one another, and they are also simple to make. Cricut Design Space offers a template for cutaway cards where you can design your own thank you card or use one of the many pre-designed options in the “Projects” section of CDS. 

Printable Cards 

If using a Cricut isn’t an option for you, another quick and easy DIY thank you card option is printable cards. There is an array of printable cards options available online. Creative Fabrica offers over 7000+ printable thank you card ideas included in your annual membership, which makes it an outstanding tool to have in your craft toolbox.  

With printable cards, you simply make or use a pre-folded blank card and you download the image that you would like to print directly onto the front of your card with your home inkjet printer. With this option, you can create an attractive card with very little effort. It makes the perfect option if you have little time, or you are making a large quantity of cards.  

DIY Thank You Cards 

If you want to create a card from scratch, you can use a pre-made folded blank card or cut out your own using heavy weight cardstock. If you want to cut out your own card, you have endless options for colors and materials that you can use. I recommend a solid-colored heavy weight cardstock in a light enough color so that you can write or add design elements and they won’t get lost.  

With a do-it-yourself card handmade from scratch, your design can be as fun and detailed as you would like it to be. It can be a true work of art, but this project will be more time consuming than the others. 

Step 3: How to create a thank you card 

Once you have decided on how you want to make your DIY thank you card, you can decide on the design elements that you want to add to your card to make it special. 

Fonts 

Depending on how you design your card, the font choice can be especially important. For Cutaway and Insert cards, you want to select a font that is bold, large and easy to read. If you select a thin, delicate font, it will not cut well and be easy to read. Larger wording will also be easier to cut and weed, which will consume less of your time.   

For making thank you cards that are printable, you can get creative with font choices and select fonts that are more decorative, thin, wispy or ornamental, because you will be printing these directly from your printer and will not have to spend excess time cutting the words out. Some wonderful fonts for designing printable cards are listed in the article “40+ Best Handwriting Fonts”. Many of the fonts listed are available for download for free from Creative Fabrica.

If you are doing DIY cards, you may choose to use pens to create handwritten designs. Using my Cricut machine and pens to create hand-lettering is one of my favorite things to do with my Cricut! If you don’t know how to use Cricut pens, take a look at my article “Cricut Pens: An Underutilized Friend”. With the writing feature in Cricut Design Space, you can make any font into a font that looks hand-written (only better!). This gives the card a truly authentic, handmade look. 

Colors 

The colors that you select for your card can certainly impact the design of your card. There are a few tips to keep in mind when it comes to color selection. 

• Keep your base card a light color and add elements that pop 

• If you decide on a dark color for your base, use foil transfer or gel pens designed for dark paper to make your message clear 
• If you do use dark paper, you can always add a layer of light color on the inside to allow your message to be more clear 
• Imagine who the card is for and what they may like or what may interest them and incorporate that into your card 

For some great uses of color design, “5 Creative Birthday Poster Ideas” shows examples of color pairing to elicit different emotions depending on the audience. You may want to convey a different thank you message to your kids’ teacher than you do to your grandma.  

Embellishments  

An embellishment is any decorative element that you add to your card. Often times, embellishments are added to the front of the card so that the card can close completely flat. The list at the beginning of this article is not exclusive. Anything can be an embellishment!  

Did you know that you can isolate your search in Cricut Design Space to find drawing images that are meant to use with a pen?

You can use cotton balls for clouds, real sand for a beach design, or maybe a small shaker with sequins or glitter. Even common household items can be used to add wonderful detail to your handmade thank you card. Some designs work best without any embellishments at all (like Cricut cutaway cards, which are perfectly beautiful as they are). But even a few scraps of patterned paper and a button can be the right amount of flair that your card needs. 

Message Content 

Sometimes, when just a simple “thank you” won’t do, you may want to search to find the perfect saying for the inside of your card. It should be simple, short, and easy for your reader to see and understand.  

If it is a thank you card for a gift you received, I suggest reiterating the gift you were given and tie that in with how it makes you feel, how you will use the gift or something else pertinent to the item. If you are thanking someone for a job well done, offer praise for something specific that they did. This is the time to express gratitude to someone.  

Some top word choices for a thank you message include perfect, fabulous, awesome, much-needed, unique, beautiful, and appreciated. 

Finally, you should end with a warm closing, such as warmly, with love, kindly, much love to you, warmest thanks and with gratitude followed by your name.  

You can find more great how-to ideas for card making by viewing the articles “55+ Birthday Card Ideas” and “20+ Printable Anniversary Cards”. 

Step 4: Addressing the envelope 

Once you have created the perfect DIY thank you card, a plain white envelope may not be enough. If that is the case, there are a few things you can do to spice up your envelope. First and foremost, you need to have the name and address of the recipient on the front of the card in the center of the envelope. You can either put your return address in the top left hand corner of the front of the envelope or on the center of the back flap of the envelope.  

If you are feeling extra jazzy, you can add a sticker or drawing to add details to your envelope. I don’t recommend adding any other embellishments to the outside of your envelope as it will most likely get removed during the sorting and mailing process. 

Don’t forget to add a postage stamp! Most small to medium sized cards can be mailed with one stamp, but if the package is overly thick or heavy, additional postage may be required. If your card is very large in size, you will also need additional postage. Check with your local mail carrier if you are unsure.  

As you can see, thank you cards that you hand make can be truly special and heartfelt. Think of someone you want to say thank you to and make them a special token of your appreciation. Maybe it’s your co-worker for helping you with a challenging project, your best friend for doubling as your therapist, or the cashier at the grocery store that you see every week. That thank you card may just make someone’s day!